Cavaliers-Rockets Preview

By BRETT HUSTON
Posted Dec 09 2009 1:14AM

The Cleveland Cavaliers' 13-game winning streak against Western Conference opponents is over.

One night after seeing it snapped, they must pay a visit to the club that dealt them the final loss before that streak.

LeBron James looks to help the Cavs shake off the memory of both their latest loss and an ugly performance from last season when they face the Houston Rockets on Wednesday to conclude a three-game road trip.

Cleveland (15-6) won its final eight games against the West last regular season and captured its first five interconference meetings in 2009-10 by an average of 12.0 points before heading to Memphis on Tuesday.

Leading by 11 at halftime, the Cavaliers appeared on their way to another convincing win. Instead, the Grizzlies came back to win 111-109 in overtime despite a season-high 43 points, 13 rebounds and six assists from James.

James also had five of Cleveland's 21 turnovers.

"They got up into us defensively,'' Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "When they did that, we had some bad turnovers that gave them easy dunks in transition.''

James, who ranks sixth in the league with 8.2 assists per game, had become even more of a distributor during Cleveland's four-game overall win streak prior to visiting Memphis, recording double digit assists in four straight games for the first time in his career.

Another first for James - one that he and the Cavaliers would love to forget - came Feb. 26 in Houston. The Rockets (11-9) held James to 21 points, one rebound and his first career zero-assist game in a 93-74 victory.

"I can't remember the last time I didn't have an assist, but as a team, we didn't move the ball at all," James said.

The Cavaliers' 10 team assists were their fewest since being held to seven in a 94-76 loss at Portland on Jan. 17, 2007.

Houston has been an unpleasant place for James and the Cavs. Cleveland has averaged 71.3 points while losing three straight in Houston by an average of 17.4 points, and shot 28.2 percent in an 81-63 loss there Dec. 2, 2006 - flirting with the team record for fewest points (59) in a game.

James is a 37.1 percent career shooter in six games in Houston. Only his 22.2-point average versus the Los Angeles Clippers is lower than his 23.1 against the Rockets.

"You try to make him a jump shooter if you can," Houston coach Rick Adelman said Monday.

This is the Rockets' lone home game in a stretch of six of seven on the road. They'd won the first three before losing 90-89 at Portland on Saturday. Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy scored his team's final 10 points down the stretch.

Point guard Aaron Brooks struggled in the loss, scoring a season-low six points. Brooks is averaging only 4.8 points per game and shooting 25.0 percent in four career games against Cleveland.

Shane Battier figures to draw the bulk of the work defending James, but a few points from Houston's small forward could pay dividends. The Rockets are 6-3 when Battier - averaging 8.4 points - scores nine or more.

Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Rockets keep LeBron in check in defeat of Cavaliers

By Michael Murphy, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday December 10, 2009 1:04AM

HOUSTON (NBA.com exclusive) -- The Detroit Pistons had the "Jordan Rules," a defensive strategy they employed in an effort to neutralize Michael Jordan.

With Cleveland coming into Toyota Center Wednesday night, Houston coach Rick Adelman once again showed off his own set of rules designed to keep Cavaliers' star LeBron James in check. Or at least limit him to mere mortal production.

Call it "the King James Bible."

Tag-teaming him with Shane Battier and Trevor Ariza, and then stacking the lane to discourage drives, the Rockets turned James into a jump-shooter, perhaps the main reason they walked off with a 95-85 victory before a sellout crowd of 18,200.

"That's what our whole plan was," said Adelman of the defensive game plan of turning James into a jump-shooter. "Shane does a good job of trying to make him a jump shooter. (When James) attacks, he's so strong taking it to the hole, he can draw fouls and he's so big that he sees everybody on the floor.

"We just felt that if we could keep him out on the perimeter as much as we could, it would be to our advantage, and we were able to do that for the most part."

