The Cleveland Cavaliers got some bad news before last night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers as they found out Mo Williams will be out 4-6 weeks with a sprained shoulder. The news didn’t affect them as they went out and beat the defending champs 93-87, thus sweeping the two regular season games against Los Angeles.
Despite the victory, the Cavs received more bad news after the game as Delonte West injured his ring finger on his shooting hand, and may miss significant time.
Kobe Bryant has the reputation as the ultimate closer in the NBA, a reputation, I may add, that is well deserved. However, last night it was LeBron James who took over the game down the stretch, scoring 11 straight points late in the fourth quarter to get the wine and gold a victory.
Bryant started out hot, but ended the game needing 31 shots to get his 31 points. Of course, Bryant came into the game reportedly suffering some effects from the flu, a bad back, and a broken finger. Why does it always seem Bryant isn’t at his best physically against the Cavaliers?
The Cavs used a combination of physical defense by Anthony Parker early, and double teams with Parker and Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the fourth quarter to keep Bryant in check.
James was much more efficient, scoring 37 points on 25 shots, while dishing out 9 assists. He was just the opposite of Bryant on this evening, shooting the ball very poorly early in the night, but hit some big shots from the perimeter late. In the interim, he attacked the basket, getting to the free throw line 12 times, making 10.
The King had help, though. Shaquille O’Neal put the Laker bigs in foul trouble, Parker hit two big threes in the second half, and J.J. Hickson played one of his best games with 11 points and more importantly 14 rebounds.
The Cavs now have to look forward to an immediate future without Williams and likely, West. Daniel Gibson will probably move into the starting lineup if West is out for a while, but even with Delonte healthy, ball handling would be a concern. Gibson struggles with the ball when pressured by defenders.
GM Danny Ferry may bring back Coby Karl on a ten-day contract to bolster the spot, but Karl really hasn’t played extended minutes (76 total career) in the NBA, especially as a point guard. He’s more of a shooting guard who can play point if necessary.
Ferry may also look at Antonio Daniels, who the Cavs took a look at earlier this season. But if West is going to be out for an extended time, the team will need to add a guard who can handle the ball unless LBJ takes over some of those duties, and that’s something the Cavaliers should stay away from. James is far more important as the finisher.
At this point, it appears the moves made over the summer have paid off. The Cavs are 3-1 on the season against the Celtics, Lakers, and Magic, with two of the three wins on the road.
The moves Ferry makes in the next couple of days to bring in a guard may be just as important for the wine and gold if they want to secure home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 