Why The Change?

You may have noticed by now that this is no longer the home of Escape To Forest City. I decided to change up the blog a little bit for a couple of reasons:

1) Its become increasingly difficult to write and report about things going on in the States when I don't live there and I don't have easy access to watching the games. It was great having NBA League Pass for a month or two, I could watch as many Cavs games as I liked, but since my subscription ran out its very hard to write something meaningful based on 2 minutes of NBA.com highlights. The same thing occurs with the Indians and Browns. I just don't have the time or money to focus on my Cleveland teams, not enough for a blog that would be worth reading.

2) Its much easier to write about Arsenal because the English sporting media have football related news 24/7 now and I've lived Arsenal stuff the majority of my life. I know the club, I know the squad, I know the league and so on. It's just a lot easier to write about something closer to home if you understand that. I found myself writing more about Arsenal than any of my Cleveland teams combined, so I made the decision to switch the blog's direction into Gooner-mode for the foreseeable future.

The only reason it's taken this long to swap is because the internet is already overrunning with Arsenal blogs, and I felt the web didn't need another one, especially not from a university student who really ought to be spending more time on his dissertation rather than writing quick 500 word pieces about last night's game (me). So from now on, Escape to N5 will be the home of my rants and raves about Arsenal and football in general. Maybe from time to time I will go back and touch upon my Indians, Cavs and/or Browns but I think it's better if I just remain a fan of those teams for now, rather than try to write about them.

So if you're still reading then thanks for staying on board. It means a lot.

Ash.

p.s. I hope everyone enjoys the new face-lift I gave the blog - I think the new colours and header look smart.

Oh What A Night

Arsenal shocked the football world last night, coming from behind to beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Emirates in the first leg of the first round of the knock-out stages in the Champions League. It was the match that everyone wanted and thankfully it was my side that came out on top, recording a historic victory in what was an absolute classic.

I was at the pub early to get a good seat for the game and the place was a madhouse, absolutely packed (thankfully, the majority of spectators seemed to be fellow Gooners). In fact it was so busy I didn't get my food which I ordered at 7 until kickoff began. Whilst enjoying a burger, the Gunners started brightly, nearly taking an early lead after 5 minutes or so. Fabregas looped a ball over the Barca defence into the path of van Persie, who volleyed from a tight angle right at Victor Valdes. So close, but a promising start. However it didn't take long for the Catalans to show just how dangerous they could be when Messi narrowly missed putting his side in front after 15 minutes. A David Villa pass put Messi in the clear but his chipped shot was inches wide. A huge sigh of relief could be heard around the Emirates and in the pub - Arsenal had dodged a bullet, as Messi usually converts those sort of chances 99% of the time. Moments later the Gunners were on the attack again when Walcott's pass split the Barca defence and put Fabregas into a great position, whose cross for the diving van Persie was just narrowly cut out by Abidal. But seconds later the Emirates was stunned. Messi played a beautiful through ball between Djourou and Clichy into David Villa, who made no mistake dispatching the ball underneath Szczesny to make it 1-0 Barca. Things almost went from bad to worse when seconds later Szczesny made a great save from Pedro that could have buried Arsenal completely. Luckily the Gunners didn't crumble and immediately replied when Wilshere played in van Persie with a beautiful pass, which the Dutchman really should have converted (he sliced his left foot shot badly). The game was frantic now, end to end stuff, but again Barca showed just how lethal they could be; after picking his way through our defence Messi played in Pedro who looked certain to score, but Szczesny did well again, making a fantastic save to deny the Spaniards a second goal. Messi bundled the rebound in but thankfully he was judged to be offside (although he probably wasn't). Before I knew it the half time whistle was blown, 45 minutes gone just like that.

