Gameblog: Cavs vs. New Jersey Nets

Post-mortem:  Cavs 99, Nets 89
The good:  There ain't a whole lot of good to take from this one, but let's go with the combined play of centers Shaquille O'Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.   It probably worked just the way coach Mike Brown drew it up (facetiousness) - Shaq inside and Z from the outside. 
LeBron James took over the game in the third quarter at one point scoring seven consecutive points to give the Cavs a healthy cushion.  Statistically they dominated the game shooting 58 percent, grabbing 41 rebounds to the Nets 36 and putting up 58 of their points in the paint.  But they lacked focus and energy.  Once again: they play to the level of their competition.
The bad:  Delonte West went back to the inactive list after looking as if he were back in the flow with respect to his teammates.   At times it's easy to wish the team would cut times to him, but anyone who's been paying attention knows what he is capable of when he's right.
The ugly:  It was unintentional, with LeBron James even offering him support, but Devin Harris' foul on Jamario Moon looked beyond ugly.  Thankfully Moon wasn't hurt in the process.  Harris received an ejection from the game.
Game: Cavs vs. New Jersey Nets Broadcast:
TV: FSOhio Radio:  WAKR (1590 AM); WTAM (1100 AM), WHBC (1480 AM).
Starters: Cavs:  LeBron James (F); J.J. Hickson (F); Shaquille O'Neal (C); Anthony Parker (G); Mo Williams (G).  Nets: Josh Hassell (F); Josh Boone (F); Brooke Lopez (C); Courtney Lee (G); Devin Harris (G).
Injured:
Cavs:  Daniel Gibson (right pinky sprain) - GAME TIME DECISION; Leon Powe (knee surgery) - OUT
Nets:  Tony Battie (sore right hip flexor) - QUESTIONABLE;  Chris Douglas-Roberts (left knee sprain); Kenyon Dooling (sore hip flexors); Jarvis Hayes (strained left hamstring), Yi Jianlian (upper lip laceration) are all OUT.
Officials:  Bennett Salvatore, TBD

• The Nets are losers of three straight and own a 3-22 record with the latest loss coming at the talons of the Atlanta Hawks.  It would be embarrassing for the Cavs to lose this game, but this year they tend to play to the level of their competition.  They are just 1-5 against sub .500 teams this season. 
• The Nets still have a couple of weapons; in fact, their starting five is pretty solid with center Brook Lopez leading the way with 19.5 points, 9.3 rebounds per game.  Point guard Devin Harris averages 16.5 points per game and Chris Douglas-Roberts averages 16 points per game when healthy.  But if beng honest this is a team that's been decimated by injuries early on and still.  They're not as bad as their record indicates.