Oh, James still got his numbers, finishing with 27 points - but he needed 21 shots to get that total, making only eight. It was remarkably similar to his numbers from last season's game at Houston, when, with the Rockets employing a similar strategy, James was limited to 21 points on 7-of-21 shooting.

"He (James) is the best finisher in the league, so anytime you can try to keep him out of the painted area you're only going to help yourself," said Battier, who did most of the clock-punching when it came to guarding James. "That was the focus, but it's a lot tougher to do than to say. But we did a decent job tonight."

Cleveland coach Mike Brown certainly thought so.

"You have to give Rick Adelman and the Rockets a lot of credit," said Brown, who was ejected with 1:22 to play in the first half after picked up two technical fouls. "They played a physical game with us, and that had a lot to do with the outcome of the game."

Houston had the energy to be physical and fast, having last playing at Portland four days before.

So the well-rested Rockets came out running, and the jet-lagged Cavs, who lost at Memphis in overtime the night before, simply couldn't keep up. The Rockets finished the first quarter with a 33-19 lead and never looked back.

"That's where the game was (won)," said guard Aaron Brooks, who led the Rockets with 27 points. "We got our lead at the beginning of the game and sustained it throughout the (remaining) three quarters. That's just improvement. We kept running our offense. We didn't stall and hold the ball. We got good shots, and that's where the game was won."

No, this game was won on the other end of the floor.

The Cavaliers, who matched their season-low point total, shot only 40 percent from the floor (30 of 75) against the Rockets' swarming defense. And their big guns -- James, Mo Williams and Shaquille O'Neal -- were limited to a combined 12-of-39 shooting. Only Delonte West (14 points) and Anderson Varejao (10) managed to join James in double-figure scoring.

"No one guy is going to stop Shaq. No one guy is going to stop LeBron," Battier said. "I thought our big guys did a great job of forming a wall behind the guy guarding LeBron, and just by being there it deterred some of the drives. And I thought we played really good help-side defense on everybody tonight."

According to James, the biggest problem for the Cavs wasn't their shooting, but rather their carefree handling of the ball. The Cavs turned the ball over 20 times, leading to 22 Houston points.

"Turnovers," he said. "You have to take pride in avoiding them, and we didn't. We just can't have unforced turnovers."

While the Cavaliers' stars were struggling, the Rockets got solid production from their headliners. Brooks picked up his fourth 20-plus scoring effort in five games, and Trevor Ariza broke out of a mild slump to score 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting.

"Lately I've been struggling with my shooting, but tonight was a good night for me," said Ariza, who had made only 33.7 percent of his shots (31 of 92) over the previous five games. "I hit a lot of good shots -- open shots."

Carl Landry came up with another strong effort off the bench, finishing with 14 points and solid defense around the basket in 29 minutes, and Battier also scored 14 points, adding three steals and two blocked shots to his night's work.

"We didn't want to play their game," Ariza said. "If we play our game, we know we have a good chance of beating good teams."

One of the few signs of life from the Cavs came shortly before halftime when Brown was ejected for arguing what he perceived to be a non-call on a drive to the basket by James.

"I wanted a technical to get my point across," said Brown, whose team finished with five technical fouls, "but I took it a step too far."

Despite all their struggles, the Cavaliers managed to make one last run at the Rockets. James finally put his head down and attacked the basket in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of his points in the period. And the Cavs rallied behind him, whittling what had been an 18-point Houston lead to 71-66 on a pair of free throws by James with 9:20 left in the game.

But Ariza canned a 17-foot jumper and Landry slammed home an offensive rebound to boost the lead back up to nine points, and the Rockets cruised home.

"We got the game as close as five (points), but couldn't get over the hump," James said. "We needed to play with a sense of urgency earlier than we did."

