Photo: Associated Press

It seems that the Cavaliers never really had a chance in this one, because they were the victims of some of the worst officiating I have witnessed in my entire life. Monty McCutchen and his crew stripped the Cavaliers of an opportunity to knock off the Celtics for a second time on their home floor. Give the Cavaliers credit for not phoning it in down 22 with their head coach ejected and the entire team thoroughly upset. LeBron James never believed the game was out of reach, and his body language and actions showed that. James’s 42-point contribution was in a losing effort, but it is crystal clear that the Cavaliers are no longer afraid of the Boston Celtics and their tired, grumpy, cocky act. Luckily for Cleveland, the San Antonio Spurs helped the wine and gold out by smoking the Lakers and thus wrapping up home court throughout the playoffs for the Cavaliers. Once again, the road to The Larry O’ Brien Trophy runs smack dab through Quicken Loans Arena, and this time, the Cavs are determined to not let that slip away from them.

Without Shaq and Andy today, the Cleveland frontcourt finally succumbed to a team where you cannot get away with a lack of physical play underneath. The Celtics’ gameplan was to get plenty of touches for Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins and it gave Boston the early advantage. Add in the fact that Rajon Rondo continues to own Mo Williams and Boston was flying high in the first quarter with plus 50% shooting. Anthony Parker extended his longest slump as a Cavalier by providing little defensive resistance on sharpshooter Ray Allen. Allen had one of his best games of the season, dropping in 33 points and lifting Boston to a win that they needed much more than the Cavs.

Photo: Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer

You don’t even have to look at the calendar; you can just tell that the Cavaliers have an entirely different attitude in the final lap of the regular season. For the second straight game, the Cavs faced a potential second round opponent, and once again, the team finished strong in the final minutes to pull out a tight victory. Tonight, it was Cleveland’s domination of the boards and the fourth quarter freeze they placed on the Hawks for the third straight meeting this year that took them to win number sixty. In addition to reaching the sixty win mark, the wine and gold also clinched homecourt throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs with help from San Antonio beating the Magic tonight. The magic number for the number one overall seed is now just one with two chances to clinch it on Sunday afternoon.

Without arguably their top two rebounding presences, one would figure the Cavs were in trouble down low against the athletic, physical, offensive rebound-minded Hawks. But, the Cavaliers have had each other’s backs all season long, so J.J. Hickson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas really answered the call for their injured fellow big men in this one. Hickson posted a career-high 16 rebounds to go with his 8 points and 2 blocks, while Z had 5 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists in 27 minutes. I mention the minutes, because many, myself included, surmised that the big guy would be playing about half of those minutes against the fast-pace driven Hawks. Instead, Z played within himself and gave the Cavaliers some seriously productive minutes. Let’s not overlook LeBron James’s rebounding display, grabbing 13 of his own. In all, the rebounding numbers were in Cleveland’s favor by a shocking 55-36. The Cavs also picked up 14 offensive boards with half of them coming from Hickson.

Photo: Joshua Gunter, The Plain Dealer

In what could be a preview of a 2nd round playoff match-up, the Cavs got help from video replay to seal their victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Cavs and the Bucks were involved in a grind it out game all night. Cleveland had a problem stopping John Salmons most of the game, but the Cavs forced Salmons to turn the ball over in the final minute when it counted most.

Jackson back in the Q and Injuries- Former Cavalier Darnell Jackson returned to the Q for the first time since he had been waived by the Cavaliers to make room for Z; the Milwaukee Bucks claimed Jackson off of waivers. The Cavaliers were without energy man Andy Varejao as he continues to rest his hamstring, and center Shaquille O'Neal was out as he continues to rehab his thumb. The Bucks were without Carlos Delfino (neck injury) and Michael Redd, who is out for the season.

Salmons Gets Going - John Salmons has been a terrific addition to the Bucks lineup, and he continued to play well in this game. Salmons got the Bucks started early; Salmons had 11 points in the 1st quarter on 4 of 5 shooting. Three of those baskets were layups and were uncontested. Much of Salmons's early success can be attributed to Anthony Parker's poor defense. Parker seemed to be wearing cement shoes; Parker's play is starting to become a growing concern... more on that later.

