Photo: Matt York/AP

After the relatively unimpressive five game winning streak against lesser opponents and the disappointing loss to the Mavericks without Nowitzki on Sunday night, the Cavaliers needed a game to get them out of their funk of too many turnovers, not enough offensive execution, and poor defensive rebounding. Fortunately for them, they landed in Phoenix, where they were the last team to come into town and beat the Suns on their home court. They did it again in impressive fashion with spectacular offensive execution inside the arc and an absolute surge to blow away PHX in the fourth quarter, winning by 18.

Moon, Barbosa out: Both teams were missing key reserves in Jamario Moon and Leandro Barbosa tonight. Moon was ruled as doubtful before the game, but he warmed up with the team and was cleared to play. However, he recorded a DNP, and the Cavaliers were fine without him as someone usually gets the short end of the stick in the 10-man rotation anyway.

LeBron v. Amare in the 1st: The lightning quick pace of the first quarter was right up Phoenix's alley, but give the Cavaliers credit for matching them pretty much point-for-point. LeBron came up with a clear and evident focus; he knew how important it was not to drop two in a row to start this road trip. By the first television timeout, both players were in double figures with 10 points each. LeBron had some fantastic first quarter dunks, including one high-flyer right over top of Stoudemire. Amare was hitting mid-range jumpers as Shaq and later Andy were late in getting out to contest those shots. Steve Nash also added eight first quarter points, and the Suns lead by one after one.

Not so fast, Phoenix: The Cavaliers deserve applause for their effort in defensive transition. Holding a team like Phoenix, the most prolific up-tempo and fastbreaking team in the league for years, to just four fastbreak points is excellent. A lot of the credit needs to go to Mo Williams and Delonte West, who had the task of staying in front of Steve Nash. Of course, Nash got his share of points, including three irritating reverse layups in a stretch in the third quarter, but they weren't in the fastbreak, where Phoenix can pile on points quickly. In short, they made the veteran point work, and he must have been gassed by the fourth, because he did not score in the final twelve minutes of the game.

Andy - The Antagonizer: If you haven't noticed, there's a growing number of NBA big men who despise Anderson Varejao, at least while the game is going on. Andy has a knack for drawing not just your typical offensive charges, but frustration fouls as well. Tonight, he excelled at that very thing, and once he knew he was inside their heads, it was all but over. Andy was repsonsible for drawing several Phoenix fouls, including a frustration-type foul on the offensive end when Channing Frye grabbed him and put him in a headlock. Varejao also drew an offensive foul from Amare Stoudemire late in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers also got charges drawn from J.J. Hickson, Delonte West, and Anthony Parker, with three of those offensive fouls called on Amare. Varejao took advantage of mostly backdoor plays and solid basket cuts for his 13 points, chipping in 4 rebounds and 2 blocks off the bench in 31 minutes.

Ho-hum return for Shaqtus: In Shaq's first game in the desert since leaving Phoenix, he once again struggled to score and stay on the floor. The former Shaqtus played just 19 minutes, scoring 3 points and pulling down 5 rebounds, while committing 4 turnovers. Once again, in a reoccuring trend, O'Neal did not hit the floor in the fourth quarter. Shaq is going to have some of these no-shows on back-to-backs just like Z will tend to do from time to time. But, I like that the Cavaliers don't seem to be forcing things with Shaq or playing him too much. I think 20-22 minutes is about the right amount of time for this point in the season.

Where've you been, J.J. and A.P.?: Two guys who've been struggling the past few weeks are starting to get things turned around the last two games. J.J. Hickson and Anthony Parker each gave the Cavs solid minutes tonight, and if they can continue their efforts, this team is that much more formidable. Hickson reached double digit scoring for the second time in the last nine games, with 10 points and 6 rebounds in 22 minutes. If Hickson plays well and can stay on the floor for 20+ minutes, it helps keep Shaq and Z's minutes down (Z played just 13 minutes tonight). As for Parker, he's been solid with the three point stroke this year, but not much else. In the last few games, though, he's shown a bit more aggressiveness in creating his own shot off the dribble and inside the arc. I don't expect him to be a consistent double-digit scorer for us, but it would be nice if he could throw in a 12-14 point effort once every few games. Parker has scored in double figures just twice in the last 14 games. He poured in 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists tonight. The Cavaliers were +19 with him on the court.

Fourth quarter clamps: Leading by seven to start the fourth, the Cavaliers didn't relax with that lead. Instead, they put the defensive clamps on the Suns, holding them to just 16 points in the final quarter, with 5 of those coming late in the final ninety seconds with the outcome already determined. The Cavaliers used a 15-0 run starting in the middle of the quarter to distance themselves, and they shutout Phoenix, the highest scoring team in the NBA, for over five minutes. Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire were each held scoreless in the fourth after combining for 32 points in the first three quarters. The Suns were held to 6-of-16 shooting in the fourth (38 percent). The Cavaliers have shown time and again that fourth quarter shutdown defense is one of their trademarks.

goes to: Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao. Mo's shots were incredibly timely in this game; he hit three key jumpers (two threes) in the first half of the fourth, and he had 9 fourth quarter points in all. Williams finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, and the team was +17 with him on the floor. Anderson chipped in 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks, with the Cavaliers at an impressive +21 with him in the game.

Team Grade: A

I've been pretty critical of the Cavaliers in the last eight games or so, but this is their best performance since they played the Suns earlier this month at The Q. They shot 53 percent on the road, 85 percent at the foul line (22-for-26), held Phoenix to 4 fastbreak points and 4 made threes, and they got five guys into double digit scoring and two above 20. They showed a lot of focus in this game, especially since it was the back end of a back-to-back, where they know boast a 6-3 mark.

The Cavaliers take on the Kings in Sacramento on Wednesday night. The Cavaliers must put all of their focus into this one, because the Kings are 10-3 at home, and they must avoid looking ahead to the Lakers on Christmas day.

All for one. One for all.

Kirk

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