When the Cavaliers hit the road to play the defending champion Lakers, I obviously figured that their 11th straight loss was imminent. What I did not expect was to switch to the game in the third quarter and see Cleveland with 35 points… and the Lakers with 86. In all my years of watching NBA basketball, I have never turned to a game, looked at the score, and litterally bursted out in laughter. I mean, 35 points in the closing minutes of the third quarter? I ran into the other room to share the hilarious news with my family, but they had all passed out. As shocking as it appears, the final score actually makes sense when you break it down. I’ll explain momentarilly.
Random Observations:
- Highlight Recap: Wilson Chandler slams the lob from Landry Fields. Marcus Camby erase’s Amare’s shot. Kobe rubs it in. K-Mart throws down with two hands. You knew this was going to go in. DeMarcus Cousins throws it in reverse. Top 10 plays.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to take losing to whole new levels. The loss of King James, the 28-point beatdown that King James inflicted on them, and now a 55-point defeat at the hands of the defending champs. How the hell does an NBA team lose by 55 points? Well, let’s take a look at who the Cavs put out on the floor. The team leader in shot attempts was Samardo Samuels (tied with Alonzo Gee, we’ll get to him in just a minute). Samardo, a rookie power forward, entered last night’s contest with six games of NBA experience, averaging about 10 minutes and three points per game. He went 1-12 from the floor in 33 minutes, which seems about right. What do you expect from a D-Leaguer when forced to face a frontcourt that gives Dwight Howard problems? As for Alonzo Gee, who matched Samuels with a team-high 12 shots, he’s a tweener 2/3 playing for his third team this season. He’d appeared in a total of 33 NBA games, and entered last night’s disaster with 146 career points. Manny Harris, Cleveland’s starting shooting guard, took eight shots in a team-leading 41 minutes. Manny’s a rookie out of Michigan who was playing in his 18th game. With a career total of 94 points, he and Gee have produced about as much NBA offense in their lifetime as Kobe Bryant does in 10 games. Do you see where I’m going with this? With their current roster, humiliation is inevitable. You can’t send six minor leaguers and four role players into battle against the Lakers and expect anything but embarrassment. I understand that rebuilding is a slow process, but if Dan Gilbert is serious about his intention to win a championship, he’s going to at least have to work on acquiring some young guys with potential. Right now he’s got one piece that might be a valuable asset in the future. ONE. I’ve never seen such a hopeless squad in my life. I understand that the team was built around LeBron James, and now that he’s gone none of the pieces make sense, and it will take time to put a winning product back on the floor… but why aren’t they making moves? I haven’t heard any trade rumors involving Mo Williams or Antawn Jamison. It’s about time for the Cavs to actually address their problems. So far they’ve done nothing but feel sorry for themselves. Make a move, give the fans a reason to show up at the Q.
- This Cavs/Lakers game is going to require two bullets because I need to get to some of the numbers. My first attempt at a recap went way off course, so here’s try number two. The Cavs shot 29.9% from the floor, 7.1% from three, and 62.5% from the line. They turned the ball over 19 times. Manny Harris recorded a -57, which I figure has to be a record. Seven Lakers scored in double figures, and 11 of 12 Lakers who played got a bucket. The 55-point differential was the largest margin of victory for any team this season. Said Byron Scott: “You look scared. You look flat-out scared. You’re playing against the world champions, and instead of just competing and playing hard, you look scared. You look scared to death.”
- One my my favorite gunners in the association had a career night as the Wizards beat the Kings 136-133 in OT. Nick Young dropped 43 on Sacramento, but his team narrowly escaped defeat. Unfortunately I missed this game because I was busy playing lockdown D on some of Bar Harbor Maine’s finest offensive talents. Based on the box score it looks like I missed a wild one. The Kings came back from an early 20-point defecit, then had to climb out of a six-point hole with just 14 seconds left to send the game to an extra period. Beno Udrih and and Fransisco Garcia scored 26 each for the Queens.
- Ronny Turiaf’s energy helped propell New York to a 14-point win over the Blazers. LaMarcus Aldridge (8-18) and Amare Stoudemire (9-23) both struggled offensively, but it was the Knicks’ role players who stepped up. Turiaf did a season-high 19 points along with 10 boards, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Bill Walker made big plays both offensively and defensively down the stretch as he matched his season high with 10 points. In the closing minutes, Wilson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire threw down three thunderous slams in a row, emphatically slamming the door shut on the Blazers.
- The other games: Milwaukee @ Atlanta was postponed due to a couple inches of snow. Arron Afflolo dropped 31 in a 132-98 Nuggets victory over the Suns. Melo played well with 28 points of his own. Kevin Love recorded his sixth 20-20 of the season, but the T-Wolves lost for the 30th time this season… 107-96 to the Spurs. Ken Mauer was player of the game for San Antonio. Three Pacers dropped 20+ as they beat the Suxers 111-103.
Quote of the Day: As if a 55-point loss wasn’t bad enough, LeBron James decided to rub it in. From his Twitter…
“Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!”
The guy doesn’t even have to open his mouth to rub me the wrong way, he can do so with a keyboard. I mean yeah, it’s kinda funny, but a little childish at the same time.
Photo of the Day: Chauncey and Carmelo take a look at the out of town scoreboard…
Precisely how I reacted when I saw the score.
