What to watch for when the Lakers invade the Q on Sunday:

-  What is at stake in Sunday’s game?  At the end of the day, this Cavaliers-Lakers game is just a regular-season matchup against two teams that will have a lot more to prove once the season ends and the Playoffs begin.  Plenty of conclusions, most of which will ultimately be meaningless, will be drawn from this game, regardless of its outcome.  

But for Cavaliers fans who have felt a little unappreciated this week, what with Mo Williams’ second All-Star snubbing and LeBron’s lost triple-double thanks to a league review, a win Sunday would be some vidication.  If the Cavs come away with the win,  they will have done what the Celtics couldn’t do this season: Beat L.A.  That promises to lead to a wealth of praise from the national media, and a chance for the Cavs and their fans to beat their chest a little bit before next week’s All-Star Game.

A loss, however, does the opposite.  An end to the team’s home winning streak would be seen as evidence that the Cavs still aren’t expected to beat the elite teams in the league come playoff time, and proof that LeBron James still sits below Kobe Bryant in the league’s hierarchy.  While it’s absurd, to some a loss would justify some of the annoyances of the last week, and we’d be subject to a bunch of arrogant Lakers fans this week.  

-  Will we get a better LeBron-Kobe matchup than we got last month in Los Angeles?  I certainly hope so.  While the Lakers dominated that contest, neither LeBron nor Kobe played especially well.  James finished with 23 points on just 9-for-25 (36%) shooting, while Bryant finished with just 22 while going 9-for-22 (41%) from the floor.  Not quite a performance for the ages.

Both LeBron and Kobe had remarkable performances this week against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, with LeBron clearly using Kobe’s performance to motivate him into a historical performance.  Expectations will be through the roof for Sunday’s performance.  

We’re going to have stories about how this is a great one-on-one matchup, and we’re going to have stories about how the supporting casts will make the difference.  And both will be right.  Both LeBron and Kobe had remarkable individual performances this week, carrying their teams against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, with LeBron clearly using Kobe’s performance to motivate him into a historical performance.  These guys can do it all by themselves.  At the same time, these two teams are the only two that have yet to lose their tenth game of the season because they have other players who can step up and make plays.  Only time will tell if Sunday’s game will be won by the superstars, or the boys in the chorus.

-  How will the Cavs deal with Pau Gasol?  Gasol remains underappreciated for the things he does for the Lakers.  There are few players in the league that possess the combination of size, speed and skill that Gasol has, and the Cavs will have a tough time defending him in the post.  Gasol has been thriving since Andrew Bynum went out with a knee injury, averaging 28.6 points and 14.3 rebounds in the last three games, 10 points and 5 rebounds per game over his season average.  

On the flip side, the Cavaliers’ best big man is struggling defensively.  While Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been solid offensively since his return ( 13.5 ppg), he looks very slow on defense, and has been in regular foul trouble over the last four games.  While Z has been a huge benefit to the team’s offensive spacing since his return, the Cavs will have to find a way to help the Large Lithuanian should the Lakers decide to let Gasol work against Z in the post.

A few extra notes:

-  Wally Szczerbiak will be playing with a facemask on Sunday to protect a broken nose.

-  The difference between nine and ten of a particular statistic means almost nothing to me.  Which is why I don’t think that the questionable ruling on LeBron’s ninth rebound makes a bit of difference in how great his performance was against the Knicks.  Then again, if you’re one of those people who was using “LeBron had a triple-double” as a reason that James’ performance trumped Kobe Bryant’s 61 points at the Garden on Tuesday, well, you might want to drop that bullet point.  UPDATE: The NBA took away the triple double Friday afternoon.

-  The NBA will be adding HORSE to its All-Star Saturday festivities.  Except that the event is sponsored, so they’ll be playing GEICO.  And no, you can’t make this stuff up. 

-  For some reason I found this sendup of the Minnesota Timberwolves Ryan Gomes hilarious in its subtlety.

Go Cavs.

Running Thoughts from tonight’s game in New York against the Knicks:

First Quarter:

-  The Cavaliers are a much, much better team than the Knicks.  But with that being said, playing an up-tempo team like the Knicks, on the road, on the second night of a back-to-back, that’s not something that you’d like to do.  The Cavs will have to stay disciplined, as they will have chances to go on long runs like they did last night, when the defense is working and the offense is exploiting the Knicks.

