Cleveland
Cavaliers
Central
| Team Rating | |
| Offense | Defense |
| 114.1 | 102.0 |
| 2nd Overall | 2nd Overall |
Statistics through 1/25/09
W
34
L
8
PCT
.810
GB
1.0
CONF
20-6
DIV
7-2
HOME
20-0
ROAD
14-8
LinksStatistics | Tickets
|
Category | Grade | ||
 Zydrunas Ilgauskas was playing well before getting injured, Ben Wallace has been more comfortable and more of a defensive presence this season, and LeBron James is the MVP.
|
a |
||
 Mo Williams made an immediate impact, giving the Cavs a second scorer, while Delonte West is the Cavs' most improved player and a key part of their much-improved offense.
|
a |
||
 The Cavs have shown that they can play their smothering postseason defense all season long. It has allowed them to get out in transition more often.
|
a |
||
 Anderson Varejao was already a great defender and rebounder, and now he's improved offensively. Daniel Gibson, Wally Szczerbiak and Sasha Pavlovic are three deep threats to keep defenses honest.
|
a |
||
 With the help of assistant John Kuester, Mike Brown has changed the Cavs' offense for the better, using more movement and getting James the ball in better spots.
|
a |
||
a
Summary
The Cavs fell a couple of possessions short of beating the Celtics in last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals. They knew that in order to get back to the Finals, they had to improve offensively. They've done just that.
Coming off his summer in Beijing, James has become a better player, improving his defense and shooting a higher percentage from both the field and the free-throw line. On top of that, he has the best supporting cast he's had since coming to the NBA.
The Cavs hit the midpoint of the season with the greatest point differential in the league and the best record in the Eastern Conference. Home court in a potential playoff matchup with the Celtics would be critical; the home team has won all 13 games in the series over the last two seasons. -- John Schuhmann
Explanation of Marking System
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