Photo: Jae C. Hong/AP

"All for one. One for all."

I put it at the end of every single Cavaliers article I write. Sure, it may be a marketing gimmick of sorts. It's also a personal reminder to myself and all those who read it of what mentality must be present for the Cavaliers to get to the promised land in June. They used that type of attitude today to absolute smother the Lakers on their home floor, where they seemed just a little too sure of their superiority for their own good. They used immensely amazing team defense, key shots from multiple players, and a physical toughness throughout the entire game to keep a safe distance from the now five-loss Lakers.

Return of the Twin Towers: We haven't seen it since the Orlando game, but the Zydrunas Ilgauskas-Shaquille O'Neal frontcourt duo made a return to action early in this game since J.J. Hickson came out of the gate just reeking of inexperience of mistake-making ability. The Cavaliers trailed 8-5 when Z checked in for J.J., and the team went on a 8-2 run with the twin 7-footers up front. For the game, the Cavaliers were +8 with the duo on the court together, and they played side-by-side for nearly ten minutes. The two worked together so well in the first quarter that Mike Brown made a smart decision, perhaps the decision of the game, in starting Z over Hickson to start the second half, which could have prevented a potential Laker surge to start the third. Neither center was fantastic offensively. O'Neal made five field goals, all dunks, in eight shot attempts, scoring 11 points and grabbing 7 rebounds in 22 minutes. Z shot just 1-of-6, but grabbed 9 rebounds to go with his 2 points and 2 assists in 30 minutes. The real story of these two was on the defensive end though. No longer are the Cavaliers powerless against the large Laker frontline.

Silent Night: While L.A.'s size still is an issue and will remain an issue any time the two square off, Shaq helped hold Andrew Bynum to 4 points and 6 rebounds, and Z helped slow Gasol to the tune of 11 points and 6 rebounds. Z in particular pestered the normally-efficient Gasol as he shot just 4-of-11 from the field. The two big time post scorers, who together average over 33 points per game, were held to 15 combined points. It was just a small section of the physical Cavalier defense that was all over the floor today. Lamar Odom had just 6 points and 5 rebounds in 27 minutes to lead a terrible performance for the Laker bench. The Cavalier bench won that battle 31-17.

Kobe's 1-on-5 Holiday Spectacular: One Laker who certainly did pour in the points was Kobe Bryant. In fact, Bryant had a game-high 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists, which sounds like a pretty solid performance. But, if you take into account that he needed 32 shots to get those 35 points, and he had to play 45 minutes, not sitting for the first 39 minutes of the game, it's not so impressive. Cavalier fans have seen this show before; it's the same principle as when LeBron goes 1-on-5: no one else is involved and the only other shots that end up getting taken by other teammates are outside shots. A large part of the blame for Odom, Bynum, and Gasol's disappointing games should fall on Kobe. Anthony Parker really rose to the occasion today; this is the reason why the Cavaliers picked him up in free agency. He has been taken apart quite frankly by some of the faster, smaller two guards in the league, but he did a stellar job on Kobe today. In the 25 minutes AP was on the floor, Kobe shot just 6-for-17 with him on the floor. In Jamario Moon's 24 minutes, Kobe managed only 5-of-15 shooting, so give Jamario his credit as well. This is why these long wing defenders were brought in, and they proved invaluable today.

Holiday Banking Hours: Speaking of Moon, he was high-flying on the offensive end as well. His 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting were the third highest on the team behind Mo and LeBron. His most unbelievable shot came with the shot clock winding down, proving that banks can be open even on Christmas day. That three point window shot proved to be curtains for the Lakers and any potential comeback effort in the fourth.

Underneath the Mistle-Mo: It was Mo Williams, not LeBron James, who set the tone for the Cavs offense today. Mo scored just two points in the first quarter, but he scored 9, 10, and 7 points in the next three quarters to help pace the team, dropping lumps of coal in the Lakers' stockings all afternoon. Williams made 8-of-13 shots, all 3 three points attempts, and 9-of-10 free throws for his 28 points. He also added 6 rebounds and 7 assists in his 39 minutes. With his performance today, I think it cements the fact that leaving Mo off of the All-Star team would be a crime. Other than perhaps Rajon Rondo, he is the most deserving point in the East. He should not be passed over by any of the following: Jameer Nelson, Derrick Rose, and Devin Harris. Mike Bibby may be worthy, so I would like to see three East points make it.

