May 24, 2013

Ben Cox talks Cavs, Browns and disc golf – WFNY Podcast – 2013-03-28

March 28, 2013 by 11 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoBen Cox and I went live pretty much right after the Cavs lost. Ben was driving home, so he heard the radio call. I was watching on TV and interacting with you all on Twitter. Here’s how it all went down.

  • Moral victories stink.
  • Doc Rivers and how I used to think he was bad
  • Injuries happen, but losing doesn’t have to.
  • Cavs crowds.
  • What would Dan Gilbert tell you to do with all this losing?
  • Basketball fans skew young. Why is that?
  • The Spurs and their inimitable style.
  • Frisbee golf! Disc golf!

And much much more…

Check out this episode

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Byron Scott: Spurs are best team in the NBA, have best talent

March 18, 2013 by 5 Comments

[San Antonio] didn’t give it to us easy. In the fourth quarter especially in the last five or six minutes and that’s about it. They’ve won four championships. [...] I think [the Spurs] are the best team in the league. I don’t know if they’re going to win it. They have the best talent and the best coach, so they have a great shot at winning another championship. I think for us, we played this game really well. I think if we would have had this type of effort last night we would’ve won that game. Again, this is another growing experience. We have to come with this effort every night. We have to continue to learn from our mistakes and get tired of losing. We just have to bring it.

– Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Bryon Scott following the team’s Saturday evening loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are presently 24 percentage points behind the Miami Heat for best record in the NBA. The Heat, conversely, are also in the midst of a 22-game winning streak and will visit Cleveland on Wednesday.

[Related: Defense remains an issue, Cavs fall to Spurs 119-113]

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Defense remains an issue, Cavs fall to Spurs 119-113

March 17, 2013 by 5 Comments
This happened a lot.

This happened a lot.

Offensively, the Cavs were great. They scored 61 points in the first half, had 90 at the end of three periods and shot over 50% for the game. Unfortunately, those same stats could’ve also be used to describe the Spurs’ Saturday night.

The Spurs’ offense is incredible. They shot 61% in the first half, 57% for the game and they confused the young Cavaliers early and often. Every time the Cavs would get themselves a basket, the Spurs seemed to answer right away, usually with a much easier bucket. Lack of communication killed the Cavs; if San Antonio’s shooters weren’t wide open, they had two Cavaliers running at them, allowing someone (say… like Kawhi Leonard) to get easy put-back dunks. The Spurs are constantly moving and if you aren’t paying attention, they’ll make you pay (San Antonio had 32 assists on their 45 made field goals). There’s a reason why they’re first in the Western Conference with a record of 51-16.

And, late in the game, the Spurs made the Cavs pay.

Cleveland had hung around all game, didn’t wilt in the third period and were in it down the stretch until their defense failed them. The Cavs were down just two points with about four minutes to go when Duncan sealed Thompson, Manu Ginobili drove baselie and found Duncan for a layup. The next time down, Dion fell asleep and Duncan found Leonard for a backdoor layup. And unbelievably, the next time down, Boris freaking Diaw drove from the top of the arc right down the middle for an uncontested dunk. A two point deficit with four minutes left had turned into an eight point deficit with two minutes left.

That was that.

Wayne Ellington returned from a tweaked ankle to lead the Cavs with 21 points off the bench. Shaun Livingston led the starters with 16 points and five assists and Alonzo Gee and Dion Waiters each scored 15 for the Cavaliers, who fell to 22-44.  [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting…Indians Bullpen Improving, Assessing Tom Heckert’s Work, Slimmed Down Samardo Impressing

July 21, 2012 by 3 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Bullpen rounding into form for the second half? “Now, it seems the pen is at least close to getting back to full strength and may not be something to worry about by July 31. That would be big for Cleveland to be able to focus on just the bat and/or starter in a trade.

It’s also big for Cleveland because the team is totally different with the bullpen going strong. The Tribe has the ability to pull out close games, late. If the middle reliever can keep a game close, the late-inning guys are a safe bet to do the same. Now, instead of seeing blowouts, you’ll have your Indians with a shot to win down the stretch of a lot of contests.

The bullpen is on the right track toward regaining its dominance of 2011. If it can get there, look out.” [Craig Gifford/DidTheTribeWinLastNight?]

[Read more...]

