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Victory over Clippers guarantees at least a split of six-game trip
By Brian Windhorst Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Monday, Nov 12, 2007
LOS ANGELES: Picking up where they left off last season, the Cavaliers just keep proving people wrong.
Based on their early play, the expectations for the club on their toughest road trip of the season were rather low. But their Western soujourn hasn't exposed them, it's helped to unite them.
The Cavs continued making strides by coming together for another solid fourth quarter to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-95 at Staples Center Sunday night. Not only are their heads above water on the trip at 3-2, for the first time this season they are above .500 at 4-3.
As has been the case, the Cavs got it done by getting contributions from numerous players and by finding the right mixture of defensive tenacity and offensive aggression in the stretch run.
LeBron James was in the thick of it as usual. He had 22 points, eight assists and a season-high six steals. He was at his finest in the fourth quarter, comfortably and confidently picking and choosing when to attack. He scored just four points in the quarter, but his teammates made it look easy as he set them up over and over, and they executed.
Drew Gooden played his best game of the season, scoring 18 points and grabbing 17 rebounds. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a season-high 25 points, often working a two-man game with James, and scoring scored 12 points in the final quarter. In all, the Cavs scored a season-high 54 points in the paint and shot a season-high 51 percent from the
field.
Devin Brown, Damon Jones and Ira Newble all played the entire fourth quarter, that strange lineup proving to be effective at both ends. Jones and Brown combined for 17 points, and Newble had eight rebounds.
That crew of versatile players also held the Clippers to 35 percent shooting in the fourth quarter as well, eliminating any easy inside baskets.
The Clippers got 28 points from Sam Cassell, 21 points from Chris Kaman and 25 points and 11 rebounds from Corey Maggette. All that sounds pretty impressive, but that trio shot just 4-of-13 in the fourth quarter and the Cavs pulled away.
Varejao breaks silence
In an interview with a Spanish-language Web site Marca.com published Sunday, Anderson Varejao made his first public comments since the end of the season. He believes there have been inaccurate reports about his contract demands and his physical condition.
''I have seen the news on my person and on my situation and it seems to me absurd much of what is said,'' Varejao said, via a computerized translation. ''The details, the amounts of my contract, the suppositions, they are not correct. I have been training here in Brazil twice a day during the pre-Olympic tournament, the preseason and now the regular season. I desire for my fans and the team to know that I want to play and that I want an agreement that's fair for both parties.''
There have been various reports about Varejao's contract demands and whether or not he's in shape. The Beacon Journal has reported that Varejao's side asked for a deal averaging $10 million per season the week before training camp. Since, the sides have both countered and are closer together but still far apart. The Cavs are believed to have presented Varejao with contract offers of different lengths, the minimum being three years and the annual average between $6-$7 million.
In the locker room
Larry Hughes returned after missing three games with a bruised leg. He scored 12 points in 27 minutes, but was bothered by the injury and was limping on it in the second half. Sasha Pavlovic only was able to play six minutes due to back spasms. He is listed as day-to-day and is questionable for the game tonight in Denver.
Eric Snow said his knee is healthy enough to play again but he's going to take it slow. He wants to get some practice time to test out his knee and get into shape after missing all of training camp after surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Due to the Cavs long road trip and his absence from the team for three days to deal with personal matters, Snow has basically had only one practice all season. With the glut of guards, Snow might not be assured minutes if he was healthy right now anyway.
Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/.
LOS ANGELES: Picking up where they left off last season, the Cavaliers just keep proving people wrong.
Get the full article here.
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