Cleveland 86, Orlando 97: (Dwight Howard pulls down 18 rebounds as Magic club Cavaliers)

CLEVELAND -- Hard as he tried, Stan Van Gundy just couldn't bring himself to enjoy Orlando's win.

The hard-to-please Magic coach was in one of those foul moods.

Van Grumpy.

Dwight Howard scored 28 points with 18 rebounds and he and Brandon Bass were way too much for Cleveland's smallish frontline to handle as the Magic rolled to a 97-86 win Monday night over the Cavaliers, whose fourth-quarter comeback irritated Van Gundy.

Standing in the hallway outside Orlando's locker room, Van Gundy was asked what he took from the win. His answers were terse.

"Nothing," he said. "We got a win and that's what we take from it. We got a win, and we're moving on. This one is done."

With the Cavs unable to stop Howard near the basket, the Magic built a 15-point lead in the first quarter and were up by 26 late in the third. However, Cleveland fought back and closed within 92-83 before Hedo Turkoglu's 3-pointer with 2:56 left put Orlando back in control.

The Magic won their third straight and pulled within 3½ games of Miami for the No. 3 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

That was of little value to Van Gundy, who was upset with his team's 20 turnovers and inability to put Cleveland away.

"You only play 82 games a year," Van Gundy said. "It shouldn't be hard to go out and play hard and well all the time. We've seen ebbs and flows, but I don't have an excuse for it. We turned the ball over too much and we didn't play with a lot of energy."

The Magic swept all four games against the Cavaliers, winning the season series for the first time since 2002-03. The teams met each other in the playoffs in 2009, a tight series Orlando won in six games. Their feud figured to continue, but it dissolved the moment LeBron James left Cleveland.

Fierce rivals just a year ago, Orlando and Cleveland are now on opposite ends of the NBA spectrum.

"It is different now," Howard said. "It's weird."

J.J. Hickson scored 18 and Daniel Gibson 16 for the Cavs, who have dropped three straight and nine of 11.

Bass added 22 points for Orlando, and combined with Howard to go 18 of 21 from the floor against a Cavs team lacking a legitimate inside game.

Howard added four assists, four blocks, four steals and the All-Star center went a shocking 10 of 12 from the free throw line. He's made only 58 percent of his foul shots this season. Following the game, Howard handed fans his sneakers and arm sleeves and tossed his jersey into the crowd.

"He's a great player," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "His flaw is obviously from the line but he is athletic, strong, big and fast. He's dominant."

When Howard went out with 1:49 left in the third, the Magic were up by 22 and even Van Gundy seemed somewhat pleased. Howard slapped hands with Orlando's assistant coaches and it appeared his night was over early. But Bass picked up his fifth personal and Van Gundy had to put Howard back in.

The Cavs began knocking down shots and made it interesting in the fourth. They closed within nine on Christian Eyenga's 3-pointer. But Turkoglu ended the comeback bid with his 3 from deep in the left corner.

While Van Gundy was unhappy, Howard believes the Magic are in a good place.

"We're a team that's headed toward making a great playoff run," Howard said. "We have all the talent. We've got a great team. We have to bring it every night."

At halftime, the Magic led by 18 and were on cruise control. Howard, Bass and Ryan Anderson were a combined 17 of 20 with 42 points, 19 rebounds and eight dunks.

Scott wanted his big men to be physical with Howard, and on Orlando's first possession, Samardo Samuels locked up the Magic's All-Star center with a bear hug in the middle of the lane. Samuels got away with it as Howard was called for 3 seconds.

Howard then had his way.

He drew five personal fouls -- two on Ryan Hollins and one apiece on Samuels, Hickson and Luke Harongody -- in the first quarter alone as Cleveland was forced to hack away at him or get dunked on. Howard finished the period with 12 points and nine rebounds.

"Once he sits in the paint, it's just hard to move him out," Hickson said. "With his size and athleticism, it's tough."

Posted from the Associated Press on ESPN

--Sorry folk's I didn't watch the game tonight, so I figured you might want to read a real recap.

Jake

Preview- Cleveland vs. Magic

The Magic will try to win their third straight game and sweep the season series against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at Quicken Loans Arena.

Orlando (44-26) has won three of their last four games, however, they are four games behind Miami for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. With only 12 games remaining the Magic must take care of business against sub .500 teams like the Cavaliers.

The Magic have a great chance tonight, they have won four games overall in a row against the Cavaliers including their 103-87 home win on January 30th. Dwight Howard finished game with 20 points and 20 rebounds.

