LESTER HUDSON. By now, I'm sure you have heard that Lester Hudson is the greatest player in the history of mankind. I'm relatively certain that he actually invented basketball, as well. Despite Hudson's heroics, however, the Cavaliers fell to the Nets by a score of 122-117 in overtime on Sunday night. The loss sends the Cavaliers to 18-36 on the season.
Cavs Leaders: Points: Jamison, 34; Rebounds: Thompson, 15; Assists: Sloan, 14
Quick Thoughts:
Lesteria is sweeping the nation. No, not listeria, Lesteria. Lester Hudson was on the final day of his 10-day contract and needed to do something to make sure that he got another contract and stayed in the NBA. Well, he assured himself a second 10-day contract by dropping 26 points in just 29 minutes of play. He went 6-12 from behind the arc and the biggest one came with .3 seconds left on the clock as he drained the long ball to send the game into overtime. It was an impressive performance and it looks like he could almost possibly be a rotation player, maybe.
Overshadowed by Lesteria was Sloansanity. Donald Sloan dropped 14 dimes while committing just 2 turnovers. That, my friends, is efficiency. Nevermind the fact that he shot 3-13 from the field, Donald Sloan looked like an actual point guard out there. Keep in mind that we were playing against the Nets and that all stats are bound to be inflated when the game goes into overtime but nevertheless, it was an inspiring game. The Cleveland lineup was basically all D-leaguers. These are guys fighting for their jobs. They aren't actively tanking because one bad game could get them knocked from the rotation and they've all fought so hard to get to the NBA level. Byron Scott ought to be overjoyed with the effort that he got from these players. With many of his best players and veteran guys out with injuries, the unproven call ups brought 100% effort and fought for every second.
While the D-League guys were fighting for their professional lives, Antawn Jamison quietly had himself one of the best games of his season. Jamison dropped 34 points on 12-19 shooting including 4-5 from behind the arc. That's a freaking awesomely efficient afternoon. Jamison's time with the Cavaliers may not have gone exactly how he or we envisioned, but he is playing his ass off. Right now, there's no way you can knock the effort from any of the players on the Cavaliers.
Tristan Thompson once again feasted against Sheldon Williams. If Tigger could take Williams with him to every game, I'm sure he would. Thompson gobbled up 10 (TEN) offensive rebounds and 15 in total. He finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds. I cannot wait to see how much better Tristan gets during the offseason.
Fear The Sword's Player of the Game:
Antawn Jamison
Sorry, Lester Hudson fanboys. It's Jamison. His 34 points on 19 shots performance was simply too good to ignore. While Hudson burst onto the scene and certainly warrants some more playing time in the future, Jamison was the steady contributor that kept the Cavs afloat in this contest. If Hudson is as good as I think he is (and to be clear, I think he's the best player in the history of forever), he'll have his time to win the illustrious Fear The Sword Player of the Game Award. Patience, young grasshopper.