• Cavaliers: Green, Karl, Powe
• Rockets: Dorsey, McGrady, Yao

• Cavaliers: Brown, Brown, O'Neal, West, Williams
• Rockets: Adelman

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #23 Jason Phillips, #31 Scott Wall
• Attendance: 18200
• Duration: 2:22

Cleveland Cavaliers (27-10)		Houston Rockets (21-14)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Scola vs O'Neal (Hickson gains possession)
O'Neal Layup Shot: Missed	11:35
	11:34	Scola Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	11:21	Brooks Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed
Hickson Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:20
James Jump Shot: Missed	11:12
	11:11	Battier Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	11:01	Ariza Pullup Jump shot: Missed
Hickson Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	11:00
Williams Jump Shot: Missed	10:49
	10:48	Scola Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	10:37 [HOU 3-0]	Battier 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Brooks (1 AST)
Hickson Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Hayes (1 ST)	10:10
	10:04	Battier 3pt Shot: Missed
	10:03	Scola Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	09:55 [HOU 6-0]	Battier 3pt Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Scola (1 AST)
James 3pt Shot: Missed	09:40
	09:39	Brooks Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	09:34 [HOU 8-0]	Scola Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Brooks (2 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	09:33
Hickson Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Williams (1 AST)	09:11 [CLE 2-8]
	08:56 [HOU 10-2]	Hayes Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Battier (1 AST)
O'Neal Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: James (1 AST)	08:30 [CLE 4-10]
	08:15	Battier Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)
Hickson Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: O'Neal (1 AST)	08:02 [CLE 6-10]
Williams Foul : Personal (1 PF)	07:54
	07:45	Hayes Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)
O'Neal Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Williams (2 AST)	07:33 [CLE 8-10]
	07:25	Brooks 3pt Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	07:25
	07:25	Scola Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Hickson Jump Shot: Missed	07:07
	07:06	Ariza Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	06:58	Ariza Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
O'Neal Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	06:56
Parker 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: James (2 AST)	06:47 [CLE 11-10]
	06:24	Scola Jump Shot: Missed
	06:24	Hayes Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	06:22	Hayes Layup Shot: Missed
Hickson Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	06:21
James Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: O'Neal (2 AST)	06:13 [CLE 13-10]
	05:44 [HOU 12-13]	Brooks Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Parker Jump Shot: Missed	05:37
	05:36	Hayes Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	05:34	Hayes Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Hickson (1 ST)
Hickson Layup Shot: Missed Block: Battier (1 BLK)	05:32
Hickson Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	05:30
Williams 3pt Shot: Missed	05:25
	05:24	Hayes Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	05:07	Brooks Jump Shot: Missed
	05:06	Hayes Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
	05:04 [HOU 14-13]	Ariza Slam Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Hayes (1 AST)
O'Neal Layup Shot: Missed	04:38
	04:37	Scola Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	04:20	Battier Jump Hook Shot: Missed
O'Neal Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	04:19
James Jump Shot: Missed	04:09
O'Neal Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	04:08
O'Neal Layup Shot: Missed	04:06
	04:05	Scola Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
	03:59 [HOU 17-13]	Battier 3pt Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Ariza (1 AST)
	03:37	Battier Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Williams Substitution replaced by Gibson	03:37
O'Neal Substitution replaced by Varejao	03:37
Hickson Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	03:37
