Camakazee's neat-o stats of the night.

[BigErieCavsFan]

Feedback - Just keep doing what you are doing...

 

[camakazee]

Time for Camakazee's neat-o stats of the night.

Game 73 Vs. Dallas

The Dirty Dozen.

For the first time in Cavaliers history, the team was able to extend their 11 game winning streak. That is, the current 12 game win streak that the Cavs have is a franchise best for most consecutive wins. Here are some team notables from what I will now term "the dirty dozen":

- Cavaliers: 102.3 points per game on 452-969 (46.6%) shooting.

- Opponent: 92.8 points per game on 415-969 (42.8%) shooting.

- LeBron James (12 games): 28.5 points, 9.7 assists, 9.3 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.5 blocks.

- Mo Williams (12 games): 19.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 38-82 (46.3%) three point shooting.

- Anderson Varejao (12 games): 10.8 points and 8.9 rebounds on 53-88 (60.2%) shooting.

- 1st Half (12 games): Cavs - 51.0 points, OPP - 45.6 points. Also, the second half of the game today (Cavs - 55, Dallas - 25) was obviously the biggest point differential in the second half of any of the games (+30), as the previous best was +18 vs. the Clippers.

- The Cavs have had extreme focus as of late, winning their last two games by 20+ points. In the ten wins prior to Friday night, the team had only two double digit wins, with their largest margin of victory being 11 points. In those ten games, the team outscored their opponent by a total of 64 points (6.4 points per game). By contrast, over the last two the Cavs have won by a total of 50 points (25.0 points per game).

- As many of you know, the Cavaliers are now 34-0 when scoring 100 or more points in games this season. Similarly, after today, they are 31-1 in games they hold their opponents to under 90 points. Over the 12 game streak, the Cavs have scored 100 points and held their opponent to under 90 points five times each. In the last three games, the Cavs have held their opponent to under 90 points and they have scored over 100 points in the last two games.

- In the first 8 games of the streak, the Cavaliers were only outrebounded twice, but grabbed less offensive rebounds in five games. On the other hand, in the last four games, the Cavs have outrebounded their opponent and grabbed more offensive rebounds in all four games. As a result, they are averaging 10.5 offensive rebounds and 48.8 total rebounds compared to their opponent's 8.0 offensive rebounds and 34.5 boards per game over the last four.

Gotti Does Dallas.

Early in the season, Mo Williams buried the Dallas Mavericks in the fourth quarter en route to the team's second win (record: 2-2!). Sixty-nine games and fifty-eight wins later, Mo posted another solid game versus the Mavs. Here is how Mo and the team have handled Dallas this season:

- Cavaliers: 101.0 points per game on 75-173 (43.4%) shooting.

- Opponent: 77.5 points per game on 58-151 (38.4%) shooting.

- LeBron James (2 games): 26.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 7.0 rebounds, going 17-20 (85.0%) from the free throw line.

- Mo Williams (2 games): 18.0 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds on 13-28 (46.4%) shooting.

- 2nd Half (2 games): Cavs - 52.0 points, Mavs - 32.0 points.

- Before December of last season, the Cavaliers were an awful 2-7 versus Dallas during the LeBron James era. Since then, however, they are 3-0 winning games by an average of 18.0 points per game. Furthermore, the Cavs are holding Dirk Nowitzki to 15.7 points per game on 16-51 (31.4%) shooting in those three games. Ultimately, with the win today, LeBron James got to experience his first sweep of yet another western conference opponent.

- While the Cavs now improve to 5-7 against the Mavericks in the LeBron era, the evidence is overwhelming when considering LeBron's role in the wins. Here are his numbers in wins contrasted with his numbers in the losses:

LeBron James in wins (5 games): 32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists.

LeBron James in losses (7 games): 25.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists.

- On the season, LeBron is averaging 28.8 points in wins and 26.3 points in losses (-2.5 points per game), so a difference of 6.4 points per game in wins is very significant.

- Finally, the Cavaliers have held the Dallas Mavericks, a team noted for their high octane offense, to under 100 points in their last 9 meetings. Here is a look at Dallas' struggles versus the Cavs compared to their points per game in their other 80 games (71 this season):

05-06 Mavs: 99.3 points per game, 92.5 points per game vs. CLE (-6.8 points).

06-07 Mavs: 100.1 points per game, 96.5 points per game vs. CLE (-3.6 points).

07-08 Mavs: 100.8 points per game, 86.5 points per game vs. CLE (-14.3 points).

08-09 Mavs: 101.8 points per game, 77.5 points per game vs. CLE (-24.3 points).

Day N' Nite.

In their fourth one o'clock tip off this season, the Cavaliers ran away with a win, their third in such games. With one day game left (vs. San Antonio), here is a look at how the Cavs perform at 1:00 PM as opposed to later tip off times:

Cavs games @ 1:00 PM

- record: 3-1.

- Cavaliers: 94.8 points per game on 146-327 (44.6%) shooting.

- Opponent: 85.8 points per game on 129-329 (39.2%) shooting.

Cavs evening/night games:

- record: 57-12.

- Cavaliers: 100.6 points per game on 2,536-5,395 (47.0%) shooting.

- Opponent: 91.2 points per game on 2,331-5,406 (43.1%) shooting.

While the Cavaliers may still have crusties in their eyes during the one o'clock start, their defense certainly comes to play. Here are some notables from other day games and today's game:

- LeBron James is averaging 9.3 assists in the four one o'clock games, recording his third double-double today. With 12 assists and 0 turnovers, LeBron James recorded his most assists in a game with 0 turnovers in his 21 career games without a turnover.

- Joe Smith played his first day game as a Cavalier this season, scoring 12 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. This marks his first career double-double for Cleveland, as his 13 rebounds is also a Cavalier-high. Steady Joe is now averaging 7.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in 13 games as a Cav, compared to 8.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 27 contests for Cleveland last year.

