Running Thoughts….

First Quarter:

-  I don’t want to say that LeBron isn’t taking the Timberwolves seriously, but the King went so far as to do the Damon Jones “Three on a Platter” move after draining a particularly long three-pointer late in the shot clock.  And this was after a lot of dancing when he picked up an And One a few plays earlier.  The Cavs feel good tonight at the start.

-  We’ve seen some very good stretches from Anderson Varejao as the starter, and we’ve seen periods where the extra minutes seemed to sap some of his energy.  He’s thriving right now, and if this continues through the Playoffs, the Cavs might be unstoppable. 

-  And it’s not unreasonable to wonder if Andy would be at his best if the Cavs moved Ben Wallace in the offseason and made Andy the starting power forward.

-  Raise your hand if you knew that Kevin Ollie was starting at the point guard spot for Minnesota.  Hard to believe at one point this team had the best record in the NBA in 2009…at least through most of January.  

-  I know that LeBron just hit an underhand 50-footer for 60 minutes, but that one-legged heave from 30 feet with 20 seconds on the shot clock was probably unnecessary.  But he drives for the layup on the next play, and he finishes the quarter with 18 points, matching the Timberwolves as the Cavs lead by nine, 27-18.  

Second Quarter:

-  When Delonte West was on the Jim Rome show today, he said something about being confident in the whole team one through twelve, and that he felt they could put anyone in the game and still be competitive.  I believe that the Cavs bench has fewer useless players on it than ever in the LeBron James era (yes, we’re talking about you Damon Jones), but tonight is the first time in a while that the reserves have been able to extend the lead with LeBron on the bench.  

-  LeBron follows his 18 point first quarter with a 0 point second quarter.  I’m just sayin’.

-  But even without more James heroics, the Cavs will head back into the locker room 56-39.  It’s a good night for an easy win.

Third Quarter:

-  LeBron took a hit that will remind him why he’s much better off playing in the NBA than the NFL.  That collision looked brutal, even for a behemoth the size of LeBron.

-  Fortunately, it appears that the young man is no worse for wear, as on the very next play he drives home a two-handed alley-oop slam.  LeBron takes so much abuse (and gives out his fair share as well), but to this point he has always gotten right back up and gone back to work.  In the end, his durability could be the thing that really elevates him to “greatest ever” status.

-  This should definitely be a “three quarter” home win for the Cavaliers - one of those games they finish off wiith a quarter to go, letting the starters rest and the reserves get some burn.

-  The push-pass LeBron made between two defenders ahead to Delonte West on the fast break might have been his prettiest play of the night.  

-  Dan Gilbert is sitting with Fred McLeod and Austin Carr tonight.   He has not challenged AC to a fight.  Yet.

-  We’re going to call that last play one of the worst 12.8 seconds of the season.  Call a timeout, draw up a play.  LeBron overdribbles and loses the ball, Minnesota gets a fast break layup and two extra points they never should have gotten.  At the end of three, what should be a 20 point lead is just 15, 79-64.  

Fourth Quarter:

-  If the reserves can’t hold a 15 point lead against the Timberwolves, Mike Brown should consider taking the loss as a teaching tool.  The bench has stunk lately, but the starters and the wins have been covering it up.  I’m getting a little tired of watching some of these guys celebrating the wins, despite failing to execute throughout their actual court time.

-  Mo Williams with some sort of hand problem, might have jammed a finger, might have dislocated one.  He’s headed for the locker room for a good look at it.  It’s the right hand, which would be a major problem if the injury is anything serious.  UPDATE: Mild sprain on the little finger on Mo’s right hand.

-  Daniel Gibson gives Sebastian Telfair two straight And One plays that should get his butt nailed to the bench for a week.  Then Darnell Jackson does the same to Brian Cardinal.

-  And that means, yes, LeBron and Andy are coming back into the game.  What a joke.  I don’t know what Mike Brown has to do to get these bench players to straighten up, but he should have done it a month ago.  

-  Z back into the game, and he hits a three-pointer that was a long time coming.  Z has not had the range on that corner three of late, but he hit that one.

-  Cha-loooooo-pa!  Daniel Gibson redeems himself a little bit, knocking down three three-pointers in about three minutes, and the rest of the starters have restored order.  With 3:33 left in this one, the lead is again back out to 22, as the Cavs lead 101-79.  And LeBron can head back to the bench.  

-  ESPN.com NBA writer and Cal State Fullerton grad Marc Stein’s favorite player Bobby Brown (not that one) has entered the game.

-  Are we sure that Darnell Jackson won’t be a better player than Ben Wallace as early as next season?

-  Are we sure that J.J. Hickson will still be a Cavalier next season?

-  And that’s the game.  Cavs win 107-85.  Still too early to talk about 40-1…but not by much.

Go Cavs.

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