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NBA Playoffs: Contention Windows And Team Evolution

June 9, 2012 by 4 Comments

With tonight’s Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals just hours away, we have two teams, remarkably different in makeup. One might as well have been penciled into this series back in July 2010, and the other was too old, their contention window not just shut but sealed and painted over. But, when the ball is tossed up in American Airlines Arena tonight, the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will square off for the right to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. It got me thinking a lot about the endless, often mindless chatter on ESPN and TNT about contention windows and breaking up teams from the armchair GMs.

I’ll focus on three cases that defy this reasoning: the Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and Dallas Mavericks. I’m not saying that teams haven’t overstayed their welcome with a given setup, but often times, the coaches and GMs have a better feel for when there’s time for a change in the chemistry and personnel of a team than the general public.

The Celtics won their title back in 2008, in the first year of the “Big Three’s” run, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen (both acquired via trade) joined the incumbent Paul Pierce and brought the title to Boston. It was a team built for the now, and even though they followed the title up with three 50+ win seasons, one more trip to the Finals in 2010, and made it to the second round or further each of those seasons, it wasn’t good enough in the eyes of many. Last season was supposed to be the end of Boston’s run after their loss to these Miami Heat in five games in the East Semis. Garnett and Allen were 35 at the end of the season, and Pierce was 33. Rajon Rondo rose to the level of an elite point guard in this league, but the thought process of some was to blow up this team and start over. This year, the Celtics won 39 of 66 and coasted to a #4 seed. But, in doing so, the window opened for them the minute that Derrick Rose went down in a heap. Rondo continued to improve his game in all facets, the acquisition of Brandon Bass to play an undersized center role proved to be an excellent one, and the spread out format of the playoffs has allowed Ray Allen to heal from injury and the old legs of the Celtics to avoid extreme fatigue. So much of it truly is the Celtics know what it takes, and they’ve been there before. [Read more...]

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A Cavalier Conversation: NBA Draft, Free Agency, Playoffs

June 2, 2012 by 30 Comments

The NBA is in full steam, and to celebrate the occasion, I brought along my brother Sam Rosen (@sjrosen18) to chat about some of the hot topics going on right now. Hope y’all enjoy our takes on topics ranging from the NBA Draft to the Cavs’ offseason and the playoffs.

1. Assuming that Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bradley Beal are the first three picks in order, what should the Cleveland Cavaliers do with the No. 4 pick?

Sam: Harrison Barnes is the logical pick at 4 assuming these three are off the board. Touted as the next big thing coming out of high school, Barnes never lived up to the ridiculous hype he faced at North Carolina. Hype is one thing, but pure talent is another. His size (6-8, 220 lbs.), his age (19 as of this writing), and his overall raw talent warrant a selection in the top 5 of any draft class. Barnes has all the tools to become an elite SF at the NBA level, and with proper coaching and a few years of seasoning, he could end up being the best player in this draft.

[Read more...]

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Box Score: Spurs 114, Cavaliers 98

April 22, 2012 by 1 Comment

The Cavaliers competed, but in the end, they were no match for a San Antonio Spurs team that looks poised for a deep playoff run. The Spurs shot 55% and connected on eight three pointers as they defeated the Cavaliers 114-98 in the AT&T Center. The Spurs were led by their bench of Manu Ginobili (20 points, 9-of-12 shooting) and Stephen Jackson (17 points) as their bench outscored the Cavaliers’ bench 62-27. Antawn Jamison paced the Cavaliers with 21 points, and their starting backcourt shined with Kyrie Irving adding 19 points and Manny Harris posting 14. The Cavaliers are now 21-42 on the season and face the Grizzlies in Memphis tomorrow night.

Cleveland

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
K. Irving G 29:30 8-18 1-3 2-2 -1 0 2 3 4 3 1 1 2 19
M. Harris G 26:25 5-10 1-3 3-4 +3 2 4 1 0 0 0 1 2 14
T. Thompson C 29:32 4-9 0-0 1-4 +3 5 9 2 2 1 2 0 2 9
A. Jamison F 31:17 8-20 3-10 2-3 -1 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 1 21
A. Parker F 30:03 4-9 0-4 0-0 -1 0 8 4 1 1 1 0 3 8
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 37-88 5-22 19-28 14 42 14 13 6 4 4 21 98
Percentages .420 .227 .679 Team Rebounds: 8
O. Casspi 20:55 1-6 0-1 3-4 -11 0 4 1 0 0 0 2 1 5
A. Gee 18:37 3-7 0-0 4-5 -23 2 5 0 2 1 0 0 2 10
D. Sloan 18:30 2-4 0-1 3-4 -15 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 7
S. Samuels 18:28 2-3 0-0 1-2 -19 4 5 0 1 0 0 0 5 5
L. Walton 14:00 0-2 0-0 0-0 -14 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0
L. Harangody 2:43 0-0 0-0 0-0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
S. Erden DNP – Inactive
D. Gibson DNP – Inactive
D.J. Kennedy DNP – Coach’s Decision
A. Varejao DNP – Right Wrist Fracture