- Lastly, the 28 point win over the Mavs marks the Cavaliers largest margin of victory since they trounced the New York Knicks by 36 in early December.

View from the other side:

- Ryan Hollins recorded a career high 12 rebounds in the loss today. With 7 points to go along with the 12 boards, he is now averaging 6.6 points over his last five games after averaging only 2.3 points in his first 16 games as a Dallas Maverick.

- After averaging 14.0 points in his three games prior to Friday night, Antoine Wright is now averaging only 3.0 points per game on 2-12 (16.7%) shooting in his last two contests.

 

[TAS]

For those that say LeBron doesn't take over games.

3rd Quarter: 18 points 3 assists, 0 turnovers.

4th Quarter: 0 points, 0 assists, 0 rebounds..........







...Minutes played 0.:chuckles:

 

[camakazee]

Time for Camakazee's neat-o stats of the night.

Game 74 Vs. Detroit

Dealing with Detroit.

Now before the game, during the game, and even possibly after the game tonight, there was a lot of talk about how facing the Pistons in the first round could be bad for the Cavaliers. While there are many arguments on why the Cavs would favor a lesser opponent, here are some notables from the season series versus Detroit:

2008-09 Vs. Detroit.

- LeBron James averaged 25.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in the four games versus the Pistons this season. However, what's remarkable is that not only did LeBron average more assists (6.5) than turnovers (2.3), recording an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.8, but he also averaged more steals (2.5) than turnovers.

- In three games versus the Pistons, Delonte West averaged 16.0 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds. Over the last two games in particular, both home games, he averaged 18.5 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds on 14-22 (63.6%) shooting, including 5-7 (71.4%) from deep.

- The Cavaliers dominated the Pistons defensively, flipping the script from seasons past (or perhaps stealing their blueprint for success :chuckles. In the four games the Cavs averaged 6.8 steals and 5.5 blocks per game to Detroit's 4.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. Last season, by contrast, in four games the Pistons averaged 8.3 blocks per game to Cleveland's 2.8 blocks per game (they both averaged 6.0 steals per game).

- Record: 3-1.

- Cavaliers: 89.3 points per game on 133-307 (43.3%) shooting.

- Pistons: 81.8 points per game on 131-319 (41.1%) shooting.

By contrast, here is the match-up from the first round in last year's playoffs, against a familiar foe:

- Record: 4-2.

- Cavaliers: 95.5 points per game on 200-464 (43.1%) shooting.

- Wizards: 92.2 points per game on 192-451 (42.6%) shooting.

Ultimately, as good as the Cavs are this season, they shouldn't fear anyone heading into the first round. Regardless of the match-up, their defense is strong enough to ensure they will not struggle as much as they did with Washington last postseason. After all, it did take a 30 point fourth quarter, escorted in by 30 foot three pointers from Rasheed Wallace, just for Detroit to squeak out one win against Cleveland this season.

- Lastly, love him or hate him, the Cavaliers and LeBron James have performed well driving the ball right down Euclid under the watchful eyes of Fred McLeod. Since taking over in 2006, LeBron James is averaging 24.5 points per game in 11 regular season games against the Pistons with McLeod calling the action, as opposed to 23.0 points per game in the 12 games before McLeod's arrival. Also, since 2003, the Cavs are 8-11 versus the Pistons with McLeod in Detroit, as opposed to 9-8 against them with Fred wearing a wine and gold tie (records include postseason). In the end, the biggest stat may be the fact that in Cleveland's last two postseason match-ups against Detroit, the winner has had McLeod at their table, more reason to not fret over the Pistons in the playoffs.

Lucky 13.

With the help of number 13, the Cavs were able to extend their winning streak to a franchise-record 13 games. Here is a better look:

- Delonte West dished out a game-high 6 assists, as he has averaged 5.0 assists over the last five games (3.5 assists per game in his previous 51 games). The Cavaliers now improve to 9-1 in games that Delonte records 6 or more assists, and 26-2 in games that he has 4 or more assists.

- Over the last 9 games of the 13 game winning streak, the Cavaliers have held their opponent to under 100 points. In fact, over the last six games in particular, the Cavs defense has held their opponent to less and less points each game (96, 88, 87, 85, 74, and 73). Over these six games Cleveland's opponents are averaging 83.8 points per game contrasted with the 91.3 points per game they have averaged in the previous 68 games.

- Over the 13 game winning streak LeBron James is now averaging 9.5 rebounds per game, with double-digit rebounds in 8 games. To put this in perspective, Ben Wallace had 9 double-digit rebounding games in 53 games played this season. Similarly, Anderson Varejao has had 14 games with 10+ rebounds in the 74 games so far this season.

- Speaking of which, Anderson Varejao has recorded five straight double-digit scoring games, his longest streak on the season. Over the entire 13 game winning streak he is averaging 10.8 points and 8.7 rebounds on 57-93 (61.3%) shooting.

- Lastly, over the winning streak LeBron James and Mo Williams are averaging a combined 46.8 points per game, just over their season average. This means that over their last thirteen games, they've combined for 608 total points. By contrast, three of the other four starters for the Eastern All-Star team, Allen Iverson (230 points), Kevin Garnett (189 points), and Dwight Howard (281 points) are averaging a combined 700 total points over their last 11 games. In other words, the all-star starting trio has averaged a combined 53.8 points per game over their last 13 games compared to the 46.8 points per game by just Mo and LeBron.

The Madness!

As the NCAA narrowed down their field to four, Cavalier fans can officially celebrate the madness that was March. The Cavs posted the best record of the month, a 16-1 message to every team in the league. Here is a look at some March stats:

- Despite not having Ben Wallace for the entire month, the Cavs averaged 42.8 rebounds per game, their second-most in a month this season. Picking up the slack, Anderson Varejao (8.1) and Mo Williams (4.1) both recorded their most rebounds per game in a month this season, while LeBron James (152) has his most rebounds in a month on the season.