Team Rebound	03:37
	03:37	Hayes Substitution replaced by Landry
Hickson Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)	03:37 [CLE 14-17]
	03:26 [HOU 19-14]	Brooks Running Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)
Gibson Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	03:26
	03:26 [HOU 20-14]	Brooks Free Throw 1 of 1 (5 PTS)
Parker Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Ariza (1 ST)	03:10
	03:01 [HOU 23-14]	Ariza 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Brooks (3 AST)
James Jump Shot: Missed	02:41
	02:40	Ariza Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	02:27 [HOU 26-14]	Ariza 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Brooks (4 AST)
Team Timeout : Short	02:23
	02:23	Team Timeout : Regular
Hickson Substitution replaced by Ilgauskas	02:23
Parker Substitution replaced by Moon	02:23
James Jump Shot: Missed	02:07
	02:05	Scola Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	01:59	Ariza 3pt Shot: Missed
	01:57	Team Rebound
Gibson Foul : Loose Ball (2 PF)	01:57
	01:47 [HOU 28-14]	Landry Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Battier (2 AST)
Gibson Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	01:47
Gibson Substitution replaced by West	01:47
	01:47 [HOU 29-14]	Landry Free Throw 1 of 1 (3 PTS)
James 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS)	01:35 [CLE 17-29]
	01:16 [HOU 31-17]	Landry Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Battier (3 AST)
James Layup Shot: Missed	01:03
Varejao Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	01:01
Varejao Tip Shot: Made (2 PTS)	01:01 [CLE 19-31]
	00:44.9	Scola Layup Shot: Missed
	00:43.7	Team Rebound
	00:36.8	Ariza Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Ilgauskas Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	00:35.7
Moon Layup Shot: Missed Block: Landry (1 BLK)	00:28.9
	00:26.9	Ariza Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	00:09.5 [HOU 33-19]	Ariza Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS)
	00:02.1	Scola Foul : Personal (2 PF)
	00:02.1	Scola Substitution replaced by Andersen
James Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Brooks (1 ST)	00:00.7
End of 1st Quarter
Cleveland Cavaliers (27-10)		Houston Rockets (21-14)
Start of 2nd QuarterBack to Top
	11:50 [HOU 36-19]	Brooks 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Lowry (1 AST)
Williams Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	11:50
	11:50 [HOU 37-19]	Brooks Free Throw 1 of 1 (9 PTS)
Moon 3pt Shot: Missed	11:32
Team Rebound	11:32
	11:32	Landry Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)
	11:32	Ariza Substitution replaced by Budinger
Ilgauskas Jump Shot: Missed	11:15
	11:14	Landry Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	10:56	Landry Jump Shot: Missed
Ilgauskas Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	10:55
West Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (2 PTS)	10:37 [CLE 21-37]
	10:23	Brooks 3pt Shot: Missed
Moon Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	10:23
	10:10	Lowry Foul : Personal (1 PF)
West Driving Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS)	10:02 [CLE 23-37]
	09:42	Brooks Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Williams (1 ST)
Varejao Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Williams (3 AST)	09:38 [CLE 25-37]
	09:14	Brooks Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Varejao (1 ST)
West Jump Shot: Missed	08:54
	08:53	Andersen Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	08:44	Timeout : Regular
	08:39	Budinger Jump Shot: Missed
Varejao Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	08:38
West Driving Layup Shot: Missed	08:23
Varejao Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)	08:21
Varejao Tip Shot: Made (6 PTS)	08:21 [CLE 27-37]
Moon Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	08:17
	08:17	Budinger Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	08:17	Team Rebound
	08:17	Brooks Substitution replaced by Ariza
	08:17	Budinger Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Ilgauskas Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	08:15
Williams Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed	07:58
Ilgauskas Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	07:57
