The Cleveland Cavaliers once again attempted to make a fourth quarter rally enough to overcome three quarters of mediocre basketball, got to within one point of the New Orleans Hornets and had a chance to take the lead on a few occasions.However,the wheels were not there on this night as the Hornets were able to fend off Cleveland 89-84 at the Q.
Antawn Jamison led all scorers with 22 points in the loss,which dropped Cleveland to 13-18 entering the stoppage for the All-Star game.
Cleveland will be back at the Q next Tuesday against the Boston Celtics..
Swashbucklings
1) The BIG difference in this was New Orleans center Chris Kaman,who the Cavaliers had no one that could stop him and no one to make him work on defense.
Kaman finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds and showed just how large the hole in the Cleveland middle truly is.
Kaman is on the trading block for the Hornets and will be a nice addition for some team...
2) Kaman also did one thing in the New Orleans game plan-Kaman refused to give the lane away for the Kyrie Irving drive and made Irving and others fire away from the outside.
I would wager more teams will try this strategy as Irving finished with just six points on two of thirteen shooting...
3) Kyrie Irving showed some signs of dead legs and I look for that to be an issue for not just Irving,but all rookies.
With the lockout,none of those players came into the season in true top game shape without a full training camp.
There is always a "wall" for rookies,but considering the circumstances,the wall will be higher and hit faster than usual this season....
4) Austin Carr made an excellent point regarding the lack of the mid range shooting in today's game.
Carr's reasoning is that the skill is not developed due to driving the ball to the basket or laying back for the three pointer.
Carr believes if a player develops that game,his success rates zooms higher as few defenders will guard in that area and I believe he makes a ton of sense....
5) Take away Antawn Jamison's 22 points and the other four starters combine for just 23?
Ugh.New Orleans plays tough defense and slows the game down (A LOT),but Cleveland's 31% shooting on the night was just pitiful and I do not want to hear back to back games as an excuse,this game was the Hornets third in three nights and they played into overtime the night before...
6) I really like the game of former Maryland Terrapin Grevis Vasquez.
Vasquez turns the ball over more than I care for,but his game is different,makes him difficult to defend and I bet he sticks around for a long time in the league with his unusual skill set...
Photo Credit:AP Photo
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