Cavaliers-Lakers Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Jan 13 2012 2:11AM

Mike Brown was unable to win an NBA title with LeBron James during his five seasons as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If Kobe Bryant can somehow manage to keep playing as well as he has lately, Brown might have a good chance to win a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.

After back-to-back 40-point performances, Bryant looks to stay hot as the Lakers try for a fifth consecutive victory Friday night when Brown faces the Cavaliers for the first time since they fired him two years ago.

Brown went 272-138 in Cleveland, guiding the club to the NBA finals in 2007 and the Eastern Conference finals in 2009. However, after the Cavaliers were upset by Boston in the 2010 semifinals, he was let go. Brown spent last season as a studio analyst for ESPN, then was named coach of the Lakers in May after Phil Jackson retired.

Brown's tenure in Los Angeles got off to a rough start when the Lakers (8-4) dropped their first two games, but they have since won eight of 10.

Despite a sore wrist, Bryant has been the major reason for his team's turnaround, averaging a league-high 30.3 points. He's averaged 36.7 on 50.3 percent shooting in the last six.

One night after posting a season-high 48 in a 99-83 home win over Phoenix on Tuesday, Bryant scored 40 in the Lakers' 90-87 overtime victory at Utah.

"You know Kobe's going to get a volume of shots; he's going to get the ball all night long and you have to trust that you have good help behind you and make it tough for him," Utah guard Raja Ball said. "He's going to score his points. Scorers in this league, I've always subscribed to this theory, they're going to get their points... you just have to make him take a field goal percentage to your liking."

Bryant last scored 40 or more in three straight games during a five-game run March 16-25, 2007. He averaged an astonishing 53.6 points during that span.

He totaled 30 points on 38.2 percent shooting while the Lakers split their two meetings against the post-James Cavaliers in 2010-11.

He had 13 and was barely needed in Los Angeles' 112-57 rout of Cleveland at the Staples Center on Jan. 11, 2011. The Cavaliers shot 29.9 percent and did not score more than 16 points in any quarter of that contest.

Times appear to be better for Cleveland (5-5), which avoided a third straight defeat with a 101-90 win at Phoenix on Thursday to improve to 2-3 on a seven-game trip.

"It was a good win for us," coach Byron Scott told the Cavaliers' official website. "I thought we did some really good things."

The Cavaliers are a much different team than the one Brown coached in his final season. There's no James or Shaquille O'Neal, but 2011 No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving and veteran Antawn Jamison have provided a more competitive product than the club that finished 19-63 last season.

Irving had 26 points with six assists and scored 12 straight points during one stretch of the first half Thursday. Jamison added 23 after scoring 22 during a 113-105 loss at Utah on Tuesday.

Irving has averaged 22.3 points in his last three games.

At 3-4 away from home, Cleveland is four shy of matching its entire road win total from 2010-11.

Kobe goes for 40-plus again as Lakers beat Cavs

By GREG BEACHAM
Posted Jan 14 2012 2:14AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Even Kobe Bryant has to acknowledge he's on his most impressive scoring tear in a half-decade, decimating opponents' defenses with the flair and determination of the Los Angeles Lakers superstar's best seasons.

And he's got a little more bad news for the Cleveland Cavaliers and every other opponent in his way.

That severely injured wrist on his shooting hand? It's starting to heal.

Bryant scored 42 points in his third straight 40-point performance, and the Lakers blew a big early lead before hanging on for their fifth straight victory, 97-92 over Cleveland on Friday night.

Bryant managed just seven points in the fourth quarter, but two big jumpers down the stretch gave him three straight 40-point games for the first time since March 2007, when he had five straight. With just three of his teammates managing more than one field goal, the 13-time All-Star guard did most of the Lakers' heavy lifting despite that torn ligament in his right wrist - an injury that would require most players to shut it down for a stretch.

Nobody is shutting down Kobe, who has scored at least 30 points in seven of his last eight games.

"The wrist is feeling stronger, feeling more comfortable," Bryant said. "It's just motivation. Nobody wants to hear about a bad wrist as being the reason why I had a bad game. Nobody wants to hear excuses."

None necessary: Bryant is third in NBA history with 110 40-point games, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.

Pau Gasol had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who won their eighth consecutive game at Staples Center since Christmas. Until Bryant took charge, Los Angeles allowed a 19-point lead to dwindle to three in the final minutes of coach Mike Brown's first meeting with the Cavaliers since they fired him in 2010.

"We have to make sure we keep executing offensively so we don't need to rely on (Bryant) so much," Brown said. "It's good to have a guy like Kobe Bryant in your pocket."

Kyrie Irving scored 21 points and Ramon Sessions added 12 for the Cavaliers, who have played eight of their first 11 games on the road. Cleveland foundered in the first half before rallying impressively in the second half, avoiding anything close to the embarrassment of last season's 112-57 debacle at Staples Center.

Daniel Gibson missed a 3-pointer that could have tied it for Cleveland with less than seven minutes to play, and the Lakers missed 11 of their first 12 shots in the fourth before Bryant's 18-footer with 4:02 left. The Cavs had absolutely no answer for Bryant, who went 15 for 31 with four 3-pointers and six turnovers, often dominating the ball while his teammates were listless.

"He's seen every defense that you can throw at him," said Cavs coach Byron Scott, the longtime Lakers guard. "He's one of the smartest players I've been around, and one of the most competitive. So I don't know if it's better for us if he's taking most of the shots and the other guys are getting less, or if he's taking less shots and they're getting more. I don't know. He's just a threat when he's on the basketball court, no matter what."

Andrew Bynum had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Matt Barnes added 15 points for the Lakers, who finished the first half with an 18-3 run for an 18-point halftime lead. Los Angeles led by 12 points heading to the fourth quarter, but missed its first eight shots and failed to score for more than six minutes, allowing the Cavaliers to pull within one basket of an even game.

