Written by Brian McPeek

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Playing their fourth game in five nights against the league's elite, the Cavs looked mentally and physically gassed as they trailed the Heat 91-80 with seven minutes left in last night's game, and appeared headed towards a 2-2 road trip. Then, the Cavaliers reached deep, flipped the switch and behind LeBron James and Mo Williams ... went on a furious 27-9 run to end the game, and knock off the Heat in Miami by a 107-100 count. Peeker recaps the exhilirating win.

I had the Cavs dead and buried with 7:15 left in their Monday game against Miami. They were mentally and physically gassed and looked like they were emotionally already on the plane home.

The Cavs trailed the Miami Heat 91-80 at that aforementioned 7:15 mark and it seemed like every Heat possession was a jailbreak to the rim with Cavalier defenders few and far between. 

It was looking a lot like a 2-2 road trip. 

And 2-2 on this trip, with the Ben Wallace injury and the fatigue considered, was good enough for me. 

But it wasn't good enough for the Cavaliers, as they've done quite a few times this season, the team flipped that switch. 

Over the next 7 minutes Cleveland emptied whatever was left in the tanks. A 27-9 run over the final 7:13 that was keyed by LeBron James and Mo Williams hitting big shots and making bigger defensive plays put the Cavs back on that plane to Cleveland with a heart-pounding 107-100 win over Dwyane Wade and the Heat. The win also gave the good guys an improbable 3-1 record on this gantlet of a trip that started miserably in Houston 4 days ago. 

That was as satisfying a win as the Cavs have earned all season. Per usual the effort was led by LBJ. 42 points, 8 boards and 4 assists sets a nice pace. And Mo Williams stepped right to the forefront with LBJ when it was needed most. Williams poured in 30 points and added 7 rebounds and 7 assists of his own. James and Williams followed up big baskets by spearheading a suffocating defensive effort in the last five minutes of the game as well.  

Wade packed the box score full of numbers with 41 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists but he became a non-factor in the game's final minutes. 

That was a big, impressive win in a season full of big impressive wins. 

Takeaways 

• How much fun is it to watch two of the game's biggest stars go at each other for 48 minutes? Fans in Miami and those watching from home got to see just that on Monday. Both Wade and James alternated with stretches of dominance. Inside with spectacular and powerful dunks, outside with long three pointers and defensively with steals, blocks and pressure the two stars put on an exhibition an did it within the flow of the ballgame.

Wade may have actually statistically out-played James. The 7 steals and 9 assists to go with his 41 points were impressive. But James came up big not only on the floor late in the game but also in the way he clearly compelled his teammates to step up and get the win. Leadership isn't always tangible. On Monday night in Miami it was. 

• Little things win basketball games and championships. Solid screens and picks, sharp cuts and smooth defensive rotations aren't always appreciated but they have an effect. One such play occurred with less than a minute to go and the Heat trailing by five points and in-bounding in their front court. The Cavs backed off the in-bounder and collapsed two men on Wade who was coming from the baseline to the top of the circle. Facing a double team Wade was unable to get loose and Udonis Haslem was forced to receive the pass. He forced up a scared looking 15 footer that clanged off the front of the rim and right to Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Two Williams free throws moments later iced the ballgame. 

• It could literally be years before pieces and parts of Anderson Varejao are completely removed from the floor of American Airlines Arena. The big Brazilian was his usual abrasive, annoying, effective self Monday night. He chipped in 6 points and committed five fouls. But he also added 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocked shots and drew almost as many fouls as he picked up. He also drew as many derisive looks and comments from Heat players and fans as one could possibly get in just over two hours.

Say what you will about Varejao. But when the slop hits the fan and things get aggressive and frenetic like they did in the 4^th quarter Monday night he can keep the pace and add some value with his hustle, his energy and his ability to make a play or get a whistle. 

• Anyone else's heart in their throat when they saw Delonte West head to the bench in the first half gripping his right wrist? West made a nifty steal off an errant Wade pass, lost his balance and put down that right hand to brace himself. That ended badly when he had to remove himself from the game to shake off the pain. West is probably about 80-85% recovered from the broken wrist but he's a guy this team cannot afford to be without. The hard nosed guard scored 8 points on just 6 shots and also came up with 5 steals and 6 assists in nearly 40 minutes.
  
• Mike Brown was desperate enough to turn to Sasha Pavlovic in the 4^th quarter when the Heat were pulling away. Pavlovic responded by committing a dumb foul and making a lazy pass that Wade turned into one of his 36 dunks on the night.

To be fair, Pavlovic hasn't made any of those poor plays in the last three weeks. 

Okay, so he hasn't played in that time either and inserting him into a game being played at a breakneck pace and having him on Wade probably wasn't Brown's shining moment as Cavaliers coach. But damn, there are no mediocre nights for Sasha. He's either really good or just flat out awful. And Monday night, though it wasn't his fault, he was not really good. 
 

They Got Next 

It's Milwaukee at ‘The Q' on Wednesday evening (7pm) and then a chance to put a bit of distance between themselves and the Celtics Friday night in Boston (8pm, ESPN). Six games in nine nights for the Cavs, only one of them at home, and with no easy outs in the mix. The fun continues.