Cavs 85, Warriors 95: (Warriors backcourt too much)

The Cavaliers lost to the Golden State Warriors 95-85, on a night were the Warriors backcourt was far too superior for Cleveland.

Starting guards Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry combined for 47 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists. Ellis was the Cavalier-killer in the third quarter. He made a career high six 3-pointers and scored a total of 24 points.

Ellis, scored 17 in the third quarter and he made all of his 3-pointers in the second half. Stephen Curry added 23 for the Warriors (28-35), who now is 2-4 on their current road trip with a win over the Cavaliers (12-51).

David Lee, who signed a multiple million deal with the Warriors in the summer of 2010, added 14 points and 14 rebounds.

It was a much different story for Cleveland. The Cavaliers starting backcourt went combined for 5-22 from the field with only 14 points scored.

However, Baron Davis came off the bench and gave the Cavaliers an instant boost of energy. Davis finished with 19 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds. Baron continued to energize the Cavaliers and with him on the floor it seemed like Cleveland had new life.

Davis kept the crowd in the game, giving the fans several lob passes to Ryan Hollins and Christian "skyenga" and JJ Hickson.

Ryan Hollins had his best showing for Cleveland tonight. He scored a season-high 14 points while throwing down dunk after dunk in 24 minutes of action.

JJ Hickson scored 10 points and added seven board but left the game with a dislocated left pinky finger. For Cleveland fans it brought back memories from just a few weeks ago when Antawn Jamison broke his same left pink finger and is now out for the rest of the season.

However, JJ Hickson returned to the bench with his finger taped, but by then the Warriors had control of the game.

The Cavaliers had no answer for the Warriors backcourt. Ellis continued to knock down shots and when the Cavaliers focused on him the ball was just swung over to Curry who knocked down his open look.

But Davis continued to keep the Cavaliers in the game. He knocked down several shots and threw a few lob passes and the Cavaliers got within six points. But Ellis and Curry had an answer for everything Davis did.

Cleveland will play on a back-to-back night tomorrow against Brandon Jennings and the Bucks.

Preview - Cleveland vs. Golden State

Golden State (27-35) will come to Cleveland Tuesday night to play the Cavaliers (12-50).

Golden State has lost six of seven overall and is only 1-4 on their current seven-game road trip despite stellar play from Monta Ellis. Monta scored 27 points against Philadelphia but the Warriors still came up short in overtime.

Ellis also scored 41 points against with a lose to the Boston Celtics.

Cleveland is coming off a 96-81 lose against the New Orleans Hornets at Quicken Loans Arena after beating the New York Knicks in New York. The Cavaliers have yet to find consistency since they broke the 26-game losing streak.

The Cavaliers beat the Lakers and Knicks but losing to the 76ers and the Hornets without their best player is not something to be proud of.

However, newly acquired Baron Davis has given the Cavaliers new hope and the team at times look like they are having fun again.

Davis scored 18 in his debut with the Cavaliers, knocking down a key 3-pointer to help seal the win. Davis also scored 17 points in a lose against the Hornets but it wasn't enough.

It is no lie that both teams are looking to get on the winning side and start searching for some consistency. The Warriors are looking to end their current road streak on a high note and the Cavaliers are looking to find some consistent play out of their young players.

The Warriors and the Cavaliers did hook-up earlier this season. They played on January 7th, when Ellis tore apart the Cavaliers for 32 points and 10 assists. The Warriors lead by as many as 21 points and won the game 116-98.

For the Cavaliers, it will be the first time Baron Davis faces his old team in a Cavaliers uniform. Davis scored seven points for the Clippers back on January 22nd when they played Golden State.

Look for Baron Davis to stay aggressive in which will be the key match-up of the game. Davis vs. Ellis should be a lot of fun to watch.

Tip-off is at 7:00pm at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday night.

Here are some of the highlights of the game in January. Hopefully the Cavaliers won't allow Ellis to go for 32 again.

Getting to know Baron Davis

As all of you know by now, Baron Davis is one of the newest members of your very own Cleveland Cavaliers.

Baron Davis was born in Los Angeles and has played basketball his entire life. He earned a scholarship to attend Crossroads School. For those of you who don't know, Crossroads is a prestigious private high school in Santa Monica, California.

