Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Oh how sweet it is..
Money baby..money.
Tonight, the Cavs easily took care of the overrated Wizards on Larry Hughes bobblehead night in CLE. This matchup pitted Hughes against his former teammates for the first time since making the best choice of his career. And for all of you out there, tonight also marked the first time Larry smiled in public.
But this was indeed a big game for our Cavaliers. The Wiz came into tonight after a commanding victory of Seattle and an upset of the former champion Spurs. So we needed to prove that our team was for real. That in fact happened as we played well on both sides of the ball. Combine that with an awful shooting effort by the Eastern Conference Player of the Week and you got yourself an easy Cavs victory. I think it's pretty obvious not only to the fans, but the NBA that the Cavaliers are on their way to becoming a real ball club.
I think the best part of it all is that our team is deep. While Bron is our leader, the rest of the team plays an equal part. Tonight for instance, the stats were once again spread evenly. Like I mentioned last week, it was easy to forget who was in charge at times. Bron took over in the first half, Z owned the 3rd quarter and bobblehead boy domniated the 4th period. Throw in a bunch from Donyell and a monster rebounding effort from Gooden and everyone played their part. Think about it..if this team can be egoless (minus Bron when he needs to be) then we're gonna have a real shot at the playoffs. Yes, I am being conservative here, but the first goal is playoffs then in a few months we can talk second and third round.
Anyways..great victory tonight and more importantly, congrats to Larry Hughes who didn't disappoint on his own bobblehead night. Go Cavs..
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You know what this game showed? The Cavs are clearly better than the Wizards. The Wiz don't have anywhere near our depth- they bring in Butler, Thomas, and Chucky Atkins. Yuck- we got Donyell, Damon Jones, Luke (who is showing off that athleticism by playing Great D), and the Wild Thing who will be back after the new year. Our starting lineup is clearly better too- the Wiz have no answer for Z, no answer for Bron, no answer for Hughes. Sure, Arenas and Jamison are sweet, but that's your team. If one of those guys is cold, then the Wiz are going down. On the Cavs, we can win without Bron (notice how our team plays much better this year compared to last when Bron gets a breather). I don't regard the Wiz as serious Cavs competition anymore (barring injury and readily acknowledging the Wiz will play better at home).
First off - props to the Cavs on a big win, their 5th in a row!! I wanted to get down to the Q to get my L.Hughes bobblehead, but a little thing called night school prohibited that from happening. Instead I got to witness a solid 4th quarter close out, as the Cavs move to 6-2, beating their first "good" club of the year. Bron has huge, as was Hughes, who shined bright against his former club. And he provided the soundbite of the night. . .
"I was calling out their plays. I was with them long enough that I knew where their guys were going."
-- Cavs guard Larry Hughes, who had 22 points and eight assists.
I'll be down at the Q Friday night against the Magic, and look for another easy win.
Now, on another note, did anyone happen to see Diop's line last night? I know we weren't going to sign him after last season, but the monster sized African native came up huge for the Mavs last night with 16 boards and 6 blks in 37 minutes (including the game saving rejection). He had no place on the Cavs, there's no question about that, but perhaps his talent is really there. My opinion, he should have never come out straight from HS. He would have been developmentaly better off going to college, learning the game, and then declaring for the draft. Had he done that, this would actually be his rookie year (if he stayed 4 years), and we'd never have wasted a number 8 pick.
And one last note. . . I know Mr. LeBlog doesn't really give love to much sport outside OSU football, the Cavs and Indians, but yesterday, the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired their biggest name player in their short history. Sergei Fedorov. Now there's no doubt he's an aging star, but still, his leadership and championship experience should help the club, and hopefully he can help teach some of those young guys (Nash, Fritsche, Richardson) how to play. Not that this makes them a playoff team, but hopeful
Does the Quicken Loans Arena ever sell out? I'm talking about the seats, not the lame corporate moniker.
Big win for the Cavs. LeBron James is easily the greatest player in NBA history not to have appeared in a play-off game. Good luck playing the Pacers, Heat, and Pistons with bums like Drew "No" Gooden and Alan Henderson in the front court -- stale twinkies are tougher. See you at the Phonebooth in Feb., BITCHES!
If Drew was such "No Gooden", then why was he able to put up 10 and 9 in 25 efficient minutes? If you think he is our "third big man" (because you clearly think Z and Donyell are better), then those are sweet numbers. Way better than your third bigs, Etan Thomas, pathetic 3 boards and 3 points. As for Alan Henderson, he is simply an extra big body (who is a good team player to boot). Let's say this- I would rather have Alan Henderson on the floor than Michael Ruffin or Calvin Booth, who just came in and got torched. And when Wild Thing Anderson Varajeo comes back, we will go way deep with bigs- four of them. Plus, it doesn't hurt when we have solid backboard men at the slash positions- LBJ and LH pulling down 14 total.
