Game #24 Recap: Cavaliers 99, Clippers 92

No Kyrie? No problem. Our superstar in the making was diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms merely minutes before tip-off, but Ramon Sessions filled in admirably. In a game that saw Anderson Varejao go to the locker room after a nasty fall, the Cavaliers kept fighting and managed to pull off a considerable upset. I didn't have much confidence going into this game and wasn't thoroughly pleased to see that Byron Scott was able to use his other players to generate enough offense to beat Chris Paul and the Clippers.

Cavs Leaders: Points: Jamison, 27; Rebounds: Varejao 11, Assists: Sessions, 13

Quick Thoughts:

The injury bug has hit the Cavaliers early and often. Daniel Gibson made his return and actually played pretty well, scoring 17 points. Other than that, the Cavs were incredibly shorthanded. Kyrie Irving was ruled out with a concussion. Tristan Thompson is still out with an ankle injury. Anthony Parker is out with a back injury. Every team gets their fair share of injuries, but it seems as if the Cavs are getting theirs all at once.

Concussions are super tricky. You can't really set a timetable for Kyrie's return because you just have to wait until the symptoms go away. Hopefully we get him back soon, but we don't want to bring him back too early. It's pretty scary stuff. Hopefully he recovers quickly.

As little as Antawn Jamison cares about defense, Blake Griffin cares even less. It showed when Tawn was able to go off for 27 points with Griffin guarding him. He even did it pretty efficiently (just 18 shots). Griffin's defense is really pathetic at this point in his career. It doesn't make a ton of sense because he's so athletic and clearly has the tools to be a defensive freak. He really just needs a coach that holds him accountable and I'm sure he'll improve.

Once again, Luke Harangody got some minutes. He only played 7 of them, so that's nice. Ryan Hollins got a DNP-CD. Woo! Samardo Samuels got 13 minutes playing backup center. I officially have no clue what Byron Scott is doing with the bench minutes. Your guess is as good as mine.

It was significant that DeAndre Jordan didn't really do anything. He had 0 points and just 4 rebounds. It was weird.

Notable Performances:

Antawn Jamison was really good-ish. I already mentioned this. I just thought I would mention it again because it's so rare for him to score efficiently.

I still really like Alonzo Gee. You know this already. But he didn't have a very good game last night. He couldn't get shots to fall and Boobie Gibson completely airmailed him on his chance to recreate Lob City in Cleveland.

Other than the fact that Varejao was involved in that scary fall, his performance was not notable. It was what he does every freakin' night - 15 points, 11 rebounds, lots of energy.

Fear The Sword's Player Of The Game:

Ramon Sessions

Boost that trade value! With Irving out, Sessions filled in like a total stud at point guard. Ramon "Class Is In" Sessions dropped 24 points and threw in 13 dimes. If Sessions really is going to be traded before the deadline this year (pssstttt: I think he will be), this certainly doesn't hurt his trade value. The Cavs want a first round draft pick, but they might be able to get a bit more because there are several teams that need a point guard. Sessions looked great last year and showed once again that he can be very very productive when given starters' minutes.