You better watch out: The one thing that was a little disheartening in the early going for the Cavaliers was their second quarter slipup to close out the quarter. After leading by 20 at one point midway through the second, the Lakers went on a 15-4 run to cut the Cavalier lead to just 9 at the break after a LeBron halfcourt swish was waved off by Dan Crawford. Ron Artest really led the charge on both ends of the floor in this period, and Kobe had a few buckets as well. The key of the game was the Cavaliers not letting the Lakers get back to even early in the third quarter. They got as close as six, but never any closer.

You better not cry: After the Cavaliers had to endure a 12-3 foul disparity and a 13-3 free throw disparity against them in the first half, things started to even out, and the Lakers were not liking it. The officials were letting physical play happen on both sides, and the Cavaliers simply took advantage of that where the Lakers failed in doing so. The final foul count was still 24-21 in favor of L.A., and the Cavaliers only shot three more foul shots than the Lakers. Kobe Bryant was the most affected by this development; he's so used to getting every call that all he could do was flap his jaws when things didn't go his way. Welcome to LeBron's world, Kobe! LeBron's been dealing with a lack of calls for a solid month now. The Lakers have had little adversity this year, and it was clear as day.

You better not pout, I'm telling you why: Kobe led the charge in choosing to whine rather than suck it up and play more physical. The result was a flurry of technical fouls for the Lakers, five in all and two for Lamar Odom, resulting in his ejection late in the fourth quarter. Ron Artest also fouled out in the fourth quarter, and by that point, the Lakers had been done competing for a while.

I saw Kobe (and Fisher) pushing Mo Gotti: A scary moment occurred when Kobe Bryant blantantly shoved Mo Williams in the back and Mo laid on the ground for several seconds midway through the third quarter. Now, there's a difference between dirty and physical. I feel this was dirty because it was a non-basketball play and Mo didn't see him coming. Later, Derek Fisher laid a physical foul on Mo Williams but the contact got a little over-the-line after the whistle blew. LeBron immediately came to Mo's defense, and him and Kobe started chirping at each other. This trend continued throughout the next several minutes and led to the Laker collection of techs.

"What a terrible thing to happen on dozen egg night..": First, thanks to J.V. for the inspiration for this heading. It references the movie "BASEketball", in which the Milwaukee Beers giveaway backfires on them as fans toss the eggs at the players. Today, it was the surly Laker crowd that tossed their giveaway, Laker foam fingers, as well as water bottles onto the court late in the fourth quarter. Look Los Angeles, we invented throwing crap on the field/court. At least we went with plastic beer bottles and batteries, something that packs a little more punch than foam.

goes to: Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, and Jamario Moon. These three were instrumental in the Cavalier win. Mo led the team is scoring with his 28 points on 8-of-13 shooting, adding 6 rebounds and 7 assists. A.P. started the defensive effort on Kobe, and Jamario and him took turns making life hard for Bryant throughout the game. Kobe was held to just 11-of-32 shooting on the day, and these two were the ones who guarded him nearly the entire game. In addition, Parker had 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Moon hit 6-of-7 shots for 13 points, adding a rebound, steal, and block.

Team Grade: A+

This was in all honesty the best game the Cavaliers have played all season by a long shot. Their utter dominance of the widely-recognized best team in the league on their homecourt on national television on Christmas day at the end of a four-game road trip was phenomenal. The Cavs shot 54 percent, held the Lakers to 37 percent shooting, had 24 assists on 38 field goals, tied on the battle of the boards with a team that usually wins that category easily, and got to the line 30 times. The only drawbacks were the 16 turnovers, 14 offensive rebounds for L.A., and the 11 missed free throws for just a 63% rate. The Cavaliers likely just caught the Lakers a little unsuspecting and unprepared, but you cannot take away what they did today.

The Cavaliers finish the west coast swing a brilliant 3-1 and head back to the Q to take on the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. The Cavaliers have revenge on their minds after the Rockets solidly beat them in H-town just a couple weeks ago.

All for one. One for all.

Kirk

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