-  The Cavs start out at expected, running out to 10-0 lead to start the game.  The Knicks’ defense looks awful, and the Cavs look comfortable working against it.  The only concern at this point is that we have seen the Cavs take their foot off the gas and settle for jump shots after building large early leads, and that could definitely happen against this Knicks team.

-  The Knicks fight back in the middle of the first quarter, cutting the 10 point lead to six, 19-13.  They are getting some easy buckets inside, and that’s keeping them within striking distance.

-  LeBron is getting a switch off the pick-and-roll that is leaving him guarded by David Lee at the top of the circle.  The Knicks aren’t even trying to keep the original defender (Quentin Richardson) in front of LeBron, switching even when neither LeBron nor Varejao is feinting towards the hoop.  The defense switches on these types of plays because they have to stay in front of the offensive players.  But when the offense isn’t going towards the hoop, you can come around the screen and defend without switching, which avoids the mismatch.  The defensive gameplan of the Knicks is just dumb right now.

-  Well, LeBron is somehow on pace to match Kobe’s 61-point performance of two nights ago, as he has 20 first-quarter points and the Cavs lead by twelve, 36-24.  There’s no doubt that LeBron is locked in on scoring, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he really tries to score 62 tonight.  I don’t think that’s good for the Cavs as a whole, but against the Knicks, on a night like tonight, it probably isn’t the worst thing possible.  A little glimmer of ego and competitiveness wouldn’t kill LeBron.

Second Quarter:

-  LeBron sat for less than three minutes to start the second quarter, getting back into the game earlier than usual despite the fact that the bench bunch was holding it’s own.  He might back off sometime later, but at this moment, consider the quest for 62 officially on.

-  This is what we call “overthinking.”  The Cavs have the most dangerous scorer in the league, and instead they’re running a two-man game with Daniel Gibson and Zydrunas Ilguaskas.  If they would keep giving the ball to LeBron, they’d be playing well.  But the rest of the team is sucking it up out there, LeBron isn’t even touching the ball, and a recent run by Al Harrington has the Knicks back to within one, 43-42.  The Cavaliers were dominating the game when LeBron was a one-man show, then the other players got involved and the lead disappeared.  There’s a correlation there.

-  LeBron starts touching the ball again to great success, including a two, a three and a great pass to Ben Wallace for a last-second layup to end the half, and the Cavs lead 57-52 at the break.  I was incredibly frustrated in that second quarter, watching Mike Brown and the coaching staff watch the team jump out to a 15 point lead, then go away from what got them there.  Tonight’s game is easy: give the ball to LeBron and let him to go to work.  There’s nothing tricky about it fellas, stop trying to fix what ain’t broken.

Third Quarter:

-  It’s more of the same in the third quarter, as the Cavalier offense thrives when LeBron has the ball, and sputters when Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson put the ball on the floor.  The Cavalier defense has been unimpressive, and the team has given up 7 offensive rebounds, which in turn has allowed the Knicks to shoot 8 more shots than the Cavaliers through the first three quarters.  The Cavs are still in control of this game, but they’ll need to be more aggressive offensively and defensively to avoid running into trouble should the Knicks suddenly get hot from the field.

Fourth Quarter:

-  The Cavs are running the pick and roll with LeBron setting the pick now, the play that was talked about a lot when Mo first signed with the Cavs.  So far it hasn’t worked especially well, as now the Knicks aren’t switching, and the play is ending with LeBron deep on the perimeter with the shot-clock winding down.  Maybe it would be a little more effective if LeBron would execute the “roll” part of the pick and roll.

-  LeBron is currently getting some work on his left leg, hopefully it’s just a cramp.  Fortunately, the Cavs have the next three days off for everyone to get back healthy in time for Sunday’s game against the Lakers.

-  It’s getting tight folks, as two David Lee free throws cut the Cavalier lead to just one point, 100-99 with under two minutes remaining.

-  LeBron with an impossible pass to Z for the layup to stretch the Cavs lead to four points, 104-100.  It’s not a 30-foot three-pointer, and it’s not a dunk, but that play had an astounding degree of difficulty, and LeBron pulled it off to give the Cavs a two-possession lead with less than a minute remaining.

-  Al Harrington, who has been nothing short of brilliant tonight, finally misses a wide-open 3, the Cavaliers corral the rebound, and two LeBron free throws later, the Cavs are ahead 106-100.

