May 21, 2013

2012-13 NBA Blogger Previews: Atlantic Division

October 1, 2012 by 18 Comments

For the past several years, the great Boston Celtics blog CelticsBlog.com has hosted an annual NBA Bloggers Preview. Basically, every day leading up to the start of the season, one team is previewed by s0me of the best writers on their team blogs, and then once the division is done, we will post the links to all the previews.

The Cavaliers preview day is Tuesday, October 9th, so check back then for our preview of the upcoming season. In the meantime, though, check out all the excellent links below to start getting your fill of NBA goodness before the season starts.

Can the Celtics stay healthy and make yet another run? And how will Jason Terry and Courtney Lee do as replacements for the departed Ray Allen? How big of a difference can Joe Johnson make as the Nets make their Brooklyn debut? How badly will the Knicks miss Jeremy Lin and can Jason Kidd make Knicks fans forget about losing Lin? How well can the overhauled 76ers lineup gel? Will Evan Turner step up in Andre Iguodala’s absence, and how will Andrew Bynum fare now that he is out of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol’s shadows in Los Angeles? As Jonas Valanciunas makes his NBA debut for the Raptors, will he make the Cavaliers regret passing on him for Tristan Thompson? [Read more...]

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Box Score: 76ers 103, Cavaliers 87

April 18, 2012 by 8 Comments

That’s more like it. It may seem funny feeling ok about a 16 point loss, but in this game the Cavaliers came out and showed some fight, taking just a 4 point deficit into the locker room at the half. Jrue Holliday went off in the 3rd and the Sixers’ talent overtook the Cavaliers, but the Cavaliers at least played hard in this game and showed some pride and spirit in the way they played.

It was nice seeing Kyrie Irving back in uniform and starting for the Cavaliers, even if he was limited in minutes. He played a somewhat quiet but strong and efficient game. Tristan Thompson played nicely early in this game, Lester Hudson found his scoring groove again, and Samardo Samuels continues to play pretty well late into this season.

You hate to talk about “ifs”, but “if” the 76ers hadn’t gone on a 24-2 run in the 3rd quarter, this game might have been a lot different. I was hard on the Cavaliers today, and I still think they deserved it, but I’m happy with the way Byron Scott got the guys to play in this game and there were plenty of positives to take away from this game.

All while adding to the lottery odds. Not a bad evening for the Cavaliers.

Philadelphia

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
J. Holiday G 28:59 9-14 6-6 0-0 +14 1 2 5 1 1 0 0 2 24
J. Meeks G 24:52 1-3 0-0 3-3 -6 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 1 5
N. Vucevic C 7:58 0-0 0-0 0-0 -11 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 3 0
A. Iguodala F 33:46 8-15 3-8 0-1 +25 1 13 7 4 2 1 1 0 19
E. Brand F 20:49 6-10 0-0 0-0 +12 2 4 1 2 1 0 0 2 12
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 43-82 9-15 8-10 9 46 32 16 9 3 3 20 103
Percentages .524 .600 .800 Team Rebounds: 5
L. Allen 29:06 2-5 0-0 0-0 +3 2 5 5 1 0 1 0 4 4
L. Williams 26:03 3-7 0-0 2-2 +29 1 4 5 0 3 0 1 1 8
E. Turner 25:12 4-11 0-1 2-2 -4 0 4 4 2 0 1 0 2 10
T. Young 21:44 6-10 0-0 0-0 +14 0 2 3 0 2 0 0 1 12
S. Hawes 16:04 4-5 0-0 0-0 +14 2 7 1 1 0 0 1 3 8
S. Young 5:27 0-2 0-0 1-2 -10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
T. Battie DNP – Coach’s Decision
C. Brackins DNP – Coach’s Decision

