Photo: Joshua Gunter/Cleveland.com

93 percent.

It is the percentage of games that Zydrunas Ilgauskas has played since his fifth foot operation in the 2001-2002 season, which was preceded by a start to his career where he saw action in only 26 percent of the team's games. Since those sometimes overcast days for Ilgauskas, he's made two All-Star teams, four playoff appearances, and one NBA Finals trip. He's also becoming the franchise's all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots. Tonight, the 7'3" center added two more accomplishments in an all-too-improbable career resurrection. This was Z's night, but mixed in with that was one of the Cavaliers' best performances all season against a thus-far dynamic Phoenix Suns team. The Cavaliers had seven score in double figures and all ten rotation players contribute in a big way in their 17-point victory that was never in doubt after the first quarter.

Take a bow, Big Fella: With 3:50 to go in the first quarter, Mike Brown did the right thing. He sent Zydrunas Ilgauskas into the game and let him accomplish what should have been done four nights ago against Dallas. Ilgauskas moved past general manager Danny Ferry for sole possession of the all-time Cavalier games played mark with his 724th appearance in wine and gold (or, on this night, blue and orange). The Q gave him a standing ovation, and it continued until Z hit his first bucket and for each one thereafter. Z didn't disappoint either; in fact, he led the team with his 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and with his 11th and 12th points passed Mr. Cavalier Austin Carr for 3rd on the all-time Cavalier scoring list. Big Z stands just 15-20 games away from passing the man he was brought in to replace for second in scoring, Brad Daugherty. For as concerned as Brown was with Z matching up against Dallas, the man in the middle did just fine against an even tougher matchup in Phoenix and covering Amar'e Stoudemire or Channing Frye. In fact, the blue and orange went on a 21-4 run when Z checked in initially, and the Cavaliers were +9 for the 20 minutes he played. Sure, he's old, he's slow, he can't jump, and he's in the twilight of his career. But, he's also experienced, skilled, as motivated as ever, a great teammate, a Cavalier icon, and he's willing to do what it takes to help this team win. I challenge you to a) find a better backup center in the NBA and b) find a man more deserving of a ring. Here's hoping you get what you deserve, big guy. As for tonight, in a microcosm of your Cavalier career, it was a steady, consistent job well done.

Alright, enough of the mushy stuff from me, a game took place tonight, a very good one.

Bigs lead the way: Knowing Phoenix was going to be poised to run-and-gun, the Cavaliers made an effort early on to get Shaq involved. With the favorable matchup on Channing Frye or Amar'e Stoudemire, O'Neal went to work, scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds in seven minutes. Feeding Shaq also got J.J. Hickson involved as well; Hickson scored five points and grabbed six rebounds of his own. When Andy and Z checked in, the action down low didn't slow down. The Suns had no answer for the post feeds the Cavaliers were getting all night. More importantly, the Cavaliers were able to hit Shaq re-posting multiple times in this game, something they are still working on improving. The four Cavalier bigs combined for 48 points and 31 rebounds tonight, and they outscored the Suns bigs of Stoudemire, Frye, Dudley, Lopez, and Collins 48-44. That number is far less impressive because of Channing Frye's 13-point fourth quarter scoring barrage. In the first three quarters, the Cavalier bigs won out 40-29.

Rotation shift: With his full ten-man rotation at his disposal, Mike Brown has tried to balance minutes and lineups as best he can on a nightly basis. Tonight, with Brown wanting to get Z in the game early, Jamario Moon was the odd man out in the first quarter. Z, Daniel Gibson, Varejao, and Delonte West all saw first quarter action. Once again, Brown gambled with taking LeBron, Shaq, and Mo out of the game to start the second quarter, going with a mainly Gibson-West-Moon-Varejao-Z lineup for five and a half minutes. That team played even, keeping the lead at 19. I still am not sure about this strategy, but it does give West and Moon a chance to flourish and get their share of the scoring load. I am a fan of having LeBron or Mo on the floor at all times, but this shows that the depth on this team is fantastic and that Brown trusts that depth.