- On the offensive end, LeBron James averaged his most assists per game in a month this season with 8.4 assists a night. In fact, James had an all-around monstrous March, nearly averaging a triple-double with 28.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game.

- Over the past two months (29 games), the Cavaliers have only allowed 90.3 points per game. As a result, they are now 25-4 over those twenty-nine games. Last year, on the other hand, the Cavs allowed 95.8 points per game in the 29 games in the months of February and March. Similarly, those defensive numbers explained Cleveland's 16-13 mark during those months.

- With the exception of the month of February, Mo Williams' points per game have steadily increased every month. With an average of 19.5 points per game in March, here are Mo's numbers by month:

Oct+Nov (17 gms): 15.7 points per game (267 points).
December (14 gms): 16.4 points per game (229 points).
January (14 gms): 19.8 points per game (277 points).
February (12 gms): 18.7 points per game (224 points).
March (17 gms): 19.5 points per game (332 points).

Note that over the seventeen games in the month of March that Mo scored more points than he did in his first 21 contests as a Cavalier.

- Finally, over the last three months the Cavs have shot the three-ball at an unbelievable rate, enabling them to jump to one of the top 3 three-point shooting teams. In the first three months of the season the Cavs shot 34.5% from three. However, over the last three months, including the wonderful month of March, the Cavaliers have shot 41.8% from three. The end result is a gaudy 38.7% from downtown this season, up 2.9% from last season.

View from the other side:

- The Cavaliers managed to hold all five Detroit starters under 50% shooting. The defense on the starting five was good enough to hold Tayshaun Prince to single-digit points for only the second time in the last 13 games.

- Rasheed Wallace returned tonight to play in his first game in nearly three weeks. He almost recorded a double-double, scoring 9 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. In his one win over the Cavs this season, Wallace scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, compared to the 7.7 points and 7.7 rebounds he averages over the three losses.

 

[camakazee]

Time for Camakazee's neat-o stats of the night.

Game 75 @ Washington

The Good.

After games like this, it's hard to try and find the good in things. However, despite the poor effort and defensive mishaps, there are positives to be salvaged. Here is a look at how the team performed tonight, particularly on offense:

- LeBron James recorded his most points in a game in over two weeks. Similarly, his 11-18 (61.1%) shooting marks the first time he's shot 60% or better in a game since March 4th against Milwaukee (not the 55 point game). Furthermore, his 31 points tonight is the most against the Wizards this season and his most against them since last February.

- While the team was far from perfect, Mo Williams and Delonte West combined for 0 turnovers for only the fifth time this season. Also, they also managed to play better than the previous four times this strange, but appreciated event took place. Here is a closer look:

Mo + Delonte w/out a TO (4 games): 19.8 points, 8.5 assists, and 7.0 rebounds.

Mo + Delonte w/out a TO (tonight's gm): 33 points, 12 assists, and 7 rebounds.

- Finally, nearly every starter was in double-figures, with the exception of Zydrunas Ilgauskas (9 points). Anderson Varejao recorded his sixth straight game with 10 or more points, the longest streak of his career. Delonte West scored his most points in a game since March 7th and his most assists since March 6th. Lastly, Mo Williams recorded his seventh game with at least 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists this season. The first three occurred from the start of the season until the end of February, while the last four have taken place within a month's time.

The Bad.

On a night like this, moving from the good to the bad is a nearly seamless transition. The three baddest areas in tonight's troublesome loss were the foul situation, team defense, and play of the bench.

- Tonight was the fourth largest difference in attempted free throws in favor of the Cavaliers opponent this season. Attempting only 17 free throws to Washington's 30, the Cavs now drop to 2-2 in games in which the opponent attempts more free throws by the margin of 13 or more. Additionally, Cleveland committed 26+ team fouls for only the seventh time this season.

- The Putrid team defense by the Cavaliers tonight marked a bad first this season. For the first time this year, the Cavs were defeated when scoring 100 or more points in a game. Prior to tonight they were 34-0 when scoring 100+ points in a game. After tonight they fall to 9-7 (56.3% WP) in games in which they allow 100 or more points.

- Another poor area in tonight's game was the play of the Cleveland bench. A solid bench has been the key to a successful season, creating irreplaceable depth. On the other hand, tonight was another story. Here is the battle of the bench tonight, contrasted with the play over the 13 game winning streak:

Cleveland bench (tonight): 18 points on 6-20 (30.0%) shooting.

Wizards bench (tonight): 35 points on 14-22 (63.6%) shooting.

Cleveland bench (13 gms): 21.4 points per game.

Opponent bench (13 gms): 24.8 points per game.

- Note that even though the bench was dominated tonight, in those 13 consecutive wins they were outscored consistently. However, the margin wasn't nearly as great.

The Ugly.

- For the second game in a row, the Cleveland Cavaliers were outrebounded. Especially troublesome, the Cavs have been outrebounded in five of their last eight road games. After coming out of the month of March allowing 40.6 rebounds per game (the most rebounds per game by an opponent in a month this season), Cleveland is off to a bad start, allowing 42 rebounds in their first April game.

- As many of you know, there is a filthy TNT curse that the Cavs have yet to truly overcome this season (personally, I blame Chuck). After tonight, the Cavs drop to 4-6 in games that are played on TNT. That means that 42.9% of their losses were televised on TNT, while only 13.3% of their games appeared on Turner Network Television. As appalling as that may sound, the Cavaliers are now an awful 1-6 in road games that are broadcasted on TNT. Here is a closer look at those TNT road games:

Cavaliers (7 games): 92.6 points per game on 236-557 (42.4%) shooting.

Opponent (7 games): 101.3 points per game on 273-559 (48.8%) shooting.

LeBron James (7 games): 26.0 points and 6.3 assists on 64-164 (39.0%) shooting.

Coming into tonight's game the Cavaliers defense was allowing only 90.7 points per game on 42.8% shooting, so the above statistics are significantly out of place. The good news is that tonight was the Cavaliers last scheduled game on TNT. The bad news, however, is that TNT will cover the first three rounds of the playoffs as they always have.