Williams 3pt Shot: Missed	07:53
	07:52	Landry Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	07:42	Andersen 3pt Shot: Missed
Moon Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	07:41
Ariza Violation:Kicked Ball	07:34
Ilgauskas Jump Shot: Missed	07:27
	07:26	Landry Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	07:16 [HOU 39-27]	Ariza Reverse Slam Dunk Shot: Made (12 PTS)
Varejao Hook Shot: Missed	06:53
Ilgauskas Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)	06:52
Ilgauskas Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)	06:51 [CLE 29-39]
	06:35	Budinger 3pt Shot: Missed
Varejao Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)	06:34
	06:13	Andersen Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Williams Substitution replaced by Parker	06:13
Moon Substitution replaced by James	06:13
	06:13	Budinger Substitution replaced by Battier
James Foul : Offensive (1 PF)	06:10
James Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	06:10
	05:53	Andersen Jump Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	05:51
West Turnover : 5 Second Violation (1 TO)	05:36
	05:36	Team Timeout : Regular
	05:36	Andersen Substitution replaced by Hayes
Ilgauskas Substitution replaced by O'Neal	05:36
Varejao Foul : Personal (1 PF)	05:28
	05:17 [HOU 41-29]	Landry Jump Bank Shot: Made (7 PTS)
Varejao Layup Shot: Missed	05:01
	05:00	Team Rebound
	04:41	Landry Turnaround Fade Away shot: Missed
O'Neal Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	04:40
West Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Parker (1 AST)	04:19 [CLE 31-41]
O'Neal Foul : Defense 3 Second (0 PF)	04:06
	04:06	Landry Substitution replaced by Scola
	04:06 [HOU 42-31]	Battier Free Throw Technical (10 PTS)
	03:56 [HOU 45-31]	Ariza 3pt Shot: Made (15 PTS) Assist: Lowry (2 AST)
	03:41	Hayes Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
O'Neal Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)	03:41 [CLE 32-45]
O'Neal Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	03:41
	03:41	Ariza Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	03:27	Ariza Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:West (1 ST)
James Driving Layup Shot: Missed	03:23
	03:21	Scola Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
	03:14	Lowry Driving Layup Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	03:10
	03:10	Lowry Substitution replaced by Brooks
Varejao Substitution replaced by Hickson	03:10
West Running Bank shot: Made (8 PTS)	03:02 [CLE 34-45]
O'Neal Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	02:49
Team Timeout : Regular	02:49
	02:49	Battier Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	02:49	Team Rebound
	02:49 [HOU 46-34]	Battier Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS)
West Turnover : Traveling (2 TO)	02:34
Hickson Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	02:18
	02:18 [HOU 47-34]	Scola Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
Parker Substitution replaced by Williams	02:18
	02:18	Scola Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Hickson Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	02:17
James Jump Shot: Made (7 PTS)	02:01 [CLE 36-47]
	01:37	Hayes Layup Shot: Missed Block: Hickson (1 BLK)
O'Neal Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	01:36
James Layup Shot: Missed	01:28
	01:27	Hayes Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)
	01:22 [HOU 49-36]	Scola Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Hayes (2 AST)
Brown Technical	01:22
Brown Technical	01:22
Brown Ejection:Second Technical	01:22
West Technical	01:22
	01:22 [HOU 50-36]	Brooks Free Throw Technical (10 PTS)
	01:22 [HOU 51-36]	Brooks Free Throw Technical (11 PTS)
	01:22 [HOU 52-36]	Brooks Free Throw Technical (12 PTS)
Williams 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: O'Neal (3 AST)	01:06 [CLE 39-52]
	00:49.9	Brooks Pullup Jump shot: Missed
James Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	00:48.7
O'Neal Alley Oop Layup shot: Missed	00:41.9
	00:37.9	Hayes Rebound (Off:2 Def:4)
	00:33.9	Scola Layup Shot: Missed Block: James (1 BLK)
Hickson Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	00:31.9
Williams 3pt Shot: Missed	00:24.9
	00:23.6	Battier Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	00:00.0	Brooks Driving Layup Shot: Missed