And yes, the Q sells out games. But not for weak draws like the Wiz (especially on Tuesday). When a good team comes to town, like the Heat, then people are more inclined to come out. I think there was a good crowd last night anyways- 17,685 according to the box score.
As for the game.. LeMazing!! LBJ can take it to the rack or drain 3s. Did anybody see the play where he got fouled(no call) on the way up, lost the ball in mid air, caught the ball while still in the air and then made the layup.. nobody beside MJ could ever do that. As for the rest of the team.. WOW! We are deep and we are getting deeper. Luke is really doing great on D and is getting good playing time. Drew is a stud and any team in the league would love to have him. He has been the biggest surprise of the season thus far. After all the off-season talk and trade rumors he has put it behind him and plays harder this year, than I saw in all of last year. When Andy (the mop is back by the way) gets back it is going to be even better. Henderson is a great roll player and Sasha (his b-day yesterday) is going to get more minutes too. I am not sure if anybody noticed, but when LBJ was out of the game yesterday, the team still held the Wiz off and increased our lead in the end. It is nice to see that over time, this team will be able to handle opponents when LBJ is out getting a breather or in foul trouble. The Cavs are 9 or 10 deep..legit. Not team besides the Heat (internal conflict), Spurs (getting old and injury prone) and Pistons (they are flat out good) can do that.
I was there last night and I have been to three of the four home games thus far (my 5th this Friday against Dwight Howard's team(not Stevie Franchise). The game will be close to a sell out and the lower two sections should be completely filled. Tuesday night is a tough night to sell out any arena. The Wiz don't sell out all their games(even with Corp moniker). Joe Tate said this has the makings a of a great rivalry, but come on. The Wiz are not that good. As my friend said in a previous post.. without Jamison or Arenas the Wiz are weak. Sure they are young and have talent, but they can not handle a team with the depth. I know you're probably saying what about the win over the Spurs.. look at what Arenas and Jamison did that game.. awesome combo, not LeAwesome. Daniels and Butler are way more hyped then they should be.
Yeah, the Cavs have a better team than DC this year, but neither are Championship contenders so I guess all we can compare is the number of Larry O'Brian trophies. We have one, and you guys have, uhmmm, oh yeah, ZERO.
Anytime you have a player like a LeBron and solid supporting cast (that will be getting better), you have a chance to win the title.
Actually, I believe the Bullets have a title. The Wiz do not.
One more thing of beauty:
"Following the game, Arenas dressed quickly and came to visit Hughes in the Cavaliers' newly remodeled locker room.
'Man,' Arenas said, admiring the state-of-the-art stereo equipment and TV screens in each player's dressing stall. 'Was this part of the salary cap?'"
Cavs= First Class. Gilbert= Cuban without the Antics. Free Agents= Want to Come to Cleveland. As Mr. LeBlog would say, Dolla Dolla Bills yo
The Cavs are great much like the OSU Bucks program in terms of taking care of their athletes with first-class amenities and cash money [dollar dollar bill, yo ;-)]. I'm waiting for next year's NCAA sanctions levied on Bucks after LeBron hosts the *Thad 5* at a Cavs game or some entertainment event (including giving squad NBA Hardwood Classic throw back jerseys). Long live King of Akron and his glorification via the LeBlog.
Separate topic: I'd like to get an update on the state of affairs with the Browns wide receivers. Can I get a report from Mr LeBlog? :-)
Actually, LeBron hosting the players at the Q would not be an infranction, if they were social friends and had no involvement with the sports at tOSU.
We were having some really good comments about the Cavs and somebody has to mention OSU... way to ruin a conversation. I am done with this post. Forget the "Thad 5" (although I like the respect). Again, OSU fans try to emulate the great team up north and the original Fab 5, the best freshman class ever. The only way the Thad 5 get that recognition is to win it all. Good luck.
P.S. It's Michigan week and people are talking about OSU B-ball. I love it. Watch out Bucks fans, it could be a very disappointing weekend.
Whoa Whoa Whoa- Time Out there TKO9er. First of all, I didn't mention OSU. Second of all, it was in the context of LeBron. Third of all, the Fab Five is not one of the best freshmen classes ever; even crediting them for all the Final Fours that eventually got stripped, they won NOT ONE championship- NCAA or Big Ten. Fourth, they cheated to get the players; Webber was actually convicted of a crime for his role in the scam. Fifth, you like the Bearcats, don't you? You can't have it both ways- root for the Cinci-tucky team when they are good and then root for scUM when the Kitties are about to get pounded in a new conference, lose a year of recruiting, and rightfully assume their place as the fifth best team in the state (Kentucky, Louisville, Western Kentucky, and Ball State).
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