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Turnovers, poor shooting result in loss to Hornets
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Sunday, Dec 30, 2007
NEW ORLEANS: In case their big win in Dallas on Thursday night puffed their chests a tad, the Cavaliers got a reminder Saturday that they are still a work in progress.
Playing the confident and pretty talented New Orleans Hornets refreshed some of the demons the Cavs have been battling for much of the season.
So both the better team on this night and so far this season won, the Hornets taking it 86-76, snipping the Cavs' two-game win streak.
The Hornets (20-10) extended their winning streak to six games by showing more energy and a much higher execution level than the Cavs, who were off Friday while the Hornets played in Charlotte. Yet the Hornets seemed to have much more spring in their steps.
The Cavs (14-17) played a sloppy and slow game and committed one of their original sins. After battling through poor shooting and general ineffective offense in
the first half to hit the locker room behind by just four points, they emerged appearing sedated.
This has been an ongoing problem since last season, one with little explanation other than general lack of focus. The Hornets opened the second half Saturday with a 12-0 run, blitzing the flat-footed Cavs with their quality mix of talented ballhanders and skilled big men.
''We came out flat but they had something to do with it,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ''I wonder why we are flat coming out in the third quarters. That is something that in the past and tonight has hurt us.''
By the time the Cavs made a basket in the third quarter they were behind by 16 points and starting to accept the thought of another road loss, their eighth in the past nine tries. Sometimes it was downright laughable. Twice Brown called timeouts to stop the run and both times the Cavs emerged from the huddle and turned the ball over.
The Cavs' defense, which has been pretty stout in the past week, wasn't really the culprit in the loss. It handled the slick and quick Chris Paul reasonably well. He had 20 points but was just 6-of-18 from the floor. Paul also had nine assists, but that's actually below his average.
The real issue was turnovers and poor offense which allowed the Hornets to get going before the Cavs could set up defensively. The Hornets thrived off the Cavs' mistakes, scoring 19 points off turnovers, and in transition, scoring 15 fastbreak points.
That was where Paul hurt the Cavs the most. He tied his career high by collecting seven steals. Neither Larry Hughes or Daniel Gibson ever looked comfortable as they were hassled by Paul, the NBA steals leader, from the time they crossed half court.
David West showed his versatility, scoring inside and out, for 27 points and had 15 rebounds. Tyson Chandler added 11 points and 12 rebounds.
LeBron James contributed to the Cavs' offensive problems with an off night. He got some points, 21 of them, but overall played much more passively than usual, which was strange considering quite often a slower and much less physical Peja Stojakovic was assigned to defend him.
James seemed to invite double teams when he came around pick-and-rolls, which often left him scrambling to get rid of the ball under pressure and slowing down the Cavs' offense. James threw a glut of bad passes, getting the Hornets heading the other way.
''They did a good job of doubling me as soon as I caught the ball,'' James said. ''They had me on the ropes at times. It is going to happen every single game, I get doubled every time I touch the ball. I'm probably the only person in the NBA that happens to.''
It can't all be put at James' feet, of course. Larry Hughes turned the ball over four times and shot 1-of-9. Overall, the Cavs had a terrible shooting night, making 39 percent overall, also a problem seen before and likely to be seen again.
''On the road against a very good team we can't afford to be sloppy with the basketball,'' Brown said. ''It makes it hard to win.''
Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/.
NEW ORLEANS: In case their big win in Dallas on Thursday night puffed their chests a tad, the Cavaliers got a reminder Saturday that they are still a work in progress.
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