	00:00.0	Team Rebound
End of 2nd Quarter
Cleveland Cavaliers (27-10)		Houston Rockets (21-14)
Start of 3rd QuarterBack to Top
	11:50	Ariza Running Jump Shot: Missed
Hickson Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)	11:49
O'Neal 3pt Shot: Missed	11:29
	11:28	Scola Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)
	11:20	Brooks Layup Shot: Missed
O'Neal Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	11:19
Parker Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (2 TO)	11:11
	10:59	Battier Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:James (1 ST)
Hickson Turnover : Traveling (2 TO)	10:56
Parker Foul : Personal (1 PF)	10:47
	10:32	Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover
Williams Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Scola (1 ST)	10:17
	10:13 [HOU 54-39]	Ariza Dunk Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Hayes (3 AST)
Williams Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: James (3 AST)	09:50 [CLE 41-54]
	09:33	Battier Hook Shot: Missed
Hickson Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)	09:31
James Jump Shot: Missed	09:23
	09:22	Scola Rebound (Off:1 Def:8)
	09:16 [HOU 56-41]	Brooks Jump Shot: Made (14 PTS)
	08:57	Hayes Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
O'Neal Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	08:57
Team Rebound	08:57
O'Neal Free Throw 2 of 2 (6 PTS)	08:57 [CLE 42-56]
	08:36	Scola Jump Shot: Missed
	08:35	Battier Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	08:34	Battier Layup Shot: Missed
O'Neal Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)	08:33
Williams Foul : Offensive (3 PF)	08:12
Williams Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	08:12
	07:56	Scola Jump Shot: Missed
O'Neal Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)	07:55
Williams Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO) Steal:Ariza (2 ST)	07:37
	07:22	Brooks 3pt Shot: Missed
James Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	07:21
James Jump Shot: Missed	07:11
O'Neal Rebound (Off:2 Def:7)	07:10
O'Neal Tip Shot: Missed	07:10
O'Neal Rebound (Off:3 Def:7)	07:10
	07:10	Battier Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Williams Technical	07:10
	07:10 [HOU 57-42]	Brooks Free Throw Technical (15 PTS)
O'Neal Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	07:10
Team Rebound	07:10
O'Neal Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)	07:10 [CLE 43-57]
	06:51	Brooks Jump Shot: Missed
Hickson Rebound (Off:1 Def:8)	06:50
O'Neal Foul : Offensive (2 PF)	06:45
O'Neal Turnover : Foul (1 TO)	06:45
	06:45	Team Timeout : Regular
O'Neal Technical	06:45
O'Neal Substitution replaced by Varejao	06:45
	06:45 [HOU 58-43]	Brooks Free Throw Technical (16 PTS)
	06:16 [HOU 60-43]	Hayes Reverse Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS)
	06:01	Battier Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
James Free Throw 1 of 2 (8 PTS)	06:01 [CLE 44-60]
James Free Throw 2 of 2 (9 PTS)	06:01 [CLE 45-60]
Varejao Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	05:51
	05:51	Hayes Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	05:51	Team Rebound
	05:51	Hayes Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Team Rebound	05:49
	05:27	Hayes Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
	05:27	Hayes Substitution replaced by Landry
Hickson Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)	05:27 [CLE 46-60]
Hickson Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	05:27
Hickson Rebound (Off:2 Def:8)	05:25
James Turnover : Step Out of Bounds Turnover (3 TO)	05:11
	04:52	Scola Jump Shot: Missed
	04:51	Battier Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
	04:51	Battier Tip Shot: Missed
Varejao Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)	04:50
	04:50	Scola Foul : Loose Ball (3 PF)
Varejao Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	04:50
Team Rebound	04:50
Hickson Substitution replaced by Ilgauskas	04:50
Varejao Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)	04:50 [CLE 47-60]
	04:38	Ariza Pullup Jump shot: Missed
	04:36	Team Rebound
	04:21 [HOU 62-47]	Brooks Driving Layup Shot: Made (18 PTS)
James Layup Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Williams (4 AST)	04:04 [CLE 49-62]
	03:47	Scola Jump Shot: Missed
James Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	03:47
James Pullup Jump shot: Missed	03:37
	03:36	Scola Rebound (Off:1 Def:9)
	03:30 [HOU 64-49]	Brooks Layup Shot: Made (20 PTS)
James Driving Layup Shot: Made (13 PTS)	03:06 [CLE 51-64]
	03:06	Scola Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
Williams Substitution replaced by West	03:06
	03:06	Scola Substitution replaced by Andersen
James Free Throw 1 of 1 (14 PTS)	03:06 [CLE 52-64]
	02:47	Brooks Step Back Jump shot: Missed
James Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	02:46
West Foul : Offensive (1 PF)	02:42
West Turnover : Foul (3 TO)	02:42
Team Timeout : Regular	02:42
Parker Substitution replaced by Moon	02:42
	02:27 [HOU 66-52]	Andersen Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Ariza (2 AST)
West Running Jump Shot: Missed Block: Battier (2 BLK)	02:05
	02:04	Andersen Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	01:57	Battier 3pt Shot: Missed
Varejao Rebound (Off:2 Def:4)	01:56
Ilgauskas Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: West (1 AST)	01:38 [CLE 54-66]
	01:23 [HOU 68-54]	Ariza Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (19 PTS)
West Driving Layup Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: James (4 AST)	01:07 [CLE 56-68]
	00:42.9	Ariza 3pt Shot: Missed
Ilgauskas Rebound (Off:2 Def:4)	00:41.8
Ilgauskas Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: James (5 AST)	00:25.6 [CLE 58-68]
Ilgauskas Foul : Personal (1 PF)	00:06.9
	00:02.9	Brooks Turnover : Lost Ball (3 TO) Steal:West (2 ST)
James Turnover : Bad Pass (4 TO) Steal:Battier (1 ST)	00:00.0
	00:00.0	Battier 3pt Shot: Missed
	00:00.0	Team Rebound
End of 3rd Quarter
Cleveland Cavaliers (27-10)		Houston Rockets (21-14)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
West Running Jump Shot: Missed	11:46
Ilgauskas Rebound (Off:3 Def:4)	11:45
Ilgauskas Tip Shot: Missed	11:45
Team Rebound	11:44
James Turnover : Bad Pass (5 TO) Steal:Battier (2 ST)	11:43
	11:21	Landry Turnover : 3 Second Violation (1 TO)
James 3pt Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: West (2 AST)	11:09 [CLE 61-68]
James Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	10:54
	10:54	Landry Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	10:54	Team Rebound
	10:54 [HOU 69-61]	Landry Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)
Ilgauskas Foul : Offensive (2 PF)	10:44
Ilgauskas Turnover : Offensive Foul Turnover (1 TO)	10:44
	10:21	Lowry 3pt Shot: Missed
	10:20	Team Rebound
	10:15	Ariza Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Moon (1 ST)
West Turnover : Bad Pass (4 TO) Steal:Battier (3 ST)	10:09
West Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	10:03
	10:03	Adelman Technical
James Free Throw Technical (18 PTS)	10:03 [CLE 62-69]
	10:03 [HOU 70-62]	Lowry Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
	10:03 [HOU 71-62]	Lowry Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)
Ilgauskas Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: James (6 AST)	09:53 [CLE 64-71]
	09:41	Landry Jump Shot: Missed
James Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)	09:40
	09:20	Ariza Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
James Free Throw 1 of 2 (19 PTS)	09:20 [CLE 65-71]
James Free Throw 2 of 2 (20 PTS)	09:20 [CLE 66-71]
Varejao Foul : Personal (3 PF)	09:12
	09:12	Team Timeout : Regular
	09:12	Battier Substitution replaced by Budinger
	09:06 [HOU 73-66]	Ariza Jump Shot: Made (21 PTS)
Ilgauskas Foul : Offensive (3 PF)	08:51
Ilgauskas Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	08:51
	08:31	Budinger 3pt Shot: Missed
	08:31	Landry Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	08:28 [HOU 75-66]	Landry Putback Layup Shot: Made (10 PTS)
Varejao Reverse Layup Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: James (7 AST)	08:05 [CLE 68-75]
	07:45	Budinger Running Jump Shot: Missed
Ilgauskas Rebound (Off:3 Def:5)	07:44
West Dunk Shot: Missed	07:38
	07:34	Landry Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
	07:22	Budinger Jump Shot: Missed Block: Moon (1 BLK)
Moon Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	07:21
Ilgauskas Layup Shot: Missed	07:00
	06:59	Team Rebound
Ilgauskas Substitution replaced by O'Neal	06:59
	06:59	Andersen Substitution replaced by Hayes
