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No City of Akron basketball tonight
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Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
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Blogmail response on Hafner
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Stallworth's contract terminated
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QB in Browns future: another mock draft
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KSU Notes – February 9
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NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
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Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
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Garfield at Buchtel basketball
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Republican Pre-Conditions
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Law, Love and Chocolate
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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
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OFCCP Report
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 07:08 p.m. EDT, Mar 29, 2009
CLEVELAND: Rest is the last thing on the Cavaliers' minds.
With nine games left in the season, the Cavs have the league's best record at 60-13. They are pushing for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, an edge that many observers believe the team needs to win its first NBA title.
While it would be nice to sit out an occasional fourth quarter, Cavaliers forward LeBron James says he can't.
''We're fighting for a No. 1 seed and trying to continue to get better,'' he said. ''You got to be careful with trying to get rest and things when you're playing so well. You take someone out of the lineup when everything is going well — you may do it for one game or two games — it can mess up the whole thing.''
Coach Mike Brown agreed.
''I have not thought about resting LeBron,'' he said. ''If I can, I'd like his minutes to be around that 36-38 minute mark the rest of the time out until I know we have everything secure, if that happens.''
There are practical reasons, Brown said.
''I feel like I need to be comfortable with the rotation to a certain degree, the players do, too, to a certain degree,'' he said. ''Also, you're trying to hold on to that No. 1 so there are some dynamics that may warrant us to play this thing out.''
Leaving milestones
The Cavs continue to rewrite the team's record book. The latest milestone: The 12-game winning streak.
''It's very tough,'' James said. ''You have to be mentally prepared to go out there every night and approach every game like it's its own. You have to challenge yourself to continue to go out there and dominate, no matter if it's close games or blowouts.''
Forward Joe Smith said the streak shows what the team is like.
''We have played some tough teams and have had some tough games,'' he said. ''And we have been able to pull them out. That just shows how good this team is and what we are capable of doing.''
Another hard foul
After colliding with referee Derek Richardson, James found himself out of breath and writhing on the floor during Sunday's game against the Dallas Mavericks. It was the second time in recent days that happened. He absorbed a hit Friday from the Minnesota Timberwolves' Jason Collins on a play James and his coach didn't appreciate, because Collins wasn't moving to the ball.
''I think it [Sunday's hit] was a football play because LeBron was on the ground; he was rolling round and round and the next thing he said was the tight end has to go down and out, the offensive tackle has to roll out and pass protect and the free safety may come here and boom the linebacker came out of nowhere and hit me and I went down,'' Brown said.
''I didn't see it, but I got the play-by-play when he was coming out of his woozy state.''
James joked about it afterward: ''It's a flagrant foul-2; they should have kicked him out.''
Playing the fan
James traveled to Columbus after Saturday's practice to watch his alma mater St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, take on Dayton Thurgood Marshall in the Division II basketball championship game. Needless to say, he was happy as the Irish won 59-53.
''St. V is where I played. It's the high school I went to, I still look out for,'' he said. ''Once you go there, you're always part of that tradition. I think everybody there wearing green and gold was proud of what happened.''
Was it easier for him to win a state championship or cheer for a team in one?
''One thing you can do is control what's happening when you're playing. You can't control it when you're rooting for it,'' he said.
Quick shots
The Cavs held the Mavericks to a season-low 74 points. . . . They also scored their 25th win against a Western Conference team, the first time in team history that happened. . . . Mike Brown, 39, became the fourth youngest coach to have a 60-win season.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohio.com/thomas.
CLEVELAND: Rest is the last thing on the Cavaliers' minds.
With nine games left in the season, the Cavs have the league's best record at 60-13. They are pushing for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, an edge that many observers believe the team needs to win its first NBA title.
While it would be nice to sit out an occasional fourth quarter, Cavaliers forward LeBron James says he can't.
''We're fighting for a No. 1 seed and trying to continue to get better,'' he said. ''You got to be careful with trying to get rest and things when you're playing so well. You take someone out of the lineup when everything is going well — you may do it for one game or two games — it can mess up the whole thing.''
Coach Mike Brown agreed.
''I have not thought about resting LeBron,'' he said. ''If I can, I'd like his minutes to be around that 36-38 minute mark the rest of the time out until I know we have everything secure, if that happens.''
There are practical reasons, Brown said.
''I feel like I need to be comfortable with the rotation to a certain degree, the players do, too, to a certain degree,'' he said. ''Also, you're trying to hold on to that No. 1 so there are some dynamics that may warrant us to play this thing out.''
Leaving milestones
The Cavs continue to rewrite the team's record book. The latest milestone: The 12-game winning streak.
''It's very tough,'' James said. ''You have to be mentally prepared to go out there every night and approach every game like it's its own. You have to challenge yourself to continue to go out there and dominate, no matter if it's close games or blowouts.''
Forward Joe Smith said the streak shows what the team is like.
''We have played some tough teams and have had some tough games,'' he said. ''And we have been able to pull them out. That just shows how good this team is and what we are capable of doing.''
Another hard foul
After colliding with referee Derek Richardson, James found himself out of breath and writhing on the floor during Sunday's game against the Dallas Mavericks. It was the second time in recent days that happened. He absorbed a hit Friday from the Minnesota Timberwolves' Jason Collins on a play James and his coach didn't appreciate, because Collins wasn't moving to the ball.
''I think it [Sunday's hit] was a football play because LeBron was on the ground; he was rolling round and round and the next thing he said was the tight end has to go down and out, the offensive tackle has to roll out and pass protect and the free safety may come here and boom the linebacker came out of nowhere and hit me and I went down,'' Brown said.
''I didn't see it, but I got the play-by-play when he was coming out of his woozy state.''
James joked about it afterward: ''It's a flagrant foul-2; they should have kicked him out.''
Playing the fan
James traveled to Columbus after Saturday's practice to watch his alma mater St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, take on Dayton Thurgood Marshall in the Division II basketball championship game. Needless to say, he was happy as the Irish won 59-53.
''St. V is where I played. It's the high school I went to, I still look out for,'' he said. ''Once you go there, you're always part of that tradition. I think everybody there wearing green and gold was proud of what happened.''
Was it easier for him to win a state championship or cheer for a team in one?
''One thing you can do is control what's happening when you're playing. You can't control it when you're rooting for it,'' he said.
Quick shots
The Cavs held the Mavericks to a season-low 74 points. . . . They also scored their 25th win against a Western Conference team, the first time in team history that happened. . . . Mike Brown, 39, became the fourth youngest coach to have a 60-win season.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohio.com/thomas.
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