However, Howard struggled with foul trouble the last time the Magic played in Cleveland, finishing the game with 12 points and six rebounds.

Cleveland (13-55) is coming off a 1-2 road trip on the west coast. The trip included a 111-70 beat down from the Portland Trailblazers and a knife-wielding man on the floor of Staples Center before eventually failing to the Clippers,100-92.

Baron Davis returned with the team in Portland and played limited minutes because of back spasms. He did not play in his return to Staples Center and his status for Monday is unknown.

The Aftermath of the Epic Win: post All-Star Break Implications

The Cavaliers knocked the defending World Champs into further disarray last night, in a game that brought momentary appeasement to a fanbase in desperate need of a meaningful victory.

Cleveland is 2-1 in its last 3 games.  It feels great to say that.  In the month of February, Cavs are 2-0 against teams from Los Angeles.

Of course, the headlines on ESPN are all too easily predictable:  What is wrong with the Lakers?  Losing to Orlando is one thing, but the Cavs? 

Really ESPN?  How about giving us some credit when it's clear we outplayed our opponent?  Why does it always have to be about the other team? 

The Lakers didn't come to play; the Cavs were hungry for a big win heading into the All-Star break.  In front of 20,000+ roaring fans at Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavs played maybe their most complete game of the season

Ramon Sessions led all players with 32 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals off the bench.  Mo Williams aggravated his injured ankle, and did not return after 3 minutes of action.

Sessions has been playing excellent as of late.  Earlier in the season, he often forgot about his teammates and drove every chance he got.  Now, he seems to be finding that invaluable skill of knowing when to get others involved. 

Ramon has significantly reduced the amount of careless turnovers, and is making his presence felt on the court.  In the first half he finished with 16 points, partly because he got to the free throw line 7 times and made them all count. 

Sessions is the driving force behind the Cavaliers right now.  He even made his first 3 pointer of the season. 

If the Cavs weren't in last place, one could make a strong case for Ramon to be named 6th man of the year.

Christian Eyenga also came to play last night; Number 8 has dramatically improved his offensive game and court awareness throughout the 1st half of the season.

He also managed to school Kobe Bryant, and dunk in the face of Pau Gasol all in one play.  Speaking of Gasol, is there ever a time where he doesn't make an overdramatic yell for a foul as he bricks another lay-up?

Eyenga has the potential to be an impact player for the Cavs.  His defensive intensity alone warrants the playing time he's been receiving.

For all the losses we incurred during the 1st half of the season, its undeniable that the win over the Lakers will help this team's confidence going forward. 

We need to play with the same defensive effort we showed last night, and we could be competitive night-in and night-out.  The Cavaliers haven't had a problem scoring the basketball this season, we're averaging right around 100 points a night.  The problem is consistent defense. 

Granted, we don't have the pieces in the frontcourt to stop the likes of Dwight Howard and pretty much any other legitimate center in the league right now.  The injury to Anderon Varejao for the season hurt this team in a multitude of ways, including but not limited to: defending in the post, rebounding, and energy. 

Jamison attempting to defend Gasol just isn't going to work out well most nights. 

That being said, Jamison did play a great game defensively and the Cavs worked as a team to out-will the Lakers for our 10th victory of the season.

Improving throughout the rest of the season is the main goal for Coach Byron Scott; we have to change the atmosphere of losing and develop our players to bring A+ effort on a nightly basis.

This victory was a step in the right direction.  Hopefully this will propel the Cavs to a strong finish for the rest of the season. 

Magic 103, Cavs 87: And so the trend continues - 20 . Straight . Losses

It's like a bad dream you can't wake up from, except in this dream you've been sleeping for 42 days.

The Cavaliers lost their 20th game in a row to the Orlando Magic, who took advantage of our lack of size and defense.

As we've seen recently, our rookies played well but it was never going to be enough to beat one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

Manny Harris led the Cavaliers with 20 points on 7/12 shooting.  More more shots please?  He shot 60% from behind the 3 point line, nailing 3 of 5 deep balls he attempted.  His 6 rebounds and 3 assists only added to his growing legend. 

We here at Cavaliers United applaud Manny in his effort to restore greatness to what was once a proud NBA franchise.

Samardo Samuels played well enough to score a career-high 16 points on 6/8 shooting, and really found a rhythm offensively during his time on the court.

Christian Eyenga started off the game 4/5 from the field with 9 points, impressing with his offensive ability and defensive intensity.  He even had the audacity to block Dwight Howard during the early portion of the game. 