-  LeBron with an absurd rebound to end the game, giving him his tenth rebound of the night and a triple-freaking-double to go along with his 52 points.  LeBron added 11 assists and 2 blocks in what was a complete individual performance, even if the overall team effort (and LeBron’s own defensive effort on Harrington) was a bit lacking.  It all adds up to a 107-102 win for the good guys, and a well deserved break as we wait for the Lakers to come to Cleveland on Sunday.

-  Special praise to Wally Szczerbiak, who had a quiet double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and gave LeBron some solid support.

Go Cavs.  Fun win.

Running Thoughts from tonight’s game against the Raptors, as the Cavs go for their 23rd straight win of at home to start the season:

First Quarter:

-  No Sasha Pavlovic, Lorezen Wright, or Joe Tait tonight, as the flu has apparently turned the Cavs’ chartered jet into the wagon from Oregon Trail.  When Darnell Jackson goes down with diphtheria, I’m going to get worried.

-  While certain Cavaliers may be struggling with the flu, the guys are the court are off to a fantastic start.  The Cavs are bombing away from the perimeter, and the Raptors have no interest in defending them out there.

-  This is getting ugly quickly.  At the end of the first quarter, the Cavs lead 37-15, as the Raptors apparently traveled to Cleveland in the aforementioned Oregon Trail wagon.  The Cavs shot 61% from the field and 70% from beyong the arc in the first quarter, while holding the Raptors to just 33%.  After watching the Cavaliers let the Clippers back into the game on Friday, I’m not willing to call this one over quite yet.  But with the way the Raptors have been playing of late, it’s possible to argue that the Clippers are actually better than the Raptors at this point of the season.  

Second Quarter:

-  At least Chris Bosh made the trip, as he starts this game with 10 points on 5-6 shooting.  Maybe he’ll decide just to stay in Cleveland when this one is over.

-  Daniel Gibson with an embarrassingly bad flop on a three-point shot that gets him the foul and three free throws courtesy of Jason Kapono.  I understand that it’s all part of the game, but it always drove me nuts when Allen Iverson would do it, and so I can appreciate Kapono’s consternation at picking up a foul like that.

-  The Cavs went through a little bit of a lull in the second quarter when it became clear that the Raptors weren’t going to fight back.  Then LeBron put on a show to end the half, scoring five straight points on a superhuman and-one play, a ridiculous fall-away jumper, and a fingertip block to end the half when Jose Calderon snuck out to try to steal a final bucket in the last three seconds of the quarter.  LeBron finished the first half with 25 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, and the Cavs head into the half with a 59-40 lead.

Third Quarter:

-  With all due respect Austin Carr, NBA continuation allows the player to complete the move in which they are currently engaged.  LeBron absolutely should have earned an and-one on that play, as it was part of his move towards the basket.  It was a questionable call at best by the official, and certainly not one deserving of praise.  And while we’re at it, I really hope Carr stops desperately searching for catch phrases.

-  I won’t call too many Cavalier games “boring,” but there are few other adjectives to describe this one.  While the Raptors have 15 assists on 20 made baskets, it still looks to me like everyone on the Toronto squad is out for themselves, rather than sacrificing for the good of the team.  The talent level between these two teams isn’t that great, but the Cavs are dominating this game.

-  Color me disappointed that the NBA sold out on the player towels.  While the towels used to be team specific, if a little generic, these Gatorade “G” towels that the Cavs and Raptors are currently using are downright obnoxious.  

-  Well, that was fast.  The Cavs were ahead by 21 with 6:06 left to go in the third quarter, then were outscored 20-7 down the stretch as the Raptors cut the Cavalier lead to eight at the end of three, 74-66.  The Cavaliers scored just 15 points in the quarter, while they allowed the Raptors to score 26 points.  The Cavs had a significant concentration problem in the quarter, and we’ll see if it really comes back to bite them in the fourth.

Fourth Quarter:

-  Give the Raptors credit, they exploited their biggest advantage by leaning on Bosh and O’Neal to do their scoring inside, and it allowed them to put points on the board efficiently, while the Cavs have been taking low-percentage jumpers as they watch their lead trickle away.

-  Jermaine O’Neal was definitely moving on that play that was ruled a charge on LeBron James.  The restricted area has certainly changed the NBA game, but in that case the official was far more worried about O’Neal’s feet than he was about determining if O’Neal was set.  He wasn’t.