San Antonio

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
T. Parker G 21:12 3-5 0-1 0-0 +11 0 2 9 1 0 1 1 2 6
D. Green G 18:48 5-8 3-5 1-2 +16 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 14
D. Blair C 27:59 6-11 0-0 3-4 -2 1 7 3 1 2 0 1 4 15
K. Leonard F 31:37 3-8 1-4 4-6 -1 1 7 0 2 1 0 0 1 11
B. Diaw F 22:43 3-7 0-0 0-0 +1 2 7 2 1 0 0 0 5 6
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 42-77 8-20 22-29 5 45 23 14 6 4 4 20 114
Percentages .545 .400 .759 Team Rebounds: 7
S. Jackson 22:28 5-9 2-3 5-7 +14 0 5 3 1 1 1 0 4 17
M. Ginobili 22:00 9-12 0-1 2-2 0 0 3 3 3 1 0 0 0 20
G. Neal 21:03 2-6 1-2 2-2 +5 0 4 2 1 0 0 1 0 7
T. Splitter 20:01 2-3 0-0 4-4 +18 1 7 0 1 0 1 0 1 8
M. Bonner 18:56 0-4 0-3 0-0 +17 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
P. Mills 7:43 3-3 1-1 0-0 +2 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 2 7
J. Anderson 5:30 1-1 0-0 1-2 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
T. Duncan DNP – Coach’s Decision
C. Joseph DNP – Inactive
+/-:
Team net points while player in game
TO:
Turnovers
PF:
Personal Fouls
BS:
Blocked Shots
BA:
Blocks Against

Game Info

Technical Fouls:
None
Arena:
AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
Attendance:
18,581
Officials:
David Jones, Michael Smith, Kevin Scott
Duration:
2:09

 

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Popovich: Alonzo Gee Has Earned His Keep

April 3, 2012 by 7 Comments

Having played in all of five games for the San Antonio Spurs, Alonzo Gee netted himself a total of 18 minutes of play. All in all, he made one field goal – a five-footer that came with about six minutes left of an absolute man-handling of the Philadelphia 76ers. Garbage time at its finest.

Fast forward one season and Gee has taken his game from waining minute substitution to starting small forward, boasting an all-around game that has him among the most improved players in the entire NBA. Naturally, Gee’s current role is one of default; initial starter Omri Casspi has struggled all season and the Cavaliers have one of the worst depth charts among all NBA wing positions. But just as Gee wouldn’t let others’ perception deter him from improving, he won’t let reasoning take away from his opportunity. And San Antonio head coach Greg Popovich has taken notice. [Read more...]

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Cavs’ Fan Guide to the NBA Playoffs

April 18, 2011 by 28 Comments

Over the weekend when I wasn’t watching the Tribe sweep the Orioles, I was checking out the NBA playoffs.  I saw on Twitter that some of the rest of you were doing the same and it got me thinking.  There were many theories about how to root in the playoffs in order to best represent the interests of Cavs fans.  Obviously, rooting against the Heat is an easy one and we can get that one out of the way early.  After that, it gets a lot more difficult.

I saw some people rooting for the Oklahoma City Thunder.  That makes sense because the Thunder have an amazing budding superstar named Kevin Durant who is easy to get behind.  This is a guy that announced his extension with his current club on Twitter.  This is a guy who went through the building process with his club and wants to be the glue that holds it all together as they strive toward the ultimate NBA prize.  You think Cavaliers fans can get behind something like that?

Only problem is he plays for a franchise that ripped the basketball heart out of the city of Seattle.  Many will try to claim that it is the city’s fault or whatever, but they said the same things about Michael White and the Browns.  The Sonics fans lost, regardless of who was to blame. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Detroit, Grady Sizemore Injury, Braylon Edwards’ Cake

March 2, 2011 by 10 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Any time a story makes me think about the famous Cleveland tourism videos, it’s clearly #WINNING: “Thanks to last week’s trade with the Clippers for Baron Davis and more importantly an unprotected draft pick, the Cavaliers finally seem to have some direction in what had been a season in purgatory. …

If you want to feel better about the Cavs in the meantime, train your tired eyes north, past Lake Erie and to the Palace at Auburn Hills. There plays a team in worse straits, arguably far worse, than Cleveland. The once proud Pistons, a club that hosted a Larry O’Brien trophy not long ago, are now dealing with an alleged player revolt by a roster of over-the-hill veterans.” [Doug/Cleveland Sports Torture]

[Read more...]

