Ordering the right combo
Cavs drive through six foes with rotation
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Burt Graeff
Plain Dealer Reporter
Maybe it's LeBron James' tights.
Or, maybe it's the insertion of Sasha Pavlovic into the starting lineup.
Or, it could be reserve forward/center Anderson Varejao emerging to once again create the havoc he did last season.
Whatever the case, six straight victories over the past 1½ weeks are evidence that the Cavaliers have figured out how to win without second-leading scorer Larry Hughes.
Hughes was averaging 16.2 points per game, and the Cavaliers were 18-10 when he had surgery to repair the middle finger of the right hand. The tailspin that followed - seven losses in nine games - has been reversed.
The Cavaliers can make it seven straight, which would be their longest winning streak since 1992-93, with a victory over the New Jersey Nets tonight at The Q.
"When a big scorer like [Hughes] goes down, others need to come in and pick it up," Cavs reserve forward Donyell Marshall said.
"It took awhile, but we've done it."
Marshall is one of those who has picked it up - averaging 13.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 27.8 minutes off the bench during the streak.
Basketball is a game of finding the right combinations. First-year Cavaliers coach Mike Brown initially replaced Hughes with Damon Jones, then Ira Newble at shooting guard. Not liking what he saw, Brown turned to Pavlovic.
Bingo.
In six starts, Pavlovic is averaging 9.2 points and 2.3 rebounds. The numbers would be better, but Pavlovic has trouble staying out of foul trouble - averaging 3.7 personals in the 31.7 minutes per game he's getting.
"There have not been a ton of adjustments," Brown said. "We've just found a combination we've all felt comfortable with."
Working his way into the mix is Varejao, who missed the first 32 games while recovering from surgery to repair a dislocated right shoulder. The tentativeness he played with in the first eight games after returning is gone.
In victories over Phoenix and Charlotte, Varejao had 12 points and 17 rebounds in 39 minutes and created numerous deflections. He was a 6-10, 240-pound pest, much like he was as a rookie last season when he averaged 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in 16 minutes per game.
"We are getting contributions from everyone down the line," Brown said. "We are playing at a comfort level at both ends that we have not had since Larry went down."
A streak cannot be dissected without mentioning James, who is averaging 36 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists and is shooting 50.3 percent (77-of-153) from the field in the six straight victories.
James pointed out on Tuesday the play of Damon Jones should not go unnoticed. Jones, maligned for doing little more than hoist 3-pointers as a starter, appears to have found a comfort level after returning to the bench.
In 28 minutes per game as a reserve during the streak, Jones is averaging 6.7 points - with 15 assists and just four turnovers. "A lot of guys are playing well and feeding off me," James said. "Damon Jones is one of them."
The Cavaliers are averaging 103.1 points and allowing 89.8 during the streak - as opposed to getting 90.1 points and giving up 94 in the first nine games after Hughes went down.
"We weren't playing that bad even when we were losing," Brown said. "We're playing better now, though."
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