Breaking News: Without LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers aren't the best team in the NBA.  Mike Brown has decided to rest his superstar, and the Cavs responded by losing two games in a row. 

First up was the battle with Chicago on Thursday night.  Even without LeBron, this was still a pretty entertaining game to watch.  Most of the fireworks came from Mo Williams, who decided he would try to be LeBron-for-a-night.  Mo finished with 35 points, and late in the 4th quarter he single-handedly kept the Cavs in the game.  His 3 point shooting stroke was spectacular, and LeBron showed his appreciation dancing on the sidelines as Mo went off.  Mike Brown also was very impressed with Williams. 

"He was terrific,' Brown said. "He did a nice, nice job of not only looking for his shot, and being aggressive, but also looking to get others involved."

The game ultimately came down to the wire, and the Bulls held on to win 109-108.  It was back and forth all night, with the lead changing 20 times.  Anderson Varejao missed a jumper that would have stolen this game from Chicago, who desperately needed a win to keep their playoff chances alive.  This marked the first time in 31 consecutive games that the Cavs lost to a team with a losing record. 

There was however, something very positive to take away from this game; there was a Sebastian Telfair sighting.  In only 16 minutes on the floor,  Telfair had 8 points on 4/7 shooting.  Remember the Cavs acquired him in the Jamison deal.  His offensive game is solid, and his passing ability is also noteworthy.  I like the way Sebastian runs the offense, and he could possibly serve as a great backup for Mo in the years to come.  You had to have been impressed with his ability to come in the game and make an impact. 

Mike Brown basically confirmed the fact that he wants to rest his starters as much as possible, because late in the game, Antawn Jamison went down with an injured ankle.  He was attacking offensively and his 23 points were huge.  Hopefully he doesn't have to miss any time in the playoffs. 

After the loss in Chicago, the Cavs were set to face the Indiana Pacers.  This is a team that has no business competing with the Cavaliers, provided that LeBron James is in uniform.  The King took the night off, and you can pretty much guess the outcome:  Cavs play tough, but without LeBron they lose again. 

Mo Williams also sat out this game.  Telfair yet again stepped up in his absence, and impressed his Cavalier teammates as well as coach.

"For being a new guy and a young guy, you can feel the leadership qualities that he does have," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "He is extremely intelligent, he has a great feel for the game and a great change of gear, and he's worked extremely hard on his mid-range game."

Telfair came off the bench and had another solid night shooting the basketball.  He finished with 21 points on 8/14 shooting.  He also had 4 nice assists, which is probably my favorite part of his game.  His vision and ability to sneak bounce passes in tight holes makes him a threat offensively.  Combine that with his great scoring ability, and you have a potentially great Cavalier in the making. 

Danny Granger finished strong with 36 points, but his quote after the game made me laugh a little bit. 

"It's a great confidence builder because Cleveland is a great team," Granger said. "I don't care who is not playing for them, they're still very good. So, it's a great road win for us."

Really Danny?  You're proud of beating the Cavs without LeBron, Mo, Antawn, or Shaq?  That's 4 of our starters and our best talent.  Congratulations, you really should be proud of yourself.  Next time, don't say stupid things.

So all of this brings us to the showdown with the Magic today.  LeBron will not be playing again, which I have to question.  Orlando is capable of beating the Cavs, and this game sets the tone for a potential Eastern Conference Finals matchup.  Why not play LeBron and get him back into the flow, and then rest him in the season finale vs. Atlanta?  I understand wanting to rest him, but you can't let the Magic gain more confidence if they happen to win today.  Without LeBron in the lineup, that has a much better chance of happening.  I think seeing Jamison go down in Chicago had a lot to do with this decision.  Maybet we'll win anyways.  It's all about the playoffs, which are approaching very fast.  This is our year.  LeBron will get his championship for the city of Cleveland.  LeBron James is Underrated