| Final - 3.16.2010 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cleveland Cavaliers
|
28 | 26 | 21 | 38 | 113 |
|
Detroit Pistons
|
28 | 28 | 20 | 25 | 101 |
Game #68 - Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons Game Night Open Thread
by John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) on Mar 16, 2010 6:06 PM CDT
in 2009 Game Day Thread
123 comments
2009/2010 NBA Regular Season
VS
23-43 52-15
March 16, 2010
The Palace of Auburn Hills
7:30PM
Radio - WTAM 1100 / FSOhio
Probable starters:
Will Bynum
PG
Mo Williams
Richard Hamilton
SG
Anthony Parker
Teyshaun Prince
SF
LeBron James
Jonas Jerebko
PF
Antawn Jamison
Jason Maxiell
C
J.J. Hickson
The Cavaliers and Pistons went several months without playing each other. They are following that up with 3 games in 16 days. Back on March 5, the Cavaliers came back from over 20 points down to beat the Pistons at the Q. It was a win tempered by a scary incident involving Rodney Stuckey, who collapsed during a timeout and was rushed to the hospital. Stuckey appears to be ok, thankfully, though he will not play tonight.
For the Cavaliers, the countdown continues until the return of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The Cavaliers can begin negotiations with him on March 22nd and I expect something to get done that day. As for tonight, Delonte West will take a breather with what the team is calling a sprained left knee. It is considered precuationary, however, and the team expect West to play tomorrow night against the Pacers.
While the Cavs are on the front end of a back-to-back, Detroit had the mis-fortune of playing the Celtics one day after their defeat against the Cavaliers. Boston made short order of the Pistons - on ESPN no less, up over 30 points for large parts of the game. For that reason, at least in part, Sunday's rematch between the Cavs and Pistons at the Q has been moved from 8PM to 6PM and will no longer be broadcast on ESPN.
3-in the Key
1. At 52-15 (.776), Cleveland owns the NBA's best record and leads the league with highest point differential at +7.1. The Cavaliers are the only team with 50 wins, has won nine of their last 10 games and is 26-7 (.788) in 2010, which is the best mark in that span. After going a league-best 66-16 (.805) last season, the Cavaliers could become the first team since the Chicago Bulls in 1995-96 (72-10) and 1996-97 (69-13) to have sole possession of the best record in the regular season in consecutive years. After defeating Boston 104-93 on Sunday, the Cavs are now 28-9 (.757) against teams with a .500- record or better.
2. As the Cavaliers head to Detroit, the team's magic number to clinch their second straight Central Division crown is two. Cleveland will face four consecutive Central Division opponents and stands at 7-2 (.778) against their division this season while holding a commanding 15.0 game lead over Milwaukee, the largest division lead in the NBA. The Cavs have won five straight over the Pistons, including two consecutive contests at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
3. Anderson Varejao notched his 11th double-double of the season with 17 points on 6-8 (.750) shooting, 10 rebounds (six offensive) and one block to lead Cleveland's bench, which outscored the Celtics' reserves 27-15. Varejao has now scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 contests and is averaging a near double-double with 12.5 points on .707 shooting and 8.8 rebounds over that span. Varejao ranks second in reserves in total rebounding at 7.9 rpg in 58 games (Lamar Odom - 8.3 rpg in 41 games). The Cavs entered tonight's game allowing a league-low 25.9 points from the opponent reserves, and over the last four games, the bench has outscored their opponents' reserves 33.5-16.5.
123 comments | 0 recs |
Fred McLeod talks with Anderson Varejao after today's shoot-around in Detroit
about 8 hours ago
John Bena (aka CavsBlogger)
0 comments
0 recs
Sunday's Home Game against Pistons Rescheduled
by John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) on Mar 16, 2010 1:28 PM CDT
in Cavaliers in the News
5 comments
If you are planning on going to Sunday's Cavaliers game against the Pistons, mark your calendars for a new start time. The game will now start at 6PM, likely to accommodate a better game on TV that night. Taking a peek at the schedule, the Spurs contest against the Hawks is now scheduled to be on ESPN at 8PM et, when the Cavaliers were to be televised.
