Cleveland 102, Miami 90: (Believeland is rocking again... for one night at least)

LeBron James return to Cleveland for the second time was one to remember for the Cavaliers and James himself. It all began with LeBron having trouble entering the underground garage for shootaround.

It was reported that LeBron showed up at the gate with a driver and an extra car with other people, the building denied access to the people and eventually let LeBron in.

All of that just a few hours before the Cavaliers went on to shock the Heat, beating them 102-90 despite LeBron's triple-double.

LeBron witnessed the Cavs instead of the fans witnessing LeBron for a night.

The Cavaliers and the crowds energy was ecstatic from the start of the intros all the way through the game. The crowd gave loud boos for LeBron when his name was announced first for the Miami Heat, only to show up on the bench after the National Anthem (It was reported he was using the "restroom").

The crowd boos eventually turned into cheers once they realized that the Cavaliers showed up and wanted to beat Miami. The Cavaliers jumped out to an 11 point halftime lead and pushing that lead to 23-points in the second half.

JJ Hickson continued his strong play since moving back to power forward, scoring 21 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Anthony Parker, who is in his last year of his contract with Cleveland has his best performance of the season, scoring 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Miami fought back hard and erased the 23-point deficit thanks in-large part to James triple-double performance, who was making his second return to Cleveland since leaving in the summer of 2010.

James scored 27 points, 12 assists and had 10 rebounds, but this time around it was the Miami Heat on the losing end after embarrassing Cleveland on December 2nd. Dwayne Wade scored 24 points and had 6 assists but shot 8-20 from the field and struggled all night.

Part of Wade's struggles may have come from the unsung hero, Ryan Hollins. Hollins got in Wade face in the first half and exchanged heated words and from that point on it seemed to fuel Hollins and the Cavaliers.

Hollins scored 13 points in the game, but was a force in the middle for Cleveland all night and brought the toughness that seemed to be missing from the first meeting of this growing rivalry. Hollins had a +33 per in minutes compared to a -22 per for the third heatle, Chris Bosh who struggled throughout the night.

With the win, Cleveland rocked out and felt like old times, even though it was for one night.

In the final seconds, the crowd of over 20,000 cheered loudly and even Dan Gilbert was high-fiving everyone within reach. Gilbert tweeted "Not in our garage" in reference to LeBron's trouble's at Quicken Loans Arena.

For one night, Believeland was back and it sure felt good.

Cleveland 83, Atlanta 99: (The return of Joe Tait... and then defeat)

Cleveland fans that were watching the Cavs game last night had their TV's on mute and the radio turned on. Thanks to the return of famous Cavaliers announcer, Joe Tait, who returned from a double-bypass surgery last year.

The return however could not will the Cavaliers (14-58) to a victory. The Atlanta Hawks (42-32) never trailed as they beat Cleveland 99-83.

The Hawks have now won two games in a row after losing eight of 11.

Atlanta was without their star player, Joe Johnson but that didn't stop the Hawks. Marvin Williams made the most of his extra minutes, scoring a season-high 31 points. Also, all-star forward, Al Horford chipped in 20 points of his own and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Marvin was in the zone for the majority of the night, shooting 9 of 14 from the field and also making three 3-pointers.

For Cleveland its the same story as it has been the entire season. No energy, no aggressiveness, and got off to a rough start.

Baron Davis, who is expected eventually be the starting lineup, came off the bench and scored 19 points. Starting point guard, Ramon Sessions scored 13 points for Cleveland, who have now lost nine of 11.

Daniel Gibson chipped in with 11 points, while Alonzo Gee and JJ Hickson scored 10 points each. The promising undrafted rookie, Samardo Samuels left the game with a wrist injury.

The Cavaliers are back in action, Tuesday against the Miami Heat. LeBron James return, part II is coming. James was welcomed back with a loud building of boo's and chants, but he and the Heat routed Cleveland 118-90.

Cleveland 94, New Jersey 98: (Humphries' career night ends Cavaliers in OT)

The MVP of the night was Kris Humphries of the New Jersey Nets. Humphries out worked and outplayed everyone on the floor and was clearly the best player on either side tonight.

Humphries grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds and scored 18 points, he also had several key plays down the stretch in overtime. He lead New Jersey to just its fifth road win with a 98-94 victory on Wednesday night, over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The win improved the Nets road record to 5-29 and snapped a four-game losing streak, Two of those five road wins have come against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

While the Nets snapped their four-game losing streak, the Cavaliers are now on a four-game losing streak and have also lost seven straight at home.

Sessions scored 21 points and JJ Hickson had 17 points and grabbed 17 rebounds for the Cavs, but it wasn't enough as Humphries made the bigger plays.

In the final minute of OT, Humphries blocked Daniel Gibson go-ahead layup, grabbed his 23rd rebound, made two key free throws and stole the ball from Ramon Sessions.