-  The Cavaliers, like all great teams, have the ability to stretch a lead quickly.  They can defend brilliantly to keep you from scoring points, then they move the ball, find the open man, and rain shots down upon you.  There aren’t many things more deflating than watching your six-point deficit balloon up to 15 points in four or five possessions.  The Cavaliers can do that, and if you’ll recall the losses to the Lakers and the Magic, they did that exact thing to the Cavaliers to put those games away.  

-  And the Cavs put it together and finish off the Raptors 101-83.  Chalupas for everyone and 23 straight wins for the home team.  I suppose you could argue that this game was closer than that, but I don’t think so.  When the Cavs were focused, they were a solid 20-points better than the Raptors.  Yes, they should have put the Raptors away sooner, but a win is a win, and the Cavs will take it on the front end of a back-to-back.

Go Cavs.

What to watch for tonight when the Cavaliers host the Raptors at The Q:

How will the Cavs handle the perimeter scoring of the Raptors?  Just a few days ago, the Los Angeles Clippers brought their 10-36 record to the Q and stayed in the game through the first half because they made jump shots.  The Cavs made a second-half adjustment and proceeded to blow the Clips out, but there was no reason for that game to be tied at the end of the first half.  The same thing might happen tonight, as the Raptors, while a bad team, have a number of players who can knock down jump shots if you give them some space.  Three-point specialist - and former Cavalier - Jason Kapono is still shooting 42% from beyond the arc, while Jose Calderon is shooting 45% from 3 and 7-foot center Andrea Bargnani looks like Z with his 41% 3-point percentage.  If the Cavalier defense allows these guys to find space, they can keep the Raptors in the game with their shooting.  But if the Cavaliers close out and make the Raptors put the ball on the floor, I don’t think the Raptors can hang with the Cavs at home.

Are the Raptors completely crumbling?  Well, if you read a little into this post from Raptors Republic, you would probably go with “yes.”  The Raptors are one of a growing number of teams that are really struggling cope with a season that started with promise slipping through their fingers.  The Phoenix Suns and the Detroit Pistons also fall into this category, but at least those teams have winning records and the same head coach who started the season.  The Raptors made one major change this offseason, trading often-injured point guard T.J. Ford for often-injured center Jermaine O’Neal.  But instead of challenging for a top-four playoff seed, the Raptors currently have the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference at 19-30.  While injuries to current point guard Jose Calderon and O’Neal have sidetracked the Raptors season, there is really no excuse for the way the team is playing right now, something that cost former head coach Sam Mitchell his job.  I do think that the bad teams are falling apart faster than usual, because making the Playoffs no longer comes with any expectation of winning a Championship unless you are one of the top-five teams in the league. 

What about Chris Bosh?  Memo to all Cavs fans bracing for LeBron’s trip to New York on Wednesday: you are not alone in your plight.  On Sunday, ESPN’s Steven A. Smith reported that Bosh had told Raptors management that he would not re-sign in Toronto when he becomes a free agent in 2010.  Bosh and Raptors GM Brian Colangelo spent yesterday confirming that no such conversation took place.  Of course it didn’t; Bosh is in no hurry to shut out the team that could pay him the most money when he becomes a free agent.  But these rumors stir up the public, and there were more than a few sports talkers yesterday talking about bringing Bosh to Cleveland.  While I would love to see Chris Bosh in a Cavalier uniform, that’s not going to happen any time soon.  But the next time you’re worrying about sports talkers and writers from other cities coveting LeBron James and expecting him to leave, remember that the same thing is happening to other players.  And Cleveland sports talkers are just as guilty as those in New York. 

NBA news, notes and thoughts:

The Cavaliers released Jawad Williams and signed guard Trey Johnson to a 10-day contract.  Johnson was averaging 20 points and 5 assists per game with the Bakersfield Jam of the NBDL.  I love the D-League for its absurd nicknames, terrifying mascots, and ability to find some of the most beautiful small-town girls on the planet for their dance teams.  As for its players…well, don’t expect Trey Johnson to get any more minutes than Jawad Williams was getting (1.1 mpg). 

George Thomas found an interesting “LeBron is going to New York” story in Orlando of all places, and gives the author a thorough lashing in his blog. 

Santonio Holmes “did the LeBron” after he scored the game-winning touchdown in last night’s Super Bowl.  And the Sporting News reports that LeBron told him to do it.  I think we can officially put to rest any notion that LeBron needs to leave Cleveland to become a Global Icon; he’s got Super Bowl-winning football players wanting to be him. 