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Cavs hang around for a quarter, then get blown out by Spurs 116-92

November 21, 2010 by 1 Comment

I didn’t expect the Cavs to win either or both of these road games this weekend.  So when they came out firing on offense during the first quarter Saturday night in San Antonio, I was pleasantly surprised.  

Mo Williams led the way early, making a valiant attempt to set the tempo for his road squad.  In his second game back, he went for 11 in the opening period on 4 of 6 from the field. 

Daniel Gibson added six of his own in the first quarter off the bench, and even Danny Green came in and knocked down a three.  Wait, what?  Anthony Parker - Cavalier – hit his first shot of the game as well, and the Cavaliers converted on their final six possessions of the period to take a 29-28 lead into that commercial break between quarters.  An encouraging moment of the broadcast. [Read more...]

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Cavs head to San Antonio after falling to Hornets 108-101

November 20, 2010 by 5 Comments

The Spurs have been pretty good for a while now, but never actually this good.  In beating the Jazz in Utah last night, San Antonio extended their season record to 10-1, which is the best mark after the first 11 games in franchise history. 

The win over the Jazz also upped their current winning streak to 9-straight, Timmy D became the all-time Spurs leading scorer, and the current run they’re on is the best one they’ve had since winning 11 in a row in late February / early March of 2008.  

So the Spurs are playing well, in summary.  Now they welcome the Cavaliers (5-6) who are on the second night of a road back-to-back against two teams with a current combined record of 20-2.  Not ideal for the Cleveland hoops squad. [Read more...]

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Source: Team Varejao Angling for a Change of Scenery

November 1, 2010 by 54 Comments

Though the season is only three games old, there are reportedly some grumblings going on behind the scenes in Independence as a source tells WFNY that the big man would more than welcome a new team to play for.  And, if his Dan Fegan-led representation has any say in the matter, the sooner this were to happen, the better.

As insinuated previously at WFNY, this news comes as little surprise given that Varejao is a 28-year old, talented big man who is now on a roster that is at least two years away from contending within the Eastern Conference.  Signing a six-year contract under the assumption that LeBron James would be his teammate through the duration, Varejao now finds himself in a situation that is none too desirable for a player in his prime.

The Cavaliers will undoubtedly say that they are very happy with what Varejao brings to the table.  And they should as Andy is a fan favorite, most recently being the fifth man introduced to Cavaliers fans at Quicken Loans Arena to a loud ovation.  He may be the face of the franchise and is an excellent PR opportunity within the city of Cleveland.  They have no intentions of trading the second-team All-Defensive player one week into the season.

The player will continue to say all of the right things, play his heart out on any given night and continue to be a consummate professional.  But behind the scenes, as told to WFNY, his representation would gladly welcome a new home – preferably on a contending team – come the end of the 2010-11 season. [Read more...]

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The NBA Playoff Boots: Joakim Noah, LeBron, Boston Talking Trash and More

May 1, 2010 by 13 Comments

The Boots are my form of reporting current information from the sports world. Boot Ups and Boot Downs are assigned to various events, people or stories as I first used in my e-mail based Sports Report. For possible topics in any future articles, as always, e-mail us at Tips@WaitingForNextYear.com.

Boot Up: Joakim Noah’s Future – If there was one thing that I learned in the series victory against Chicago, it is that Joakim Noah is the real deal. The agitating former Florida Gator averaged 14.8 points and 13.0 rebounds during those five games, and was clearly the leader of that mediocre team on both sides of the ball.

Derrick Rose did average an impressive 26.8 points per game, but required 25 field goal attempts per contest to put up those numbers. The 25-year-old Noah was efficient and relatively consistent against the Cavs throughout the series. Rose surely has a higher overall ceiling as a prospect, but Noah definitely had a breakout season in 2009-2010. Combining Luol Deng, Rose and Noah with another fringe All-Star could make for an awfully good team in another year or two.

[Read more...]

