Last week, we wrote about the concern we had about the start the Cleveland Cavaliers had. They were sitting at 4-3, and with tough games against Orlando, Miami, and Utah, they were staring at going 5-5 through the first ten games.
Is it too late to erase those comments?
Quite frankly, the wine and gold went down to Florida and took care of business, sweeping all three of the games (including Saturday’s home win against the Jazz), and now sit at 7-3, with wins in seven of their last eight contests. By the way, the trio of triumphs were also done with Delonte West.
Very, very impressive.
In Orlando, Shaquille O’Neal got Dwight Howard in foul trouble early, and Mo Williams played like the all star he was last season in the win. That was followed up by LeBron James out-dueling Dwyane Wade in Miami. Yes, Wade had a huge dunk on Anderson Varajao in the first half, but I loved James’ comments at halftime about it. He basically said, yeah, it was a great dunk, but we’re winning by five on the road.
The Cavs finished the three game set off with a win at The Q against Utah. O’Neal took the night off, but the home team built a 16 point lead that they squandered before LBJ saved them with eight points in the last few minutes. Suddenly, the Cavs sit at 7-3, just a 1/2 game behind the team said to be their main competition in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, who, by the way, started out 5-0.
It just shows that it’s a long season in the NBA.
Coach Mike Brown made some adjustments in his rotation after the loss a little over a week ago against Chicago at home. We shelved the "twin tower" experiment, put J.J. Hickson into the starting lineup and started giving Jamario Moon more playing time. These three moves give the Cavs more athleticism, and they used it to score over 100 points in all four contests.
Hickson had back-to-back career highs in points with 18 against the Heat, and then 20 against the Jazz. Yes, he still needs work on defense and rebounding, but it seems the coaching staff knows they will need him to contribute come playoff time. His defense will get better with more practice time and more game experience, but the second year man is certainly showing some ability.
As for Moon, the more I watch him play, the more I like what he gives this team. He can defend and rebound, and can shoot the ball reasonably well. Quite frankly, he can jump through the roof. He does a great job keeping the ball alive for offensive rebounds. He probably is best used in short spurts, but when he is in the game, good things happen.
The state of the Cavaliers is much better than it was a week ago. They showed a sense of urgency in winning two tough road games, and re-established themselves as a title contender. Although for some reason, they are flying under the radar from the national media.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 