I guess another LeBron beatdown of Motown is not interesting enough for ESPN.
5 comments | 0 recs |
Looking at the defense from the championship year, when we won it, it doesn't look the same. It looks like the rotation is slower and they ain't getting to the shooters and closing out like they did before. I don't know if it's effort or maybe they're a little older.
Cavaliers Pull Away, Beat Boston 104-93
by Jeff at the BBC on Mar 14, 2010 5:41 PM CDT
in 2009 Post Game Recap
56 comments
Thank Heaven this game didn't come down to free throws. Cleveland missed 17 free throws Sunday afternoon, but the Cavaliers' hustle and desire made them unneccesary in a big win over the Boston Celtics, 104-93.
LeBron James dominated the game, scoring 30 points, dishing out 7 assists, and pulling down 8 rebounds. The stat sheet was filled with stars for Cleveland, which included;
- Antawn Jamison, 15 points and 12 rebounds
- Anderson Varejao, 17 points and 10 rebounds
- Mo Williams, 14 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists
- J.J. Hickson, 12 points
The Cavs won this game by outhustling Boston and wearing down the Celtics. By midway through the fourth quarter, they had taken a close game and blown it open to a 17-point margin. The aging Celtics couldn't keep up and their shooting suffered as a result of being tired. Boston missed their first 9 shots from the floor to start the fourth and never recovered.
56 comments | 0 recs |
Game #67 - Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers Game Day Thread
by John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) on Mar 14, 2010 1:30 PM CDT
in 2009 Game Day Thread
196 comments
2009/2010 NBA Regular Season
VS
41-23 51-15
March 14, 2010
Quicken Loans Arena
3:30PM
Radio - WTAM 1100 / ABC
Probable starters:
Rajon Rondo
PG
Mo Williams
Ray Allen
SG
Anthony Parker
Paul Pierce
SF
LeBron James
Kevin Garnett
PF
Antawn Jamison
Kendrick Perkins
C
J.J. Hickson
The Cavaliers and Celtics. National TV. Sunday Afternoon. Mid-March. Does it really get any better than that? The Celtics and Cavaliers renew their rivalry this afternoon at the Q. Both teams have won a game this season - on the other team's home court - after the home teams dominated this series over the past 3 or 4 years. The Celtics will likely have a bit of revenge on their mind after Cleveland turned an early 13 point deficit into a commanding 20-point win in Boston a couple weeks ago. Since then, the Celtics have played better basketball, despite an embarrassing home loss to the New Jersey Nets.
For Cleveland, I'm going to go ahead and guess the Antawn Jamison plays. Jamison was brought in to help the Cavaliers beat Boston and Orlando - if he has to sit against a team like the Pistons in order to play against the Celtics I am all for it. If Jamison doesn't go, Leon Powe will get his second start. Powe will likely have a little extra pep in his step going against his former team in a big game.
Some how, some way, the Cavaliers have to find a way to get in front of Rajon Rondo. Mo Williams struggled against Rondo big time in Boston which helped the Celtics get out to a big lead. The Cavaliers have to prove they can defend smaller guards or they will keep getting eaten up.
Cleveland has won 8 of their last 10, while the Celtics have gone 6-4 in the same span.
3-in the Key
1. At 51-15 (.773), Cleveland owns the NBA's best record and leads the league with highest point differential at +7.1. The team has won eight of their last nine games and is 25-7 (.781) in 2010, which is the best mark in that span. After going a league-best 66-16(.805) last season, the Cavaliers could become the first team since the Chicago Bulls in 1995-96 (72-10) and 1996-97 (69-13) to have sole possession of the best record in the regular season in consecutive years.
2. Cleveland owns the best home and road records in the NBA. At home, the Cavaliers are 28-4 (.875) and play nine of its remaining 16 games at The Q. The Cavs have won 26 of their last 28 home games and are averaging 105.4 points on .513 shooting, while holding their opponents to just 95.1 points on .438 shooting during that span. Since the start of the 2008-09 season, the Cavaliers are 67-6 (.918) at home, which is also an NBA-best. After being tied for the third best home record in league history last season at 39-2 (.951), the team is trying to hold the best home record in consecutive seasons for only the 14th time in NBA history and seventh time (five teams) in the last 35 years. The team's 100-95 victory on Friday over Philadelphia was the 14th road win in its last 19 road games, taking them to a league-leading 23-11 (.676) record away from The Q.