Anthony Parker made the potential game-winner in regulation but the Nets Brook Lopez made a put-back and tied the game with 4.2 seconds in regulation. Anthony Parker again got the ball for the game winner but was off and the game went into overtime.

From there, Humphries controlled OT and the Cavaliers were always a step behind.

The game wasn't pretty by all means, the Cavaliers shot just 37 percent from the field with 16 turnovers. New Jersey wasn't any better, the Nets shot only 34 percent but it was enough to pull out the victory.

Baron Davis missed his third straight game with back spasms and is expected to be the Cavaliers starting point guard when he does return.

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

Cleveland 92, Clippers 100 : (Clippers get revenge)

The Clippers (27-43) avenged a 126-119 overtime loss against the Cavaliers (13-55) on February 11th, which the Cavaliers snapped their NBA-record 26-game losing streak.

Blake Griffin scored 30 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had eight assists, while teammate Eric Gordon scored 29 points in his return to the Clippers' lineup. Gordon, the team's leading scorer, missed 18 games because of a sprained right wrist.

The win not only avenged the loss from earlier this season, it ended a nine-game losing streak against the Cavaliers.

The game got off to an interesting start, about an 1 1/2 before tip-off, the arena was locked down because of a knife-wielding man. Somehow the man got past security and was in front of the Cavaliers bench.

The arena was evacuated and both teams were sent to their locker rooms while the police and the man had a 20-minute standoff. The game was not delayed which was played after the NHL game between the Kings and the Ducks.

The Cavaliers and Clippers played evenly through the entire game. JJ Hickson matched Griffin point for point and ended with 28 points and nine rebounds. Samardo Samuels also added 17 points, scoring 14 points in the first quarter. Samuels later fouled out of the game with 1:19 remaining.

Both teams seemed to be a little different since the last time they met in February. Mo Williams was traded to Los Angeles for Baron Davis and a 1st-round draft pick. Mo Williams finished with 11 points and five assists.

Jamario Moon, who also was apart of the Cleveland/Clipper trade, spent the entire game on the bench.

Baron Davis, who came over to Cleveland for Mo Williams, did not play in his return to Staples Center because of back spasms. Davis has been absent due to his grandmother's death and he returned to the team Thursday.

Both team's shot 48 percent from the field as the two battles for the lead the entire game. The Clippers took an 82-78 advantage into the fourth, which was built to 100-92 on a 3-pointer from former Cavalier Mo Williams.

The Clippers made nine 3-pointers compared to only 3 made for Cleveland, which may have been the Cavaliers killer.

Cleveland finished their road-trip 1-2 after winning their first game in Sacramento. Cleveland then lost to Portland 111-70 and then losing to the Clippers 100-92.

Cleveland 97, Sacramento 93: (Cleveland gets rare road win)

On a night where two teams met with the worst record's of their respected conferences, Cleveland came out victorious, 97-93.

Ramon Sessions had 20 points, six assists and five rebounds to help the Cavaliers snap a four-game losing streak. Ramon Sessions was due for a break-out performance. After a stellar February averaging just over 19 points a game and over seven assists, Sessions has struggled in March.

Sessions has struggled ever since Cleveland traded for Baron Davis, who has been nothing short of spectacular for Cleveland. Davis was averaged 17.5 points a game before leaving the team because of his grandmother's death.

After Davis left the team the Cavaliers looked for Sessions to return to his old form, and that he did. He was aggressive, smart and looked like a seasoned-vet helping the Cavaliers get a rare road win.

Cleveland started the season winning 3 of 4 games on the road but didn't win another road game until March 4th against the Knicks. The Cavaliers lost 28 of their past 29 games on the road prior too tonight.

The Kings jumped out to an early lead, outscoring Cleveland 28-18 in the first quarter. However, Cleveland controlled the rest of the game, shooting 51 percent from the field.

JJ Hickson scored 17 points, and newly acquired Luke Harangody scored 15 points for Cleveland.

Kings guard, Marcus Thornton scored 23 points for the Kings who was coming off a career night, scoring 42 points against Golden State on Monday.

Thornton was the reason the Kings stayed in the game. He knocked down three key 3-pointers in the third rallying the Kings to grab a 74-73 lead headed into the 4th quarter.

It was a battle until the end and the undrafted rookie came through on the defensive-side again. Samardo Samuels, who again was in the right place at the right time. Samuels took a charge late in the game, giving the ball back to Cleveland with the game tied.

Samuels who in recent weeks has been the Cavaliers anchor on defense pulled through. His charge set-up Ramon Sessions go ahead lay-up giving the Cavaliers a 95-93 lead. Samardo scored 13 points for Cleveland but his defense late in the game was key.

With both teams looking to win the draft in June, the Cavaliers (13-53) still have the worst record in the NBA. However, it could get interesting down the stretch. The Kings (16-50) are not that far behind.

Let the games begin.

