Heartbreak Against The Pacers

The Cavaliers lost a close one last night at home against the Pacers, letting a late lead slip as they crashed to a 117-112 defeat, their 22nd in a row now. Despite a fantastic effort from Ramon Sessions, the Cavs just couldn't hold out for the win. This horrible losing streak doesn't look like going away any time soon, and Cleveland are on track now to make NBA history for the most consecutive losses (breaking a record the organisation already owns).

The Cavs started slow, forcing difficult shots and not converting on any of them, letting the Pacers get an early 12-0 lead. It looked like the game was shaping up to be a blowout but this young Cavs side battled back and cut the Pacers' lead down to 5 points at half time. Byron Scott's men continued to work hard and finally managed to level the score in the third quarter, and even took a 3 point lead late in the fourth. But, as we've become accustomed to this season, the Cavs made bad decisions down the stretch (Hickson taking that jumpshot was awful) and Darren Collison's three pointer with just over a minute left turned out to be the dagger. Anthony Parker tried to reply for the Cavs but he rushed a tough shot in the lane (although it did appear Roy Hibbert fouled him with a push) and that was it, game over for the Cavs as Danny Granger went on to hit some free throws and doom the home side to yet another loss. It doesn't get any easier for the Cavs as they travel to Memphis tomorrow and then play Portland at the Q on Saturday. That NBA record of consecutive losses is practically in the bag...

However, I'd like to finish this post with some positives, cos that's the kind of guy I am. Ramon Sessions - 25 points and 9 assists, hitting 13 of 14 from the line - a fantastic game from the dynamic point guard. I have to agree with John Krolik over at Cavs: The Blog, the Indiana defence really did make Sessions look like Tony Parker, but I don't mind when I get to see that kind of performance. Early in the season Sessions was pissing me off with his constant need to attack the basket without a second thought, but it seems like he's beginning to pick his battles a little better now, making clever drives and dishing out a lot more often. Plus, he's about the only Cavalier who is willing to attack the opposition defence with any regularity. So yeah, Sessions had a great night and I'd like to see more performances like that from him in Mo's absence. Anthony Parker should get a round of applause too, as he had a good night also. Parker finished the game with 17 points on 7-11 shooting, including 2 of 3 from behind the arc; not bad for the old veteran with a bad back. The young guys started slowly but Manny Harris and Christian Eyenga came to life in the second half, finishing with 19 and 12 points respectively. They are obviously still very rough around the edges but they have the potential and work ethic to address their flaws and can hopefully become key players in the Cavs lineup in the future. I was particularly impressed with Manny last night, he was at full-tilt all game and I think he could become a very important player for us - the Cavaliers front office got a diamond in the rough there. However, the less said about JJ Hickson's night, the better. He tries hard (most of the time) but he is making some dumb plays out there. I don't want to go into too much detail as I really want Hickson to succeed in Cleveland, but Rich at Cavalier Thoughts has clearly seen enough. Sorry JJ.

The Cavs are going to keep plugging away for the rest of the season but its obvious now that the off-season is going to provide more joy than the next couple of months. I'm strangely looking forward to this year's draft and if I have enough time away from working on my dissertation and other uni work, I'll try and do a player preview or two on potential Cavs draft picks (Jared Sullinger 4TW).

I will leave you now, but not without showing you this effort from Alonzo Gee last night. What.A.Dunk.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading.

The Cleveland Cavaliers Make Me Sad

For some considerable time now, the Cleveland Cavaliers have played bad basketball. Really, really, awful basketball, getting blown out night after night and the team has looked disjointed and lacking NBA quality. Despite this, on the 20th December I purchased myself a month's subscription of NBA League Pass in an attempt to watch as many Cavs games as I could and possibly write some long overdue Cavs stuff on here. It hasn't exactly worked out, in every way possible.

Since I bought League Pass my beloved Cavaliers have not won a game. Not a single game. I have lost count of the losing streak now (I think its around 13 losses in a row) and with every Cavs game I have managed to watch, there has been absolutely nothing, nada, zero to motivate me to write about them (don't get me started on that horror show in L.A). The last time the Cavs tasted victory was two days before I got League Pass, beating the Knicks 109-102 on the 18th December. Just my luck...

