Monday, December 14, 2009

Mo drops half-court shot (no big deal), LeBron drops 44 in Cavs rout of Thunder

On a night when LeBron had a season-high 44 points 7 rebounds and 6 assists, Mo Williams stole the show. Playing in Oklahoma City last night, the Cavs defeated the Thunder 102-89. LeBron was putting on a shooting clinic, and drilled three straight 3-pointers to end the third quarter giving the Cavs the lead. Mo Wiliams then added 3 of his own from deep in the 4th quarter, including one from the circus-variety, while the Cavs held Oklahoma City to 6 out of 20 shooting in the final quarter.

The best part of the game came when LeBron threw a pass to Mo Williams that was deflected into the Cavaliers backcourt. With the shot clock winding down, Mo picked the ball up 48 feet away from the basket, set his sights and drilled a half-court shot. It left the Thunder players in shock, and the fans couldn't believe what had just happened. Mo acted like it was no big deal, and proceeded to walk back on defense and get ready for the next play. Turns out that practicing these half-court shots after practice can actually help in the game, as Maurice made very clear. The Thunder had been playing great defense in that particular possession, and had to have known it wasn't going to be their night following Mo's crowd-silencing, momentum-draining half-court heave. There was only 4 minutes left in the game and it put the Cavs up 7 points, and Oklahoma City would never get closer.

"I knew I had three seconds [on the shot clock]," said Williams, who hit two other 3-pointers in the fourth and scored 22 points overall.

"I had time to get my feet together, follow through it and give it a chance. It felt real good. We mess around after practice all the time and create crazy shots to make, and you never know when they're going to come in the game."

In the game's final 13 minutes, the Cavs outscored the Thunder 33-13. LeBron hit 5/8 three-pointers in the game, and one of his was ridiculously deep as well. The Cavs are building their confidence, and despite Kevin Durant's 29 points they still managed to close the door on a talented Thunder squad. The Cavs are on a roll, and expect them to continue this success Tuesday against the New Jersey Nets. 11 out of 22 three pointers in a game where Daniel Gibson was still inactive? I like our chances when he gets back.

Other than Mo's half court magic, my favorite play of the game came in the first quarter when LeBron had a simple And-1 layup. His momentum carried him into the second row of the Thunder crowd, where a young boy was crushing some chili cheese fries. LeBron looked at the fries, removed his mouthguard, stole a few, then high-fived the youngster. Who else can get away with that? LeBron is the real deal. LeBron James is underrated

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