Throwback Windhorst article:
Windhorst Beat Blog: Starters' only meeting makes difference
Cavaliers' 105-88 win over Denver on Friday night in Denver.
Cavs 105, Nuggets 88
• Perhaps the most impressive thing I witnessed in the game tonight happened during a commercial break. Early in the third quarter, right after the Nuggets scored two easy baskets out of the half, Mike Brown called an angry timeout. I must assume he reminded the players to deny the middle in the locker room and it didn't sink in. Anyway, Mike didn't even huddle with his coaches as usual, he walked right into the huddle and had some things to say. He was quick and animated. But this is not the impressive thing I was talking about.
After the meeting, Mike and the entire team sat down. There was still like two minutes left in the timeout. The starters walked over to the scorer's table and waited for the horn. Then LeBron called like a mini-meeting and starting pumping up his guys and encouraging them, Mo Williams was also active. The game was decided right there.
• The Nuggets scored just eight points the rest of the quarter and the Cavs got the big lead back and cruised home. Now, much of this was the Nuggets tossing up jumper after jumper. I have no idea why they did this when they got back into the game by driving. But the Cavs also didn't allow them in as much. They played better help defense and closed off the driving lanes. Believe it or not, I felt like this was a defensive win because of that.
• Other than battling the altitude -- and let me tell you, it is no myth -- Zydrunas Ilgauskas said he was surprised how well he felt. We'll see how he is tomorrow, but I think everyone was shocked how well it went tonight. Or as Z said: "When the jumpers are falling, it is pretty easy to forget about it."
• Mike spent almost the entire practice yesterday going over offense. Usually when they show film they will show 6-8 clips, half offense and half defense. On practice Thursday they showed 14 offense-only clips. The coaches realized there had been some slippage over the last few games, especially in respect to ball movement. The team really responded against a pretty good defensive team, which is not only a sign of focus but also a sign of respect for the coaches.
• There were some questionable calls in this game both ways, there was a lot of flopping going on and the officials were buying it. But there was also a lot of pushing and shoving away from the ball that was legit. Anyway, the Cavs didn't let it get to them. They got upset about some calls, but in the past they have gone overboard and got hit with a series of technicals. Tonight they kept their poise.
• My Sunday NBA Insider column will focus on efficiency, because LeBron is putting up unreal numbers in that area. But let's just look at tonight. He scored 33 points on 20 shots. That's about as good as it gets. How about this one though, he went 7-of-8 at the line. The one he missed, he got the offensive rebound and made a jumper from the foul line. He scored nine points on eight foul shots. That, folks, is efficiency.
• Wally Szczerbiak hit the floor seven times tonight, I counted. He will be sore tomorrow. But he also tied his career high with 16 high-fives after taking a charge from Carmelo Anthony in the fourth quarter. Yes, I counted. Wally loves high-fives.
Halftime -- Cavs 64, Nuggets 53
• Good news and bad news. The Cavs have played tremendously on offense for much of the half. They moved the ball very well which showed the work they did in practice the last couple days, which were devoted to offense. They have 15 assists and have done an excellent job with entry passes to the post for easy hoops. They are shooting 64 percent and Zydrunas Ilgauskas is looking like he didn't miss a beat, LeBron is throwing shots in from everywhere, and Delonte West's jumper is back. They came out with excellent energy in what they consider a pretty important game.
• On the flip side, the defense imploded in the second quarter. The Nuggets got numerous easy baskets and seemed to get to the rim over and over without much trouble. Sure, Carmelo Anthony tossed in a couple 3-pointers, but it was Linas Kleiza and Kenyon Martin strolling to the hoop that was the problem. The Cavs gave up 32 points in the quarter, which is not going to do. The Nuggets also had four fastbreak baskets in the quarter.
• With about four minutes left in the half, both Chauncey Billups and Nene went to the bench with foul trouble and the Cavs were up 20. This was a chance to really bury the Nuggets on their floor because this crowd was out of it. Instead the Cavs let down a bit and the Nuggets got right back into it. They are only up 11, which may sound like a lot, but it is not.
• LeBron has been amazing at times tonight with great passes and drives. The pass he threw to Mo Williams under the hoop was incredible and paired with his no-look back-hander to J.J. Hickson the other night in Minnie makes it quite a week for him in that regard. However, he's also got four turnovers tonight.
Pregame
Starting lineups
Cavs: Mo Williams, Delonte West, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Nuggets: Chauncey Billups, Dahntay Jones, Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Nene
• After testing things out this morning and then resting, Z is going to play. He hates to sit, which will happen when you spend two seasons watching earlier in your career. So he is being a warrior, I'd be surprised if he was more than 75 percent. I believe this injury may linger for awhile. The big test for him will be how it responds after he sits and then tries to come back in the second quarter. It may stiffen up on him.
• The Cavs have gotten blown out here the last couple years, but they were both in the middle or end of West Coast trips on back-to-backs. So they have more rest this time. The Nuggets will challenge them on offense, the Cavs without Z have gotten away from the crisp ball movement that led to easy shots. Denver still tries to run, but they challenge on defense now. So the Cavs will have to get back to the offense they played a few weeks ago.
• I think the Cavs are a little peeved that there is a perception they aren't playing well on the road. Which I partially started last week after the loss in Atlanta. So I think they are very much looking forward to this game. We'll see, I think it will be an excellent test.
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2008/12/windhorst_beat_blog_cavs_at_nu.html
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