Monday, March 8, 2010

Surprise surprise.. Cavs lose to Bucks (while LeBron rests)

Friday night, the Cavs took care of Detroit, extending the win streak to 6 games. There were bigger things at stake however, as Rodney Stuckey apparently suffered a seizure when he collapsed late in the 3rd quarter. He was removed on a stretcher, and there was obvious concern over about his health. All signs look good for Rodney though, and he was released from the Cleveland Clinic after they ran a series of tests.

So the Cavaliers escaped with a big win after a 4th quarter surge, and headed to Milwaukee Saturday night to keep the streak alive. Small problem. Mike Brown decided to give LeBron the night off, hoping his team would step up in the Kings absence. In a 40 point effort, King James rolled his ankle vs. Detroit. The Milwaukee squad, in particular Brandon Jennings, definitely took advantage of our LeBron and Shaq-less team. "The main difference was that they didn't have LeBron," said Bucks guard Brandon Jennings. "We did a good job of closing them out."

Antawn Jamison played great, scoring 30 points including 20 in the 1st half. After the game Andrew Bogut noted how much easier it was to operate in the paint without Shaq roaming. The Cavaliers miss Shaquille's intimidating presence, and other teams such as Milwaukee can play inside-out with much more efficiency when he isn't playing. "It's a much different game with him there," Bogut said. "It's certainly easier to get the ball inside and make plays."

So what's the deal with LeBron? How serious is this injury? Don't make too much of it. Apparently LeBron wanted to play but Brown said no, and it officially went down as a DNP - coach's decision.

"It's just a coach's decision," Brown said. "He's played a lot of minutes for us and I thought it would be a good opportunity for him to get some rest. This has nothing to do with the injury. This is my decision based on the minutes that he's played."

Yeah, right. Don't let Mike Clown fool you, he's taking no chances with LeBron's injury. We have the best record in the Eastern Conference, and there's no reason to put any undue stress on that billion-dollar ankle. With the Lakers losing their 3rd straight game, the Cavaliers are still in great shape to have home-court throughout the playoffs.

The Cavaliers host the always-tough San Antonio Spurs tonight, and the King's status is unknown. This will be another tough test for the Cavs, who have to deal with the likes of Tim Duncan and Dejuan Blair. Man, we could use Z right about now. After tonight the Cavs have off until Friday, when we play Philadelphia. We need this win to feel good until then. If he plays, LeBron will have to be on his game. It looks like he may have to sit though. Even in street clothes.. LeBron James is underrated

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