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By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Thursday, Jan 24, 2008
CLEVELAND: The Cavaliers hit midseason Wednesday, but they were not in midseason form. They were in otherworldly, out-of-body-experience, deep-in-the-zone form.
No doubt that they have been hot of late, but this was the cherry. The Cavs might go the rest of the season and not play as well as they did in this one, hammering the Washington Wizards 121-85 at Quicken Loans Arena. It not only moved the Cavs (23-18) past the Wizards (22-18) in the Eastern Conference standings for the moment, but it also sent a little message the Wizards' way.
''We played them without LeBron (in December), and I certainly remember LeBron saying very shortly after that he was going to remember all the butt-kicking they got while he was out . . . and that he was going to get some payback,'' Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said.
''This was one of the those paybacks.''
And then some. The Cavs' winning streak is now a season-long five games and they've won 11-of-13 since Christmas. It was a magical start to a key stretch as the Cavs now gear up for three games against the Western Conference's best, home Friday
against the Phoenix Suns and then at the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.
Talking about trends, though, and the immediate future, sort of misses the point. Individually, the performance Wednesday can be a long-running conversation piece. At its center is the third quarter, which probably will stay in the record book for years to come.
The game was actually close for a half, the Cavs led by just six points after 24 minutes. That was expected, considering the Wizards have been just as hot as the Cavs. Then came the third quarter. A poor third-quarter team for most of the past two seasons, the Cavs certainly shifted those averages.
Playing with aggression on defense, beating the Wizards to every loose ball and playing offense with nearly errorless precision, the Cavs put on a display Dr. James Naismith would've enjoyed. Break it down like this:
• The Cavs scored 43 points in the quarter, which set an arena record, shooting 73 percent from the field and 10-of-10 from the foul line. They had 14 assists on the 16 baskets and did not commit a turnover.
• After three quarters, the Cavs were 35-of-49 on two-point shots. They shot a season-high 57 percent overall.
• The Cavs totaled 39 assists, which also was an arena record. They finished the game with six turnovers, a season low. Since turnovers became a stat in 1977, no team in history has had that many assists with so few turnovers.
• The 39 assists on 47 field goals was the first time a team has had at least those numbers since the Atlanta Hawks in 1995.
• The 36-point margin of victory was the largest since Nov. 30, 1994, when the Cavs beat the Lakers by 38 points. The lead surged to 45 points at one point during the fourth quarter.
• Zydrunas Ilgauskas was 10-of-10 from the field on his way to 24 points. The only other Cavs player in history to make at least 10 field goals without a miss was Johnny Warren, who went 12-of-12 on Dec. 14, 1973.
• The Cavs won the rebounding battle 53-29.
''Offensively we were unbelievable tonight,'' said James, who had 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in just 31 minutes. ''We were near perfect.''
In all, the Cavs had five players in double figures. Drew Gooden added his 15th double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Ilgauskas, James and Gooden combined for 65 points, 24 rebounds, and 13 assists on 25-of-34 shooting.
Sasha Pavlovic had his best game in weeks, scoring 13 points and setting a career-high with seven assists. He was also the only bad news of the night as he suffered a sprained left foot in the third quarter. He is scheduled for an MRI today at the Cleveland Clinic, but he was able to leave the arena without crutches.
The Wizards, who seemed to be in all the wrong places and whose defense was nonexistent as the Cavs built the giant lead, were led by Darius Songalia's 11 points.
''We have confidence, we're rolling,'' Gooden said. ''We went for the jugular; we didn't let up.''
Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/.
CLEVELAND: The Cavaliers hit midseason Wednesday, but they were not in midseason form. They were in otherworldly, out-of-body-experience, deep-in-the-zone form.
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