In a tougher-than-expected game against the team with the worst record in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers struggled for three quarters before pulling away from the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night, 99-89.
The game nearly erupted in the fourth quarter with 3:48 left and the Cavs up 11. Cavs guard Jamario Moon went up for a breakaway basket, only to be pulled down by the face and neck by Nets point guard Devin Harris.
Harris was called for a flagrant foul and ejected from the game, but not before a scrum nearly erupted on the court.
And who was there to police the players? Only the biggest guy on the court – Shaquille O’Neal.
“It was a hard foul,” O’Neal said. “I just wanted to make sure nobody got into a squabble. A grab here, grab there, everywhere a grab-grab.”
After the game, both Harris and Moon expressed that the play looked worse than it really was.
“I don’t think it was intentional,” Moon said. “He went for the ball and just missed it, I guess. I have no hard feelings.”
Friday, December 18, 2009 at 12:21 pm by bryan
Cavaliers center Shaquille O’Neal opened his ever-active mouth on Thursday, saying that he believes teammate LeBron James could become a coach in the NBA… and that he’s ready to be a coach right now.
“His basketball IQ is phenomenal,” O’Neal said of James. “He could coach in the NBA right now.”
Count Shaq as one who’s been impressed by LeBron’s considerable basketball knowledge. Shaq said that he was amazed at LeBron’s understanding of defensive principles, the responsibilities of himself and his teammates on the court, and how to best facilitate easy shots for his teammates.
“I’ve never thought about coaching before,” James said. “I just know the game and have always been a student of the game.”
One thing Shaq hasn’t flat come out and said yet – who’s better between ‘Bron and Shaq’s former teammate, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant.
But Shaq has told confidantes that LeBron is the smartest player that he’s ever played with in his 18-year NBA career.
Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 10:22 pm by bryan
A day after the Suns’ alarming 20+ point blowout at the hands of the New York Knicks, they found themselves down more than 20 again… this time, by the second quarter.
The Cleveland Cavaliers showed no mercy on Wednesday night, as they opened a 57-29 halftime lead on Phoenix in a 107-90 over the Suns, who entered the week with the NBA’s best record at 14-3.
Cavs’ center Zydrunas Ilgauskas set the record for most games ever played in a Cavs uniform when he checked into the game with 3:50 left in the first quarter, to a thundering roar of “ZZZZZZ” from the crowd.
“That’s the closest I’ve ever come to tears on the basketball floor,” Ilgauskas said.
Ilgauskas has been forced to assume a bench role this season with the Cavs’ import of Shaquille O’Neal into their starting lineup. While the team looked shaky with an 0-2 start, the Cavs have since been in cruise control, on their way to a 13-3 record over their next 16 games.
“They don’t look bad at all. A lot of folks talk about how bad they look with Shaq. I disagree,” Suns forward Amare Stoudemire said. “I think they look fairly good. Shaq played decent out there. He created some havoc defensively, got some baskets deep in the paint and rebounded well. Shaq’s not looking horrible, I’ll tell you that. He’s looking pretty good and the Cavs are looking solid as well.”
LeBron James scored only 12 points (but added eight rebounds and 10 assists), as he was happy to defer to his teammates for the night. And his teammates responded accordingly, with Z knocking down a team-high 14 points, leading seven Cavs in double figures.
Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 11:01 pm by bryan
After officially putting his name for this year’s dunk contest during last year’s event, LeBron James might be doing an about face, as he’s now only 50/50 to participate in the dunk contest this season.
“I’m like 50-50 right now,” he said Wednesday night. “I don’t know if you can get it back to the 80s and like in ‘98 when Vince [Carter] was in it. It was more about the dunks and less about what was going on around the dunks. We’ll see what happens.”
Last year, 5-foot-9 Nate Robinson won the dunk contest for the second time in his career, after vaulting over 6-foot-11 Dwight Howard for his dunk in the finals. Howard, donning his usual Superman cape, won the contest the year before after throwing down a Superman slam from the free throw line.
So why has LeBron possibly changed his mind?
“I was excited,” he said. “When I said it I was very excited about doing it. I was there at the event and you get caught up in it a little bit.”
at 10:41 pm by bryan