Cleveland

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
M. Harris G 21:41 3-8 0-2 1-4 -8 2 3 3 3 0 0 1 2 7
K. Irving G 19:38 4-10 1-3 0-0 -6 0 3 4 1 0 0 0 1 9
T. Thompson C 22:31 5-6 0-0 2-2 -6 1 5 0 1 1 0 0 0 12
A. Jamison F 28:21 5-13 0-2 1-2 -15 1 4 3 3 0 1 0 2 11
A. Parker F 21:46 2-4 1-2 0-0 -19 0 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 5
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 36-79 5-14 10-16 5 33 22 13 2 3 3 9 87
Percentages .456 .357 .625 Team Rebounds: 6
D. Sloan 28:41 2-5 0-0 0-0 -10 0 2 7 2 0 0 0 0 4
L. Hudson 26:19 6-13 2-3 1-2 -8 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 15
O. Casspi 26:14 2-6 1-2 2-2 +3 0 4 1 1 0 1 2 1 7
S. Samuels 25:10 6-11 0-0 3-4 -10 1 5 0 0 0 1 0 1 15
L. Harangody 13:22 1-3 0-0 0-0 +6 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
L. Walton 6:17 0-0 0-0 0-0 -7 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
A. Gee DNP – Coach’s Decision
A. Varejao DNP – Coach’s Decision

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Cavaliers Will Try to Lose By Less Than 39 Points at Home Against Philly

April 18, 2012 by 40 Comments

I’m furious with the Cleveland Cavaliers (20-40, 13th in the East). And I hate being mad at the Cavaliers. I love this franchise and I can’t wait for the day when they return to the playoffs and give us fun, rewarding, exciting, meaningful basketball to watch.

What we got last night was the polar opposite of that. The Cavaliers lost by 39 points to a team that was 22-38 going into that game. At the end of the 3rd quarter, the Cavaliers were losing 100-50. Thank goodness they weren’t playing at the Q where “The Diff” would have probably fried the whole jumbotron for lack of ability to comprehend a 50 point deficit. Does anyone know if “The Diff” even goes that high (or, rather, that low)?

Look, I don’t care where you fall on the spectrum of this whole tanking issue. Some people like to cheer for lottery position, some people don’t. It doesn’t matter to me. We are all Cavs fans and we all want what’s best for this franchise going forward. We’re on the same team here. But I have to believe that a 39 point loss to Detroit, the Cavaliers’ fourth loss by 35+ points in just 60 games this season, is completely unacceptable for all of us. [Read more...]

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Box Score: Cavaliers 85, 76ers 103

March 27, 2012 by 7 Comments

One word review: Horrible.

Nothing much else to say about this one. 19 assists to 18 turnovers for the Cavaliers compared to 25 assists to 10 turnovers for the Sixers. Right now, the Cavaliers are struggling to even be competitive in games.

Cleveland

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
K. Irving G 32:52 4-14 3-8 1-2 -13 0 4 7 5 2 1 0 2 12
A. Parker G 29:21 5-7 2-3 2-2 -10 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 14
T. Thompson C 27:27 3-3 0-0 3-6 -9 3 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 9
A. Gee F 36:14 4-12 3-4 2-2 -12 1 8 3 2 1 0 3 1 13
A. Jamison F 33:29 5-14 0-3 3-4 -11 1 7 1 0 0 0 0 2 13
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 28-71 9-24 20-28 9 43 19 18 6 4 6 15 85
Percentages .394 .375 .714 Team Rebounds: 7
S. Samuels 20:00 2-2 0-0 0-2 -5 2 5 0 2 1 2 0 3 4
M. Harris 18:48 3-8 0-0 4-4 -10 0 3 1 3 0 1 1 3 10
D. Sloan 15:41 1-4 0-2 0-0 -9 0 2 3 2 1 0 1 2 2
L. Walton 14:22 1-2 1-1 0-0 -5 1 3 1 2 0 0 0 1 3
O. Casspi 11:46 0-5 0-3 5-6 -6 1 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 5
S. Erden DNP – Coach’s Decision
D. Gibson DNP – Coach’s Decision

Philadelphia

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
J. Meeks G 36:07 11-16 7-10 2-2 +15 1 2 2 2 1 0 0 2 31
J. Holiday G 35:54 9-19 1-3 0-0 +20 2 3 6 3 3 1 1 2 19
S. Hawes C 24:56 5-9 0-0 0-0 +9 3 8 5 1 0 0 0 4 10
E. Brand F 31:50 4-6 0-0 0-0 +10 1 4 2 0 0 2 0 2 8
E. Turner F 31:14 6-13 0-1 0-0 +10 0 7 2 0 2 1 0 2 12
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 45-91 10-19 3-5 11 43 25 10 8 6 4 22 103
Percentages .495 .526 .600 Team Rebounds: 6
T. Young 26:49 3-7 0-0 0-0 +12 2 6 0 2 1 1 0 2 6
L. Williams 24:17 5-13 1-4 0-1 +3 0 7 7 2 1 0 2 2 11
S. Young 15:34 1-4 1-1 1-2 +10 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 4 4
T. Battie 8:02 0-1 0-0 0-0 +1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
L. Allen 2:23 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
C. Brackins 1:27 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 2
N. Vucevic 1:27 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
A. Iguodala DNP – Coach’s Decision