TrueHoop wants to hear from Cavs fans and how they cope with the constant talk of LeBron’s inevitable trip to New York.  CavsHQ’s response will be here tomorrow, but I full endorse every Cavs fan making their thoughts known to one of the national voices most sympathetic to the plight of the slighted mid-market.

Speaking of LeBron and New York, Kobe Bryant officially raised the bar for LeBron’s performance on Wednesday at MSG by dropping 61 points, setting a Madison Square Garden record.  Tell me Cavs fans, would you really feel any better if, instead of talking about how great LeBron is and how much they want him to come to New York, the New York media spent Wednesday and Thursday talking about how LeBron will never be as good as Kobe?  Personally, slights to LeBron always make me more unhappy - maybe because they come from ignorance.

To all those people complaining about Mo Williams not making the All-Star team, well, he might be headed to Phoenix anyway.  All-Star reserve Jameer Nelson of the Orlando Magic suffered a dislocated shoulder last night, and will be getting an MRI today to judge the severity of the injury.  If Nelson can’t go, NBA Commissioner David Stern will select his replacement, and it is likely that he would select Mo.  The loss of Nelson is a major blow to the Magic, who lost at home to the Dallas Mavericks last night and are engaged with the Cavs and Celtics in that desperate race for the number one seed in the Eastern Conference.

On his radio show yesterday, former Cavalier play-by-play man Michael Reghi ”reported” that he’s hearing ”rumors” from his “contacts” around the NBA that the coaches for the Knicks, the Nets, the Heat and the Raptors(?!?) did not vote for Mo Williams for the All-Star Game, because it was part of their 2010 strategy, convincing LeBron that the Cavaliers have not surrounded him with enough talent.  This falls into the category of PATENTLY RIDICULOUS.  There’s no way that happened, Reghi knows it, and he was just throwing stuff on the airwaves to get a reaction.

With the Wally Szczerbiak expiring contract burning a hole in our pockets, Cavs fans are quick to consider any number of trade possibilities.  Some are interesting, some of them stink, but the most difficult concept in coming up with a trade is making sure it benefits both parties.  For an example of a trade that makes perfect sense for both parties, check out Chris Broussard’s hypo for the Clippers.

Go Cavs.

Running Thoughts for today’s afternoon matchup against the Pistons:

First Quarter:

-  The Pistons have been almost as bad on Sundays as the Detroit Lions were during the NFL season.  The Pistons are just 1-7 on Sunday, with the one win coming against the woeful Clippers.  

-  Mike Brown has LeBron James defending Pistons point guard Rodney Stuckey to start the game.  That will allow Mo Williams to guard Allen Iverson, who is a better matchup size-wise for Mo.  

-  If you’re listening to Mark Jackson’s praise of Allen Iverson, you can tell that he feels completely uncomfortable admitting when a player has lost as step.  While I don’t think that Iverson is the sole cause of the Pistons’ slide this season, it’s patently ridiculous to act like he is really helping his team win right now.  Just keep that in mind next time he’s so sure that Kobe Bryant is still the best player in the world.  The guy relies on reputation more than he relies on a player’s actual performance on the court.

-  Mo Williams with some more complaining to ABC about not making the All-Star team.  Once again, I would love to see Mo Williams on the team, but he doesn’t have the statistics to back it up.  And he’d make a much better argument for being snubbed if he would actually make some shots in these nationally televised games.  He has started this game 0-for-4, and that’s been par for the course in the first half for Mo.

-  Not a pretty first quarter for either team.  The Cavs are short on all of their jump shots, and are shooting just 30% from the field.  The Pistons have not been much better (37%), but they are at home and the longer you let them hang around, the more dangerous they will be.  At the end of one, the Pistons lead 18-16.  

-  I’m not a big Tarence Kinsey fan, but I am disappointed that he sprained his ankle simply because it means Daniel Gibson has to play more minutes.  I would love for Gibson to snap out of his funk, but he’s been nothing short of awful over the last few weeks.  And he picked up two fouls in just two minutes in the first quarter.

Second Quarter:

-  Antonio McDyess with a dirty elbow to the face of Anderson Varejao to start the second quarter that leaves Andy on the deck for a little bit.  He’s getting some stitches and he’ll be back soon.  I’d have an easier time believing that McDyess’s elbow was inadvertant if he hadn’t been flinging his body at everyone in the zip code on that play.  