Mo Asserts Himself - Mo Williams must listen to the media because lately there has been much chatter about Mo not producing. In this game, Mo came out and was aggressive. Mo scored 7 1st quarter points and looked to push the ball early. Mo has recently lost some of his scoring opportunities to the addition of Antwan Jamison, but Mo needs to continue to play like he did in this game because he may be the X-factor to the Cavaliers winning it all.

Quick Fouls - The big names in this game were on the bench early in foul trouble. The Bucks rookie point guard, Brandon Jennings, picked up his 2nd foul four and a half minutes into the game and sat on the bench for over 12 minutes after that. LeBron James also picked up his 2nd foul early. LeBron committed his 2nd foul with 5:58 remaining in the 1st quarter but only sat until the start of the 2nd quarter.

Photo: Scott Shaw/The Plain Dealer

One of the most touching moments in my Cavalier fanhood came Sunday afternoon when the Quicken Loans Arena crowd welcomed their franchise center home from a six week absence with a Z-themed spectacle. The hoopla for Zydrunas Ilgauskas, including an intro tacked on the end of the starting lineup, Z posters, a tribute video, and Z-themed intros for his teammates (Zebron James and J.J. Zickson for exzample), was well-deserved if a little bit over the top. Nearly lost in all this was a basketball game, one where the Cavaliers battled a short-handed Sacramento lottery team that was missing its best player in rookie Tyreke Evans and several key contributors. Missing their bench sparkplug, it was up to Cleveland's top two scorers to bring home the proverbial bacon. The win lowers the magic number for homecourt throughout the postseason to just five with eight games remaining.

With fifty losses already this year, the Kings were in even worse shape with only seven healthy bodies by the end of the game. Evans, Francisco Garcia, Jonathon Brockman, Sean May, and Spencer Hawes were already out when Dominic McGuire left due to injury after just five minutes. Luckily for the 'Mentos, the players they did have performed above their regular levels. Exhibit A is Beno Udrih, who registered a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 15 assists in playing all 48 minutes, one of two players to do so (Jason Thompson). Andres Nocioni, a classic pest in countless matchups against Cleveland when he was a Bull, had 21 bench points as well. The other noteworthy performances for Sac-town were a double-double for Jason Thompson (16 points, 14 rebounds) and Carl Landry (17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists). What the Kings did have was an excess of athletic players, especially big guys like Thompson and Landry, and it allowed them to beat the Cavaliers in transition on multiple occasions in the second and third quarters. The obvious issue was the lack of a closer, which the Cavaliers definitely had.

Photo: AP

I'm going to preface this article with the admission that I was less than intrigued by this game due to the fact of my heart being ripped out by the Buckeyes, but I will do my best.

You had a feeling it was coming, it was necessary, but you didn't really want it in this particular game. The San Antonio Spurs played much like they did on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. The difference, you ask? They finished this game, pressured LeBron James, and made their free throws for their 43rd win of the season. Meanwhile, the Cavs shot well and got great contributions from their frontcourt, but their backcourt struggled and they missed their free throws, leading to loss number 16. It ends the Cavs' eight game win streak, but the Lakers' loss in Oklahoma City decreases the Cavalier magic number to homecourt throughout to just six.

Photo: Bill Haber/AP

On a day where the Cavaliers welcomed their franchise center back into game action, the Cavaliers continued business as usual, dispatching of the Hornets in New Orleans for the first time since 2006, ending their longest win drought in any NBA arena. They won their eight straight thanks to a highly-efficient scoring night from LeBron James, a forceful statement game from J.J. Hickson, and 57% shooting on the road, which is almost always good enough for a W. Coupled with Orlando's loss to Atlanta, tonight's win decreases the magic number to Eastern Conference homecourt to four, and the overall magic number is down to seven.

The Hornets are fighting a losing battle in regards to making the playoffs, largely due to missing their All-Star Chris Paul for several weeks. Paul returned Monday night, but in his second game back, he was largely held in check (5 points, 7 assists in 31 minutes). New Orleans's top two scorers were the same as the last matchup: Matt Thornton and Darren Collison. Thornton had 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, down from his career-high 37 last time, and Collison added 17, 4 boards, and 7 assists, also lower than his 22 a month ago.

