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.

F@>!?*%$!!!!

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse. Arsenal slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Braga in Portugal last night, making life just a bit more difficult in the Champions League. A poor loss to a team we should really beat, and more injuries added to our already crippled squad. What at first appeared to be a group we would walk out of with ease, has now come down to a nail-biting match against Belgrade in two weeks time. I still expect us to beat a team like Partizan, especially at home, but it should never really have been this close. The latest news on the injury front is that Eboue has damaged the ligaments in his knee, and Fabregas has got more hamstring problems that will sideline him for a few weeks. Brilliant...

Wenger took a gamble with Cesc last night and obviously it didn't pay off. It's the last thing we need at this time, to lose our captain and star of the team, but that's just the way it goes for Arsenal these days. More walking wounded every season. The Gunners face Aston Villa this weekend, a massive game now in light of recent results. A loss against Villa will be devastating to our title ambitions, so a win is a must right now, but it won't be easy. Some good news is that Aaron Ramsey has stepped up his rehab on the road to recovery, completing 45 minutes unscathed against Wolves reserves yesterday. Finally, something positive! It's still way too early to expect him back in the first team, but hopefully he can return to the squad after Christmas. I've certainly missed Rambo, and with Cesc struggling for fitness all season it would be a welcome relief to have the Welsh Wonder back in action. Fingers crossed anyway.

Thanks for reading.

Time To Bounce Back

Arsenal are in Portugal tonight for their Champions League clash against Braga. The Gunners need just a draw to ensure qualification into the knock-out rounds, but Arsene Wenger's men will undoubtedly be looking for a comprehensive win to bounce back from the crushing defeat at the weekend against Spurs. We'll be looking to take all three points this evening to ensure we finish top of the group - it could be very important later on in the competition.

The less said about the North London derby the better. I didn't watch it, instead I had to suffer through it by checking the BBC Football site whilst I was at work. You can imagine the joy I felt when I saw we were 2-0 up, thanks to Nasri and Chamakh. "Excellent!" I thought. So I checked later on to see it was 2-2, and I knew right then and there that the hurt wasn't over yet. Reluctantly I checked the web again, and to my dismay I saw the final score, 3-2 to Spurs. "Urrrrrrrrrrrgh" was what I came out with, or some rude curse word. It just pisses me off that we, A) Keep dropping points at home, B) We didn't capitalise on Chelsea losing AGAIN, and C) We gave away a two goal lead to the old enemy and lost. No doubt you can expect another classless DVD release from the marketing department in Tottenham very soon.

When you lose in such a fashion as Arsenal did, it is crucial to bounce back with a display that the team and the fans will be proud of, to show us all that the world is not in fact crumbling around us as we speak (maybe a bit dramatic...). Travelling away in the Champions League is never an easy task, as the previous clash against Shakthar demonstrated. I expect Braga to present us with a similar challenge, and I don't imagine the Gunners will cruise to a dominant win like we did when we last faced the Portuguese side. Especially as it appears Arsene will be resting some of our key players tonight.

From my understanding, Arshavin, van Persie and Clichy have not travelled for tonight's game, due to injuries and Wenger wanting to rotate the squad a bit. Clichy has a back problem, but its not such a problem when the young Gibbs can just slot right in. I can understand van Persie being rested, as we all know his track record with injuries - it's probably a smart move to save him for a more important game. I'm still a little disappointed not see Robin on the bench though; he's always been one of my favourite players on the team, so I always like to see him get some minutes. Hopefully it won't be long until he's 100% fit and back in the starting lineup. Arshavin's exclusion from the squad is not a big surprise, as we have adequate cover for him and it won't hurt him to get some rest for a few days.

Apparently Cesc may also be on the bench as a precaution, but he is still in line for a potential start. Again, it makes sense for Wenger not to risk our captain in a game where we realistically only need a point. Given Fabregas's recent troubles with his hamstring, it's a wise decision. Wilshere, Nasri or Rosicky can fill in for Cesc when needed and I expect that will happen tonight. So that's the people who are missing, but who is actually going to play? Well, I'm not Arsene Wenger so I don't know, but I can use the power of prediction and venture a guess or two. I'd like to see Bendtner get a full 90 minutes, and Theo to get a run-out too. In light of Bendtner requesting more playing time in the press recently, it only makes sense to hand him a place in the starting eleven and see if he can back up his words with goals. Don't be surprised to see Bendtner lineup alongside Chamakh this evening, or replace the Moroccan altogether. In midfield, Wilshere, Denilson and Song would be more than acceptable for this type of game, but Nasri could slot back into midfield if Wenger wants a bit more creativity in the middle of the park.

I'd really like to be in the pub tonight to watch the game, but I'm still unsure if I will. Other commitments and the like, you know how it is. All I want to see, hear, and know is that Arsenal play to their best and just get the job done. No more mental lapses, no more gifting teams easy goals. Just win. Check out Arseblog's match preview for a more in-depth look ahead of tonight's clash; he doesn't bullshit anyone.

Thanks for reading.