The reasons for the demise of this Cavs team has been well documented by my fellow Cavs bloggers so I'm not going to waste too much time reiterating the problems. But at the heart of this predicament is a very simple reason; your 2010/11 Cleveland Cavaliers are not a very good basketball team, in fact they are the worst in the NBA and quite possibly one of the worst teams in league history. Byron Scott's team is a mix up of journeymen veterans (Jamison, Parker, Moon) and previously castaway youngsters who still need a lot of time to develop (Harris, Samuels, Eyenga), and the sad thing is that none of these guys are going to garner much interest in the trade department, so I expect we'll be stuck with most of them for a while yet. The Cavs can't defend to save their lives, especially around the perimeter where opposition teams shoot the 3 at will, and make what seems 99% of their attempts. Actually, this Cavs team might be even worse trying to defend the paint, where the big men of the NBA fill up their stat-sheet on a nightly basis. Its amazing to see a team that, under Mike Brown, prided themselves on their defensive prowess. Now obviously with Lebron, Big-Z, Shaq, and Delonte West taking their talents elsewhere during the summer, the defensive chemistry of this Cavs squad was going to take a significant hit, but to go from first to worst so quickly has been astounding. Granted, the team has been plagued by injuries this year and its gotten even worse recently with the news that Andy Varejao is going to miss the remainder of the year with a torn ankle tendon. But these are professional NBA players on this Cavs team, and should be able to put up more of a fight than what they've been showing. For the majority of the season its been more like watching a team of high schoolers out there rather than NBA calibre players, the cream of the basketball crop. Nothing seems to be working and it doesn't look likely we'll see a solution any time soon.

Tomorrow night the Cavs welcome Steve Nash, Vince Carter and the rest of the Phoenix Suns to the Q, which marks the beginning of a brief two game home-stand before Byron Scott's team are back on the road again, with difficult trips to Chicago, Boston, Orlando and Miami before the month is finished. Oh yes, things aren't going to get any easier. My League Pass subscription is nearly up so I reckon the game against the Suns will probably be my last chance to watch the Cavs for some time, while I deliberate whether or not to waste another £15 to watch this awful team (well, it has been brilliant watching some of the other teams as well, so not a total waste). So all I would like to see is a Cavs win, just something else other than this miserable losing streak. I don't expect to have my wish granted, but maybe the Cavaliers will surprise me... then again, maybe not.

Thanks for reading.

Utah "Too Jazzy" For Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell to defeat last night against the Utah Jazz. The Cavs tried to keep it close, but the quality of Utah's squad ultimately prevailed, as the Jazz left Cleveland 101-90 winners. If you're an Inbetweeners fan, you'll get the joke in the title.

After beating the Knicks a couple of nights ago, confidence and momentum was high heading into last night's contest against the Jazz. And the Cavs certainly started brightly too, with Antawn Jamison catching fire early in the first quarter, nailing some big shots. Daniel Gibson, gifted a start by Byron Scott, also began the game brightly. Initially I was impressed by the hustle of the Cavs on defense, as the Jazz struggled to get into their rhythm and were turning the ball over. However, once the Jazz settled down, it spelt the end for the Cavaliers.

Utah's ability to get offensive rebounds was what eventually cost Cleveland the game. The Jazz were pulling down offensive rebounds whenever they wanted, as the Cavs just couldn't regain the ball. The opportunity for second chance points helped the Jazz enormously, but Cleveland still kept it close. The introduction of J.J Hickson brought an improvement in rebounding, and he eventually finished the night with a team-high 9 rebounds. Late in the second quarter, Mo Williams found his groove. His jumpshot was falling nicely, and a nice stop-and-pop 3 pointer took the Cavs back into the game. Mo was also passing the ball extremely well, racking up a lot of assists in the first half, as he moved the ball brilliantly. Cleveland's 3 point shooting was outstanding in the second quarter, with Mo, Gibson and Anthony Parker all hitting massive shots from beyond the arc. But the Cavs just couldn't get out to a big enough lead, as the Jazz were also having a terrific night shooting the ball. At half time I began to realise what a good team Utah are, in respect to the pieces they've got on their team. Jefferson, Deron Williams, Miles, Millsap, Bell, the list goes on. A defense's nightmare...