Arsenal started the second half just as they did the first, looking dangerous and attacking with speed but still struggling to carve out a clear goal scoring opportunity. Then after 67 minutes Messi nearly put the game beyond doubt. After Eboue failed to clear, Iniesta put Messi in to make it 2-0 but the Argentinian star could only hit the side netting. But wasteful Barca were soon made to pay for not converting their chances. After Messi failed to score, Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola brought on the defensive Seydou Keita for David Villa, in an effort to shore up the defence and hold on to their lead. Wenger made a substitution also, bringing on Arshavin for Song, a change that would prove critical. With Barcelona now sitting back (well, not quite, they are Barcelona after all!) Arsenal went all out to claw themselves back into the game and in the 78th minute the North London side struck. After some work down the left flank between Arshavin and Clichy, the Frenchman chipped the ball over Gerard Pique into van Persie's path who smashed the ball past Valdes from the tightest of angles. When everyone watching expected a cross, including Valdes, the Dutch magician squeezed home the most accurate shot you are likely to see in a long time to make it 1-1, and game on. It just had to be van Persie, my favourite player in recent times, that made the difference - a phenomenal moment. The Emirates and the pub erupted (I hurt my voice-box from shouting) and it wasn't long until things got even better. Five minutes later, after Koscielny intercepted what could have been an extremely dangerous Barca pass, El Capitan, Barcelona's favourite Gunner Cesc Fabregas, played an incredible ball across half the pitch that split the Spaniard's defence wide open, releasing Nasri. Instead of opting to shoot, Nasri cut the ball back and played it across the penalty box to Arshavin, who stylishly clipped the ball around the Barca defenders and past Valdes to make it 2-1 and send every Arsenal fan in the world into total euphoria. Within five minutes Arsene Wenger's men had come back against the best team in the world to take the lead. Incredible stuff. Arsenal managed to hold on for the win, but not without some panic when Szczesny saved well from Dani Alves, then Arshavin's attempt at nodding the ball back to Szczesny was almost intercepted and converted by Alves, before finally Eboue cleared the ball with an almighty hoof into Row Z. The final whistle blew seconds later and Arsenal had done it, completed the impossible task of knocking the Catalan giants off their perch, taking a 2-1 advantage into the second leg. Now obviously the tie is only half-way complete, there is still the daunting prospect of facing Barca again at the Camp Nou, but this win will provide the team with a massive psychological boost heading into that game, and hopefully for the rest of the season. Because last night proved, that above all, when Arsenal play at their best, they can beat the best teams in the world. What a classic.

I can't really fault any of our players after the performance they gave as team. Jack Wilshere raised his game on the biggest stage of all and was easily the man of the match for me. He consistently turned and rolled away from the opposition's attempts to dispossess him but he was always aware, eyes up constantly looking for a teammate. A fantastic game for our English prodigy, proving to the masses that he's not just 'one for the future', but he's performing right now. I think credit must also go to Laurent Koscielny who had a wonderful night in defence considering who he was up against. By no means did he have Messi in his back-pocket, but I reckon that Koscielny probably gave the Argentinian the hardest game he's had for some time, and Kos managed to keep Lionel from reeking too much havoc against us. A classy game from the Frenchman and a big "fuck you" to the critics who doubt his ability at this level.

Things got even better this morning (I know what you're saying, "How on earth could things be better?!") when I saw that my Cavaliers had handed the World Champion Lakers their third defeat in a row, recording a momentous win heading into the All-Star break, beating Los Angeles 104-99. Ramon Sessions was a beast, attacking the rim at will, and ended up recording 32 points and 8 assists. Sweet revenge against Kobe and his boys since the last time we played L.A. A memorable win for sure and it deserves a picture of course!

Anyway, I've got a lot of uni work coming up soon so I'll blog what I can when I can. If you've made it this far through this essay of a post, thank you very much for reading!

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.

Gimme Some Mo!

The Cavaliers snapped a three game losing streak last night by beating the Milwaukee Bucks 83-81 in Cleveland, thanks to Mo Williams' game winning shot. Mo's 15 foot buzzer-beating jumper won the game as the clock ran out, and gave the Cavs a much needed win. The Wine and Gold had previously lost five of the last six games before last night's victory, so this win was vital and can hopefully resurrect the season. I liked this quote by Mary Schmitt Boyer: 'The Cavs haven't given their fans much to cheer about since the opening night victory over Boston. Now, perhaps they have a little Mo-mentum.' Comic gold Mary.

Unfortunately I didn't watch the game, as I have yet to pony up the cash to get an NBA League Pass subscription. Christmas isn't far away now, so I'll be buying it within the month. However, I still feel obliged to comment on the game, because there is nothing sweeter in basketball than a last second game winner. Mo finished the game with 25 points, the majority of those coming in the second half. It's good to see Williams finding his groove again, and I hope last night's performance will give him the confidence to keep excelling on the court. In a transition season like this, the Cavs are going to need leaders and Mo can become an important one. In the wake of Lebron leaving, this team is Mo's for the taking and I hope he can stay in Cleveland for many years and become the core of this Cavaliers squad. Take note Byron Scott...