-  Wally Szczerbiak isolations continue to lead to success.  Mike Brown is using this setup to keep the Cavs within striking distance when LeBron is on the bench, and it has worked over the last three games.  And Szczerbiak continues to shine with a beautiful outlet pass to a leaking Mo Williams, who outruns the Pistons defense to a layup and his sixth point of the second quarter.  

-  We’ve been noting how the Cavs have struggled with LeBron on the bench in the second quarter of late.  Well that changed tonight, as the Cavs turned a 2-point deficit into a 3-point lead while LeBron was catching his rest.

-  LeBron is back to his short-hop three-pointers, something he messes around with at some point each season.  I don’t like the idea of doing a repeated-motion action differently depending on the situation, but it’s almost as if LeBron treats it like a free-throw shot, something he only uses from behind a high screen at the top of the circle.  My problem with the shot is that LeBron shoots it at a shallow arc, and LeBron’s regular jump shot is always at its worst when he’s not putting enough air under the shot.

-  The Cavs offense needs to be put out of its misery after that awful first half performance.  The defense has been excellent, and when you hold a team to 39 first half points, you should be winning the ballgame.  But the Cavs got absolutely no penetration into the lane in the second quarter, and as a result were constantly forced to hoist contested jump shots late in the shot clock.  And now they trail 39-36.

Third Quarter:

-  This one is getting dangerous.  The Cavs still don’t look like they’re locked in, and while they have mounted a few runs, the Pistons are outplaying them so far today.  Ben Wallace’s awful goaltend is just the best example of how the Cavaliers are making too many mental mistakes right now.  The Pistons are on an 7-0 run, and at the timeout the Cavaliers trail 54-49.  

-  LeBron is making his jump shots, and he is keeping the Cavaliers afloat while the rest of the team is standing around and doing nothing.  Someone else needs to create some offense for the Cavaliers, but instead it seems the lackidasical energy from the Pistons and their fans is contagious.

-  Amir Johnson is killing the Cavaliers on the glass, as he has negated at least three good Cavalier defensive possession in the third quarter.  Johnson had seven rebounds in the third quarter, and helped the Pistons stretch the lead to eight, 66-58 at the end of three.

Fourth Quarter:

-  Daniel Gibson explodes for seven points to start the fourth quarter?  Yeah, I don’t believe it either, but he has been the offensive firestarter that the Cavs desperately needed.  Add four points from Mo Williams to follow, and the Cavs erased the eight-point Pistons lead in the first two and a half minutes of the fourth to go ahead 69-68.  LeBron will be coming in after the timeout, and we’re looking at a frantic finish here in Detroit.   *Check that, apparently LeBron will sit until the next break.  I admire Mike Brown for rewarding the guys who led the comeback, but there are limits… *

-  But apparently Mike Brown is a genius, as Rodney Stuckey misses two free throws, Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace miss jumpers, and Mo Williams comes back with two hoops to stretch the Cavalier lead to five, 73-68.  WIth the exception of Z, who is setting up too far from the basket and continues to struggle with his shot, the Cavaliers are making the shots they were missing in the first quarter.  The Cavs have scored 15 points in the first four and a half minutes of the fourth quarter, after managing just 16 points total in the first quarter.

-  Is there something about LeBron being on the floor that physically hurts Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson?  They went from being Supermen to taking turns handing the ball back to the Pistons without getting a shot.  And Gibson is back to getting abused defensively.  Fortunately, LeBron and Z finish what Williams and Gibson started, scoring 8 straight points (on 3 possessions) and stretching the Cavalier lead out to seven, 83-76.  If it seems like I’m being hard on Williams and Gibson, I am.  When the Cavs are struggling to score, one of those two players has to step up and make plays, not just for themselves but also for others.  Too often the offensive performance of Gibson and Williams comes in a vacuum.

-  This one is over, as the Cavs hold the Pistons to just 14 fourth quarter points and the Cavs win this one running away, 90-80.

-  Solid road win for the Cavaliers, miserable home loss for the Pistons.  There is something seriously wrong with the Detroit Pistons, but since they are the only decent competitor for the Cavaliers in the Central Division, I won’t be shedding any tears for their misfortune.  Have a great night, and enjoy the Super Bowl.

Go Cavs.