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Do IT this week: Layering
Rookies get to play as starters enjoy some rest
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Friday, Dec 05, 2008
INDEPENDENCE: Let's face it. The Cavaliers look downright boring. How dare they beat the New York Knicks by 36 points Wednesday night. How dare they thump teams by an average of 12.33 points per game.
If they keep doing that, they might actually do something crazy . . . like make a run at an NBA championship.
So, is winning games by these margins a bad thing for the Cavs?
''I don't look at it like that,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ''I look at it as we have to go do our job, and if we're up big by the end of the first half or if we're getting our behinds kicked at the end of the first half, we just go to take the next play and keep trying to be better.''
Against the Knicks, no starter played more than 29 minutes. and that includes LeBron James. Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who logged a little more than 23 minutes, could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of what the Cavaliers are doing. Even he realizes, however, that expecting the Cavs to continue on their frantic pace is akin to taking a visit to the Land of Oz; it's one humongous fantasy.
''Obviously, we expect to win every game, but not by the margins we do so far,'' he said. ''We don't expect to go like this the whole season. There are going to be a lot of tough games, and games that go down to the last second and last shots.''
But winning like this definitely has more of an upside than down, especially for a wily old veteran such as himself.
''Right now, it's good,'' he said. ''We're getting some rest. We don't have to run our guys 35 or 40 minutes a night, so early in the season. We'll take it.''
And so will Brown, who said that not only does it allow him to rest his starters, but it
gives him a chance to look at younger players such as J.J. Hickson and Darnell Jackson. But he, too, is aware of potential dangers.
''Maybe it can give you, at times, a false sense of security, if you're not aware of that,'' he said. ''But I think our group is pretty aware. And they're plenty in tune to what's going on. I don't look at it as a bad thing or negative thing.''
Wild night
At the game tonight, Cavs fans will receive wigs that match forward Anderson Varejao's unusual hairdo.
Varejao's mop top is one of the league's unique looks. He's looking forward to the display, but the first time the Cavs did it, the response surprised him.
''As soon as I got to the arena, everybody had a wig on — like the security guys, everybody,'' he said. ''And I was like 'Whoa, that thing's serious.' So I felt like I was looking in the mirror every time, but now I'm kind of used to it.''
Approach with caution
Despite the Indiana Pacers' 7-11 record and the fact that the Cavs have beaten them the past eight times they've played at Quicken Loans Arena, don't look for the Cavs to take the Pacers lightly tonight.
The Pacers came close to beating the Cavs in November, losing 111-107.
''That team just plays hard. They play hard for 48 minutes,'' Brown said. ''That's the personality of [their coach] Jim O'Brien. They have some pretty good players, but they're young.
''When you give effort like that for 48 minutes, even teams that you think should beat them handily, it's not going to be an easy game.''
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/.
INDEPENDENCE: Let's face it. The Cavaliers look downright boring. How dare they beat the New York Knicks by 36 points Wednesday night. How dare they thump teams by an average of 12.33 points per game.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Akron, OH
Posted 04:53 AM, 12/05/2008
Mike Brown, this is your make-or-break season. You have the best player in the league on your roster, as well as the closest things he's had to a composite "Scottie Pippen" since he's been in the league. You have one of the best records in the NBA about a quarter of the way in.
Resting Z's knees and feet, and LeBron, is a valuable situation.
Don't blow it Mike. Anything less than the Championship is a letdown.
Posted 09:50 AM, 12/05/2008
It totally figures...a good buddy of mine has floor seats for tonight's game. This, everyone, is what we call "Nichols Luck."
Barberton, OH
Posted 12:08 PM, 12/05/2008
Since I take a more logical approach to being a Cleveland sports fan, I have say that I would not be dissapointed if we didn't win a championship. If we give it our all and we make it back to the eastern conference finals or NBA Finals? That's a good year in my eyes. The playoff games are very very exciting. You just have to take success as it comes to this city and simply roll with it and enjoy it. The only truly dissapointing thing would be to see us collapse and miss the playoffs. That would bad.
Akron, OH
Posted 01:38 PM, 12/05/2008
Ed,
Being logical implies being truthful. Honestly, we have enough talent, and have already displayed enough talent, to win the championship. Thus, anything less is a disappointment.
The only time I was satisfied with less than first was when I knew in my heart and mind the best we could get was third, and that's what we got. I was ECSTATIC at getting third.