- After tonight, the worst team in the eastern conference, the Washington Wizards, somehow managed to join the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers as the only teams to beat the Cavaliers twice this season. Here is a look at the three games from the series so far this season, as the Wizards have worked to give Cleveland nightmares:

Cavaliers: 90.3 points per game on 98-228 on (43.0%) shooting, averaging 38.7 rebounds per game.

Wizards: 92.7 points per game on 111-246 on (45.1%) shooting, averaging 45.0 rebounds per game.

LeBron James (3 games): 26.3 points, 7.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 turnovers (assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.38), shooting 16-25 (64.0%) from the free-throw line.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas (2 games): 7.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.0 turnovers on 4-14 (28.6%) shooting.

In three games versus the Wizards, the Cavaliers have shot a worse field goal percentage in all three games. Furthermore, the Cavaliers have yet to outrebound the Wizards this season. Lastly, this season the Cavs are 0-2 versus the Zephyrs in games that Deshawn Stevenson sits out, as opposed to 1-0 in games that he plays.

View from the other side:

- In only his second game back this season, Brendan Haywood recorded his first double-double since April 5th, 2008. In his last five regular season games against Cleveland, dating back to last season, Haywood is averaging 13.4 points and 7.0 rebounds on 26-41 (63.4%) shooting.

- Gilbert Arenas also returned to action, playing in only his second game of the season. He has recorded a double-double in both games, averaging 13.0 points and 10.0 assists, despite shooting 6-23 (26.1%) from the floor.

 

[Zog]

I sure hope we don't have many games in the playoffs on TNT, but I'm guessing we will...

 

[camakazee]

Time for Camakazee's neat-o stats of the night.

Game 76 @ Orlando

The Good.

Writing a Good-Bad-Ugly format right after having done so the game before is not an easy task. Luckily, this is only the second time this entire season I've had to do such a task. Regardless, since the team decided to give less than 100% effort less night, I will match their intensity.

- After last night the Cavaliers have dropped to 1-5 on the road versus the current Eastern Conference two-four seeds. While this might not seem like a good thing, it is important to put it in perspective. Last year Boston was 1-4 on the road versus the 2-4 EC teams (Det, Orl, Cle). They were also 0-1 at New Orleans (56 wins), Phoenix (55 wins), Denver (50 wins), and Golden State (48 wins).

In fact, 10 of Boston's 16 losses occurred on the road, all of them to teams above .500 (they even lost @ Washington twice like Cleveland). This season the Cavs have 14 of their 15 losses on the road, most of which to teams above .500. Last season on the road that Celtics club gave up 2.0 more made field goals than at home, just as this year's Cleveland club allows 2.3 more made field goals on the road than at home. Push come to shove, even the elite teams fall on the road, especially against solid opponents. Ultimately, the Boston Celtics proved that this has little to no effect on overall postseason success, despite struggling on the road in the playoffs as well.

The Bad.

- No Cavalier shot above 50%, while only two players managed to shoot above 43% (Daniel Gibson, Tarence Kinsey). By contrast, the Magic had seven players shoot above 50%, while nine players shot above 43% including all five starters.

- After starting out the season 6-1 in nationally televised games, the Cavaliers are only 7-8 in their last 15 nationally televised games. With 3 televised games left, including the next two straight games, the Cavs will have to look to reverse recent trends.

- On Thursday night at Washington, the Cleveland Cavaliers recorded no steals in a game for only the third time in franchise history. Last night, they recorded only 4 steals compared to Orlando's nine. Here is a look at the Cavaliers steals per game over the 13 game winning streak compared to the recent two game skid:

13 game winning streak: Cavs - 6.3 steals, OPP - 5.6 steals.

two game losing streak: Cavs - 2.0 steals, OPP - 6.5 steals.

The Ugly.

- In 17 March games (record: 16-1), the Cavaliers held their opponent to only 91.3 points per game on 42.9% shooting. Two games into the month of April (record: 0-2), the Cavs are allowing their opponent 112.5 points per game on an unreal 52.1% shooting. They are also being outrebounded by an average of 44.5 rebounds to 42.0 rebounds, marking the first time they've been outrebounded in a month this season (although the month is only two games deep).

- After dominating Dallas 30-11 in the third quarter and edging out the Pistons in the third frame, the Cavs have been eaten up in the often dreaded quarter following halftime. In the last two losses Cleveland has averaged 25.5 points in the third quarter, while allowing a gaudy 34.0 points (-8.5 points in the third).

- Down an unbelievable 41 points in the third quarter, the Cavaliers experienced their worst loss of the season (29 points). In fact, this marks the teams worst loss since a 35 point thrashing at Detroit back in 2007 (November 28th). The loss was so bad that the margin of defeat was nine points larger than the teams last 3 losses to eastern conference teams combined (@ IND by 1, @ BOS by 11, @ WAS by 8).

View from the other side:

- Magic center Dwight Howard recorded 20 points and 11 rebounds last night, marking his most rebounds in a game where he has played under 28 minutes this season. Adjusted for 36 minutes played, Howard recorded 26.7 points and 14.7 rebounds, respectfully above his season averages per 36 minutes (21.3 and 14.0).

- All five Magic starters scored in double-figures for the third time in the last four games.

 

[camakazee]

Time for Camakazee's neat-o stats of the night.

Game 77 vs. San Antonio

Los Angeles Tunnel Vision.

While fans are continually caught up in the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers swept this Cavs team, Cleveland just completed yet another sweep of a top-tier west coast opponent. The Cavs are now 2-0 versus six different western conference playoff teams this season, including the current 2-4 seeds (Denver, San Antonio, and Portland). Here is a closer look:

Cleveland versus Den, SA, and Por (record: 6-0):

- Home (record: 3-0):

Cavaliers: 102.7 points per game on 123-241 (51.0%) shooting.

