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Do IT this week: Layering
LeBron, Ilgauskas, Cavaliers all set marks in victory over Raptors
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 11:38 p.m. EST, Dec 09, 2008
CLEVELAND: At least someone tried to rewrite the script on the Cavaliers for a change.
The Toronto Raptors (8-12) arrived at Quicken Loans Arena Tuesday night and tried to spoil the night.
With Zydrunas Ilgauskas and LeBron James looking to further secure their legacies and the Cavs having a shot at breaking a league record, the Raptors wanted to play spoiler.
Ilgauskas looked to best Brad Daugherty's team rebound record, and James was after Mark Price's mark for steals. And the team? The record for consecutive wins by more than 12 points.
The Raptors had little interest in being made the answer to a sports trivia question, because they scratched and clawed as much as they could to prevent it from happening. So much for that.
The Cavs (18-3) beat the Raptors 114-94, their ninth win in a row. And the records?
James broke Price's faster than a dog going after a steak. It took just 28 seconds before he stole the ball and raced in the opposite direction for a slam dunk for his 735th steal to break Price's mark of 734. Daugherty's record of 5,227 rebounds fell with 2:01 left in the half when Ilgauskas got his fourth of the night. James finished the game with three steals, and Ilgauskas had six rebounds.
Coach Mike Brown praised James and Ilgauskas for their achievements, but James thought it particularly special.
''It means a lot more to me what Z did more than what I did myself,'' James said. ''With everything he went through early in his career, with foot injuries then going from losing season to losing season to losing season, to put his name in the record books is unbelievable for Z. And after he's done, his name and jersey will hang in the rafters in Cleveland.''
It didn't look as if the Cavs would end up winning their ninth consecutive game by 12 points or more.
With a 59-51 halftime lead and the officials calling a tight game, the Cavs came out in the third quarter realizing that the Raptors weren't going to play dead.
''For a little bit there, I thought we got distracted by the referees and it kind of took us away from what our objective was for a little bit there,'' Brown said. ''The exciting thing about it was our group bounced back as a whole. I didn't even have to say anything to them about it.''
Perhaps they collectively flashed back to a loss against the Detroit Pistons, when they led at halftime only to lose a game they should have won.
Not this time. That eight-point lead suddenly ballooned to 18 courtesy of an 18-4 run led by James, who scored from the outside on 3-point shots and off steals that padded his record and led to easy slam dunks. It eventually evolved into one of those nights when James, Ilgauskas and the rest of the team's starters could sit back and watch from the bench.
For much of the first half, the Cavs, led by James' 20 points, played like the dominating team they'd been the past eight games.
They opened an 11-point lead at 7:10 in the first quarter and led 29-19 at the end of the quarter.
The Cavs opened the second quarter with a 16-7 run, building a 17-point advantage. The Raptors, led by guard Jose Calderon's nine points in the quarter, got back in the game. A 15-4 run drew the Raptors within four points with 1:20 left in the half.
That awakened the Cavs' napping offense. James, who led all scorers with 31 points, made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the half. Wally Szczerbiak tossed in 16 points for the Cavs.
Joey Graham led the Raptors with 17 points.
Quick shots
Daniel Gibson left the game with 9:50 remaining in the second quarter with a sprained big toe. He did not return. . . . The Cavs extended their home winning streak to start the season to a record 12 games. . . . They've also won 17-of-18 for the first time in team history.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at: http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs
CLEVELAND: At least someone tried to rewrite the script on the Cavaliers for a change.
The Toronto Raptors (8-12) arrived at Quicken Loans Arena Tuesday night and tried to spoil the night.
With Zydrunas Ilgauskas and LeBron James looking to further secure their legacies and the Cavs having a shot at breaking a league record, the Raptors wanted to play spoiler.
Ilgauskas looked to best Brad Daugherty's team rebound record, and James was after Mark Price's mark for steals. And the team? The record for consecutive wins by more than 12 points.
The Raptors had little interest in being made the answer to a sports trivia question, because they scratched and clawed as much as they could to prevent it from happening. So much for that.
The Cavs (18-3) beat the Raptors 114-94, their ninth win in a row. And the records?
James broke Price's faster than a dog going after a steak. It took just 28 seconds before he stole the ball and raced in the opposite direction for a slam dunk for his 735th steal to break Price's mark of 734. Daugherty's record of 5,227 rebounds fell with 2:01 left in the half when Ilgauskas got his fourth of the night. James finished the game with three steals, and Ilgauskas had six rebounds.
Coach Mike Brown praised James and Ilgauskas for their achievements, but James thought it particularly special.
''It means a lot more to me what Z did more than what I did myself,'' James said. ''With everything he went through early in his career, with foot injuries then going from losing season to losing season to losing season, to put his name in the record books is unbelievable for Z. And after he's done, his name and jersey will hang in the rafters in Cleveland.''
It didn't look as if the Cavs would end up winning their ninth consecutive game by 12 points or more.
With a 59-51 halftime lead and the officials calling a tight game, the Cavs came out in the third quarter realizing that the Raptors weren't going to play dead.
''For a little bit there, I thought we got distracted by the referees and it kind of took us away from what our objective was for a little bit there,'' Brown said. ''The exciting thing about it was our group bounced back as a whole. I didn't even have to say anything to them about it.''
Perhaps they collectively flashed back to a loss against the Detroit Pistons, when they led at halftime only to lose a game they should have won.
Not this time. That eight-point lead suddenly ballooned to 18 courtesy of an 18-4 run led by James, who scored from the outside on 3-point shots and off steals that padded his record and led to easy slam dunks. It eventually evolved into one of those nights when James, Ilgauskas and the rest of the team's starters could sit back and watch from the bench.
For much of the first half, the Cavs, led by James' 20 points, played like the dominating team they'd been the past eight games.
They opened an 11-point lead at 7:10 in the first quarter and led 29-19 at the end of the quarter.
The Cavs opened the second quarter with a 16-7 run, building a 17-point advantage. The Raptors, led by guard Jose Calderon's nine points in the quarter, got back in the game. A 15-4 run drew the Raptors within four points with 1:20 left in the half.
That awakened the Cavs' napping offense. James, who led all scorers with 31 points, made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the half. Wally Szczerbiak tossed in 16 points for the Cavs.
Joey Graham led the Raptors with 17 points.
Quick shots
Daniel Gibson left the game with 9:50 remaining in the second quarter with a sprained big toe. He did not return. . . . The Cavs extended their home winning streak to start the season to a record 12 games. . . . They've also won 17-of-18 for the first time in team history.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at: http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs
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