Photo: Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer

Facing the Pistons at home, the Cavaliers knew they could probably get by with yet another lazy effort and still win. But, to their credit, the Cavaliers showed a much more inspired effort in their dismantling of the Pistons and gaining their first sweep over the Pistons in 30 seasons. The wine and gold had six in double figure scoring, and they led by as many as 29 in the fourth quarter which the starting five was allowed to sit. The all-around team effort lowered the Cavs' magic number to clinch homecourt throughout the playoffs to just eight and extended the win streak to seven games.

Knocking down great looks: That's pretty much what the Cavaliers did starting in the first quarter and continuing throughout the game. LeBron looked in rhythm early with two long jumpers, and Mo Williams hit several long shots as well. Getting out and running a little bit helped the Cavs distance themselves from the offensively limited Pistons. LeBron, Mo, and Antawn Jamsion each had six plus points in the first quarter, and the Cavaliers were off and running. I really feel for John Kuester, who knows this team so well and still can't do anything to stop them because he lacks the personnel. Let's face it, the Pistons really messed up by trading Chauncey Billups and then signing Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva in free agency. Looking back, it's no contest that the Cavaliers benefited by signing Varejao instead of Villanueva, who has continued his "get stats in meaningless minutes" approach and is playing BEHIND a rookie in Jonas Jerebko. Instead of saving their cap space, they settled for consolation prizes, and they lack a star to move forward with into the future.

Photo: Nam Y. Huh/AP

For three straight games, the Cavaliers have faced teams in their own division, and for three straight games they have sleep-walked against them for long stretches even though each team is dealing with significant injuries to key starters. But, each of the games ended in a wine and gold win, stretching the current win streak to six and shrinking the magic number for homecourt thoughout the playoffs to nine. Once again, LeBron James took the team on his back in a thrilling fourth quarter, but it should have been a blowout considering the Bulls were missing arguably their three best players.

Doesn't get much worse: It isn't too much fun to be a Chicago Bulls fan right now. First, you trade two key contributors (Tyrus Thomas and John Salmons) to other Eastern Conference playoff contenders. Then, you suffer injuries to your three best players in Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and the always obnoxious Joakim Noah. Finally, you lose ten (and counting) in a row and are in danger of dropping out of the playoff picture. This is essentially the same team that gave the Celtics all they could handle as a 7 seed in last year's most entertaining playoff series, but things haven't worked out for Vinny Del Negro. The result? Well, you've got to believe that Vinny Del Negro is on the hot seat to get this team to the playoffs.

Photo: Joshua Gunter/Cleveland.com

Only twice in the 38 seasons of Cavalier basketball had the wine and gold won the Central Division, the least among all teams. So, when the Cavaliers clinched their franchise's third division title, their second straight, with a win tonight over the division rival Pacers, they did something special and significant, even though it may not feel like it. LeBron had a fantastic second half for the second straight night, and the Cavaliers used a big third quarter run to break open a huge advantage. They came back to earth, however, and their finish against Indiana was less than stellar to say the least. It seemed very much like a "win and move on" game once again.

Missing pieces of the Pacer puzzle: The Pacers are struggling with injuries right now as they are currently without Jeff Foster, Tyler Hansbrough, T.J. Ford, and Danny Granger. Granger was just injured last night when he received a significant blow to the head near the end of a game against Charlotte. That robbed fans of seeing another installment of what has become a nice rivalry between LeBron and Granger. Meanwhile, the Cavs welcomed back Delonte West after a one-game absence due to a sprained knee.

Photo: Paul Sancya/AP

It's no secret that the Cavaliers often go as their superstar LeBron James goes. In last night's installment of the 2009-2010 season, things looked relatively bleak in the first half in an encore performance of last week's matchup with Detroit. LeBron looked relatively uninterested early, and the Cavaliers fed off that, being out-hustled by a Piston team that was absolutely stripped of dignity last night against the struggling Celtics. Midway through the third quarter, though, LeBron seemed to flip the switch, and his play set the Cavaliers in motion. Mo Williams once again played the role of cold-blooded assassin and put the Cavaliers ahead for good, leaving Cleveland with a guaranteed share of their 3rd Central Division title in 40 years of basketball with the opportunity to clinch it tonight.