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By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
POSTED: 07:34 a.m. EST, Jan 07, 2009
INDEPENDENCE: Mo Williams knows where he was sitting when LeBron James first mentioned the word ''championship'' to him.
It came at the team's practice facility, after Williams was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Williams sat next to James on a raised and padded bench just off the team's practice courts. It was there that James talked about the title being the only goal.
From that point on, championship was all Williams heard about from any of his new teammates.
But Williams also is a realist.
''Everybody talks that way,'' he said of offseason chatter, the time when team builds camaraderie.
Even the teams that finish ninth among eight playoff teams talk championship in the offseason.
But at some point a team bonds, unifies, joins at the hip, becomes one, starts doing yoga together — and at some point a team realizes that bond can turn into something special.
Despite a LeBron James ''crab-dribble'' hiccup against the Washington Wizards on Sunday, the Cavs have done just that this season. They have won 27-of-33 games, the third-best record in the league.
They are neck-and-neck with the Boston Celtics for the best record in the East, and following tonight's game against the Charlotte Bobcats they have the Celtics in town on Friday for a regular-season game that will feature a playoff atmosphere.
The Cavs will have to win without Zydrunas Ilgauskas for a month, but good teams do just that. The Cavs are giving every indication that this season could be memorable.
Williams is the key addition to the Cavs, the one element they lacked a year ago. His arrival plus the fact the team was together through training camp are the key changes from 2008 that have catapulted the Cavs to the elite.
When he was acquired from the Bucks, Williams knew he was going to a good team.
But he didn't know how good.
Even in the summer, during pickup games with his teammates, he knew it was all still talk.
''You're always optimistic before everything starts,'' Williams said. ''So in the summer we talk, and we know we feel it but you don't believe it until it happens.''
An opening-game loss to the Celtics was followed by 19 wins the next 20 games.
Which is when the reality of the potential hit Williams square in the face.
''When you start winning games and dominating games, that's when you know this could be something special if we stick to it and approach it the right way,'' he said.
Key ''ifs'' there.
Because great teams do not let up. They stumble over crab dribbles, but they don't let up. It's why it was so encouraging when the Cavs were beating teams badly earlier this season, and why their success can be measured in statistics that reflect hard work and attention to detail.
As in:
• Opponents are shooting 42.1 percent, second-best in the NBA.
• Opponents are scoring 89.4 points per game, an NBA low.
• No other NBA team is holding opponents below 90 points per game.
Those are defensive numbers, which require teamwork and plain old work.
The offensive numbers are summed up by the Cavs' 15.9-point margin of victory — best in the league.
To Williams, the results are a result of two things: Talent and confidence.
''When you have the talent and the will and the drive, that's when something special begins to develop,'' he said.
When teams try to win, they state their attributes are usually the same as teams that actually do win. Dedication. Hard work. Teamwork. Commitment. Understanding they need each other. That kind of thing.
Williams used a lot of those kinds of words to describe the Cavs.
Guys ''willing to put everything on the line for one cause.''
A team with ''the talent and the will and the drive.''
The ''same mindset and focus every game.''
Hokey as it sounds, it rings true for the Cavs — and all the crab dribbles in the world won't change it.
They start with Mike Brown's defensive approach. It's an approach many thought Williams couldn't accept, but he showed immediately he would and could because it was the team's culture.
It continues through James, whose example of work, selflessness and effort require the same of his teammates.
But it's not just him, Williams said, it's everyone.
''Take Z,'' Williams said. ''When you see Z out there working you feel bad not going out there to work with him.''
The Cavs will need all those intangibles the rest of the way — especially this month.
January includes Friday night's game against the Celtics, a visit from the New Orleans Hornets, the dreaded West Coast swing and a game against the Orlando Magic.
If things continue — and with James and the overall defensive and team approach, there's no reason to think it won't — the Cavs will be able to look back to the summer pickup games Williams referred to. Because those set the tempo and aura for the team.
''I wouldn't say I was surprised,'' Williams said, thinking back. ''I was more impressed than surprised.
''That we were really doing what we have to do.
''Especially as a team.''
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
INDEPENDENCE: Mo Williams knows where he was sitting when LeBron James first mentioned the word ''championship'' to him.
It came at the team's practice facility, after Williams was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Williams sat next to James on a raised and padded bench just off the team's practice courts. It was there that James talked about the title being the only goal.
From that point on, championship was all Williams heard about from any of his new teammates.
But Williams also is a realist.
''Everybody talks that way,'' he said of offseason chatter, the time when team builds camaraderie.
Even the teams that finish ninth among eight playoff teams talk championship in the offseason.
But at some point a team bonds, unifies, joins at the hip, becomes one, starts doing yoga together — and at some point a team realizes that bond can turn into something special.