Speaking of blocks, the Cavs had 4 in the 5 minutes of the game.  J.J. Hickson finished with 3 rejections, but somehow managed to score exactly 0 points in 21 minutes on the floor.

When your starting "Center" doesn't score, it's going to be tough to hang with the elite teams in this league.  J.J. had been playing well coming into tonight but just didn't have it offensively.  His 11 rebounds were appreciated, but you can't make an excuse for his scoreless night.

Dwight Howard finished the 1st quarter with 8 points and 9 rebounds, and the Cavs were down 33-17 after the 1st.

Superman would finish with 20 points in the game, and added 20 rebounds in a heroic effort.  But there was another Orlando player who would put more points up on the board. 

So who led the Magic in scoring?  You guessed it.. Ryan Anderson.

Not exactly who you expected, but Anderson hit 5/10 three pointers;  he wasn't afraid to shoot the ball.  With newcomer Gilbert Arenas sidelined for the night, Ryan gladly took center stage.

I tried to figure out why the Cavs lost tonight, other than the obvious.  We had a better shooting percentage than the Magic, 43% to 41%.  Was it turnovers?  Nope, both teams turned the ball over 18 times.

And then I looked at total rebounds.  The Cavaliers were out-boarded 61-35, which would explain the lopsided loss.  Clearly we're missing Anderson Varejao.

Then you also factor in the minor detail that Gibson, Jamison and Hickson all combined to go 4/25 from the floor, and it all adds up - to what would be the 20th consecutive loss in this mildly disappointing season.  The last time the Cavaliers won a game, most people hadn't even finished their Christmas shopping.

It doesn't get easier, with the Cavs heading to Miami for a back-to-back tomorrow night.  Although we did play the Heat close last time we were there, it looks very possible that the team that won 60+ games last season finishes the month of January winless.

Preview - Cavs vs. Magic: Looking to snap the streak

The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to avoid setting a single-season record of 20 straight losses when they take on Orlando tonight at 6:00pm.

Cleveland's last win was against New York before Christmas, and are looking for anything to help them end this streak. The Cavaliers tied a single-season franchise record with their 19th straight loss, 29 in 30 games after falling 117-103 against Denver on Friday.

The Cavaliers, who play Miami on Monday, should focus on Orlando first as tonight will be just as tough. Orlando has won the last four games against the Cavaliers and have outscored Cleveland by 13 in their previous two meetings this year.

Antawn Jamison will look to continue his strong play against the Magic. He is averaging 21.5 ppg on 52 percent shooting from the field and 5 rebounds a game.

JJ Hickson who is also playing strong as of late, is coming off a 24 point, 14 rebound game against Denver. It was his 6th double-double in his past ten games.

The probable starters for the Cavaliers will be the same as it has been. Ramon Sessions (who had 0 turnovers against Denver) will run the point. Boobie will be the two gaurd, Christian Eyenga (who is showing some fantastic upside) will be at the three spot. JJ Hickson and Antawn Jamison will start in the frontcourt for the 8-38 Cavaliers.

The key for tonight will be how JJ and Antawn play against Dwight Howard. The all-star center will have all kinds of advantages against a shorter Hickson and less physical Jamison. Howard could put up big numbers tonight as he is coming off of an impressive 40 point,15 rebound game.

For the Magic, starting point guard, Jameer Nelson may not play tonight. If not, Gilbert Arenas will make his start, who is averaging 7.4 ppg since being traded from Washington.

Tip-off starts at 6:00, tune in for the recap after the game.

Bulls 92, Cavs 79: No light at the end of the tunnel

There isn't a whole lot to cheer for right now.

In the latest episode of "We will find a way to lose", the Cavaliers dropped their 16th straight to the Bulls in Chicago.

Putting things in perspective:

The last time the Cavs won a game was December 18th vs. the Knicks.  Its January 23rd.

Had Amare Stoudemire hit a 15 footer to win that game, the Cavaliers would be in the midst of a 26 game losing streak.

In case you were wondering, the franchise "record" (if you can call it that) for consecutive games lost is 24 games.  That record is also the NBA mark for futility.  Do we have what it takes to set the record?

The answer is quite simply, yes. 

Assuming we drop our 17th in a row in New Jersey tomorrow night, the streak will without question reach 21 games.  Following Monday night, we play Boston, Denver, Orlando, and then Miami. 

See a win in that group?  Neither do I. 

After that, we will struggle with Indiana, Memphis, and then Portland to tie the record.  If we can somehow find the courage to lose 24 straight, Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic will deliver the Cavs into the NBA record books.