Anyway, I'll leave it at that as like I said I didn't get to see the game live and so don't have a great deal to write about. One more thing though. Antawn Jamison... I don't want to see your shot get blocked so easily ever again, because what Larry Sanders did to you was plain nasty. I'll leave you with the video of Mo's brilliant game winner. Enjoy!

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.

Cavaliers Crush Celtics On Opening Night

What a fantastic way to start the season! Thanks to the generous folks at NBA.com and their free League Pass preview offer at the moment, I was able to watch every minute of yesterday's classic between the Cavs and Celtics. I'm so glad I did.

The new-look Cavaliers team hustled to a 95-87 victory last night in front of a sellout crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena. I doubt many pundits, so-called "experts", and the majority of fans expected the young Cavs team to beat the veteran Celtics, but they went ahead and did just that. It was certainly a close game, and the Cavs could have given up in the 3rd quarter when they trailed Boston by 11 points. However, Byron Scott's dynamic Cavs side battled back against the odds to stun the Celtics and take home the win.

JJ Hickson, I player I really liked last season, became the go-to guy for the Cavs as he took over the game in the first quarter, racking up 10 points very quickly. He was moving well, setting good screens, and making shot after shot. His mid-range jumper is impressive, and he continued to be a pest to the Celtics all night as he eventually finished with 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting, with 6 rebounds. I'm really hoping Hickson can continue this form over the course of the season as his athleticism is truly something to marvel at, as he glides through the paint with ease. Hickson is my boy this year, I'll be rooting for him.

Hickson was not the only Cavalier who helped lead the team past the Celtics. Daniel Gibson had a mixed evening but came through for us when it mattered, as he had an impressive second half to the game. He finished with 16 points, including some clutch free-throws with the game winding down, to seal the win. Gibson missed his first eight shots, as nothing seemed to be going his way, but he finally nailed a big three pointer in the 3rd quarter and he took off from there. The bench as a whole were impressive last night, as they carried the team in the second half, and really became the catalyst for victory. Ryan Hollins was particularly impressive, as he played good defense, came through on offense when he was called, and worked hard for the team all night. Anthony Parker's clutch 3 pointer with 1 second left on the shot clock late in the 4th quarter was the final nail in the coffin, to cap off a memorable Cavaliers win at the Q.

Obviously the team is far from perfect, and there is still a lot of work to do, they are not the finished article. Not every game will be like last night (unfortunately). The offense had some bad stretches, they looked lost at times as the Celtics really put the pressure on. Ramon Sessions was inconsistent for the majority of the game; he seemed to rush the break and force the offense a bit. Most of the time, Sessions should have passed the ball when he opted instead to shoot, a mistake more often than not. As a point guard, I didn't expect him to be as aggressive as he was, and Sessions consistently got called for offensive fouls. I think he needs to tone it down a bit in the future, as Gibson ended up getting more minutes than him in the second half. However, he did have a terrific 2nd quarter where he really got into his flow and finished the night with 14 points. The team are obviously still a work in progress and it will take time to get everything right. Patience will be key this season.

Overall it was a successful opening night, and a game I will remember for a long time. I really enjoyed the hustle and hard work the team put in, and the fans responded to it with multiple standing ovations and incredible noise. The team rewarded them (and me) with a fantastic upset win against what most people consider the best team in the East. Kevin Garnett, on the Cavs, commented: "I think they value that their strength is playing together." And I totally agree with Boston's big man, it is an absolute joy to watch the Cavs play as a real team now. It will ultimately be what determines their success or failure this year. Mary Schmitt Boyer at The Plain Dealer summed it up nicely: "By beating the arch-rival Eastern Conference defending champion Celtics in their first regular-season game since the departure of Lebron James, the Cavs served notice that they're still here and they can -- and will -- win with James." Not every body in the media was so positive about the Cavs' upset win, as Steve Aschburner at NBA.com couldn't help but put the fire out. "The Cavaliers, with so many of the supporting cast still in place, have the special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and the sesame-seed bun. But oh, are those two all-beef patties ever conspicuously missing." The majority of the national media are not going to stop reminding us that Cleveland are a lot worse off without Lebron, but they should at least give credit where it is due and praise the team's success, which Aschburner begrudgingly does in his article. We all know Lebron has taken his skills to Miami, I think we've heard enough about him already this year, because I know I have. It's time to focus on the guys who he left behind, the players who will carry the Cavaliers flag night after night; the guys who went out and beat the favoured Boston Celtics. I think the Cavs will continue to surprise a lot of people throughout this campaign, just like they did last night.

Thanks for reading.

