|
Photo: John Kuntz/Cleveland.com
The Cavaliers opened a 4 games in 5 nights stretch by hosting the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers facing a lesser opponent had a chance to put this game away early and get some rest, but the Warriors took advantage of the Cavs' turnovers and kept this game competitive until the last minute. Both the Cavaliers and the Warriors were short handed, but that is an understatement for the Warriors. Golden State dressed only 8 players and only 7 were available for action. All 7 Warriors finished in double figures and pushed the Cavaliers to the brink, but it seemed as if the Cavs were toying with the Warriors the entire game. In the end, LeBron, Hickson and Williams were too much for the Warriors, and the Cavaliers beat the depleted Warriors 114 to 108.
Crowded Injury List - The Warriors were without Ronny Turiaf, Kelenna Azubuike, Andrins Beidris, C.J. Watson all due to injury, and Raja Bell only dressed so the Warriors could fulfill the mandatory 8 players dressed rule. The Cavaliers were also down a couple players as starting center, Shaquille O'Neal continued to sit out due to a sore shoulder, and Anderson Varejao also missed Tuesday's game due to a hip contusion. O'Neal will miss Wednesday's game as he did not even make the trip to Washington, and Andy is considered doubtful at the moment.
Warriors Come Out to Play - Despite having only 7 active bodies, Golden State started this game ready to play. The Warriors made their first five shots and held a 10-4 lead over Cleveland. While going 5-for-5 to start out the game, the Warriors also got baskets from four different starters. Curry, Ellis, Moore and Radmanovic all hit jump shots in the first two and a half minutes.
Helping Hand - Early on, the Cavaliers moved the ball exceptionally well; in the first quarter, Cleveland had 7 assists on their first 8 makes and 9 assists on 13 makes in the quarter. LeBron James made a point of getting everyone involved early as he had five assists in the first quarter. James distributed the ball evenly as he had a assist to all four of the other starters in the first quarter.
J.J. and A.P. Filling It Up - In the first quarter, Hickson and Parker combined to score 21 points. Hickson continued to flourish in the starting line-up scoring 12 first quarter points on 5 of 5 shooting and grabbing 4 rebounds. Parker also added 9 first quarter points including 2 of 3 from 3-point range. The Cavaliers are beginning to find a rhythm in the starting unit and A.P. corner 3s are a mainstay in that unit.
Redz Returns - Delonte West was activated and suited up for this game; West made his return to the floor after missing three straight games due to internal matters. As soon as the beloved guard made his trip to the scorers' table, the Cleveland fans gave Delonte a standing ovation. Delonte did not do much in the stat book and seemed timid on the offensive end of the court. West passed up open shots and was seemingly getting the ball out of his hands as quick as possible. Delonte finished with 2 points, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot.
Halftime Analysis - Going into halftime, the Cavaliers held a 11 point lead at 66-55. Both teams were shooting over 50% from the floor as Cleveland shot 62% from the floor while Golden State shot 51%. Cleveland's defensive effort was not a very good one in the first half or the whole night for that matter. The Cavalier defenders failed to get hands in shooters' faces and were often slow rotating. On top of the defensive deficiencies, Cavalier turnovers kept the Warriors alive. Cleveland had 8 first half turnovers; Golden State only turned the ball over 6 times in the first half.
Moon Starts the 2nd Half - In an effort to get some length defending Warrior guards, Mike Brown started Jamario Moon in the second half at shooting guard over Anthony Parker. Moon's night was cut short, however, when twisting his ankle. As of right now, Moon is listed as questionable for Wednesday nights game.
My Time - LeBron James took over in the 3rd quarter. James entered the 3rd quarter with only 11 points and ended up scoring 14 points in the third. James took 9 of his 19 total shots in the quarter, making 7 of them.
Playing the Warriors Pace - Cleveland fell victim to playing the run and gun pace of the Golden State Warriors. In the 3rd quarter alone, the Cavaliers turned the ball over 7 times. Cleveland was getting shots up faster than the Warriors and failing to extend their lead. The Cavs fell in love with the jump shot and failed to grind the Warriors down. Cleveland did not shoot a free throw in the 3rd quarter and only shot 6 free throws total in the second half. Tonight, the Cavaliers had a chance to wear down a thin Warriors team by slowing the game down and forcing them to play defense, but Cleveland instead ran with the Warriors and were in a dogfight until the end of this game.
 goes to: J.J. Hickson and Mo Williams. Hickson earns his 3rd straight game ball to go with his 3rd straight career high in points. Hickson scored 21 points tonight to go with 9 rebounds, a blocked shot, and a steal. Hickson was also perfect from the field tonight going 9 for 9. Hickson continues to blossom in his starting role and with his ability the sky is the limit. Mo Williams also earns a game ball tonight. Mo had an all-around game tonight scoring 16 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, and handing out 6 assists. Williams also had the biggest shot of the night when the Warriors closed the lead down to 1 point with just under 3 minutes to play. Mo drove to the hole for a lay-up and extended the lead to three and it never got closer.
TEAM GRADE: C-
With 4 games in 5 nights the Cavaliers could have taken control of this game early and got some much needed rest for the starters; however, Cleveland fell in love with the Golden State pace and made this a game. The Cavs turned the ball over 16 times and were out rebounded 37 to 34. Cleveland let a young seven man team play them until the final minute and let their lead slip to 1 point with under 3 minutes to play. Cleveland failed to make Golden State defend and was sloppy with the ball. If Cleveland gave this effort to any other team in the NBA on this night, they would more than likely have an L instead of a W. The Cavaliers used their hot shooting to fend off the Warriors as Cleveland shot 58.2% on the night, a season high.
The Cavaliers tip-off against the Washington Wizards in D.C. tonight at 7:00 p.m..
Burn On!
-J.V.
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 
Tonight will be quite a test without Andy and Shaq again and the Wizards, who are anything but their 2-7 record with Jamison back. I don't think we pull it out tonight, but if we do, it will be due to our big three, Lebron, Mo.... and JJ.