“I have people come up to me on the street all the time and say, ‘Man, that was a bad shot LeBron took.’ If I start coaching his shots, I guarantee you we wouldn’t have made the finals. Every shot he took in that Game 5 in Detroit was a bad shot.”
Cavaliers coach Mike Brown hasn’t won over everybody in Northeast Ohio, but he’s got the full support of the man who matters most. via Chronicle-Telegram
WASHINGTON: One year ago, LeBron James made the same play in a playoff game in Detroit. via Akron Beacon Journal
King James got his crown knocked off, was booed every time he touched the ball, went 0-for-3 in the fourth quarter and passed up a chance to take the winning shot. via Journal Gazette
“We’re very satisfied with how we approached (Game 3), our demeanor. That means a lot to us.”
How could the Cavaliers win Game 2 by 30 points and lose Game 3 by 36 to set an NBA record for the biggest two-game point swing in league playoff history? The simplest - and perhaps most accurate - explanation … via The Chronicle Telegram
“It was a good call, as (play-by-play man) Marv Albert correctly pointed out to Reggie.”
There hasn’t been a lot of talk about it, but LeBron James has started to become much more vocal with his Cavaliers teammates. via Chronicle-Telegram
“They played poorly [in Game 2] so I don’t think we’ll see another performance out of them like that. Sooner or later those shots are going to start going in. We have to make sure we steal one on the road because that would make life a lot easier.”
Posted by Branson Wright bwright@plaind.com April 22, 2008 19:26PM TNT’s Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley comment on Wizards-Cavaliers Game 2 On Monday, the Cavaliers played their best game since trade … via Cleveland.com
“We’ve got two at home and we have to win those two. We’ve been in this situation before against Chicago. The series doesn’t start until the visiting team is at home.”
By RICK NOLAND Assistant Sports Editor INDEPENDENCE - ‘ Up 13 at halftime of Game 2, the Cavaliers shook a season-long trend of quickly letting an opponent back in the game and instead stomped the Washington … via Medina County Gazette
“Our defense was good from the beginning”
CLEVELAND, April 21 — It took 30 games for Ben Wallace to let out his Afro and let people know that he still has enough left to make a vicious, two-handed reverse dunk. Thirty games for Wally Szczerbiak to find his comfort zone playing alongside LeBron James and finally hit some open looks. Thirty games for James to have that usual, heroic, LeBron James effort — 30 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds — and have the game decided before the fourth quarter.
The first 29 games after Cleveland General Manager Danny Ferry made the trade for Wallace, Szczerbiak, Joe Smith and Delonte West, the Cavaliers’ play ranged from decent to eyesore. But in Game 2 of this best-of-seven series against the Washington Wizards, the new-look Cavaliers had their most aesthetically pleasing effort together. Read more
“Nobody beats me because I’m The Wiz”
Posted by Dan Labbe, cleveland.com April 18, 2008 14:26PM 10 statements. Some of them are true. via The Plain Dealer
Last season: Cavaliers lost to Spurs in NBA finals; Wizards lost to Cavs in first round of playoffs. via Deseret Morning News
“Ever since they made that trade, they really haven’t found how to play with each other and that’s what we are banking on”
Gilbert Arenas is finally speaking again. He sounds like the same ol’ Agent Zero. via CBS SportsLine
“It just really wasn’t improving all that much”
Gooden to miss rest of season for Bulls Bulls forward Drew Gooden will miss the remainder of the season because of a lower abdominal strain, interim coach Jim Boylan said. via Detnews.com
“You just have to stay ready for when your number is called”
The Bulls became the league’s youngest team when they traded Ben Wallace and Joe Smith to the Cavaliers, Friday’s opponent in a rare 6 p.m. tipoff at home. via Chicago Tribune
“I think everybody wants Cleveland in that first round”
Tired of questions about his knee and contract status, Gilbert Arenas stopped talking to reporters more than a week ago. via Ashtabula Star-Beacon
“It’s sad our season is ending this way”
Do it again. That’s basically the challenge management issues when Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas flash signs of greatness, as they did Friday night at the United Center in the Bulls’ 100-95 victory over the … via Chicago Tribune
Posted by Branson Wright, Plain Dealer Reporter April 09, 2008 11:43AM Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said after this morning’s shootaround that LeBron James will start tonight against New Jersey, despite earlier … via Cleveland.com
The Cleveland Cavaliers have picked a bad time to start slumping, as they close out a three-game homestand tonight versus the New Jersey Nets at Quicken Loans Arena. via KIRO TV
“That’s something that has to come with time”
Daniel “Boobie” Gibson and Wally Szczerbiak are paid to make shots, but lately they haven’t been on the money - or earning it. via Chronicle-Telegram
“We have to. We need some kind of momentum going into the postseason. Last year, we won four straight games that we needed to win going into the postseason. You have to have some kind of confidence going into the postseason.”
While his teammates practiced their free throws, LeBron James worked on a trick shot where he stands under the basket and heaves a ball off a nearby wall, trying to ricochet it back through the hoop. via The Topeka Capital-Journal
“We have to fight through this and that starts with each individual. We have to bring a little bit more fight, especially in the fourth quarter.”
Posted by Branson Wright bwright@plaind.com April 05, 2008 19:38PM Magic-Cavaliers box score The start of the postseason is two weeks away and the Cavaliers are no closer to being ready than they were at the … via Cleveland.com
LeBron James scored 29 points before fouling out for the only the third time in his career, but the Cleveland Cavaliers made several big plays down the stretch and held off the Charlotte Bobcats 118-114 on Wednesday night to snap a six-game road skid.
James was called for his sixth foul when he reached in on Charlotte’s Jason Richardson at the top of his drive to the basket with Cleveland leading 104-101 with 3:56 left.
The crowd cheered as James went to the bench, then watched Wally Szczerbiak, Devin Brown and Zydrunas Ilgauskas step up. Read more
“Hopefully I can get it better.”
The erasable board in the Cavaliers’ locker room listed the team’s schedule over the next two days.
Up top, it said: Friday _ Off.
LeBron James needs the down time badly.
Bothered by painful back spasms, James scored 33 points _ but only one in the fourth quarter _ as the Chicago Bulls rallied from a 17-point deficit for a 101-98 win over Cleveland. Larry Hughes scored 19 points in the second half against his former team and Ben Gordon added 24 for the Bulls, whose playoff chances are down to a mathematical longshot. Read more
CLEVELAND: Something has to give in the recurring problem with Ben Wallace’s back and it isn’t going to be Mike Brown. via Akron Beacon Journal
The Cleveland Cavaliers will open a three-game homestand tonight, when the Chicago Bulls pay a visit to Quicken Loans Arena. via NewsNet5
The Cleveland Cavaliers will have guard Daniel Gibson available against Charlotte, but forward Ben Wallace will likely miss his second straight game. via NBA.com
“We’ve had some struggles of late.”
Poor defense is largely to blame for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ poor road play in recent weeks. via WOIO
LeBron James made a twisting bank shot with 19 seconds left to put the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead and hold on to a 91-88 win tonight over the Philadelphia 76ers. via WHIO-AM Dayton