New Look For New Era In Cleveland

The Cleveland Cavaliers unveiled their new uniforms for the 2010-11 season yesterday, and damn are they a bit nice. I had a strong feeling that if Lebron were to leave the Cavs this year, then a makeover of the team's appearance would take place in an effort to put the past behind us. Well Lebron went to South Beach and now the changes are here, and I approve.

The new uni's were released to a collection of Twitter followers Tuesday evening, a "Tweet-up" as its being called. You can already purchase the new gear on the Cavs online store, and if I had the cash I would be extremely tempted to do just that. The new uniforms have unique details, the Cavaliers DNA statement: "All For One. One For All" can be seen across the inside of each jersey's collar, a nice touch. I definitely love the deep red (or "Wine") of the away jersey, and the home uniform is very smart also.

The first indications that changes were coming to the Cavs was when the team's logo had it's colours slightly altered, a bit more gold added into the mix. Next up was the floor design at the Q, a more obvious sign that change was afoot. So it was only a matter of time before the uniforms got a makeover too, and its come at exactly the right time. 2010-11's Cavs are going to look good this season, that much is assured.

Thanks for reading, all images of the new editions belong to the Cavs (obviously)

New Kids On The Block

Earlier this week the Cleveland Cavaliers sent guards Delonte West and Sebastian Telfair to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for dynamic point guard Ramon Sessions and 7'0 centre Ryan Hollins. This is the first major roster move by our new GM Chris Grant and the beginning of our new look Cavaliers team. It is not a massive trade by any means, but the Cavs will be better for it.

Sessions is 24 years old and still has his best years ahead of him. He's coming off a poor year in Minnesota where he struggled to adapt to an undefined role on the team and not much playing time. Lets be honest, the T-Wolves as an organisation are a complete mess so it must be a struggle for every one of their players. However, Sessions enjoyed success in his first 2 years in the league with Milwaukee, setting their franchise record for assists with 24 against the Bulls in April 2008. Yes, 24 ASSISTS. In one game. Crazy. Terry Pluto had said that Sessions is "exactly the type of player the Cavs should be adding at this stage of their life without Lebron James." What does he mean? Sessions, partnered with new head coach Byron Scott's up-tempo approach, is going to bring some fun to the Quicken Loans Arena. Ramon will be pushing the break, getting up the court quickly and injecting some excitement into Cleveland basketball. Gone are the days of watching Lebron dribble out the shot clock. Scott and Sessions will make this Cavs side fun to watch at the very least. Again, Pluto sums it up best: "The Cavs have a backcourt jammed with guards who love to fire away from long distance - Anthony Parker, Mo Williams and (Daniel) Gibson. They don't have a pure point guard such as Sessions." Well, now we do.

The coup of this trade is obviously Sessions, but the Cavs also gained depth and height to our understaffed group of centres. 25 Year old 7 footer Ryan Hollins will probably start the new season as a backup, but I expect he will see more minutes in Cleveland than he has at any other stage in his pro career. His height, quickness, and athleticism, plus his ability to pull off spectacular blocks, will ensure he will be given a chance to shine in Byron Scott's new Cavaliers team. At 25 he is still developing and hopefully he can blossom into a force under the basket.

The only negative aspect to this trade is that, like every trade, we always have to say goodbye to someone we used to root for. Delonte West became quite a fan favourite during his time in Cleveland, but he had a troubled season on and off the court last year and it was his time to go. Sebastian Telfair, who shined briefly during his limited stay in town, is again being shipped off to another team in a trade. This will be his second stint with the Timberwolves and I've lost count of how many clubs he has played for during his time in the NBA. I think Telfair could have found a home in this new team - he is the type of PG that Scott could mould into a real floor general, but apparently the front office felt that Sessions would be a better fit and that Telfair would have to be sacrificed to achieve this. I hope Delonte and Sebastian find success in their NBA futures, but I doubt it will be in Minnesota.

So Sessions and Hollins are the new boys in town to help the city of Cleveland recover from "The Defection" and return the Cavs to the top of the East. Its going to take time, longer than we probably expect, but the acquisition of Sessions is a positive step in the right direction.

Thanks for reading.

Leaving It To Lebron

All bets are in, every question has been asked, all presentations and promises have been made. Now all we can do is wait. Lebron James has finally finished his meetings with the various teams interested in his signature this summer, as well as our beloved Cavaliers. That's right, he might choose to stay with us after all!