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Cavaliers vs Spurs Open Thread

March 8, 2010 by 45 Comments

San Antonio Spurs (36-24) vs
Cleveland Cavaliers (49-15)
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Monday, March 8, 2010
7:00 PM EST
FSOH/WTAM

The Cavaliers look to rebound from their tough loss in Milwaukee by squaring off with the San Antonio Spurs for the first time this season. This is the last team that the Cavaliers have yet to play this year, and it sounds like it could be another tough test for Cleveland. LeBron James is a game time decision, and it sounds like Mike Brown would prefer to sit him, but LeBron wants to play. I’d personally like another chance to see what the Cavs can do without LeBron, and the fact that the Lakers keep dropping games left and right makes this one expendable. On the other hand, this is a prime chance to take advantage of the current Lakers slump and try to add some buffer. So I’ll support the decision either way.   [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Cavs v Spurs, More Josh Cribbs Talk and Juan Lara Returns

October 17, 2009 by 8 Comments

Cavaliers Spurs BasketballWhile We’re Waiting is a daily feature here and serves as the morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your scholarly pleasure. Have something you think we should write about tomorrow? Send it to our fancy ol’ tips email address in the right sidebar.

Cavs lost 105-98 to the Spurs last night, LBJ played well and both of the coaches sat out the second half: “One could picture them with their feet up with cold beverages as the second half dragged on. There was some work being done as the Cavs lost to the Spurs, 105-98. But it was limited, sort of like the interest from the head coaches. Perhaps they knew, as there were 61 fouls called and 78 combined free throws.” [Brian Windhorst/Cleveland Plain Dealer]

[Read more...]

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Spurs vs. Cavs – Open Thread

April 5, 2009 by 31 Comments

The Cavs are looking to turn this thing around on Sunday vs the San Antonio Spurs.  Follow along here as the Cavs look to do it even more short-handed than normal as Anderson Varejao sits out with a bruised wrist.  Darnell Jackson gets the start to keep Joe Smith coming off the bench.  Who knows?  We might even see Hickson or Lorenzen Wright today.

Go Cavs.

Oh yeah, and the Cavs were able to get insurance to pay Eric Snow’s contract this year, and now he has been officially dropped from the Cavs’ roster.

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Cavaliers preview Game #77: Spurs at Cavs

April 5, 2009 by 8 Comments

large_cavs-spurs-2-300x259Cleveland Cavaliers (61-15, 1st in Eastern Conference)    San Antonio Spurs (49-26, 3rd in Western)                          Sunday, April 4, 2009 – 3:00 PM                                                Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH                                     ABC/WTAM

As Joe Mantegna Verbal Kint said in The Usual Suspects, “And like that – poof.  He’s gone”.  That’s what can be said about the Cavs’ three game lead over the Lakers for the best record in the league.  With losses to the Wizards and the Magic in the past three days the Cavs have given up ground to not only the Lakers (who are now one game back) but also to the Celtics and Magic, who are now 3.5 and 4.5 games behind in the Eastern Conference standings, respectively. [Read more...]

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NBA Rumors: Twelve Hours Until Buyout Deadline

March 1, 2009 by 15 Comments

Beat writer du jour Brian Windhorst set the Cavalier fan circles ablaze this morning with rumors of a “surprise” name in the ring for a potential buyout.

We would be fairly remiss if we didn’t at least touch on the rumored names that may or may not have the eye of Danny Ferry over the course of the next 12 hours; players must be bought out by 12 midnight EST to have a shot at being on their future teams’ playoff roster.

After the jump, check out our “who” and “why,” as we look to hopefully add some depth to the depleted front court of the our Cleveland Cavaliers.

[Read more...]

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Rockets Crush Cavaliers, Ben Wallace Injured. Where Do We Go From Here?

February 27, 2009 by 19 Comments
Yao Ming blocks LeBron James (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

Yao Ming blocks LeBron James (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

Rockets 93, Cavaliers 74 (box)

This is a tough recap to write.  Granted, most of the time we get to talk about what the Cavaliers did to win and last night is obviously not the case.  But this game was different.  On the road, yes.  But the Cavs have one of the better road records in the league – despite all of the talk regarding their sole loss at The Q.  But unlike the loss against the Lakers at the Staples Center, the Cavaliers were seemingly never really in this one.

Out of the gate, it was ugly.  Like long hair, bearded Chris Kaman ugly.  Yes, that bad.  Jump shots after jump shots, the wine and gold managed to score a measly 11 points in the first quarter.  The second quarter was the only period that saw the Cavaliers outscore their opponent; though this was quickly given right back after only putting up 10 points in the third quarter. 

This will be a game that the Cavs and their fans alike will want to forget immediately.  Though we will have a reminder for about the next two-to-four weeks.

More on that later.

[Read more...]

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