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Actor Bernsen enjoying ride of derby movie project
Giving Doll ministry hits 5,000 milestone
Region's stocking full of ideas for those on the prowl for holiday gifts
Retired firefighter who broke color barrier among those being honored
High-tech company expands downtown
Ohio sues credit-rating companies
Dominance by Ohio State dulls rivalry
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
Angel Food Ministries helps stretch grocery dollars
Poor machine maintenance blamed for fire at Akron business
Retired firefighter who broke color barrier among those being honored
Blogs:
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Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your Saturday entertainment …
Akron Zips:
Two blowouts, one night
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Singletary update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Indiana Pacers – Here’s to LBJ and Free Throws
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Bowling season starts today
All Da King's Men:
Headed For Disaster
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
With good balance of talent and experience, players express hope that this is the season
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Tuesday, Mar 24, 2009
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.: Those rumblings that Cavaliers coach Mike Brown hears in his gut aren't hunger pangs.
It's a feeling that he has that his team is hungry to win an NBA championship and bring Northeast Ohio its first major title since 1964.
But with 12 games remaining in the regular season, are the Cavs playoff ready?
''We're getting there,'' point guard Mo Williams said. ''It's stages of the season and now it's to a point where we know who we are; we know what we need to do. It's about just getting it done.''
With a mix of young talent that includes Williams, LeBron James, Anderson Varejao, rookies J.J. Hickson and Darnell Jackson and savvy veterans such as Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Ben Wallace and Joe Smith, the right combination of talent and experience might just propel the Cavs toward their ultimate goal: a championship.
''We all feel like this is it. We have aging guys in Z, Ben and Joe that are big-time contributors,'' Williams said. ''We feel like it's our time. They know it. We know it. We're not a two- to three-year team. It's now.''
If the past month or so means anything, they are ready. The Cavs have battled the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic for the top seed in the Eastern Conference and have opened a comfortable cushion in recent weeks.
Going into Monday night's games, the Cavs led the Celtics by 41/2 games and the Magic by 51/2 games.
But that's not the only battle.
The Cavs have the opportunity to clinch homecourt advantage all the way through the NBA Finals. The Cavs are ahead of the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers by 11/2 games.
The Cavs not only have the best record in the league, but they also have the best home record (32-1) and are tied with the Magic for second-best road record, behind the Lakers.
The Cavs are 0-4 on the road against the Celtics, Lakers and Magic, so gaining homecourt advantage remains a priority.
''We've been there before, but it feels like we've been playing the playoffs for an entire month, because every game means everything,'' Ilgauskas said. ''We've been trying to hold onto the Eastern Conference and also to the best record [in the NBA]. You can't allow any slippage.''
Brown has a list of things the Cavs can improve upon before going into the postseason.''We still have time to get better,'' Brown said
Ilgauskas acknowledged that the Cavs aren't perfect.
''Everybody realizes what's at stake here,'' he said. ''We know when it's time to play and time to joke around, but usually when the lights go on, we try to take care of business. This year hasn't always been pretty, but we've been winning games. That's the most important thing.''
Brown might do well to listen to his gut with respect to his team's desire to win everything this year.
''I don't know if you can measure it. I can feel it in my gut. It's not scientific,'' he said. ''The three years I've been here, you can feel if those things [are real]. There's definitely a difference.
''The more that we played, we were excited about getting [in the playoffs] the first year. Then it went to that hunger, I don't want to go home, the competitiveness.''
Awards record
James set a record for mostplayer-of-the-week awards in a season Monday when the NBA gave him the honor for the second time in as many weeks. It is his seventh of the season and the most since the award's inception.
James had three consecutive triple-doubles and averaged 30.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game in leading the Cavs to a 4-0 record.
The award has been given out since the 1979-80 season and was split into conference awards in the 2001-2002 season.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohio.com/thomas.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.: Those rumblings that Cavaliers coach Mike Brown hears in his gut aren't hunger pangs.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Fredricksburg, VA
Posted 09:09 AM, 03/24/2009
Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones, I got a Basketball Jones, for youuuuuu.
Snydertown, OH
Posted 06:21 PM, 03/24/2009
GO CAVS !!!!!! Beat Virginia!!!
da hood (west akron), oh
Posted 07:18 PM, 03/24/2009
The CAVS are done !!!!! If they get out of the first round it will be a miracle....
Posted 08:48 PM, 03/24/2009
HaHaHaHa @
Y-Ru-Nvs
You cant be serious.
The first round???
So your saying Chicago or Milwaukee or even Charlotte is going to beat us in the first round??
The only team at our level is the Lakers, and they might not even make it to the finals.
Walnut Creek, Oh
Posted 09:52 PM, 03/24/2009
Y-ru-nvs--------You probably voted for Obama too. He spoke doom and gloom the first day he was in office....Can't get out of the first round???? I'm speechless as to why you would even think that. Go Cavs.. ALL THE WAY!!!!!!
Akron, OH
Posted 11:48 PM, 03/24/2009
oh boy it always turns political on these stupid things...
akron, OH
Posted 07:36 AM, 03/25/2009
y-ru-nvs....restecpa you dont like the cavs
but bass43player... how do you bring voting for Obama into a post about the cavs? now that makes me speechless.