Opponent: 90.7 points per game on 98-228 (43.0%) shooting.

LeBron James (3 games): 28.7 points, 9.0 assists, and 8.7 rebounds on 34-63 (54.0%) shooting.

- Away (record: 3-0):

Cavaliers: 102.0 points per game on 117-245 (47.8%) shooting.

Opponent: 90.7 points per game on 100-239 (41.8%) shooting

LeBron James (3 games): 32.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists on 39-73 (53.4%) shooting.

- One interesting thing to note is the fact that versus these upper-echelon western conference teams, the Cavs perform practically the same regardless of the location of the game. Whether at home or on the road, they have won games by an average margin of double-digits and shot at least 6.0% better on average.

A-B-C...

After today, the Cavaliers picked up their third televised ABC win on the season (without the assistance of Jeff Van Gundy, nonetheless). Here is their ABC record compared to those on other networks:

- ABC: 3-1 (WP: 75%), 1 game remaining (vs. Boston).

- ESPN: 7-2 (WP: 77.8%), 1 game remaining (vs. Washington).

- TNT: 4-6 (WP: 40%), 0 games remaining (thank God).

Here is a closer look at the team's performance in ABC games:

- Cavaliers: 96.0 points per game on 148-328 (45.1%) shooting.

- Opponent: 84.0 points per game on 135-323 (41.8%) shooting.

- LeBron James (4 games): 27.8 points, 9.5 assists, and 6.3 rebounds.

- Mo Williams (4 games): 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on 9-18 (50%) from three.

- 4th Quarter: Cavs - 23.5 points, OPP - 16.3 points.

Ultimately, while there is only one regular season game left on ABC for the Cleveland Cavaliers, perhaps they could parlay some of their solid ABC play into an NBA Championship, as ABC is the network that covers all seven Finals games.

It's as Easy as 1-2-3.

Even the Jackson 5 would've been no match for the Cavaliers starting five this afternoon. More impressive, however, was the Cavs starting 1-3. Here are some of the notables from the inspirational play of Mo Williams, Delonte West, and LeBron James today:

- Delonte West scored his most points in a game since March 7th versus Miami. His 66.7% shooting marked his best in a game since the last time the team faced San Antonio, February the 27th. Lastly, his 10 made field goals are a season-high, Cavalier-high, and his most made field goals in a game since January 22nd, 2007 versus San Antonio, oddly enough.

- Mo Williams got back on the ball, scoring 20+ points for the first time this month. Williams had ten games with more than 20 points last month, his most in a month this season. So far this month, he is averaging 17.0 points on 9-19 (47.4%) three point shooting. Also, his 60% shooting today was his highest percentage in a game since March 15th.

- Similarly, LeBron's 38 points are his most since his 43 point outburst against the Magic on March 17th, a game he took over much like today. Three games deep, LeBron is averaging 31.7 points per game this month, his most in a month this season. James is also 32-59 (54.2%) from the floor, 23-25 (92.0%) from the line, and 8-18 (44.4%) from three this month as he revs up for the postseason.

Furthermore, here is the combined game from those three tonight, contrasted with the recent back-to-back losses:

- Mo, West, LeBron (vs. San Antonio): 82 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists on 33-51 (64.7%) shooting.

- Mo, West, LeBron (@Was, @Orl): 52.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 8.3 assists on 37-79 (46.8%) shooting.

Perhaps the neatest stat of them all is the fact that Mo, Delonte, and LeBron single-handedly outscored the San Antonio Spurs today, 82-81.

View from the other side:

- Tim Duncan managed to score only 6 points today, ending a 12 game double-digit scoring streak. Duncan also grabbed only 7 rebounds, causing him to fall short of a double-double in both categories. Prior to today, he had recorded three straight double-doubles.

- Making his third straight start after coach Popovich nixed his bench role, Manu Ginobili scored his fewest points, 4, in a game he started since February 21st, 2006.

 

[camakazee]

Time for Camakazee's neat-o stats of the night.

Game 78 Vs. Washington

"Embarrassing."

It was the quote that dominated headlines when LeBron vented after the awful loss against the Orlando Magic Friday night (coincidentally it was also my facebook status while watching the game). Back to back road losses by a combined 37 points marked a Cavalier first this season, unfortunately not the firsts we've grown accustomed to this year. However, the Cavs quickly bounced back, as here is their rebuttal over the last two games:

- Outscored by 37 points in those eight previous quarters, the Cavs needed only 7 quarters versus the Spurs and Wizards to pay it forward. In the four quarters versus the Spurs, combined with the first three from last night, the Cavs outscored their opponent 179-139 (+40).

Here are some notables contrasting the two losses with the teams last two wins:

- @ WAS, @ ORL (3rd Quarter): Cavs - 25.5 points, OPP - 34.0 points.

- Vs. SA, Vs. WAS (3rd Quarter): Cavs - 26.5 points, OPP - 21.0 points.

- @ WAS, @ ORL (Shooting %): Cavs - 70-167 (41.9%) shooting, OPP - 85-163 (52.1%) shooting.

- Vs. SA, Vs. WAS (Shooting %): Cavs - 77-158 (48.7%) shooting, OPP - 62-152 (40.8%) shooting.

- Zydrunas Ilgauskas (@ WAS, @ ORL): 13 total rebounds (6.5 per).

- Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Vs. WAS last night): 13 rebounds.

- Joe Smith (@ WAS, @ ORL): 4 points and 6 rebounds on 2-8 (25%) shooting (2.0 points, 4.0 rebounds per).

- Joe Smith (Vs. WAS last night): 7 points and 5 rebounds on 3-7 (42.9%) shooting.

Ultimately, the Cavs were able to bounce back by playing their championship caliber defense, controlling the pace of the game. In the last two wins, the Cavs allowed only 167 points as opposed to the 176 points allowed in just the six quarters prior to Sunday's game.

Home Court Advantage.