Davis lead his high school team to a championship and was named Gatorade National Player of the Year and a Parade All-American. With his success in high school, he earned a scholarship to play basketball for UCLA.

Davis was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and made the All-American Third Team in his sophomore year in 1999. In his two years at UCLA he averaged 13.6 points and 5 assists a game.

Baron Davis then decided to come out of college after his second year and entered into the 1999 NBA draft. Davis was the third pick back in '99 by the Charlotte Hornets.

He was eventually traded to the Golden State Warriors for Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis. Baron led the Warriors to their first playoff appearance since 1994. In the opening round, the Warriors played the top seeded Dallas Mavericks and MVP Dirk Nowitzki.

Davis led the Warriors past the Mavericks and Golden State won the series 4-2. It was considered one of the biggest upsets in NBA history. Baron's performance was labeled "outrageous and stunningly athletic". Baron Davis was considered one of the best point guards in the game and averaged 21.6 points a game and 8.0 assists a game.

Recently, Davis agreed to a 5 year, $65 million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Clippers.  On February 24. 2011 the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Davis.

He landed in Cleveland today and will take his physical and is listed as questionable for the Cavaliers game tomorrow night against the Philadelphia 76ers.

                    

Undermanned Cavaliers get overwhelmed yet again as Golden State cruises

"The thing about this right now, when we turn this all around, it's going to be so much more gratifying. That's how I look at it." - Byron Scott

OAKLAND, Calif. — What was left of the Cavaliers was simply not enough to stop Golden State on Friday night as the Warriors ran off with a testy 116-98 victory in Oracle Arena.

Cleveland's Mo Williams and Golden State's David Lee were called for flagrant fouls in the second half, and Williams got a technical as the Cavs suffered their ninth straight loss, their 19th in 20 games, and dropped to 8-29 despite 21 points from former Warrior Antawn Jamison.

Monte Ellis had 32 points, and Lee had 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Warriors, who improved to 15-21.

The game capped a long, frustrating day for the Cavs and coach Byron Scott. Reporters approached Scott cautiously before the team's pregame shootaround.

"Is it still appropriate to say good morning?" one of them asked.

Across the floor, Anderson Varejao had taken the walking boot off his sprained right ankle and was getting treatment next to Joey Graham, who remains out with a strained right quad.

Behind Scott, Anthony Parker was telling the media how his back had tightened up in the second half of the Dallas game and still wasn't loose enough for him to play.

Back in Cleveland, Leon Powe was having surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee, while Daniel Gibson was rehabbing his sprained left ankle.

But Scott remained almost defiantly optimistic.

"It's still appropriate to say good morning," he said.

With losses mounting along with the injuries, he dismissed any talk of a Cleveland curse.

Scott also dismissed the notion his former employer, the New Jersey Nets, was cursed for selling Julius Erving to the Sixers in 1976.

And yet, he admitted this season was close to getting beyond what he had envisioned as the worst-case scenario.

"I didn't envision these types of injuries," he said, calling the loss of Varejao and Gibson "devastating."

"But you know what? I'm equipped for this. I understand this.

"I'm able to deal with it."

"Every morning I wake up with a smile knowing I'm going to work to get better as a coach and get these guys better as players. That's how I approach it. In the long run, it's going to be something that's going to really benefit not only the players but the whole organization."

"The biggest thing I think that's in me is that I always look at the glass as being half full. I have a positive spin on everything. The thing about this right now, when we turn this all around, it's going to be so much more gratifying. That's how I look at it."

And when will that be?

"Sooner rather than later," he said. "Nobody knows what's happening next year with this [possible] lockout and all that going on.

"But I truly believe next year we'll be a much better basketball team . . . if there is a year."

He was asked if it's too late to save this year.

"I don't think it's too late but, obviously, time is running out," he said, "and when you have the guys injured that we have injured, it really makes it doubly hard.

"I never give up on the season. That's just not in me. I'm going to fight until it's game 82. I want these guys to be the same way. That's just my makeup. I don't care. So I would say right now, no it's not too late. And I'll say that until game 81 or 82 of the season."

This story, written by Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer, can be found at Cleveland.com