At the start of the third quarter, the Jazz were still making their shots in spite of the Cavs' best efforts. It felt like Raja Bell didn't miss all night, as he consistently converted on open shots. The rebounding difficulties for the Cavs weren't disappearing either, as Utah kept regaining possession and making it count with second chance points. It was frustrating to watch, as the Cavs were trying their best to box out, but the ball just didn't fall the home side's way. The Jazz were trying to put the game beyond doubt in the third quarter, but Gibson was keeping Cleveland in it, hitting back-to-back 3 pointers and carrying the team on his back. Boobie was thriving in his role last night, and he was growing in confidence with the increased minutes he received. Gibson is playing so well this season, with consistency that I've never seen from him before in his career. Despite Boobie's best efforts, the Jazz began to pull away late in the third. Deron Williams took control of the game, and was deceptively amazing without me really noticing. I suppose that's what makes D-Will one of the top point guards in the game, that he is a true team player. Williams was racking up the assists and moving the ball so well, giving the Cavs' defense some major problems. By the end of the third, the Jazz had opened up a decent lead, as the Cavs' offense was stuttering - I think they fell in love with the 3 point shot a bit too much, and overall just made some bad shot selections.

Cleveland needed to start the fourth quarter brightly to claw themselves back into the contest, but Byron Scott's men came out sloppy and the Jazz quickly scored 4 points to increase the gap to 16 points. From then on, the result was beyond doubt and the game started to look like a blowout. Gibson, C.J Miles and Raja Bell were intent on having their own 3 point contest in the fourth quarter, as I don't remember seeing either man miss a shot from behind the arc. However, in spite of Gibson's best efforts, the Jazz were cruising and ultimately ran out 101-90 winners. Boobie had a career night with 29 points, and he only missed one 3 point attempt all night, a fantastic performance.

Cleveland's next game isn't any easier, as they travel to Atlanta on Wednesday to take on the Hawks. I will be watching, as I recently purchased a month's subscription to NBA League Pass (an early Christmas present to myself). So expects more Cavs-related posts over the next 4 weeks! Hurray!

Thanks for reading.

Come Back Kings Catch Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers succumbed to their second defeat in a row last night, as they lost to the Sacramento Kings 107-104. After a blistering first half where the Cavs scored 67 points and lead the Kings by 14, Sacramento emerged from the break determined to claw their way back into the game. They did just that, outscoring the Cavs 54-37 in the second half on their way to victory.

The Cavaliers were a joy to watch in the first two quarters. Ramon Sessions finally settled down after two poor performances against Boston and Toronto, as he was dominant early on. Sessions drove the lane aggressively, but he knew when to stop and not push it too much, which was good to see. He finished the game with 21 points and looked a much better player overall. I had my doubts about Ramon after his up-and-down game against Boston and his awful trip to Toronto, but he looked composed and selective last night. If he can continue this form he can become a strong weapon in Scott's offense and make the Cavs a much more dynamic team. Sessions was not the only guard who had a good night, as Daniel "Boobie" Gibson was equally impressive. Under Byron Scott, Gibson looks like a brand new player for the Cavs. He looked very confident shooting the ball, his court vision was fantastic, and he just looks rejuvenated in this new Cavs team. I hope he can continue to flourish as I've always been a Boobie fan and would love to see him become a core player for us. Anthony Parker had a very solid night as well, as he continues his impressive play in the post-Lebron era. Parker looks like he finally belongs in this team, whereas last season he, like the rest of the squad, took a back seat to number 23 Now Parker is an important part of the team and his clinical shooting is a great asset. He'll never be a superstar but his contributions are vital to the Cavs and he had another strong showing against the Kings last night. Keep it up AP!

Unfortunately the Cavs could not sustain their brilliant play from the first half, as Sacramento shut them down for the rest of the game. The Cavs could only muster 37 points total in the third and fourth quarters, and were out-rebounded significantly. As the King's defense tightened up, so did the Cavalier's scoring opportunities. The fast-break transition points that were routine in the first half dried up as the Kings snuffed out the Cavs offense. Once Sacramento set their defense, Cleveland failed to find a way to effectively break them down and the attacks became stagnant and wasteful. The Kings had a lot of success against our defense though, as their hot shooting propelled them to the win. The Cavs tried to come back late on, and thanks to Gibson cut their way into an 11 point deficit, but were unable to finish the job and lost their second game in as many days. John Krolik (or rather Ryan Braun who filled in last night) at Cavs: the blog summed up the defeat nicely here.

So the Cavaliers continue to grow and attempt to find out what kind of team they are going to be. They play Atlanta next on Tuesday where Mo Williams is expected to make his return from injury, so here's hoping his presence can bring us a victory.

Thanks for reading.