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Re: Utah Jazz @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Yeah, it's a nice win. LeBron didn't have to play crazy minutes, the Cavs didn't get a huge lead only to give it all up and most importantly, the team won in a way that will help their confidence.
 
Re: Utah Jazz @ Cleveland Cavaliers

57% from the field and 54% from three, now thats some good shooting.

they shot 47% from the field and a big 0 from behind the arc.


great win.
 
Not perfect but nice to get an easy win. Cavs probably couldn't get away with some of the mistakes they made if they were playing a better team.

Z was huge early despite having to play through his injuries. Lebron played well but forced some things and made some bad decisions which didn't show up in box score--still a very good game.
Good thing Okur got in early foul trouble because he was eating up Gooden.

Jackson got to show more of his natural game with extended minutes tonight. It's amazing what young players can do when they don't have to play constantly looking over their shoulders waiting to get yanked for the smallest thing.
It's obvious on Luke's drives to the basket that the back injury and surgery has taken away some of his lift. He had a surprisingly good vertical. Hopefully it comes all the way back over time.

I don't know how Ostertag didn't get tossed.

Watch out Detroit, Miami and Indiana--Ira Newble is back.
 
didn't get to watch the game, but when the CAVS hold an opponent to 0% on 3's, that is a great sign... our defense over the last 4 games has looked a lot better, from an effort standpoint most of all (well, i guess i didn't see it, but from the box score) and also from a rotation standpoint, excluding the 4th Q of the miami game... things are looking up right now, althought we are all cautious: ira's back, luke had one decent game (trade stock rose a quarter-point), Z got to rest his dome-piece and his 90 year old knee, lebron is looking as economical as ever on the offensive end (and has improved the d for a 3 game stretch), and we all get to see marshall play more minutes (since most want him to start), but we don't have to worry about gooden bitching bc he has to 'rest' his ankle; all-in-all, the cavs are providing quite a holiday gift for RCF!
 
Great to finally get a comfortable win. Everybody basically did their job. Good to see the bench get some burn, albeit against a woeful Utah bench. James was finally able to spend some time watching, Ilgauskas is proving every naysayer wrong, Hughes had troubles with Giricek which is less then super, and Jones continued his rise in form.

Jackson finally showed some offense, just hope if he gets minutes in the rotation he doesn't fall back into his shell. Awesome to have Ira back. Does the little things a role player should. I'd play Newble ahead of Jackson still.

Good stuff!
 
Re: Utah Jazz @ Cleveland Cavaliers

highplainsdrifter said:
the Jazz join the Los Angeles Lakers as the NBA's only clubs with winning road records and losing home records.

that stat is not so bizzarre. nor is it still accurate, as our next opponent, the bulls, are also in that category after their loss to the bobcats.
 
Cavaliers 110, Jazz 85
Game Quotes: Cavaliers vs. Jazz - December 20, 2005

COACH MIKE BROWN
(On the game)
“Our 2nd and 3rd quarter I thought it was as good as we played defensively all year. I said in the last 6 or 7 ball games, even the games that we lost, I am seeing good signs on that end of the floor. I am seeing our guys react the right way, I am seeing technique whether it is on the ball or off the ball. It’s been correct defensively. Those couple of games that we lost before going on this mini win streak were attributed to us turning the basketball over which we had trouble with tonight. We have to continue to make sure we take better care of the basketball and limit teams to one shot which I thought we did tonight. Tonight we shared the basketball. I though Drew (Gooden) and Z (Zydrunas Ilgauskas) stepped up big for us offensively and really made it hard on their bigs. We just kept helping one another. If someone was stuck with the basketball, we had somebody sprinting out and playing ball screens. That initiated our drive and kick. We were able to get out in transition because we were able to get stops. As long as we continue to try to get stops and work hard at that end of the floor, I said it almost from day 1, I don’t care what I do they proved they are capable of scoring. They scored 110 points against a very good defensive team. They shot 57% from the field, again against a very good defensive team. I take my hat off to all those guys in there with the way they played on both ends of the floor.”

(Quick start by Utah tonight)
“We were allowing them to drive middle on us. That is something that we do not want to have happen. I thought they hit a couple of tough shots, a couple of shots that were contested. It took Drew (Gooden) a little bit of time to get use to playing a guy like Okur (Mehmet Okur) who is a tough cover for anybody. I thought Giricek (Gordan Giricek) was hot. He is a good player, but I thought Larry (Hughes) did a decent job of contesting some of his shots. I thought our team defense was there to help out too, but he hit a couple of tough ones.”

(The consistent play of LeBron James)
“He (LeBron) has been that way the whole year. Even the stretch where he was averaging 35 points a game, if you look at his field goal percentage during that stretch it was off the charts. Where we were not getting it done was defensively. We were allowing teams 2nd shots. I truly believe whether he scores 41 or 35 or 19 and he continues to be efficient as he has been the whole season, and we play defense the way I think we are capable of, then we should win a lot of ball games. That is where it is going to align for us, not only for one or two quarters but for over an extended period of time.”