With only four games left, the Cleveland Cavaliers continue their quest for the best record in the NBA and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. In fact, the last two games have been very typical of how the Cavs have dominated on their home court this season. Here are some notables from recent play:

- In his last six home games, LeBron James is shooting 40-46 (87.0%) from the free throw line while hearing the MVP chants rain down from Loudville. In fact, in his last eight total games, James is shooting an unreal 55-63 (87.3%) from the charity stripe as he prepares for the postseason.

- The Cavaliers have now won 15 straight home games, with LeBron James averaging 7.9 assists per game in those home games (7.0 in 39 road games). With the win last night, the Cavs have become the first team in NBA history to post two separate 15+ game winning streaks in the same season.

- In his last three home games, Delonte West has been on a tear attacking the basket. In fact, he has only attempted 6 three pointers over the last three home games (16 three point attempts in his first three home games of the season), as he has looked to be more aggressive. Here is a closer look at Delonte's home production lately, contrasted with his home season averages:

Delonte West (first 29 home games): 12.0 points on 127-295 (43.1%) shooting.

Delonte West (last three home games): 15.7 points on 21-40 (52.5%) shooting.

- Similarly, Anderson Varejao has played very well at home as of late. Here are his last seven games, split by home and away:

Anderson Varejao (last two road games): 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds on 8-15 (53.3%) shooting.

Anderson Varejao (last five home games): 11.4 points and 7.8 rebounds on 25-36 (69.4%) shooting.

Rounding out the Starting Five.

- Making his first appearance outside of the starting rotation since April 13th, 1999 (ironically in a loss at Cleveland as a member of the Wizards), Ben Wallace provided solid play, scoring 7 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in only 18 minutes played. The Cavaliers are now 10-0 this season in games that Wallace contributes 5 or more points.

- Daniel Gibson scored double-digits off of the pine for the 20th time this season. As a result, in games where he scores 10+ points driving the bench, the Cavaliers are 19-1 this season.

- Lastly, Joe Smith also provided solid bench play for the Cavs last night. Since coming back to the team in early March, the Cavs are 15-3 with Joe Smith coming off of the bench. Here are his averages, separated by result:

Joe Smith (15 wins): 6.9 points and 5.0 rebounds on 43-81 (53.1%) shooting.

Joe Smith (3 losses): 3.7 points and 3.7 rebounds on 5-16 (31.3%) shooting.

View from the other side:

- Antawn Jamison scored only 7 points last night, tying a season low. Jamison also attempted a season low 4 shots, his fewest field goals attempted in a game since January of 2007.

- Nick Young, on the other hand, had no problem hoisting shots, attempting a team-high 16 field goals. In fact, Young has had no issue grabbing his piece of the pie offensively, taking 9.3 shots per game this year compared to 6.4 FGA per game last season in his rookie campaign.

 

[camakazee]

Time for Camakazee's neat-o stats of the night.

Game 79 @ Philadelphia

On the Road Again.

After suffering back-to-back losses for only the second time this season, the Cavs played their first away game since the embarrassing blowout in Orlando. The Cavaliers looked like a completely different team, however, as they dominated the 76ers in Philadelphia, failing to lose a single quarter. Here are some highlights from last night and Cleveland's road play:

- LeBron James continually attacked the basket, scoring ten of his 27 points from the free throw line. In fact, over his last nine road games, LeBron is averaging 10.3 made free throws on 83.0% free throw shooting (93-112). In those nine games he's also averaging 32.7 points and 7.9 assists.

- While the team is 1-2 on the road over their last three away games, they have been consistent all year long on the road, especially in Philadelphia. Here is a closer look at the team's two road games in Philly:

Cavs: 101.5 points per game on 77-166 (46.4%) shooting.

76ers: 92.5 points per game on 66-150 (44.0%) shooting.

LeBron James (2 games): 28.0 points and 7.5 assists, shooting 17-20 (85.0%) from the free throw line.

Mo Williams (2 games): 22.5 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds on 5-11 (45.5%) three point shooting.

- Lastly, the key to winning the game in their last nine road games has been forcing the other team to turn the ball over at a high rate. Over those last nine games, the Cavaliers opponents have averaged 13.3 turnovers per game in Cleveland's 6 wins. On the other hand, in their 3 losses their opponents have averaged only 7.7 turnovers per game.

Bringing Back the Bench.

One of the biggest reasons the Cavaliers were able to win the game last night was the solid and consistent play of the bench. Here are some of the notables from last nights 6-10 players:

- Wally Szczerbiak scored a season-high 18 points on nearly perfect shooting (6-7 from the field, 4-4 from three, 2-2 from the line). Keeping up with the earlier theme, Szczerbiak has provided a road-warrior mentality for the Cavs bench as of late. Over his last 11 games, he is averaging 9.6 points per game on the road (5 games) compared to only 2.7 points per game at home (6 games).

- Similarly, Mike Brown may have struck gold by reuniting Chicago's former starting frontcourt on the Cavaliers bench. After playing in his first game as a reserve since 1999, Ben Wallace is now averaging 4.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in only 17.5 minutes per game coming off of the bench. In the last two games, Joe Smith and Ben Wallace are averaging a combined 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds on 10-17 (58.8%) shooting.

- Another valuable asset from last night was the passing of the 2nd unit. All four players that came off of the bench had at least 2 assists, as they combined for a total of 9 assists. On the other hand, not including LeBron, the other four starters only combined for 5 assists. Over the last two games, the Cleveland bench is averaging a combined 32.0 points and 7.0 assists per game.

Sharing the Rock.

LeBron James paced the Cavs last night as he not only scored a game-high 27 points, but also dished out a game-high 10 assists. When LeBron is scoring and passing the basketball like he did last night, the team is nearly invincible. Here is a closer look:

- Last night was LeBron's first game recording double-digit assists in the month of April. Last month, he had an absurd eight games with 10+ assists (he had ten such games in the entire five months prior). Over the last 18 games LeBron James is averaging 8.5 assists per game (6.9 assists per game in the first 61 games of the season).

