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Region makes way for latest batch of snow; cancellations rise
Energy upgrades for Summit, Stark
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Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
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The Heldenfiles:
NBC Releases Olympics Announcer List
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Zips favored on road against MAC West leader
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Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Five local gridders to play in Big33
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Law, Love and Chocolate
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
OFCCP Report
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
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.
