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Atlanta gets clipped early in 11-0 run, never leads; LeBron scores 24 points
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Sunday, Nov 23, 2008
CLEVELAND: The Cavaliers bounced back from their disappointing loss in Detroit with a 110-96 win against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
The Hawks, at times looking overmatched, fell victim to a ball that refused to go in the basket. Atlanta never led on the scoreboard.
The Cavs opened the first quarter with an 11-0 run. They stretched the lead to as many as 23 points. And that was just in the first half.
How hot were the Cavs? They shot almost 51 percent from the floor for the game and shot over 91 percent from the line.
The question was whether the Cavs could continue their success in the second half. And they did. Sort of.
The Cavs increased the lead to 27 at 63-36 by midway through the third quarter, and by the end of the quarter, they led 79-58.
How good was the team? LeBron James didn't hit double digits until 2:51 of the third quarter. They didn't need him to, with everyone taking their turn dropping balls into the basket.
The Hawks went on a 21-11 run beginning in the third quarter and carried it over to the fourth.
Acie Law opened the fourth quarter for the Hawks with a jump shot, drew the foul and hit the free throw, for a three-point play. After rookie J.J. Hickson missed a shot, the Hawks' Maurice Evans nailed a 3-pointer. That cut the lead to 85-69.
''Those are NBA players there, and they're just going to keep playing hard,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said of the Hawks' comeback. ''They found their rhythm a little bit. There was plenty of time left in the game.
''They scored a few points, and the next thing you know, they, as a team, gained some confidence. They hit some shots and made some plays.''
The Hawks crept to within 11 points of the Cavs at 6:39 in the fourth. But unlike the Cavs' recent performance in Detroit, the team doggedly tried to answer each threat.
James gathered his troops and marched them closer to victory. Saving his best for last, James began the final quarter with just 13 points, but then added 11 more. But that wasn't all he did to help secure the win.
On two separate occasions, he found teammates open for 3-point shots. On the first, he found Mo Williams on the left wing for a shot that rattled in. In the second, he found his running mate, Delonte West, on the right wing for another wide-open basket that put the Cavs ahead 102-86 with 3:04 left in the game.
James finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
West scored 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He hit 2-of-6 3-point shots and added five assists in the victory, but he also proved invaluable on defense by holding the Hawks' Joe Johnson to four points.
Brown couldn't say enough about West.
''Offensively, he hit shots. Delonte has done a nice job of playing within the framework of what we're trying to do offensively,'' Brown said.
The coach pointed out that West doesn't force the issue, he just makes the ''right'' play.
Williams added 23 points and four assists, and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 17.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/.
CLEVELAND: The Cavaliers bounced back from their disappointing loss in Detroit with a 110-96 win against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 08:06 AM, 11/23/2008
this is all with boobie in a slump...wow
Another sub 40 minute game for lebron. yea the hawks cut the lead down but never got closer than 11 points, which is fine with me. LOL@ anyone who was fine with letting delonte west go. Maybe Boobie and Delonte should switch contracts...lol j/k Mo williams with another efficient game and over 20 points... This team is only going to get better and this is all before trading Wally's 13 mil.
Go Cavs!!
Go Cavs