( Ira Newble coming back tonight)
“It was great seeing Ira (Newble) out on the floor. Getting back to Ira, but Luke (Jackson), Mike Wilks, Zendon (Hamilton), Alan (Henderson) to see those guys get extended minutes was good for me, good for the team, and good for those guys out on the floor so they can get a feel for the game without going in and coming right back out. Ira (Newble) specifically did a good job. He got winded as the game went along. He stopped short on some plays in terms of execution on both ends of the floor, but if you see what he has defensively he blocked a couple of shots. His contests on shots, especially at the end of shot clocks are amazing because he is so long and so athletic. He makes guys change shots from the perimeter. To have another long athletic body like Ira (Newble) on that end of the floor was good seeing him out there.”

LEBRON JAMES
(On being aggressive against the Utah defense)
“We wanted to be aggressive on offense. We knew that they were one of the best on half court defensive field-goal percentage. We wanted to get out and attack and get easy buckets. We wanted to get stops on defense. We knew if we played good defense we could get out on runs and get easy buckets.”

(On watching the reserves play in the fourth quarter)
“It was very strange, but I had fun watching the game with my teammates out there playing the game of basketball. It doesn’t matter to me because we were up big.”

(On playing better in the third quarter to get a big lead)
“We just wanted to close out on their shooters, and contest more shots in the second half, and play a little more aggressive. They had close to 10 points off our turnovers in the first half, which really helped them a lot, but in the third quarter we got stops, DJ (Jones) caught fire, we were able to execute, and got a big lead.”

(On Ira Newble playing for the first time this season)
“I know he is excited. I’m very excited as well. I’m glad to add another defender of his caliber and a guy that knows the system. It’s great. He is happy to be back out there. He is going to keep getting better and continue to learn the offense. It was exciting to hear the crowd get loud for him tonight when he entered the game.”

IRA NEWBLE
(On playing for the first time this year)
“It felt good to get out there and play, and try to contribute any way that I can. I was just trying to get out there and run and get my timing back. It’s like preseason to me. It was especially nice that we had a big lead so I could stay out there for extended minutes and really get my conditioning.”

(On being able to help on defense)
“I definitely can bring something to the defense. I can get out there and mix it up on defense and make some stops to help the team.”

DAMON JONES
(On being able to make shots to increase the lead)
“I had open looks and was able to make the first one. The shooter that I am, I was looking to get more. They kept feeding me and I love it. The shots were going down and the big thing about that is that we were able to extend the lead and get another win which we desperately needed.”

JAZZ HEAD COACH JERRY SLOAN
(On the game)
“I believe this team (Cavaliers) would have beaten us by 100 points if they would have left everybody out there. That’s one of the worst outings that we’ve had in a long time of playing basketball. I’m grateful to them (Cavaliers) that they didn’t leave them out there. Like I said, they probably could have beaten us by 100.”

(On Jazz in the first quarter)
“We executed very well at the start of the game. I started making some substitutions and we didn’t execute and we couldn’t even begin to guard them. Sad commentary, guys weren’t ready to go, coming off the bench and we can’t play very well if we don’t have a super effort out of everybody. We’re just not good enough. I just said we weren’t ready to play basketball. To me, their job is to play and compete and guys weren’t ready. They couldn’t catch a ball, they couldn’t defend, they couldn’t do anything. They (Cavaliers) just took the game over and ran away from us.”

(On this as a problem with the bench)
“These guys are no longer sitting on the bench watching. They’re going to have to play now. I’ve got so many guys hurt, they no longer become spectators with a free ticket to the game. They’ve got to come ready to play. That’s as plain as I can put it.”
 
u guys see my boy damon jones. he is great. 4 threes in a row WOW...
 
This article is entertaining.....it sounds like they are talking about the Cavs D during their losing streak.


Jazz plan makes no 'Diff'
By Phil Miller
The Salt Lake Tribune

Cleveland Cavalier forward LeBron James, right, drives around Utah Jazz guard Devin Brown in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game. (Ron Schwane/The Associated Press)

