Sunday, March 21, 2010

Cavs clinch central as LeBron takes over late in Chicago and Indiana (is there a recurring theme here?)

Just as I predicted, the Cavaliers haven’t lost since the win over Detroit. (It was a safe bet) In two rather shaky affairs, the Cavaliers have done what they always do.. namely rely on LeBron in the 4th quarter to pull out the W. Man, is it fun watching the King do his thing in crunch time. Even if he’s having an off night, he always turns it on late, right when we need him to.

The battle in Indiana went something like this. The Cavaliers did what they’ve been doing as of late.. messing around with teams that have no business competing with us. So when the 4th quarter came, you knew LeBron was going to do what it took to win. He finished with 32 points, 9 boards and 9 assists. King James’ nightly statline is ridiculous; it seems like he’s always one or two away from a triple-double, every single night. The man is a legend. Oh yeah, and the Cavs clinched the Central Division with this win.

"LeBron closed that game remarkably," said Cavs coach Mike Brown. "He was terrific. The last five minutes, there was a stretch when he did everything. He blocked shots, he rebounded, he pushed the ball, he scored the ball, he assisted the ball, he dunked the ball, he went to the free-throw line. It was fun to see one guy take over a ball game in a lot of different ways."

Moral of the story, Cavs go through the motions until basically the 5 minute mark in the 4th quarter, and then Bron does his thing. That win propelled us to 5 straight, and we headed to Chicago on Friday night. Sorry Chicago, but you’re not going to be able to contend anytime soon. The Michael Jordan-era has long passed, he’s now focused on running the team he owns, the Charlotte Bobcats.

LeBron shot a lot of jumpers this game, and the first half was rather uneventful. Similar to the Pacers game, the Cavaliers looked like they didn’t care for the first 3 quarters, and then LeBron turned on his “try” button. When the Bulls led 75-74 with 7 minutes left, LeBron subbed himself back in. Any inclination as to what happened? LBJ scores 13 in the last 7 minutes, giving him 29, 11 rebounds and 7 assists for the game. Sick stat of the night: LeBron eclipsed the 15,000 career point mark, and it’s no surprise that he’s the youngest to ever do it.

Although we won and LeBron was the hero, there might be some concern for Cavs fans. Chicago played without Derrick Rose, Deng, and “No-Game Noah.” Should this even have been a game? The answer is no. Does it matter in the long run? Absolutely not. Are the Cavs on a 6 game winning streak? Most definitely.

"We were executing alright but just missed a lot of easy shots,'' James said. "That is what allowed them to stay in the game. It's very difficult (for the Bulls) to play and win with starters out like they have had."

The Cavaliers play again tonight at 6 vs. the Detroit Pistons, meaning there’s no reason why we can’t keep this streak going tonight. Make that through the end of the month. (or the end of the season for that matter) Danny Green doesn’t need to point to his fake watch, LeBron already knows what time it is when the game’s on the line. LeBron’s internal clock generally reads, “Take Over Now.” Fun times, watching the best player in the world. LeBron James is Underrated.

                                

                             

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