Back To The Future

So I finally cracked and shelled out the £30 or so for an Arsenal retro shirt. I opted for the long sleeve version, to make it that extra bit "vintage". I've been wanting one for ages but could never muster up enough spare cash to buy one. However, a friend of mine is having a 60's themed party this weekend so I thought, "is there anything better than going as an Arsenal footballer from the 1960's?!" An ingenious idea from me if I don't say so...

I pounced on the purchase thanks to Kitbag having a "10% off everything offer" on their site for the last few days. Looks like I bought it at just the right time, as it appears they've stopped this deal and all items are back to full price. Just in the knick of time. I'm pretty chuffed with the shirt, it arrived yesterday in record time (I didn't even pay for speedy delivery either). It's an official Score Draw retro shirt, licensed by the club as well, and it does look a bit nice I'll admit. The shirt came in a fancy Score Draw box which was a nice touch too.

If you are wondering why I'm resorting to posting about the new stuff I've bought, it's simply because I have watched bugger all sport recently. I've either been working, or been away, or just flat out missed live sport for the last week or so. So until I watch a game, be it NFL, NBA or the Arsenal, I will then write something worth writing about. Because trying to write about highlights I've seen is a bit useless.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Does It Get Any Better?

The Cleveland Browns shocked the world yesterday, upsetting the New England Patriots in a 34-14 classic. The Browns flat outplayed the Patriots all afternoon, and it was right up there as one of the most entertaining games I've witnessed in my four years as a Browns fan. A day I'll never forget and thanks to my good friend Will, I got to watch it all, live and in glorious high-definition.

After the Brown's win two weeks ago in New Orleans there has been a rise in optimism amongst Browns fans, that things might finally be going in the right direction. After beating the Patriots in such a convincing fashion yesterday, the idea that Mangini's Cleveland squad have finally turned a corner is becoming a reality. The Browns were dominant from start to finish, something I never believed I would type. I was cautiously optimistic before the game, not sure if we could repeat the upset we saw in New Orleans, but I never expected the performance my beautiful Browns provided.

I won't bore you with a play-by-play recap of the game, you can read that on any other site or blog. Instead, I'll share my opinion on the stars of the game; The good feelings are overwhelming, so much so I can't find a way to criticise any member of the Browns squad of players, coaches, or the organisation in general. Here we go then:

Colt McCoy. Oh Colt, how I and the majority of fellow Browns fans are taking you to our hearts dearly. Mr McCoy had some game yesterday. He never put a foot (or pass) wrong, and was so composed throughout the entire battle. His pocket presence was fantastic, always aware of the oncoming Patriot blitzes, and Colt constantly scrambled to safety on multiple occasions. It's so nice to have such a mobile quarterback on our team; I mean he's no Michael Vick, but Colt can tuck the ball and run when he needs to, as he demonstrated perfectly late on in yesterday's contest. Late in the third quarter McCoy took off on a scintillating 16 yard run through the New England defense, before diving into the end-zone for the touchdown, which effectively iced the game putting the Browns up 24-7. McCoy was as good with his arm as he was with his feet. Colt was tremendously accurate with his passing throughout the game, completing nearly 75% of his pass attempts, as well as being clutch on 3rd down situations. Credit must go to our receivers who caught everything thrown their way, as well as our brilliant 0-line for giving Colt the necessary time to perform - everybody seemed to have a great game on the offense. Colt is making it extremely hard for Mangini to even consider dropping him in favour of Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace, and this can only be a good thing for the team and fans. Fred Greetham at OBR believes our rookie QB should be handed the starting job for the rest of 2010 and I can see no reason to argue with that. Keep it up Colt!

Peyton Hillis. If you didn't know about Mr Hillis already (shame on you if you didn't!) you certainly do now, after another terrific performance from the bruising running back. He had probably the best game of his early Browns career, as he exploded for 184 yards rushing and 36 yards receiving with 2 touchdowns. The athletic big man was a human battering ram against the Patriot's defense as he never seemed to stop going forward. Even when he made contact with New England linebackers, he took the hit and kept his legs going to gain more yardage. Hillis has certainly been the revelation of the 2010 Cleveland Browns, and the best thing about him is he keeps getting better and stronger every week. The Broncos must be hitting themselves for letting him go...

The Browns Defense. I don't know if I've ever witnessed such a strong performance from this Browns defensive unit. Tom Brady was visibly frustrated yesterday after he and his offense continued to beat their heads against Cleveland's brick wall of a defense. It's not often Brady is kept in check with such ease, as the Patriots failed to maintain any sort of momentum on their way to scoring only 14 points (when it was predicted they'd score so much more). The Browns players routinely forced Brady and co. to make critical mistakes, which were crucial to Cleveland's victory (the forced fumble and recovery by Elam just before half time was particularly important). A brilliant game from Rob Ryan and his men, as they look to gain strength from this game and continue to improve as the season goes on.

It doesn't get any easier for the Browns, as they face the New York Jets next weekend in a hotly anticipated contest. After victories against the Saints and Patriots, the Browns should go into next week's matchup fearing no-one. Bring on the Jets!

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.