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Cleveland team averages 105 points per game vs. 94 from opponents
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Monday, Nov 24, 2008
INDEPENDENCE: Don't look now, but the Cavaliers are suddenly invincible on their home court.
Their 7-0 record represents the third-best home start in team history (the Cavs started 9-0 in the 1991-92 and 1976-77 seasons) and leaves Cleveland as one of three teams, along with Utah and Portland, to accomplish that feat in the opening campaign.
For those home stops, they average 105 points per game while holding opponents to 94 points. That's called dominance.
''You always want teams to fear when they come into your building,'' Cavaliers star LeBron James said. ''It's never an easy game when they come into your building, and it should be that way all the time. We want to continue to protect home court.''
Cavs coach Mike Brown agrees that it's important to play better at home. In his usual pragmatic way, though, he doesn't place more emphasis on those games.
''There are some people who believe that you really have to have a great home record,'' he said. ''There are some people who emphasize that more than your road record. I just look at [it] as our next game. I don't care if we're in Boston, in L.A. or in Minnesota. If you happen to be playing at home, let's go play the right way and get us a win.''
The right answer
One of the big questions to be answered in Saturday's win over the Atlanta Hawks: How would the Cavs respond after allowing a game to slip away against the Detroit Pistons?
It remained a question into the fourth quarter. After the Cavs led by as many as 28 points, the Hawks pulled to within 11 with 6:39 left in the game, plenty of time to do some damage.
The team, behind James' passing and scoring and with help from Delonte West and Mo Williams, eventually pulled away. Ultimately, the performance pleased Brown, who said it was borne of something else.
''I'm impressed with my team because they've done a nice job of getting into good habits,'' he said. ''We've had some pretty good practices, we've had some pretty good shootarounds and we've had good times in the gym when it's just been us. That's something as a team we have to continue to try to do, to develop good habits.''
Brown on Carlesimo
Oklahoma City Thunder head coach — make that former head coach — P.J. Carlesimo got the hook after his team lost its 10th consecutive game.
Brown was asked whether losing a job is something a coach worries about.
''It's not necessarily a chill. You feel bad, especially for a guy like P.J., especially the older guys,'' Brown said. ''[But] you understand that . . . you get hired, you get fired. To be Jerry Sloan, to be Gregg Popovich, to be Phil Jackson, to be Pat Riley, is very hard to do.''
In the end, he said, a coach can only know that he's done his best and the chips will fall where they may.
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/.
INDEPENDENCE: Don't look now, but the Cavaliers are suddenly invincible on their home court.
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