Despite a LeBron James ''crab-dribble'' hiccup against the Washington Wizards on Sunday, the Cavs have done just that this season. They have won 27-of-33 games, the third-best record in the league.
They are neck-and-neck with the Boston Celtics for the best record in the East, and following tonight's game against the Charlotte Bobcats they have the Celtics in town on Friday for a regular-season game that will feature a playoff atmosphere.
The Cavs will have to win without Zydrunas Ilgauskas for a month, but good teams do just that. The Cavs are giving every indication that this season could be memorable.
Williams is the key addition to the Cavs, the one element they lacked a year ago. His arrival plus the fact the team was together through training camp are the key changes from 2008 that have catapulted the Cavs to the elite.
When he was acquired from the Bucks, Williams knew he was going to a good team.
But he didn't know how good.
Even in the summer, during pickup games with his teammates, he knew it was all still talk.
''You're always optimistic before everything starts,'' Williams said. ''So in the summer we talk, and we know we feel it but you don't believe it until it happens.''
An opening-game loss to the Celtics was followed by 19 wins the next 20 games.
Which is when the reality of the potential hit Williams square in the face.
''When you start winning games and dominating games, that's when you know this could be something special if we stick to it and approach it the right way,'' he said.
Key ''ifs'' there.
Because great teams do not let up. They stumble over crab dribbles, but they don't let up. It's why it was so encouraging when the Cavs were beating teams badly earlier this season, and why their success can be measured in statistics that reflect hard work and attention to detail.
As in:
• Opponents are shooting 42.1 percent, second-best in the NBA.
• Opponents are scoring 89.4 points per game, an NBA low.
• No other NBA team is holding opponents below 90 points per game.
Those are defensive numbers, which require teamwork and plain old work.
The offensive numbers are summed up by the Cavs' 15.9-point margin of victory — best in the league.
To Williams, the results are a result of two things: Talent and confidence.
''When you have the talent and the will and the drive, that's when something special begins to develop,'' he said.
When teams try to win, they state their attributes are usually the same as teams that actually do win. Dedication. Hard work. Teamwork. Commitment. Understanding they need each other. That kind of thing.
Williams used a lot of those kinds of words to describe the Cavs.
Guys ''willing to put everything on the line for one cause.''
A team with ''the talent and the will and the drive.''
The ''same mindset and focus every game.''
Hokey as it sounds, it rings true for the Cavs — and all the crab dribbles in the world won't change it.
They start with Mike Brown's defensive approach. It's an approach many thought Williams couldn't accept, but he showed immediately he would and could because it was the team's culture.
It continues through James, whose example of work, selflessness and effort require the same of his teammates.
But it's not just him, Williams said, it's everyone.
''Take Z,'' Williams said. ''When you see Z out there working you feel bad not going out there to work with him.''
The Cavs will need all those intangibles the rest of the way — especially this month.
January includes Friday night's game against the Celtics, a visit from the New Orleans Hornets, the dreaded West Coast swing and a game against the Orlando Magic.
If things continue — and with James and the overall defensive and team approach, there's no reason to think it won't — the Cavs will be able to look back to the summer pickup games Williams referred to. Because those set the tempo and aura for the team.
''I wouldn't say I was surprised,'' Williams said, thinking back. ''I was more impressed than surprised.
''That we were really doing what we have to do.
''Especially as a team.''
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Tallmadge, OH
Posted 07:28 AM, 01/07/2009
Having Z out with his ankle is really hurting the Cavs in the short term. AV is doing a standup job like I said he would, but he can't play 40 minutes a game and be effective. This is a club that can compete at the highest level for the championship with the Celtics and Lakers. Ferry has done an excellent job putting the 2008-2009 Cavs together with the right talent around LeBron. GO CAVS !!!
Columbus, OH
Posted 09:02 AM, 01/07/2009
GO CAVS!!!
Posted 09:06 AM, 01/07/2009
I like that Ferry hasn't gone off the deep end and traded away the younger talent. The younger guys all have an upside as they develop over the coming years.
To panic and trade them away would be like planting tomato plants in the spring, and then digging them up and discarding them in May because they didn't have any tomatoes on them.
Let them grow. A feast awaits!
Scottsdale, AZ
Posted 11:42 AM, 01/07/2009
Are the Cavs for real?
Posted 01:03 PM, 01/07/2009
Not sure what I am missing???
The article was posted TODAY--and according to the standings I read--Cleveland and the Lakers are both 27-6 for .818--both being the best in the league--and Boston is 29-7--.806. The Cavs are tied for the best record in the entire league and have the best record in the East.
Posted 02:06 PM, 01/07/2009
I cosign OldManGrump.
I cosign OldManGrump???
I cosign OldManGrump!!!
