The Cleveland Cavaliers come home tomorrow night for a game against the Sacramento Kings after a very successful west coast trip where the wine and gold took three out of four, winning in Portland, Golden State and Utah after dropping the trek’s opener in Los Angeles. The fact, overlooked by many, that the team won despite missing two starters makes the performance even more impressive.
These wins were no gimmies, either. Portland and Utah will more than likely make the playoffs, and although the Warriors have a poor record, they do play a different style of basketball, which if you are not used to it, can be tough to defend. The Cavs next trip out west could be a little easier opponent wise, as they will take on the Clippers and the Kings.
Although LeBron James and Mo Williams were the standouts, Mike Brown got contributions from just about everyone on the trip, including an unlikely very good game from Tarence Kinsey, who played his best game as a Cavalier against Golden State. Kinsey played solid defense, which is his calling card, but he contributed with 11 points, hitting several outside jumpers.
Rookie J.J. Hickson continued his maturation by playing solid minutes on the trip. Hickson was said to already have a variety of post moves when the Cavs drafted him, and he is starting to put them on display. His footwork, which resulted in a drop step dunk against Utah on Saturday night, should be put on a highlight tape of how to play low-post offense.
The good trip keeps the Cavaliers atop the Eastern Conference standings, just ahead of Boston and Orlando. The Magic has now lost two straight games, to Boston and Miami. Including the Lakers, it is necessary to note that of the four top teams in the NBA, the Lakers and Celts have had a decided edge in terms of the number of home games played.
The Lakers have played a whopping 25 of their 43 games at The Staples Center, while Boston has played two more games at home than on the road. The Cavaliers have done just the opposite playing two more on the road than they have at home, while Orlando has played three more games away from Orlando than they have at home.
This is an important thing to look at when evaluating the NBA’s “Big Four”. Early in the season, Boston was playing an inordinate amount of games at home. When they hit the road for a long period, they dropped some games. I’m sure the Lakers’ record will suffer when they encounter a similar situation.
I also agree that many “experts” are overlooking the Cavs’ injury problems. Last week, the Hornets lost David West and Tyson Chandler, and dropped a game to Minnesota. Sure, the wine and gold lost a game to the Bulls without West and Ilgauskas, but that was the game West was injured. Since the players and coaches have adjusted to the injuries, they haven’t lost a game they weren’t supposed to.
This trip just reinforces that the Cleveland Cavaliers are one of this season’s elite teams. The national media is drooling for a Boston-LA rematch in The Finals, but Thursday’s Cleveland-Orlando game might be a match up of the two best teams in the NBA. When the Cavs get healthy, this team might just finish with the league’s best record when the regular season ends.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 