- The team is also noticeably better when everyone is making the extra pass to the open man. Here is a look at their assists per game, split by wins and losses over their last ten games.

Cavaliers: 22.9 assists per game in wins (8), 18.0 assists per game in losses (2).

Opponent: 27.5 assists per game in wins (2), 16.0 assists per game in losses (8).

- Mo Williams also did his part last night, dishing out four assists. The Cavaliers now improve to 41-5 in games that Mo Williams records at least 4 assists in a game. Here is a look at Mo's ball handling numbers over the last six games:

Mo Williams (6 games): 3.8 assists per game and 0.7 turnovers per game (assist-to-turnover ratio of 5.75).

- This is especially impressive when you consider that in his first six games for the Cavaliers in the beginning of the season Mo recorded 27 assists to 20 turnovers (an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.35).

View from the other side:

- Andre Iguodala scored a team-high 26 points on an efficient 8-11 (72.7%) shooting. Despite losing all three games, Iguodala is averaging 23.0 points per game on 26-41 (63.4%) shooting versus the Cavaliers this season, shooting 50% or better all three times.

- Rookie Marreese Speights fell just one point and one rebound shy of this second career double-double. Speights is averaging 9.7 points per game over his last 7 games, after averaging only 3.5 points per game in the four games prior to that.

 

[camakazee]

Time for Camakazee's neat-o stats of the night.

Game 80 Vs. Boston

Closing the Gap.

While the Cavaliers split their season series with the Boston Celtics for the second straight year (record: 2-2), there are definite signs of improvement from last season. For instance, while the Cavs won both home games last season by a combined 6 points, both wins this season were by double-digits (won by an absurd 46 combined points). Here is a closer look:

2007-08:

- Cavaliers: 111.5 points per game at home, 78.5 points per game in Boston (+33.0 point differential when at home).

- Boston: 108.5 points per game in Cleveland, 86.0 points per game at home (-22.5 point differential when at home).

2008-09:

- Cavaliers: 102.5 points per game at home, 89.5 points per game in Boston (+13.0 point differential when at home).

- Boston: 79.5 points per game in Cleveland, 97.5 points per game at home (+18.0 point differential when at home).

Here are some observations from those games and tonight's game:

- As I had touched on somewhat before, last season the Cavaliers were outscored in the four game series 389-380 (-9 points). This season, on the other hand, the Cavs outscored Boston in their season series 384-354 (+30 points).

- While the Cavaliers allowed the Celtics to score an average of 108.5 points per game in Cleveland last year, this year they held them to only 79.5 points per game at the Q (down 29.0 points per game).

- Similarly, the Cavs have evened out their scoring fluctuations when traveling from Cleveland to Boston this season, averaging 13.0 points per game fewer in Boston. Last season, on the other hand, the Cavaliers were completely stifled in Boston, averaging 33.0 points per game fewer there.

- Lastly, the Cavaliers defense on the Celtics has been much improved this season, allowing them only 88.5 points per game in their four meetings (95.0 points per game in last season's four games). This was best exemplified in the first quarter today when the Cavs held Boston to a season-low 9 first quarter points.

And the home of the brave.

With today's win, the Cavs improve to 39-1 at home, needing to win their final match-up against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday to tie the 1985-86 Boston Celtics for best home record in the NBA. Here is a look at how the Cavaliers have performed at home this year:

- Last season the Cavaliers had a respectable 27 home wins. This season the Cavs have greatly exceeded this mark, picking up their 27th home win over one month ago, March, 4th versus the Milwaukee Bucks.

- The Cavs are outscoring their opponents by an average of 14.3 points per game at the Q this season. In fact, 28 of the Cavaliers 39 home wins have been by double-digits, including the 31 point blowout today.

- Boobie Gibson came off the pine to score 15 points in today's game, shooting 3-4 (75.0%) from three. Here are his splits, separated by home and away games this season:

Boobie at home (37 games): 8.8 points on 43.1% shooting (40.7% from three).

Boobie on road (36 games): 6.3 points on 33.5% shooting (35.0% from three).

- Lastly, the Cavaliers average 1.5 more rebounds per game at home this season as opposed to games on the road. This was best exemplified by the dramatic outrebounding of Boston today (46 to 28). Over the last five home games the Cavs are averaging 47.0 rebounds per game, as opposed to 41.6 rebounds per game in their last five road games.

April Showers Bring June Championships.

After a rough start to the month of April, losing their first two games, the Cavaliers have quickly rebounded to win their last four. Here are some notables from this month:

- In six games in the month of April, LeBron James is averaging 28.7 points per game. Perhaps more impressive, however, LeBron is 46-51 (90.2%) from the free throw line so far in the month of April.

- Because of back-to-back defensive miscues versus the Wizards and Magic, the Cavaliers are left with one of their worst defense months of the season, allowing 93.3 points per game. However, after allowing 225 points in those two losses (112.5 points per game), the Cavs haven't allowed more than 92 points in a game over the last four games. Over those four they are allowing an average of only 83.8 points per game.

- The Cavs have also shot the three well this month, with four players averaging more than one made three a game on better than 43.0% three point shooting so far in April. Here is a closer look:

LeBron James (6 games): 28.7 points per game on 14-32 (43.8%) three point shooting.

Mo Williams (6 games): 16.0 points per game on 15-33 (45.5%) three point shooting.

Delonte West (6 games): 13.0 points per game on 7-13 (53.8%) three point shooting.

Wally Szczerbiak (6 games): 5.8 points per game on 7-12 (58.3%) three point shooting.

View from the other side:

- Paul Pierce struggled at Cleveland for the second time this year, scoring only 14 points. In the two road losses versus the Cavs this season, Pierce is averaging only 12.5 points per game on 8-32 (25.0%) shooting.