3. At Boston, LeBron James scored a game-high 36 points on 11-23 shooting (.478), seven rebounds and nine assists. James has averaged 37.0 points on .511 shooting, 5.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists in two games against Boston this season and his career average against the Celtics is 30.4 points. Only one player in NBA history has a higher mark against the Celtics: Michael Jordan at 30.7. Since 2003-04, no player in the NBA has recorded more 30+ point games against the Boston than James with 13.
196 comments | 0 recs |
Peripheral Vision - The Games To Watch for Sunday
by Jeff at the BBC on Mar 14, 2010 10:48 AM CDT
4 comments
Today's a big day for the Cavaliers. Not only do we have a high-profile game against the Boston Celtics at The Q, but there's other action that could directly benefit (or damage) us. That's what "Peripheral Vision" is all about - keeping an eye on the games and opposition that could most directly affect the wine and gold as we head down the stretch.
First, we'll take a look at the Eastern Conference Standings - only 8 of these 9 teams can advance to the postseason;
|
TEAM |
W |
L |
GB |
|
Cleveland |
51 |
15 |
--- |
|
Orlando |
47 |
20 |
4.5 |
|
Atlanta |
42 |
23 |
8.5 |
|
Boston |
41 |
23 |
9.0 |
|
Milwaukee |
35 |
29 |
15.0 |
|
Charlotte |
33 |
31 |
17.0 |
|
Miami |
34 |
32 |
17.0 |
|
Toronto |
32 |
32 |
18.0 |
|
Chicago |
31 |
34 |
19.5 |
There are only a few pertinent races left to pay attention to. Atlanta and Boston for third and fourth. Toronto and Chicago for 8th. The rest of the above teams are just jockeying for position. But if the day goes badly, the Cavs might still be in a scary race for first.
Take a jump below the fold, and we'll get into today's games.
4 comments | 0 recs
Peripheral Vision - Saturday's games to watch
by Jeff at the BBC on Mar 13, 2010 2:00 PM CST
2 comments
There's one month remaining in the NBA regular season, and there are precious few chances to make up any significant ground for the teams left in the chase.
The Eastern Conference has 9 teams with any prayer left to make the playoffs, so most teams are simply jockeying for position now. Here's what's left to watch for today in our region;
Orlando Magic at Washington Wizards, 7pm EST
Orlando has been unstoppable for the last three weeks, having won 7 games in a row. Their problem is that they haven't been able to gain ground on the Cavaliers, as they still sit five games out of first place in the East. The Magic needs all the stars to align to win the East, so they're probably content with capturing the 2nd seed. Washington should be no challenge for Orlando today.
Detroit Pistons at Atlanta Hawks,7pm EST
The Hawks are playing great basketball right now and are tied with Boston for the third seed in the East. They are probably content with allowing Orlando to win the division and focus their energy on holding off the Celtics, and with the way the Magic are playing, that's a wise thought. They are 4 games behind Orlando and 6 games ahead of 5th-seed Milwaukee. All that's left for Atlanta to fight for is whether they'll be third or fourth in the East. The Pistons should be dispatched easily today if they want that third slot.
Toronto Raptors at Golden State Warriors, 1030pm EST
Raptor fans, here's the bad news. You've lost 7 of 10 and slipped from the fifth seed to the 8th seed in just three weeks time. The good news? Chicago sucks worse than you are have fallen deeper, occupying the 9th slot in the East and a ticket home. Toronto has a two-game lead for the final playoff position, and they have to turn it around immediately. Their reward if they continue to flounder? Either a ticket home for the playoffs, or a date with the Cavaliers. Playing Golden State will show whether or not they're serious about their commitment.
2 comments | 0 recs
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Fri 03/19 | 7:00 PM CDT |
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Last 5 Games
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|
Tue 03/16 | W 113 - 101 |
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Fri 03/12 | W 100 - 95 |
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San Antonio
|
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Milwaukee
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Sat 03/06 | L 85 - 92 |
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