Cavaliers Hitting Stride Just in Time
Written By: Rick | Category: Cleveland Cavaliers | Comments: 17
There is a fantastic article by John Hollinger today over at ESPN. It is an insider article, so you have to have a paid subscription to see it. In it he talks about the Cavs early struggles to find rotations that worked, and how different this team was the last time they played the Bulls. You probably remember that game, it was the second home loss for the Cavs this season, and dropped the team to a 3-3 record. Additionally, the Cavaliers just looked bad in that one.
Fast forward to the Dallas and Phoenix games. New line-ups, including Hickson starting at the PF have the Cavaliers maximizing their offensive potential. And LeBron James might just be playing the best basketball of his life. here’s what Hollinger said about that-
In fact, one could argue that LeBron is playing better than ever. His 30.15 PER is a hair off last year’s scintillating 31.76, but his once-shaky shooting continues to improve. He’s reached a career-high 51.8 percent from the floor and 78.3 percent, also a career best, from the line.
Part of the reason may be that he’s not taking other teams’ bait. He dominated Wednesday’s first quarter while taking only two shots, threading passes to one wide-open shooter after another as the Cavs blew away Phoenix.
“We tried to go under the screens and make him shoot,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said, “and he didn’t do that, he found the shooters. He can do whatever the hell he wants to do, nobody’s going to stop him, [but] I think it’s a tribute to him that he knows in order for them to be really good, he has to get the other guys to be good.”
There is no question that this Cavalier team has the most talent surrounding LeBron. Mo Williams and Shaq might not make the all-star team this year. LeBron may be the only representative from the Cavaliers, but the role players are doing their jobs. What is scary is that this team is still learning to play defense the way Mike Brown wants them to. I have to give the Cavs coaching staff some credit. We thought that the loss of John Kuester might mean the death of the Cavalier offense. That certainly hasn’t been the case.
The Cavs couldn’t be figuring things out at a better time either. December holds a difficult schedule for them. After tonight’s game against the Bulls, the Cavs will be spending a lot of time on the road. They play 10 road games vs just 5 home ones after tonight, and none of the home games are back to back. that means the Cavs will be stopping at home for brief stretches the whole month. Christmas week brings another journey to the Left Coast. The Cavs will play 4 games in 5 nights against the Mavericks, Suns, surprising Kings and of course the Lakers on Christmas day. They get one day off before taking on the Rockets at home, then leave immediately for Atlanta and a hungry Hawks team that you know will be wanting serious revenge for that playoff sweep. Oh, did I mention that it was a home and home with the Hawks? Tell me Atlanta doesn’t want both of those games? And they are playing about as well as any team in the league right now.
So it doesn’t get very easy for the Cavs this month. But championship caliber teams handle these kinds of tests.
Author: Rick
Rick is a co-founder and editor of WFNY. His love of Cleveland sports is surpassed only by his faith and love of his family. Follow him on Twitter- @rickwfny.Rick has written 921 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
Home and away back to back with the Hawks, Rick.
That was worded wrong. The Cavs have an away/home back to back with the Hawks.
First off, I’d like to mention that as a double ESPN magazine subscriber, I am entitled to be an ESPN insider. But since they spelled my name wrong on BOTH subscriptions, I can never get on, because I never have a magazine handy when I want to log in.
@1 and 2: isn’t back to back home/away called a home and home?
Thanks Roosevelt, I think I used the right wordage there.
I don’t know, the way I read it I thought it was a home/home back to back against 2 different teams until I checked the schedule.
If I read the sentence more carefully… I see your point.
/Done talking for today. Sorry Rick.
The fact that LBJ is nearly 52$ from THE FLOOR this year is amazing. Especially for a player who doesn’t play his game in the paint 90% of the time. Mo might make the all-star team by default. I can’t really think of any PG’s in the East that are better. Rondo will be there, I can’t see Jennings getting in, Devin Harris hasn’t been good, Bibby?, I dunno, he might make it.
Home and home is correct.
Obviously, I meant 52%
I’m glad Mo is shooting so well (at times) this year, but what happened to the guy’s defense? His perimeter defense is letting opposing PG’s penetrate and dish or shoot with ease. I like bringing Delonte in off the bench to handle the ball with the second team but his defensive presence is definitely missed.
The schedule has been fairly easy to this point.
We’ll find out what this team is made of this month.
Actually Clown, I wasn’t too impressed with his D last season. Brian Windhorst would agree with you, he mentioned Mo and Lebron specifically in his last PD chat. Said neither of them are playing defense like they are capable of.
Rick – True. I guess having Delonte there to cover the slashers masked a lot of his deficiencies. I remember he was battling that hamstring injury during the preseason. I wonder if that is still lingering. It would be interesting to see what would happen if LeBron picked his D up a little. I like this team though. Ferry assembled a great supporting cast based on the small budget he had to work with. I’m excited for the last 3/4′s of the season.
I think it’s more interesting that a myriad of sports writers take such disparate views on the Cavs.
Hollinger: Cavs coming together / hitting stride.
Simmons: LeBron isn’t surrounded by any talent / leaving for LAC.
LAC also boasts a terrible coach, a supporting cast that isn’t as strong as the Cavs and would afford LeBron the chance to play in Kobe’s shadow. How could he NOT go?
Windy said Mo is bothered by an ankle injury that he can’t seem to shake and probably won’t until some extended time off, maybe the all-star break. But, he did mention that for what Mo is lacking on D, he is making up for on offense. LBJ probably will pick up his D tremendously come March 1st. This team realizes that they can get by with ok D, good offense and coasting until the 2nd half comes. Guarantee we see a re-newed intensity after the All-Star Break
This month will tell us a lot..
Interesting new look.