- Ray Allen struggled with Delonte West chasing him throughout the game, posting his first single-digit scoring game since March 15th. Allen averaged only 10.8 points per game versus Cleveland this season (23.8 points per game vs. Cleveland last season).

 

[camakazee]

Time for Camakazee's neat-o stats of the night.

Game 81 @ Indiana

Central Time.

With last night's win, the Cavaliers played their final game versus a Central opponent foe in the regular season (we'll be treated to a Pistons series very shortly). Here is a look at their accomplishments in the Central division this season:

- The Cavaliers finished 13-3 in the Central division, completing LeBron's most successful season in his division by far. Last season, by contrast, the Cavs had a losing record versus Central division teams (7-9). Thankfully, this season the Cavs meant business, collecting a Central division banner well in advance, exactly one month from last night.

- As I had mentioned, this was the most success LeBron James experienced versus the Central division in his career. However, it was no coincidence, as he led the team to many of those 13 victories. In fact, the Central division was the only division that LeBron averaged over 30.0 points per game against this season. Here are his averages:

LeBron James (16 games): 31.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.7 steals on a stellar 36.9% three point shooting (his second-highest 3p% versus a division).

- Last time these two teams met up in Indiana, Mike Brown made a hefty donation to the league office after he was left unsatisfied with the outcome. Here is a look at how things turned out better this time around:

@ Indiana 2/10 (Loss):

- Cavaliers: 95 points and 11 assists on 34-78 (43.6%) shooting, including 21-29 (72.4%) from the free throw line.

- Starting Backcourt (Mo and Wally): 21 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, and 0 steals on 9-26 (34.6%) shooting, including 0-8 from three.

- Frontcourt (Z, AV, and Ben): 19 points on a combined 7-22 (31.8%) shooting.

@ Indiana 4/13 (Win):

- Cavaliers: 117 points and 19 assists on 40-87 (46.0%) shooting, including 29-34 (85.3%) from the free throw line.

- Starting Backcourt (Mo and West): 38 points, 12 assists, 12 rebounds, and 3 steals on 12-26 (46.2%) shooting, including 4-8 (50%) from three.

- Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 16 points on 7-14 (50%) shooting, grabbing his first back-to-back double-doubles since March 2nd.

Ultimately, the biggest difference between the two games was the final result. A result that makes any team in the NBA looking to win a Championship travel to Cleveland first to do so.

Aggressive Demeanor.

One of the many positives of this team that I simply cannot shut up about lately is the aggressive play of Delonte West. His fastbreak finishes and halfcourt drives have opened up the three pointer for himself and the rest of the team. Here is a look at his play since his return from injury:

- Delonte West (first 15 games): 10.1 points and 2.9 rebounds, shooting 21-27 (77.8%) from the free throw line.

- Delonte West (last 11 games): 12.6 points and 4.3 rebounds, shooting 19-21 (90.5%) from the free throw line.

It is important to note that not only is Delonte averaging more points and rebounds, but more made free throws per game on more attempts per game. Similarly, he is taking fewer three pointers, thus making them at a higher clip.

- Delonte West (first 15 games): Shot 14-43 (32.6%) from three point.

- Delonte West (last 11 games): Shot 12-26 (46.2%) from three point.

By attempting fewer threes per game and looking to get to the hoop instead, West has had some great looks from three, boosting his average since his return. Regardless, since returning, West has been more aggressive altogether. In the combined 26 games since coming back, he has had games where he grabbed his most rebounds as a Cavalier (9), recorded a career-high in steals (8), and attempted his most free throws of the season (8; last night).

Lastly, since it's only appropriate given his last name, it is important to look at West's presence versus teams in the western conference. Many fans may forget, but Delonte West was the only player in the Cavaliers rotation to miss both regular season games versus the Lakers. Here are his splits:

- Delonte West vs. east (44 games): 11.6 points and 3.1 assists on 43.8% shooting, including 38.7% from three.

- Delonte West vs. west (19 games): 12.3 points and 3.7 assists on 50.6% shooting, including 43.3% from three.

Give Me a Second.

Despite losing the second half of last night's game, the Cavaliers have been lights out in the second half lately. Similarly, they have played very well in the second quarter in games lately, as they did last night. Here is a closer look at the trends:

2nd Quarter over the last five games (record: 5-0):

- Cavaliers: 27.0 points, Opponent: 22.0 points.

While they are plus 5.0 points per game in the second quarter over the last five, they have also been impressive in the second half of those games, despite last night's game.

2nd Half over the last five games (record: 5-0):

- Cavaliers: 51.2 points, Opponent: 47.8 points.

In fact, the teams most recent wins have involved them closing out the final half. In eight of their last nine wins, the Cavaliers have won the second half, with last night as the lone exception. Here is a closer look:

2nd Half performance in last 9 wins:

- Cavaliers: 50.1 points, Opponent: 42.9 points.

View from the other side:

- With his 38 points last night, Danny Granger has become the first player in NBA history to improve his scoring average by 5 or more points per game in each of his first four NBA seasons.

- Scoring 17 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, Troy Murphy set a franchise record, posting the most double-doubles in a Pacers single season with 48.


Author's Note:

- Since I have a boatload of work coming up and finals around the corner, for the majority of the playoffs I will be experimenting with the set-up of my stats. I'll likely cut out a section for the sake of time, leaving readers with 2 full-sized sections. I promise I won't skimp on the "neat-o," just giving everyone a heads up before I get 10 emails about slacking or skimping. Thanks.

 

[wuck]

Since I have a boatload of work coming up and finals around the corner, for the majority of the playoffs I will be experimenting with the set-up of my stats. I'll likely cut out a section for the sake of time, leaving readers with 2 full-sized sections. I promise I won't skimp on the "neat-o," just giving everyone a heads up before I get 10 emails about slacking or skimping. Thanks.

Excuses, excuses.

:lame:

 

[Man Called X]

wuck and camakazee are going to get married soon.

 

[action]

wuck and camakazee are going to get married soon.

wuckazee's neat-o stats and articles