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Brian McPeek

cavs-hornetsThere was no playing around tonight, folks. In honor of my return to the Cavaliers recap gigs I danced with who brought me: the #Cavs Twitter feed. It was the Cavs- Hornets Twit-Cap. A random selection of #Cavs tweets to tell you about the game against New Orleans from before the tip to right after the final horn. Without further adieu:

Spencer Shoemaker @GrizzlyHamleg #Cavs game. Bringing hope to Cleveland fans everywhere.

 

I would’ve gone with Wild Turkey or Conway’s Irish Ale or The Melt or…. well, almost anything other than the Cavs, but there’s your leadoff hitter.

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Nick Allburn

pistonsjamisonThe game in 300 words or less

Wow! What a finish! A home game against the Pistons certainly seemed very winnable, but after the Pistons opened up a sizeable lead heading into halftime it didn’t look like it was going to happen.

The Cavs entered the fourth quarter trailing by 11, but some big shots from Kyrie Irving and Alonzo Gee brought them back into it. A three from Antawn Jamison gave the Cavs a one-point edge with the clock showing 5:52, which is about as quickly as I can remember a double-digit deficit being erased in the fourth quarter.

The Cavs executed and closed things out. Two Daniel Gibson free throws gave the Cavs a four-point edge and a Ben Gordon buzzer beater made the game look a little closer than it actually was.

The Pistons deserve some credit for hanging tough after blowing that big lead and feeling the crowd really come back into the game. There were several opportunities for this young Detroit team to head for the showers early, but they kept fighting.

Brandon Knight, Rodney Stuckey, and Greg Monroe all shined for the Pistons. There is no doubt that although pleased with the win, Byron Scott is going to be preaching defense in practice tomorrow. Obviously the Cavs are still adjusting to being Varejao-less, but you can’t give up 100 to a team like the Pistons and expect to win many games.

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Demetri Inembolidis

jj-hicksonjpg-6c5ae660e5746c87When JJ Hickson was traded to the Sacramento Kings, the transaction was generally well-received.  Much was made of his maturity, consistency and what he would want on the open market.  Hickson is an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, 2012 and was hoping to be a maximum contract player.  Chris Grant and the Cavs decided to cut their losses, give the keys to Tristan Thompson and make a trade for Omri Casspi and a heavily-protected first round pick.

The 11th hour pre-lockout trade is not really working out for either team.  Casspi has yet to find his groove in Cleveland and is averaging a career low in minutes played, field goal percentage, three point field goal percentage, free throw percentage, rebounds and points per game.  Hickson is also underwhelming for the Kings.  He is averaging a career low in field goal percentage.  Hickson is also averaging 8.7 less points per game compared to last year.  His rebounding went from 8.7 per game in 2010-2011 to 5.3 during this current season.

In other words, neither guy is delivering for their new club.  Casspi has been fairly quiet about his new and old teams.  JJ Hickson has taken a different approach and has been quite vocal about not wanting to be a Sacramento King.  In the Tom Reed article from Sunday night, Hickson stated that “I didn't see that coming at all. Unfortunately it happened and I'm a Sacramento King now.”  Additionally, he tweeted “It was soooooo refreshing being back in the Q....” on Sunday night.  

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Demetri Inembolidis

The Cavs appeared to have a commanding lead when they led the Sacramento Kings by 10 points with 10:52 left in regulation.  As Cavaliers fans should be accustomed to, no lead is safe.  The Kings made a game of it and the winner was determined by poor decision making by Demarcus Cousins and Kyrie Irving’s ability to stand up to pressure and make two free throws with .4 seconds left on the clock.

The star of the game for the Cavs was Tristan Thompson, who had his best game as a professional.  Thompson came off the bench and scored 15 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had 2 blocked shots in 30 minutes of playing time.  Most interesting was the fact that Byron Scott trusted Thompson to play center down the stretch.  Thompson may not be the tallest guy on the court, but his wingspan is extensive and he also makes the most of his athleticism.  Tristan Thompson is not an ideal center in the NBA, but neither are Semih Erdon, Samardo Samuels and Ryan Hollins.

Much of the game was sloppy.  The Kings outshot the Cavs 37.6% to 36.0% but could not secure the win.  Because of the extensive missed shots by both teams, there were plenty of opportunities to grab rebounds.  There were stretches where it seemed like neither team could rebound competently and the ensuing result was a combined 37 offensive rebounds.  ap-201202192125771101257.1

Going into the game, the expected narrative was how Omri Casspi and JJ Hickson would perform against their old teams.  With the exception of Casspi setting a career high in rebounds (12), neither of the players were overly impressive.  The Cleveland crowd gave JJ Hickson a warm reception, which so happened to be the highlight of the night for the young power forward.  

What proved to be the most interesting storyline from the game was how the last pick of the 2011 draft played against the first overall pick.  Isaiah Thomas, who was picked 60th, finished with 23 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists and only 2 turnovers.  The 5’9” point guard played much bigger than his small frame.  The Kings appear to have found a diamond in the rough with Thomas.  Kyrie Irving had one of those rare games where he seemed to go through the motions.  Irving took 21 shots, made 8 of them and had 1 assist to his 4 turnovers.  

The Cavs shot 25% in the fourth quarter and they managed to win the game.  The difference was the 8 free throw attempts by the Cavs compared to the Kings who did not get to the line once during the final quarter.  The biggest turning point was when Demarcus Cousins fouled Alonzo Gee with 6.2 seconds left in the game.  The Kings were leading 91-90 and the game was tied after Gee split the free throws.  The Cousins foul was one of frustration and very well could have cost the Kings the game.  To make matters worse for the Kings, Tyreke Evans fouled Kyrie Irving on the next Cavaliers possession which were the go-ahead points for the Cavs.  

The Cavs are currently in a delicate position.  Much is made of whether they should focus on the lottery or win as many games as possible.  Regardless of what happens, the most important thing is that they do not become a team like the Kings.  Sacramento has amassed plenty of lottery talent, but it is not resulting in wins for the Kings.  Conversely, the Kings do not have a player like Kyrie Irving who is surpassing expectations.  It will be interesting to see how everything pans out for the Cavs in the future.

The Good: Tristan Thompson made a strong case for why he should be getting starter’s minutes.  Thompson set a career high in minutes played and he delivered.  

The Bad: The JJ Hickson for Omri Casspi trade is one of those rare swaps where both teams are probably regretting the transaction.  JJ Hickson made it known that he never wanted to leave Cleveland and that he is not very happy in Sacramento.  Omri Casspi plays a very awkward brand of basketball.  Watching Casspi play is difficult at times.  He does not look relaxed and plays a little tight.  

The Ugly: This was Lockout Basketball at its best.  Low field goal percentage by both teams, poor execution down the stretch and two teams that are playing like neither want to win.  I’m glad this one is behind us. 

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Gary Benz

wade-lebron-bosh 480064cOne of the abiding questions for beleaguered Cleveland sports fans is whether or not LeBron James and Art Modell really belong in the same conversation. It's easy to equate the two sports pariahs because the similarities can be striking in the oddest ways.

From the classless and graceless exits to the sorry state in which they left their local fans it's quite natural to want to bury each up to his neck in his own private chamber in Cleveland sports hell, drip honey on their foreheads and watch as rodents and fire ants pick them clean.

You'll never witness me asking anyone to forgive LeBron James for the shiv he stuck in this town's collective backs. But if presented with the Hobson's choice of pulling one or the other from in front of a RTA bus driven by a meth-addicted escaped felon, I'm pulling LeBron away every time. Sorry, Artie.

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