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Cavaliers hold turnovers to just nine, control lane. LeBron in midseason form
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Saturday, Oct 25, 2008
COLUMBUS: The Cavaliers wrapped up the preseason with a 107-80 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday at the Schottenstein Center.
Overall, the results were mixed, with the season set to begin Tuesday.
LeBron James looked to be in midseason form, shooting 9-of-14 on his way to 26 points.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 12 points and grabbed six rebounds in limited duty.
Mo Williams' game looked good in one respect: He found his shot. But he didn't get his first assist until well into the second half, when he found James just outside the arc for a 3-point hoop.
And if coach Mike Brown was looking to light a fire under his team with respect to two key areas, it looks as if he accomplished the mission. The Cavs held their turnovers to just nine, when they'd been averaging double digits in that area, and they controlled the lane.
''One of the things we talked about before the game was turnovers,'' he said. ''[Washington] is a skilled team; they're very good in the passing lanes, so we talked about taking care of the basketball and not having a lot of turnovers. I asked the guys if they could keep it below 13 turnovers.''
Brown mentioned that whatever inside points the Wizards got, they earned as the Cavs protected the lane, outscoring the Wizards 46-26.
The Cavaliers took over the game after outscoring the Wizards 32-14 in the second quarter. From there, they would only pad the lead, as they came out from the break and outscored the Wizards 27-20 in the third.
''We've gotten our behinds kicked, not only this year, but in past years,'' Brown said. ''The guys took it upon themselves to get it done.''
Wally out
Brown all but eliminated
Wally Szczerbiak from contention for the starting shooting guard spot Friday. That leaves Sasha Pavlovic and Delonte West.
Brown said that he thought Szczerbiak would be more effective coming off the Cavs' bench.
Guessing game
Brown said he won't lose a lot of sleep over who starts in the season opener against the champion Boston Celtics on Tuesday at the TD Banknorth Garden.
''It's not a big deal who starts. It might be a big deal media-wise. It's a bigger deal who ends the game,'' he said.
James likes Bucks
James will attend tonight's big game between Ohio State and Penn State at Ohio Stadium. This morning he will make an appearance on ESPN's College GameDay. He wasn't prepared to give away all of the teams he will choose during the final segment, when he, Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso make their picks for the games today, but he did offer one. When asked whether the Buckeyes would win, he said succinctly: ''Of course.''
Quick shots
Delonte West left Friday's game with 1:40 remaining in the third quarter with a sprained left ankle. He could have returned to the game if necessary. . . . A member of the Cavaliers' Scream Team had to be taken off the court on a stretcher after flipping, hitting the side of his head and landing on the court, losing conscious and suffering a facial laceration. He was able to move his extremities. Officials transported him to a local hospital. The accident delayed the game for 11 minutes. . . . Rookie J.J. Hickson didn't play until the game was well out of hand. Brown said the first-round draft pick was benched after missing the team bus. If the game had been closer, he said, Hickson would have sat the entire game.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at: http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs /ep
COLUMBUS: The Cavaliers wrapped up the preseason with a 107-80 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday at the Schottenstein Center.
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