Even when the Cavs muster a comeback late in these games, as they did last night in Chicago, the chances of us actually winning the game are slim to none.

The Bulls did provide us with a ray of hope when we closed within a few points in the 4th quarter, but it wasn't meant to be.  It's kind of like when a shark lets its victim flail around in the water for a few seconds before it closes in for the kill.

Antawn Jamison did finish last night's game with 31 points, which could be viewed as a major milestone in a season with little to get excited about.

Dan Gilbert returned to the Twittersphere recently, thanking fans for support and promising changes.  Gilbert has become uncharacteristically silent during the dark days in Cleveland.

"You don't panic when things get tough.  You think. You examine. You calculate. THEN you strike. And we will strike." - CavsDan

That sounds good in theory, but how much longer will we have to wait for the "strike" part Dan?

You can't really blame Gilbert for the team's struggles.  LeBron left the franchise in a shameful way, leaving us no chance for immediate success after his departure.   

The one thing you don't want to do is make the wrong trade to appease the fan-base.  Sure, it would be nice to see management do something with this inferior roster, but this season is already one to forget.

That being said, maybe now would be the time to unload Antawn Jamison.  He's playing pretty well, and there should be some interest in his offensive abilities.  He can help a contending team right now. 

He's not going to be in the Cavs long-term plans as he's nearing the end of his playing days, and we shouldn't want to keep his big contract through next season.

Let's just hope our owner is serious about making this team a contender.

The one thing that Gilbert should be thankful for is the loyal fans of Cleveland sports.  You don't see this kind of support anywhere else.

The Cavaliers could use some help at the Center position

On Friday night, the Cavaliers previewed the new team and offense in the annual Wine & Gold Scrimmage.  By all accounts, the game was a constant fastbreak, and it seemed like the Cavs were not completely adjusted to the new system under Coach Byron Scott.  Take this with a grain of salt, because there were several key players missing;  Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams, and Anderson Varejao did not participate.

There were several bright spots, most notably the play of Ramon Sessions as well as Cavs veteran Daniel "Boobie" Gibson.  Ramon seemed to have the best grasp of the new, uptempo offense, and it translated in the scorer's books;  Sessions finished with a game-high 13 points to go along with 4 assists, as he led the "Wine" team to a 47-41 victory (for what it's worth.)  Ramon has made it clear that he feels very comfortable in the "Princeton" style of offense Scott employs, and enjoys the seemingly unlimited amount of freedom afforded to him. 

Gibson started at the point for the "Gold" team, and was thus matched up against Sessions in what turned out to be a fun battle to watch.  With Mo Williams penciled in as the starter, it appears that Ramon and Boobie will be fighting for playing time, although you might see Boobie as well as Williams get some minutes at the 2 guard.  Byron obviously wants this team to press the ball, and he likes what Sessions is doing with the team so far.  He has the ability to see the floor very well, and often took advantage of open lanes and nicely utilizing pick-and-rolls.

There was however, a glaring issue that shouldn't really come as much of a surprise.  With Anderson Varejao in Brazil tending to family matters, the Cavaliers looked almost pathetically thin at the Center position.  Varejao undoubtedly will be the starter when the season opens, but he's not really accustomed to that role.  Our other only legitimate option at center is Ryan Hollins, who will be a work-in-progress this season.

The only other possibility the Cavaliers have at center as of right now is to slide one of our Power Forwards over, but that could prove to haunt us when we're matched up against the legitimate Centers in the east.  Don't get me wrong, I love J.J. Hickson, but he probably would get demolished against Dwight Howard.  Leon Powe could also play the Center, but he's still recovering from a serious knee surgery. 

That leaves Varejao and Hollins as our two options, and it's clear that the Cavs will be in the market for another big man.  Other teams know how limited we are with the departure of O'Neal as well as Ilgauskas, and they will exploit that weakness.  Sure, playing small can also have it's benefits.. but just ask the Phoenix Suns how far that got them.

Can the Cavaliers make the playoffs with our current predicament at center?  It's not out of the question.  Will we have a chance against the likes of Boston, Orlando, and Miami?  Nope.  I'm not sure who the Cavs will go after, but don't believe Byron Scott when he says that he's "not sure" if we'll need to add another Center.  This team has some good pieces right now, but its obvious we're missing another 7 footer.  Defending and rebounding in the paint might be the biggest weakness of this team right now.  Hopefully we'll get Varejao back soon, as well as Williams and Jamison.  Tomorrow we open up the preseason against the Bobcats, and only 23 more days until Boston rolls into town for the season opener.  The season is less than a month away, and the clock is ticking.