James Substitution replaced by Williams	06:59
	06:46	Lowry Layup Shot: Missed
	06:45	Hayes Rebound (Off:3 Def:4)
O'Neal Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	06:27
	06:27	Budinger Substitution replaced by Brooks
	06:27 [HOU 76-68]	Landry Free Throw 1 of 2 (11 PTS)
	06:27 [HOU 77-68]	Landry Free Throw 2 of 2 (12 PTS)
O'Neal Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Lowry (1 ST)	06:15
	06:09 [HOU 80-68]	Ariza 3pt Shot: Made (24 PTS) Assist: Lowry (3 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	06:08
Williams Pullup Jump shot: Missed	05:58
	05:58	Team Rebound
O'Neal Foul : Loose Ball (4 PF)	05:58
	05:58 [HOU 81-68]	Hayes Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)
	05:58	Hayes Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Moon Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	05:57
West Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (12 PTS)	05:40 [CLE 70-81]
Moon Substitution replaced by James	05:25
	05:22	Ariza Jump Shot: Missed
Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	05:21
	05:13	Brooks Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
	05:13	Lowry Substitution replaced by Battier
Williams Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)	05:13 [CLE 71-81]
Williams Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)	05:13 [CLE 72-81]
	05:01	Ariza Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (3 TO)
Williams Pullup Jump shot: Missed	04:52
James Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	04:51
James Tip Shot: Made (22 PTS)	04:51 [CLE 74-81]
O'Neal Foul : Personal (5 PF)	04:34
	04:34	Brooks Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	04:34	Team Rebound
	04:34 [HOU 82-74]	Brooks Free Throw 2 of 2 (21 PTS)
	04:24	Landry Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
James Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	04:24
Team Rebound	04:24
James Free Throw 2 of 2 (23 PTS)	04:24 [CLE 75-82]
	04:09 [HOU 84-75]	Landry Jump Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Brooks (5 AST)
James 3pt Shot: Missed	03:50
	03:49	Brooks Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	03:29 [HOU 86-75]	Brooks Floating Jump shot: Made (23 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	03:29
O'Neal Substitution replaced by Moon	03:29
	03:29	Hayes Substitution replaced by Lowry
	03:15	Battier Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
James Free Throw 1 of 2 (24 PTS)	03:15 [CLE 76-86]
Moon Substitution replaced by Parker	03:15
James Free Throw 2 of 2 (25 PTS)	03:15 [CLE 77-86]
	02:54 [HOU 88-77]	Ariza Jump Shot: Made (26 PTS) Assist: Brooks (6 AST)
	02:34	Ariza Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Varejao Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	02:34
Team Rebound	02:34
Varejao Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)	02:34 [CLE 78-88]
	02:24	Landry Foul : Offensive (3 PF)
	02:24	Landry Turnover : Foul (2 TO)
James Driving Layup Shot: Made (27 PTS)	02:13 [CLE 80-88]
	01:49 [HOU 91-80]	Battier 3pt Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Lowry (4 AST)
James Driving Layup Shot: Missed	01:30
	01:29	Landry Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	01:29	Landry Foul : Offensive (4 PF)
	01:29	Landry Turnover : Foul (3 TO)
Williams 3pt Shot: Missed	01:20
Team Rebound	01:20
	01:20	Lowry Foul : Loose Ball (2 PF)
West Free Throw 1 of 2 (13 PTS)	01:20 [CLE 81-91]
West Free Throw 2 of 2 (14 PTS)	01:20 [CLE 82-91]
Williams Foul : Personal (4 PF)	01:06
	01:06 [HOU 92-82]	Brooks Free Throw 1 of 2 (24 PTS)
	01:06 [HOU 93-82]	Brooks Free Throw 2 of 2 (25 PTS)
West 3pt Shot: Missed	00:59.8
	00:58.9	Brooks Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
West Foul : Personal (3 PF)	00:58.9
James Substitution replaced by Moon	00:58.9
Williams Substitution replaced by Williams	00:58.9
	00:58.9 [HOU 94-82]	Brooks Free Throw 1 of 2 (26 PTS)
Varejao Substitution replaced by Jackson	00:58.9
	00:58.9 [HOU 95-82]	Brooks Free Throw 2 of 2 (27 PTS)
Jackson 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: West (3 AST)	00:40.3 [CLE 85-95]
	00:15.8	Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover
Jackson 3pt Shot: Missed	00:05.9
	00:04.5	Ariza Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
End of 4th Quarter

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