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Cavaliers vs 76ers: Battle of the Post-All Star Break Blues

March 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I’m not sure if there is such a thing as dog days of spring or not, but if there is, you could arguably say the Cleveland Cavaliers (17-29, 10th in the East) are there.

The excitement of trade deadline has passed, the thought of the Cavaliers making the playoffs has long passed, injuries to Anderson Varejao and Daniel Gibson, along with the trade of Ramon Sessions has left the team shorthanded in terms of reliable players, and with 5 weeks left in the season, the team isn’t playing for much other than pride, development, and draft position.

That may be the reality of where we are in this shortened season, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t still plenty of reasons to watch. It happens much less frequently these days, but when this young team is clicking and playing at full potential, this is a fun team to watch. Perhaps a mild glimpse of what things will look like in the future as guys like Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and Alonzo Gee continue to get better while new impact draft players are brought in. [Read more...]

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Cavaliers Preview Game #21: Cavs at 76ers

December 7, 2010 by 22 Comments

Cleveland Cavaliers (7-13) vs
Philadelphia 76ers (6-14)
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
7:00 PM EST
FSOH/WTAM

Thank goodness for the Philadelphia 76ers, huh? Without those 2 wins, the Cavaliers would be at 5-15 and the narrative would be even more bleak than it currently is. But alas, the Sixers have actually been worse than the Cavaliers this year. So you would think running into a team the Cavaliers have beaten 5 straight times including twice this year would be some welcome relief. But then again, you’d also think you wouldn’t give up 73 points in one half to one of the 5 worst offenses (Minnesota) in the NBA, so with this team, you never really know. I don’t think any of us expected this Cavs team to quit so early in the season, but most of that hustle and intensity that carried this team through some of those early wins has weakened. Not many thought the Cavaliers were going to be a good basketball team this year, but I at least thought the Cavs would be a team that would beat the bad teams, split with the mediocre, and loss to the good teams. Losses to the Raptors, Kings, Nets, Timberwolves, and Pistons, however, have pretty much put this team in its place at the bottom of the NBA. If the Cavaliers want to salvage anything out of this season, a good start would be beating the 76ers again tonight and stopping the hemorrhaging of points and losses. [Read more...]

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Cavaliers Preview Game #10: 76ers at Cavs

November 16, 2010 by 6 Comments

Philadelphia 76ers (2-8) at
Cleveland Cavaliers (4-5)
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
7:00 PM EST
FSOH/WTAM

Tonight the Cleveland Cavaliers look to break their 4 game home losing streak and a 3 game losing streak overall when they welcome in the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers are really struggling this season and they will be without Andre Iguodala, which in theory would make this game at home an excellent opportunity to pick up a huge win before hitting their first tough stretch of games in the young season (at New Orleans, at San Antonio, at Indiana, Milwaukee, at Orlando, Memphis, Boston, Miami). Unfortunately, though, the Cavaliers are finding life without Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao to be predictably difficult. There aren’t many teams the Cavaliers can beat without their best offensive player (Mo) and their best defensive player (Andy), but as long as they are able to focus on the adjustments they’ve made with the 2 off days, they should be able to hang around with this Sixers team. [Read more...]

