Friday, January 6
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Bridging the Gap
by Joe Gabriele
cavs.com
Eric Snow's defense -- and scoring -- will be needed now more than ever.
Jesse D. Garrabrant
NBAE/Getty Images
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January 6 -- If you’ve read this column you’ve read these words a million times: It’s a long season.
That’s not an excuse for the ugliness at The Q last night. Neither is the fact that the Cavaliers were coming off a back-to-back. (Cleveland is now 2-5 on the second half of a two-nighter.) It’s not an excuse and the Cavaliers wouldn’t allow it to be.
“I don’t want to make any excuses,” said LeBron James following last night’s 90-81 loss to the Rockets. “Some of the guys were banged up from (Wednesday) night. We don’t want to make any excuses. We are not the only team that has to play back-to-back.”
The Cavaliers have now dropped five straight to Houston and Tracy McGrady, who averaged 32 points per game in the previous four losses, one-upped himself to 34 points in last night’s victory for the short-handed Rockets.
LeBron James was incredible once again and in his last five games, he’s had at least 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists in each contest.
But as we’ve discovered over the past two years, LeBron can’t do it alone. And last night, especially against T-Mac, the Cavaliers got a look at what life will be like without Larry Hughes for the next couple of months.
“It definitely changes things,” said Ira Newble, who did a nice job on McGrady in the second half. “Larry is a good player. He adds a lot to our team with his scoring and defense. He’s a complete player and when you lose a player like that it’s going to affect your team. But we have enough talent on this team to make up for it.”
Someone has to pick up the slack for Hughes, though. LeBron took care of that on Wednesday – doing what Hughes normally does in a game in the fourth quarter alone (17 pts., six ast, four reb.) – but he can’t do it every night. Damon Jones is a potent weapon off the bench. But he’s yet to prove that he’s a solid starter for the Cavaliers, or that he can handle the two-guard spot. Jones is 2-for-14 from the floor in his first two starts.
“Larry is a big part of what we do,” said Coach Mike Brown, after last night’s loss. “It’s tough. We got to lace it up and figure it out like we did (in Milwaukee).”
The Wine and Gold don’t have a lot of time to figure it out. They take the court against Milwaukee for the third time this season – this time at The Q – on Saturday and play the last game in Cleveland until late January, when they welcome the struggling Knicks to town.
After that, it’s a long trip through some treacherous Western Conference terrain. This is where Cavaliers fans will see what Mike Brown and his men – and maybe GM Danny Ferry – are made of.
Be sure to tune in during every Cleveland Cavaliers' game for Joe Gabriele's IN-GAME LIVE quarterly updates.
| SCORING
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| LeBron James |
30.4 |
Larry
Hughes |
16.2 |
Zydrunas
Ilgauskas |
15.5 |
Drew
Gooden |
11.1 |
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| REBOUNDS
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Drew
Gooden |
8.4 |
Zydrunas
Ilgauskas |
7.7 |
Donyell
Marshall |
7.3 |
LeBron
James |
6.5 |
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| ASSISTS
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LeBron
James |
5.8 |
Eric
Snow |
4.1 |
Larry
Hughes |
3.9 |
Damon
Jones |
1.6 |
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 January 6, 2006
Zydrunas Ilgauskas had his eighth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Over his last eight games, he is averaging 17.3 points on 52-102 (.510) shooting from the field and 9.0 rebounds. He has three double-doubles during that stretch.
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In the Paint
Last Night's Action
Indy Defense: With plenty of trade rumors swirling, and the team without All-Star Jermaine O’Neal and Jamaal Tinsley, the Indiana Pacers showed that they still were a defense to be reckoned with. The Pacers shut down the high-octane Golden State Warriors 99-89 behind Steven Jackson’s 27 points. However, it was the Pacers who opened up a 20-point lead in the first quarter while holding the Warriors to only 14 points. The Pacers called this one of their biggest wins in a long time because they made a statement on national television despite all the circumstances and injuries surrounding the team.
Around the League
Freethrows Hurt? ESPN has taken a deep look into the NBA’s interest in higher-scoring games. Much of that has to do with the rule changes of no hand checking on the perimeter which allows for better offense and more movement. Or does it? John Hollinger’s research reveals that the scoring hasn’t changed much, but what the rule changes have done is increased the number of fouls called and free throws taken. Because there is more driving by players who can’t be impeded like they use to, there is more contact closer to the basket and whistles blown. This slows the game down and free throws are probably the most boring part of the game for fans. Even worse, more free throws aren’t a good thing for a league of players that are making them less and less.
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JANUARY 2006
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Tuesday, January 10th vs. New York 7:00 p.m.
Cavaliers Winter Cap presented by Quicken Loans given to all fans* in attendance.
College I.D. Night (Students with a valid college I.D. can purchase any $35 or $25 seat for only $15 after 5 p.m. on the night of the game at The Q box office.)
 Purchase Tickets
Tuesday, January 24th vs. Indiana 7:00 p.m.
MLK Tribute Night presented by ALLTEL
Purchase Tickets
Sunday, January 29th vs. Phoenix 1:00 p.m.
Kids Day - KeyBank Postgame Free Throws
Cavaliers will wear navy secondary road uniforms
Purchase Tickets
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THE DAILY POLL - TNT Announcer
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Cavaliers Trivia
Think you know everything there is to know about the Cleveland Cavaliers? Well here's a chance to test your knowledge. Simply select your answer and check out the results. Good luck!
| Quote of the Day |
"If I've been on Charlie too much and I still want to get on him — he's probably (taken) all he can probably take without collapsing — then I start yelling at (veteran point guard) Darrick (Martin). And (Martin) knows I'm really yelling at Charlie. ... Does Charlie know? I doubt it."
--Toronto Raptors coach, Sam Mitchell, on his techniques in dealing with rookie forward Charlie Villanueva
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The Optimist Archive
Check out some of the Optimist's collection of classics spanning three years (2003-05). The Optimist takes a lighthearted look at the bright side of the Cavaliers season. He predicted the Wine and Gold to go 82-0 at the beginning of the season and hasn't stopped since. The Optimist makes an appearance in every Game Preview.
Remember, all the Optimist ever asks of Cavaliers fans is two things...
One, is to ask yourself a simple question: WHY NOT? The second is to HAVE FAITH. Neither require manual labor.
And if you think the Optimist is right on, full of it, or just plain entertaining, you can contact the Optimist by clicking here.
CLICK HERE FOR THE OPTIMIST ARCHIVE
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