I realise the Lebron saga has been written about by practically every sports journalist in North America and beyond, but I felt I should weigh in with my opinion. Obviously I want Lebron to stay in Cleveland. There isn't another player in basketball like him, and he's easily the most gifted athlete to grace the NBA since his Airness Michael Jordan. Not only is he great for Cleveland from a sporting perspective, but he has done tremendous things for the city socially and economically. Losing him would be devastating for Cleveland, as Andrew over at Waiting For Next Year has explained in a brilliant article detailing just how important Lebron truly is.

I have been in a very fortunate position as a Cavaliers fan, as I have only ever experienced the Cavs in the Lebron era. I've been supporting the Wine & Gold since 2004, so I haven't experienced the team's darker days. Lebron and Cleveland together is all I know. The worst example of a Cleveland player leaving town that I have experienced was when V-Mart was shipped to Boston, and that stung for a quite some time. But Lebron leaving... well I don't really want to think about it, and have tried my best to ignore the possibility of him playing for somebody else for nearly 18 months now. I was naive to think it would all blow over, that Lebron would never consider leaving us. Our dismal playoff exit to the Boston Celtics a few months ago only made things worse; Lebron wants a ring, he needs a championship, and with another limp effort in the post-season gone by, it only stimulates the argument for him to leave for new pastures elsewhere. He has always made it clear how much he loves New York, and its widely known he grew up supporting the Bulls, and a certain Mr Jordan (his idol) especially. Don't forget his close friendship with Jay Z, part-owner of the Nets, who I'm sure would LOVE to have Lebron leading the way for his team. So there are plenty of suitors waiting for him to put pen to paper and become the new face of their franchise.

The Cavs front office, including new head coach Byron Scott, have made their final pitch to Lebron to stay with us, to keep striving for that illusive NBA title. I read that the presentation was short and to the point, and apparently the talks went well. The bit about Lebron being shown a Family Guy-like cartoon depicting himself and the city of Cleveland struck me as being a bit strange, but its supposed to be well known that number 23 is a big fan of cartoons, so I suppose this light hearted approach would appeal to him - if anybody in Cleveland knows Lebron well, surely its the organisation he works for. Lets just hope its worked, and Lebron realises that his best chance to win a much sought after championship is not in Miami, New York, New Jersey or Chicago, but right at home in Cleveland. If Lebron goes to any of those other cities, it'll take a considerable amount of time for those organisations to build a title contending team around him. Now he's still relatively young, only 25 years old, but he is coming off 2 straight MVP seasons and is in the prime of his career. How much longer is he willing to wait until he finally achieves his goal? If he stays with the Cavs, he has a significantly better chance of winning a ring than anywhere else, at least any of those teams that can afford him. Even if he does move to Chicago, who do have the talented Derrick Rose, Lebron wouldn't really be in a better position with the Bulls than he already is with the Cavaliers. Realistically only New York appear to be able to afford two of these premier free agents this summer, but then there is still the difficulty of promising Lebron and Dwyane Wade/Chris Bosh/ Joe Johnson etc, that the other has signed and committed. Even with two of them, its still not enough to make the Knicks a contender, not with the shambles that is their current roster.

Anyway, its out of our hands now. Actually, when was it ever in our hands? Its Lebron's decision to make, we just have to be patient and hope he chooses to stay in the city where he is worshipped, the place he calls home. There's nothing special in New York anyway... right?

Thanks for reading.

Catching Up In Cleveland

I know I haven't posted about the Forest City much lately; I've been completely absorbed by Bath City and their recent promotion. However, it doesn't mean I haven't cared or been keeping my eye out on my boys in Cleveland.

First of all, I do not want to talk about the Cavs. I truly felt this was the year to get it done, to win it all. 2010 or bust and all that. Well bust we are, with the Cavalier's exiting the post-season in miserable fashion to the Boston Celtics in six games. With the Cavs failing to make it to the NBA Finals yet again, it looks likely Lebron has played his last game in a Cavs uniform. I hope he stays, but I'm sure he's feeling pretty disillusioned with the team right now, which doesn't bode well for us. He might stick around, we certainly haven't lost him to New York or Chicago yet, but its pretty much all doom and gloom at the moment where the Cavs are concerned. Its a shame that it ends like this, after another fantastic season, and LBJ collecting his second straight MVP award. Lets pray it ends well for the Wine and Gold.

