Kyrie Irving helps Cavs get back on track, drop Detroit 105-89

Does anybody else love this team?

I know, I know.. we've only beaten the Detroit Pistons and we're 1-1 on the season.  But there's something about this team that I'm already quickly falling in love with.  They're actually fun to watch, something that couldn't be said most nights last season when the dark cloud fell over the city.

Kyrie Irving running the point has energized this team and franchise.  You can see it in the way they play.  Irving's pace of play and unique style are bringing a new-found love for basketball in Cleveland.  5 impressive assists and 12 points in the 1st half gave the Cavs an 11 point lead heading into halftime.

Kyrie Irving makes everyone around him better, and I'm happy to admit I was wrong in rating Derrick Williams higher on my highly revered draft board.

Interestingly enough, Irving didn't play much in the 4th quarter as the Cavs turned the game into a 2011 version of NBA Street, with dunks left and right from Samardo, Thompson, Varejao,and even Jamison.  Sessions remained at the point guard spot, securing a huge victory for the Cavs to even up the record at 1-1 heading into Indiana on Friday.

Ramon Sessions is running the second team extremely well, and the bench is a big reason why I have faith in this year's team.  Sessions has shockingly developed into a perimeter threat, and that will work in our favor to keep defenses' honest throughout the season.

The key to the Cavaliers is that they really do play like a team.  One guy isn't dominating the ball, taking all the shots as we've seen in years past.

Omar Casspi brings a tough defensive minded presence on the floor;  Casspi and Alonzo Gee give the Cavs much-needed defense and size at the guard position.  The defense was key in the 1st half, as the Cavs were scrambling to contest shots and hitting the offensive boards.  Come to think of it, the defense throughout the entire game was in large part why we handed Detroit a 16 point defeat.

There's also the re-vamped play and revitalization of Anderson Varejao, who seems to have more energy than I can ever remember.  His contributions go well beyond the stat line, and offensive rebounding and tip-out abililties can't be overstated.

The Cavaliers bench is surprisingly strong this year.  Led by Sessions and Tristan Thompson (who slammed home a ridiculous 2 handed jam in the face of Ben Wallace) the guys off the bench are really providing a spark and uptempo feel to the already fast-feel of the team.  Serves Ben right for not living up to his contract in a Cavaliers uniform.  Even Samardo Samuels played well off the bench in his first action of the season prompting Dan Gilbert to tweet "Samardooooooooooooo!"

The only problem I saw was that Manny Harris was missing from the lineup. 

One day he'll be inducted into the hall of fame, and we'll remember Chris Grant for letting the Michigan legend find greatness somewhere else. 

That being said, Manny recently signed with the Cavaliers D-league affiliate, the Canton Charge.  In other future hall of fame news, Ricky Davis signed with the Maine Red Claws, another NBDL team. 

The Canton Charge will play the Maine Red Claws in a game soon.  Are you putting together what I just said?  Manny Harris will play against Ricky Davis in a game of basketball.  Depending on who you ask, that means that two former Cavalier legends are facing off in a D-league game.  How such greatness can be playing anywhere other than the Association is a mystery to us all.

Forgetting Harris and focusing on the now, the Cavaliers are shaping up surprisingly well with limited talent beyond Irving.  At the very least, we'll be entertaining to watch throughout the season.  Watching Irving's development and chemistry with the other players will be intriguing. 

Look for a tough battle in Indiana on Friday against Danny Granger's undefeated squad. 2 games down, 64 to go.  Can the Cavaliers string together back-to-back wins this early in the season?

Preview- Cleveland vs. Detroit

The Detroit Pistons (25-46) come to Cleveland on Friday night in which they haven't won a road game since before the All-Star break. The Pistons will have a chance to finally get one when they play the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Cavaliers (13-57) have lost their last seven games at home and have lost four games overall. It is the site of the Pistons last road victory, when they came to Cleveland durning the time of that 26-game losing streak.

In the game the Pistons grabbed 17 offensive rebounds which helped balance the 51 percent shooting from the Cavaliers. The Pistons eventually won the game 103-94, extending the Cavaliers losing streak.

Since that game, the Cavaliers have responded with grabbing 12.5 offensive rebounds themselves, which is 7th best in the league over that span of time.

Baron Davis is expected to make his Cavalier return tonight, and he is expected to start at point guard. The Cavaliers looked rejuvenated when Davis join them but Davis has only played in three games due to back spasms.

Cleveland desperatly missed Davis's leadership while he was gone, the Cavaliers lost eight of nine games and averaged only 85.6 points a game.

Cleveland will most likely move Ramon Sessions back to the bench, despite his 16.5 points and 6.7 assists per 32 minutes of action.

This will be the third meeting between the two teams, tip is at 7:30pm.

Preview - Cavs vs. Pistons: Winning time?

The streak will end tonight.  That's all there is to it.  No more excuses, no more moral victories.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been playing well enough to win a game, and the Pistons are very beatable right now. 

With 8 straight home games, it's time to turn this thing around.

Detroit has been experiencing some inner turmoil with players not agreeing with the coach, and they've been in trade talks concerning Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton.

The strong play of our rookies, along with Ramon Sessions' continued control of this offense is keeping us in games; we're playing competitive basketball with a roster that clearly needs some upgrades.

J.J. Hickson will look to build on his 26 point, 12 rebound effort vs. Dallas. 

If Hickson can put together that type of game vs. Tyson Chandler, chances are he will take advantage of Detroit's much smaller frontcourt. 

Charlie Villanueva doesn't have the defensive skillset to match up with J.J.'s athleticism.  Hopefully #21 comes out and takes advantage of that.

Eyenga had a strong 1st half in Texas scoring 13 of his 15 points, and seems to be gaining confidence in a growing role with this team. 

Christian has always been able to drive and finish at the rim.  If he can continue to improve his jumpshot, the sky is the limit.  He seems to have a good understanding of how to play defensively. 

Antawn Jamison will look to get back to the form he was in earlier in the season, where he was stroking 3 balls and looking for his shot. 

We need our veterans to step their game up if we're going to start winning some games.

Anthony Parker has been shooting the basketball well since he came back from back injury.  He's an important part of our offense and needs to play well in order for the Cavaliers to have a chance to win.

Byron Scott is ready for this team to get over the hump, and he's liked the effort we've been putting forward in the last 4 games.

All that being said, being in games in the 4th quarter doesn't matter if you don't win. 

In 9 days, it will have have been two months since the last time the Cavaliers won a game.