"It shows a lot about the character of our team," Cleveland forward Omri Casspi said. "We didn't let it get out of hand. We just wanted to keep our composure, keep playing defense and share the ball on offense, and we knew good things would happen for us. Our guys kept fighting, but in the last 4 minutes, they had a big run."

Just seven players scored for Brown, who rested Metta World Peace and didn't have the services of backup point guard Steve Blake, who has broken cartilage in his ribs. During the fourth quarter, the Lakers announced Blake will be sidelined three to four weeks.

Derek Fisher had 10 assists for the Lakers, getting double-digit assists for just the 15th time in the point guard's 16-year career. Rookie Darius Morris also played 17 minutes in his second career game.

NOTES: Brown said he harbors no hard feelings toward the Cavs and owner Dan Gilbert, who fired him after five successful seasons ended without a championship. ... The Lakers said World Peace is struggling with back spasms and an Achilles' tendon problem, although he wasn't listed on the pregame injury report. ... Lakers F Josh McRoberts returned from a six-game absence with a sprained big toe, but played just 4 first-half minutes. F Troy Murphy also returned from an illness, and Jason Kapono returned from a two-game absence while his wife gave birth to twins. ... Fans included Adam Sandler, Tobey Maguire, Joe Walsh, A.C. Green and three-time U.S. Olympic boxer Rau'Shee Warren.

Notebook: Lakers 97, Cavaliers 92

By Dan Arritt, for NBA.com
Posted Saturday January 14, 2012 1:57AM

THE FACTS: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant continues to perform like the player of old. He scored 42 points Friday night in a 97-92 victory against the visiting Cavaliers at Staples Center, the first time in nearly five years he has scored at least 40 in three consecutive games.

QUOTABLE: "It's always great to have a guy like Kobe Bryant in your back pocket when you have to try to figure out how to win some games."
-- Lakers coach Mike Brown.

THE STAT: Bryant shot 15-for-31 from the field and 8-for-10 from the free-throw line, the third consecutive game he has taken exactly 31 field-goal attempts. The last time he took 30 or more shots in three consecutive games was also in March 2007, when he had consecutive scoring games of 65, 50, 60, 50 and 43 points, becoming only the second NBA player to score at least 50 in four straight.

TURNING POINT: Bryant re-entered the game with 7:58 remaining in the second quarter, missed a couple field-goal attempts and then got hot, helping the Lakers close the half on a 20-5 run to take a 59-41 lead. Bryant scored 13 of his 24 first-half points during the deciding surge.

HOT: Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol started the game a combined 13-for-15 from the field and were 21-for-28 in the first half. The Lakers shot 14-for-18 in the opening quarter while building a 32-28 lead.

NOT: The Lakers did it again to an opposing front-court player. Cleveland forward Antawn Jamison shot 4-for-16 from the floor and scored nine points. Jamison joins Al Jefferson of the Jazz (2-16), Amar'e Stoudemire of the Knicks (4-17), Marc Gasol of the Grizzlies (0-9), and Grant Hill of the Suns (1-12) who have struggled mightily inside Staples Center this season. Jamison had been building up to this effort, entering the game 18-for-48 in his previous three games ... The Cavs shot 4-for-20 in the second quarter ... The Lakers missed their first eight shots in the quarter and didn't score until Matt Barnes slammed a breakaway dunk with 6:33 remaining. By then, the Cavs had trimmed a 12-point lead at the start of the fourth to three.

GOOD MOVE: A big gasp swept through the crowd after Bynum scored on a bank shot on the Lakers second possession of the game and then crumpled to the court after apparently stepping on the foot of opposing center Anderson Varejao. Bynum, who has been beset by lower-body injuries in his career, showed everyone he was OK by getting to his feet and blocking Jamison's shot on the other end of the floor. Bynum finished with 10 of his 15 points in the opening quarter and two of his three blocked shots.

BAD MOVE: The Lakers appeared to be running away from the Cavs in the third quarter, holding a 19-point lead with under eight minutes remaining. With a much-anticipated game looming Saturday night against their cross-the-hall rival Clippers, the Lakers were putting themselves in good position to rest their starters down the stretch. But the Cavs managed to chip away at the deficit, forcing Bryant to play 8:47 of the fourth quarter. The benefit was, that's how Bryant got to 40 points.

NOTABLE: The injury to Lakers back-up point guard Steve Blake was updated during the game. He will be sidelined three to four weeks with torn cartilage in his rib-cage area. Blake was injured in Wednesday's victory in Utah. His absence opened the door for rookie Darius Morris to get some playing time for only the second time this season. He checked in with 5:20 left in the opening quarter and immediately hit a 3-pointer, his third straight basket to start his career. He finished with three points, four assists and one turnover in a little more than 18 minutes ... Metta World Peace did not play for the Lakers because of sore back and Achilles tendon, though the injuries were not listed on the pre-game report. Devin Ebanks played the back-up minutes behind Barnes at small forward. The crowd began chanting, "We want World Peace" during the fourth quarter ... Lakers point guard Derek Fisher had two points and 10 assists, the 15th time he has recorded double-digits in assists in his 16-year career.... Gasol finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. He has scored between 13 and 22 points in every game this season.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Saturday @ L.A. Clippers, Monday vs. Dallas, Thursday @ Miami. For the Cavaliers, Monday @ Charlotte, Tuesday vs. Golden State, Friday vs. Chicago.

• Cavaliers: Eyenga, Thompson
• Lakers: Blake, Caracter

• Cavaliers: --
• Lakers: Barnes

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #27 Dick Bavetta, #48 Scott Foster, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 18997
• Duration: 2:22