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Cavaliers Preview Game #5: Cavs at 76ers

November 5, 2010 by 5 Comments

Cleveland Cavaliers (1-3) vs
Philadelphia 76ers (1-4)
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Friday, November 5, 2010
7:00 PM EST
FSOH/WTAM

For the 2nd Friday in a row, the Cleveland Cavaliers play a road game against a team that many have low expectations for. Last Friday, the Cavaliers forgot to show up and were humiliated by an arguably less talented Raptors team. The Philadelphia 76ers have much more talent than the Raptors and are coming off their first win of the season Wednesday night when they took it to the Indian Pacers at home. For the Cavaliers, this game marks the return of Mo Williams to his rightful starting spot, but Antawn Jamison remains questionable. The Sixers are another very athletic team with a dynamic backcourt to go with a couple of solid bigs, including the resurgent Elton Brand. They play very tough defense, although their offense is still a bit of a work in progress. They may not be playoff team just yet, but there are some pieces in place for Philly and if the Cavaliers don’t come ready to play, they’ll face a similar fate to last Friday’s game. [Read more...]

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2010-11 NBA Blogger Previews – Atlantic Division

September 20, 2010 by 2 Comments

Yep, it’s that time of year again already. Once again, CleticsBlog are hosting the annual Blogger Previews for every team in the NBA. How this works is simple, every day a certain NBA team is up and bloggers who write about said team will offer their previews for that team in the upcoming season. Then, once a division is completed, all the bloggers throughout the NBA who are participating will post links for all the previews for that division.

First up is the Atlantic Division. All the previews are linked below, and I encourage everyone to take a few minutes, click on the links, and check out what writers from across the nation are saying about their own teams. We will be posting the Cavaliers preview on September 29, so stay tuned. [Read more...]

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Cavaliers Preview Game #22

December 10, 2008 by 27 Comments

Cavaliers vs 76ersCleveland Cavaliers (18-3) vs
Philadelphia 76ers (9-12)
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
8:00 PM EST
ESPN/WUAB/FSNOH/WTAM

This game will be an interesting test for the Cavaliers. For the 2nd night in a row, they will take on a disappointing team from the Atlantic Division who is failing to live up to expectations after making an offseason move believed to be the key to pushing them into contention. The Sixers, despite not playing well at all so far this season, will be well rested having not played since Saturday at home against New Jersey. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, will be playing a road game on the 2nd night of back-to-back games, and last night’s game was an especially emotional game. The good news is, as usual, the Cavaliers starters got to rest the 4th quarter and fatigue shouldn’t be too much of an issue in this game.    [Read more...]

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Not so fast Philly…

April 14, 2008 by 17 Comments

lebronfreethrow.jpgA few weeks back Scott was invited to debate whether Cleveland or Philadelphia was the more tortured sports town. I suppose after tonight Philly fans will demand a recount.

Maybe this is one of those wins. Maybe this is one of the defining moments in a season. Perhaps the Cavaliers will look back on this finish as the moment they turned a corner. I’m pretty sure critics will say they just got a lucky.

Make no mistake, had the Cavs lost this one it wouldn’t have been the fault of the officials. Cleveland surrendered a 12 point 4th quarter lead, and found themselves down by one when Zydrunas Ilgauskas took a LeBron James pass deep in the lane and laid it in for a Cavalier lead. A Philly basket later, Devin Brown hit a running floater over Dalembert with only 15 seconds left to regain the 1 point lead. The Cavs played solid defense, but Philly’s Louis Williams made a desperate shot off a deflected pass and the Cavs were down 1 again.

The sequence that followed will be debated all day tomorrow. (Longer if you’re a Philly fan I’m sure.) After the foul to give, LeBron took the ball at the top of the lane and drove with 3 seconds left. He was bumped from the right, and probably fouled on his left arm as well, but he pushed up a shot that was blocked to the left of the hoop where Devin Brown was breaking to the basket. [Read more...]

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Signs of life

March 30, 2008 by 12 Comments

delontesixers.jpg I have to admit, watching the first half of the Cavaliers win over Philadelphia, I was ready to write a stick a fork in ‘em post. The Cavs looked old, slow and tired in the first half. The Sixers ran them out of town in the first quarter. Forget running on turnovers, the Sixers were running off of makes. Lobs and dunks were fast and furious. LeBron had the ball stolen from him 4 times in the first half, and had his shot blocked another 2 or 3 times. It wasn’t pretty. There was a stretch when I began to question Mike Brown’s ability to mold this team since the trade. When the trade happened, I wrote the following-

By the way, you do realize that fair or not you are probably going to be judged by how well you prepare this group for the playoffs right?

[Read more...]

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