CLEVELAND - There is a unique third number on the scoreboard in Quicken Loans Arena, right next to the Cavs' points and the visitors' points. It's labeled "The Diff," and it's basically a refuge for the mathematically challenged, an at-a-glance tally of the current lead.
There is room for only two digits in The Diff. That might not be enough when the Jazz trudge disinterestedly into town.
"They could have beaten us by 100 points if they had left everyone out there," Utah coach Jerry Sloan shrugged Tuesday after Cleveland held a glorified layup line and trotted to a 110-85 win that the Jazz barely seemed to notice.
The Jazz's plan was to force LeBron James into the middle of the lane, where everyone could help stop him. The plan was to force Zydrunas Ilgauskas away from the basket and make him settle for outside jumpers. The plan was to start fast, try to cope defensively without Andrei Kirilenko there to bail them out, then bring in the bench for some extra energy.
Custer had a plan, too.
"They just put their heads down and went to the basket on us because they knew we weren't any factor," Sloan said after the Cavs made 57.1 percent of their
shots - Utah's worst defensive effort of the season - and earned 44 free throws besides. "Jarron got a couple of offensive fouls on [the Cavs, but] everybody else got out of the way."
Well, why not? All the better to get a good angle and appreciate the artistry of James, who glided his way to 25 points on a variety of floating finger-rolls, sublime reverse layups, and amazing tip-ins. Only three of his eight baskets came from farther away than six feet.
Which was something of an issue with guys like Devin Brown, who drew the short straw and was assigned to . . . well, let's say "escort" James around the floor.
"He got a couple of layups, so I'm kind of looking around wondering where our big guys were," Brown said of the Jazz's I'm-busy-you-handle-it approach to defense. In other words: Hey, Greg Ostertag, Kris Humphries, Matt Harboring, Mehmet Okur - how about waving a hand in James' face as he floats past?
"We never came off our man and tried to help at all," Sloan said. "We played selfishly on both ends of the floor. It wasn't just one or two guys."
True. But there was general agreement about the identity of one culprit.
Greg Ostertag "ain't played worth a crap in a couple of weeks," came one critique. The 7-foot-2 center "got off to a slow start, and made some mistakes."
Yes, that's Ostertag's opinion. But let's consider it a consensus, especially after Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who made six of nine shots for 18 points, treated him like a speed bump.
The Jazz finished up their best first quarter of the season, after collecting points on their first seven possessions, with 29 points. But Ilgauskas spent the first four minutes of the second quarter going: a 12-foot jumper, a tip-in of his own missed layup, a spinning baby hook from point-blank range, and free throws after being fouled on a fast break.
Counting the final hoop of the first quarter, Ilgauskas outscored the Jazz 10-0, evaporated the Jazz's early lead, and sent Ostertag shaking his head as he walked to the bench.
"Jerry has every right, if he wants to put the blame on me, put it on me," Ostertag admitted. "I'll take it."
Not that he had much choice.
"I thought Jarron played [Ilgauskas] halfway decent, but I don't think Greg got close enough to guard him,"
Sloan said. "Greg was in another world."
So were the Cavs after halftime. They led only 49-44, and Brown had an inkling of what was supposed to come next. "You need to come out strong in the first five minutes," he said. "That's what all the good teams do."
He might be right about that. But that doesn't reflect so well on the Jazz, does it?
Eight minutes into the second half, the Jazz had eight points and seven turnovers, the Cavs had a three-point party led by a wide-open Damon Jones, and The Diff read +27.
"We started out well, but I made some substitutions and we couldn't execute and we couldn't begin to guard them," Sloan said. "That's a sad commentary, that guys weren't ready to go coming off the bench. . . . These guys are no longer sitting on the bench watching, they have to play. I've got so many guys hurt, they're no longer spectators with a free ticket to the game."
Matt Harpring, back in the starting lineup while Andrei Kirilenko rests his sore back, went scoreless for the first time in his 398-game career with the Jazz, missing both of his shots. Okur scored nine points, but seven of them came in the first four minutes. Gordan Giricek led the Jazz with 16 points.
"It wasn't just one or two guys tonight," Sloan fumed. "I was upset with a lot of guys out there."
No need to wonder why.
pmiller@sltrib.com

Cavaliers 110, Jazz 85

IN SHORT - The Jazz played one strong quarter, then took the rest of the night off, allowing the Cavs to shoot a season-high 57 percent and coast to victory.

KEY STAT - Matt Harpring went 0-for-2 in 17 minutes and failed to score for the first time in his 398 games with the Jazz.

KEY MOMENT - The Jazz led by seven as the second quarter opened, but Cleveland fed Zydrunas Ilgauskas on its first four possessions of the second quarter, and the Cavs center scored 10 straight points to put the Cavs ahead.
 
This was a good game to see for a few reasons. First, The Cavs came back from a crappy first quarter and didn't even go into pull 3 pointer mode on offense when they were down (well, not for very long).

SOMETHING has happened with the defense, I dont know what it is, but guys are rotating now and challenging shots most of the time. You'll notice the Jazz, who normally do the whole half court 22 second possession thing were still not getting great looks and even got thrown out of their offense. Eric Snow was great on the defensive end, but Damon Jones was even out there playing some good D. He still got burned a few times, but DJ's D is doing better. As a team, the defense is doing great.

Lebron had a pretty good game on both ends of the court. The only blemish is really 2 unforced turnovers where the just dribbled off his foot, but no matter how you spin it, you have to like 25 points on 12 shots. He was abusing pretty much the entire Jazz team.

Ira Newble was back, he played some solid D, looked a bit rusty on O, but thats understandable.

The Jazz also looked pretty crappy, no one outside of Okur and Giricek was really giving them anything.
 

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