Written by Brian McPeek

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Outside, the city continued to get pounded with one of the worst winter storms in recent history.  Inside the walls of The Quicken Loans Arena, the Jekyll and Hyde act continued with the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Alternating between outstanding and out of sorts all afternoon against Indiana, the Cavs were good enough to emerge from Saturday afternoon's game with a 103-95 win against the Pacers.  "The L-Train" and Andy both had huge games, and Brian McPeek tells us about it in his recap of this afternoon's game.

The Jekyll and Hyde act continues with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Alternating between outstanding and out of sorts all afternoon against Indiana, the Cavs were good enough to emerge from Saturday afternoon's game with a 103-95 win against the Pacers. 

‘Emerge' may be a bad choice of words given the weather conditions Saturday in Northeast Ohio. While the play may have been inconsistent for the wine and gold, the weather never changed and given the amount of snow falling outside the two teams may be forced to spend the next few days in Quicken Loans Arena waiting for a thaw and eating DiGiorno Pizza and popcorn from the concession stand. 

On the court, the Cavs got what they always get from LeBron James. James scored 38 points that included five 3-pointers and he also grabbed 11 rebounds. James was spectacular when he needed to be including a gorgeous drive and reverse dunk at the end of the first half and on a fall away 3-pointer right in front of the Pacers bench late in the 4^th quarter. 

James got a ton of help from starting center Anderson Varejao. AV scored 15 points and hauled down 16 boards. Varejao had 10 points and 5 boards halfway through the first quarter of play. The Brazilian also dished out a game high 6 assists in what was his best ballgame in months. 

Delonte West, Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak all scored in double figures to lift to Cavs to 36-27 on the season.

Loved It

• There were periods of the game when it looked like the club had put it all together and would plow the Pacers out of Cleveland like snow from a driveway. The ball movement, the backdoor cuts, the two-man games and give-and-go's were beautiful to watch. Penetration by James or Devin Brown followed by kick outs to wide open shooters resulted in numerous scoring opportunities for the Cavs. They cashed in many of those to lead by as many 21 points at one time in the 3^rd quarter.  
  

Even with the newly acquired foursome of Szczerbiak, West, Smith and Ben Wallace it looked like this team had put in a lot of time on the practice courts and knew where to find each other on the floor. The Cavs also hit the boards en masse and out-rebounded Indiana 54-37. Multiple offensive rebounds gave the Cavs some easy hoops and dampened the enthusiasm of the Pacers from time to time all afternoon. 

• Much like on the offensive side of the ball the Cavs defense at times was sterling. Some timely double teams and intensity made life difficult for Indiana's Danny Granger, Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy. Granger, the Pacers leading scorer, scored just two points in the first half before catching some fire in the 2^nd half on his way to 19 points for the game. Murphy and Dunleavy were a combined 11-26 on the afternoon. The Cavs rotated nicely at times and applied a lot of backside pressure. The Cavs swatted 9 Indiana shots (two each from Wallace, James, Varejao, and Szczerbiak  and one by West) including a couple of emphatic, momentum changing blocks that led to run outs and points on the offensive end.
  
  
• Devin Brown didn't get to double figures but he continues to impress since being inserted into the starting lineup. Brown can knock down open 15 footers, is a threat from 3-point range and is fearless when it comes to taking the ball to the basket. Brown has a high enough basketball IQ to play off James and get himself some easy looks. He also does a nice job defending on the ball and providing help when help is needed. It took Brown 50+ games to find his niche and comfort level here in Cleveland, but he's found it at a great time. The Cavs can't afford to have any more guys on the roster not knowing where they need to be on the floor.

Hate May Be Too Strong a Word But...

• Watching the Cavs is like living with a 13 yr-old daughter. You can see what they're going to become and you're looking forward to watching them get there and move forward. But the hell if it isn't frustrating and maddening dealing with them at times.  
  

Against Indiana the Cavs had more than a couple possessions that ended in turnovers or shot-clock violations due their unfamiliarity with each other. West occasionally presses the action right into a double team and isn't able to recover, Smith occasionally receives a pass in an uncomfortable spot from which to operate and Szczerbiak continues to struggle with his shot selection. When James leaves the floor and the ultimate bailout guy in the NBA is not an option the guys left on the floor can go multiple possessions looking like the Washington Generals.  That's the main reason the Pacers were able to cut that 21-point lead down to a 4-point lead late in the 4^th quarter. 

• There are also still times when the Cavs treat defense as though it's just the down time between offensive possessions. This team just doesn't yet have the killer defensive instinct to turn a 21-point lead into a 30-point laugher. While they are able to re-focus and get some stops when they have to, that's not always easy against teams other than Indiana, Memphis and the Knicks.

• Dear LBJ: You're the MVP of the NBA and are making a mockery of the competition every night. But please stop writhing on the floor and rolling around like you've been struck by sniper fire every single time you get nicked, kicked or slapped. God forbid you actually get hurt. No one will know if it's for real or if you're just seeking your ‘me-time' on camera for the umpteenth time.

Odds & Ends 

• Someone must have gotten Austin Carr a memo. His "L-L-L-L Train..." shouts were markedly down on Saturday afternoon. Just 6 of them by TCF count. The 9 shots the Cavs blocked did allow AC to go to the other club in his bag though. That's the oft-heard "Young man, don't bring that weak stuff in here" saying that he's also fond of. But when James chased down a Pacer from behind and knocked his shot attempt halfway to Solon Carr did break out a "The L-L-L-L Train says ‘Young man, do not bring that stuff in here'". That combination really made up for lack of AC's other signature line and showed some moxy. 
   
  
• A tip of the hat to the fans who woke up early, cleared the couple feet of snow out of their driveways and headed down to ‘The Q' for Saturday's game. That was effort above and beyond the call of duty. The ‘Q' was only about half full, but those in attendance deserve praise for making it downtown and turning up the volume to compensate for those that couldn't force their doors open against the heavy snow.

Finally

After three games in four days the Cavs get only one day to rest, relax and recover before facing the Portland Trailblazers Monday night at ‘The Q'. That's a 7pm tip and another chance for this club to run together and iron out some of the issues they need to address before the playoffs