As for the Indians, well its definitely been a mixed bag so far. We're nearing the end of May and 'inconsistency' is the word around town, but what else has changed right? As of today we are 15-20, which is pretty decent considering how low expectations were coming into this season. The story of 2010 so far is the inept offensive output, specifically from Hafner and Sizemore. The young guns like LaPorta and Valbuena have really struggled, and aren't adapting to life in the bigs like we all hoped they would. Luckily our group of veterans and journeymen on the team have got the job done, with Austin Kearns and Mark Grudzielanek doing particularly well. Shin-Soo Choo has continued his brilliant hitting from last year and is carrying the team on his back - hopefully he gets an All Star place this season. Starting pitching has surprised me somewhat, an area the Indians are doing ok in. Carmona's fantastic spring has carried over to the regular season. Alright, so he's not been spectacular but he's been decent and got some good wins under his belt (currently 4-1 with a 3.43 ERA before he faces the Rays tonight). He still walks too many batters, and could get a few more strikeouts, but its Carmona so nothing is perfect. Mitch Talbot has turned into somewhat of a revelation so far, but unfortunately Justin Masterson has struggled. He was predicted by many to be one of our strongest guys in the rotation, but stands at 0-4 with a 5.92 ERA - not too good so far. Jake Westbrook, our grizzly old veteran battling back from injuries that have hindered him the last few years, has been getting better with every game. He had a slow start, but has been quality of late, winning his last 2 games. Westbrook overpowered the Orioles last night, getting 8 strikeouts along the way to a complete game. More stuff like this please Jake. Our firstbaseman Russell Branyan, who's been crocked sine we acquired him, has finally returned from injury and has began to destroy the ball recently - he did especially well against Kansas City, smashing a few homers in a series win for us, and looks set to hit a few more - long may it continue. Overall, Manny Acta's side are doing exactly what is expected of them, which is not much at all. They just need to keep growing and improving, get a few wins here and there and make positive progress hinting towards success in the future. I'd like the Indians to finish with 80 or so wins, and at least try and finish around 500. Anything else would be a dream.

And the Browns? Well not much has changed with the Brownies. Mini camp drills and practices for the rookies have begun, and our new RB Montario Hardesty out of Tennessee has impressed according to early reports. Good signs there, but surely he'll be behind Jerome Harrison in 2010. I'm looking forward to seeing our new QB from Texas, Mr Colt McCoy, in pre-season, even if he won't actually play for the Browns once the real games begin this season. Football is still months away, but I'm always excited about the Browns and can't wait for the games to begin... even if we are a bit shit.

From now on I'll be following the Indians of course, but my focus is turning to the upcoming World Cup in South Africa, which I cannot wait for. Expect a post/preview/World Cup build up blog thing in the near future.

Thanks for reading.

Time To Get Bullish

With the 09/10 NBA season coming to a close yesterday, the playoff positions have been fixed and the number one seed Cavaliers have been drawn against Chicago, who have spent the last month fighting and clawing their way to secure the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. Mike Brown's men have had another successful year (Andrew at WFNY has written a brilliant season recap), and Lebron has been as spectacular as ever. Cleveland finished with a 61-21 record, the best in the league for the second year running, but it all counts for nothing now as the finish line is within sight; it's NBA Championship or bust for the Cavaliers in 2010. However the Bulls are coming into the playoffs carrying a lot of momentum with them, although just managing to finish the season at .500. Understandably the Cavs have spent the last couple of weeks with the post season in mind, so key players have been rested down the stretch, and the rest of the team have clearly relaxed a bit, hence the recent losses. I just hope we don't come out rusty in Game 1, as we'd obviously like to kick off our playoff run with a quality performance and convincing victory.

It's not going to be an easy series by any means, and I'm certainly not expecting a first round sweep like last year against the Hawks. Chicago's Derrick Rose is freakishly talented at the point, and will be hoping to lead his team to an upset. They proved they have it in them after last year's incredible series against Boston (which the Bulls were unlucky to ultimately lose.) The rest of the Bulls supporting cast is good, but not great, and they certainly have it in them to give the Cavs a hard time. Lebron will have to rally the troops, but it's obvious this is the best group of players Cleveland have had in a long time, if not ever. The mid-season acquisition of Antawn Jamison has helped pushed the Cavs over the edge; they have never looked more ready (on paper anyway) for a run at the championship. Managing to bring back Ilgauskas was brilliant too, not to mention the emergence of JJ Hickson this season. Lebron's supporting cast has the tools to get it done - it just remains to be seen if they actually can. Fans can only watch and hope, as the Cavs take on the Bulls at the Q on Saturday. Good luck lads.

Thanks for reading.