Solar Eclipse: The Cavaliers were fortunate to catch the Suns on a back-to-back and after a terrible 27-point loss against the Knicks, where they were held to 99 points, their first sub-100 point game of the season. Nothing was falling for Phoenix early, but give the Cavaliers credit for making them take either contested jumpers or low-percentage, out of control layups. The Suns shot just 6-for-20 (30 percent) in the first quarter and 12-for-41 in the first half (29 percent). The Suns are the NBA leaders in offensive points per game, field goal percentage, and they are second in three point percentage. Tonight, the Cavaliers held PHX to 90 points on 40% shooting. The Suns did hit 10-of-23 shooting from deep, but four of those came in the final quarter.

Take(down) five: Jason Richardson is always a treat when he plays the Cavaliers. There's the time where he was absolutely on fire to start the game as a Bobcat. There was the game last year where he tried a 360 dunk on a breakaway and became a victim of the LBJ chasedown block. Tonight, J-Rich missed his first nine shots from the field, and one of those was an LBJ send-away on a.... you guessed it, chasedown block. Richardson scored just six points on 2-of-11 shooting, and he's probably glad he only faces James twice a year in Phoenix. James's rejection was the fifth of that style this season as Richardson joins Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Monta Ellis, and Rodney Stuckey.

Balance to the max: The blue and orange got scoring help and key contributions from all ten of their rotation players tonight. Ilgauskas led the team with 14, Hickson had 13, Shaq and LeBron had 12 each, Mo added 11, and Parker and Gibson reached double figures with 10. Varejao had 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks, West had 8 points and 6 assists, and Jamario Moon chipped in with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks. LeBron just missed a triple double with 8 rebounds and 10 assists, but he shot just 6-for-15 from the floor. In fact, Mo shot just 4-of-12 from the field as well. On a night where neither excelled shooting the ball, it was great to see such a team effort. More importantly, the Cavaliers won convincingly while shooting just 6-of-22 from behind the arc.

Fourth Quarter Sunsplash: The Suns showed a pulse in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to just twelve late. The quarter was dominated by Channing Frye and Goran Dragic, who combined for 25 of the team's 32 fourth quarter points. Frye hit three triples in the final stanza and had 13 points, while Dragic attacked the Cavalier defense more efficiently than Nash, scoring 12 points in the quarter, hitting 5-of-6 shots on the night for 14 points while adding 5 dimes. Phoenix shot 57% in the final twelve minutes (12-for-21) just to reach the 40% shooting mark tonight. It appeared that Brown was trying to get through the fourth without LeBron when he brought just Mo back into the game with 7:25 remaining, but the lead didn't stay large enough. James went to check in about halfway through the quarter, but returned to the bench when Jamario Moon hit a shot. LBJ finally checked in with 4:54 remaining, helped push the Cavaliers over the century mark, and left with 49 seconds left.

goes to: Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Shaquille O'Neal. The twin towers didn't do it all tonight, but it did start and end with them. It started with Shaq's aggressiveness in attacking the mismatches in the post, and it ended with Z's jumpshots and the 21-4 run the team went on to distance themselves from Phoenix for good. Z had 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal in 20 minutes. The Diesel had 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, adding 9 boards, 2 assists, and 1 block in 21 minutes.

Team Grade: A

These last two games have shown that the Cavaliers still have that magic at home against elite teams. The Mavericks and Suns have come into the Q the last two games and have been the victims of team effort, offensive ball movement, and defensive toughness. When the Cavaliers are ten strong and healthy, they fear no one. The Cavs won the battle of the boards 51-41, handed out 29 assists on 45 field goals, and had 11 steals and 10 blocks, not to mention holding the best offense in the league to 90 points and 40 percent shooting. It ranks right up there with their best performances of the season (Orlando, Miami, Dallas).

The Cavaliers take on a division foe in the Chicago Bulls Friday night at the Q.

All for one. One for all.

Kirk

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