Preview- Cleveland vs. Sacramento (Conference's Worst Clash)

As of right now, both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Sacramento Kings sit at the bottom of their respected conferences. The Cavaliers (12-53) sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and the Kings (16-49) sit at the bottom of the Western Conference.

The Kings are coming off a win, largely because of Marcus Thornton. Thornton who was acquired at the trade deadline from New Orleans. He has averaged 22.2 points a game for the Kings since coming over.

Thornton scored a career-high 42 points in their win against Golden State on Monday. The Kings will look to win back-to-back games for just the third time this season.

Marcus Thornton will look to continue his recent success in a Kings uniform against Cleveland. He has averaged 28.5 points in two career games against the Cavaliers.

That is not good news for Cleveland, which they are allowing over 50 percent from the field in their recent four-game slide, which has Coach Scott concerned.

"I'm really starting to question what type of heart we have as a basketball team," coach Byron Scott said. "I care about competing. I care about coming out every single night, going against an opponent that has a different color jersey on that's trying to kick your butt - and not to respond to that is shocking and scary to me".

The Cavaliers will look to get off the road slide, losing 27 of 28 on the road and giving up just about 110 points a game.

If Cleveland is to win this game they might have to do it without their best player since the trade deadline, Baron Davis. Davis left the team last week due to his grandmother passing away. It is unknown when he will return, however, I have seen he can return at anytime.

Look out for the Hickson vs. Cousins match-up. Both are young and very athletic. If Hickson can control Cousins and the boards Cleveland has a shot at winning a game on the road.

Cousins is averaging 19.9 points and 11 rebounds a game this month.

Tip-off is at 10pm in Sacramento.

Cavaliers 90, Bucks 110: (The Deer were Feared.... apparently)

The Cavaliers were playing their second game in as many nights against the Milwaukee Bucks.

And it was a night were the Cavaliers gave up over 55 percent shooting to the Bucks and saw yet another backcourt tear apart Cleveland.

Second year point guard, Brandon Jennings scored 18 points and 4 assists. But it was the smallest dear that was the Cavalier killer.

The 5 foot 6 Cleveland native, Earl Boykins also scored 18 points, and was the main reason the Bucks shot 60 percent in the first half.

Milwaukee shot 70 percent in the second quarter (14-20) and Boykins made all of his attempts in the period. Earl was the biggest reason for the 17-2 run for Milwaukee was the Cavalier killer.

Boykins scored all of his 18 points in the first half and helped Milwaukee score 39 second quarter points.

Jennings then added onto the assault with 14 points in the third quarter as the Bucks opened the second half on a 14-4 run, opening a 62-49 halftime lead.

The Cavaliers were once again thin on players as that has been the story of the team's season. Baron Davis left the team due to his death of his grandmother in Los Angeles.

Davis has been the spark plug of the team since his arrival and has been the team's leading scorer.

The Cavaliers just didn't have it tonight. The team gave up 110 points to one of the worst offensive team's in the league.

Cleveland gave up 70 percent shooting in the second quarter and 660 percent in the first half.

Samardo Samuels, who has been playing well in the past few weeks, got the start again. He scored 15 points and 5 rebounds.

He scored 11 of those points in the first quarter. Daniel Gibson also helped with 13 points who recently came back from a bruised thigh injury.

The Cavaliers got six players to score in double-figures but it wasn't enough to shoot down the deer. Each starter except JJ Hickson scored in double-digits. Hickson, who dislocated his left pinky last night, had a rough shooting night. He finished with four points and grabbing eight rebounds.

Cleveland won't play again until Sunday, where they travel to Oklahoma City.

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.

Cavaliers 81, Hornets 96: (Chris Paul is down)

The Cavaliers lost to the New Orleans Hornets 96-81 on a night where New Orleans lost its best player, Chris Paul.

Midway through the third quarter, New Orleans point guard Chris Paul collided with Ramon Sessions and laid on the floor for about 10 minutes. He was later carried out on a stretcher and did not return to the game.

The crowd stood and applauded Paul while leaving the building, Paul gave thumbs up as the crowd went crazy.

Cleveland was winning 61-60 when Chris Paul laid on the floor with an apparent head injury. Both teams surrounded one of the best point guards in the game while laying on the floor.

However, the game resumed without Paul and it looked like the Cavaliers would have an advantage without Paul on the other side of the ball.

The Hornets responded though, they went on a 24-8 run to take an 84-69 lead with just over 7 minutes in the game.

Baron Davis, who made his Cavalier debut at Quicken Loans Arena, hit a 40-footer at the end of the third to get the Cavaliers within seven. Davis scored 17 points and had 6 assists in 28 minutes of work coming off the bench.

Semih Erdan also made his Cavalier debut, playing 11 minutes and grabbing 5 rebounds and missing all three of his shots. Luke Harangody, who also came over from Boston scored four points in 16 minutes of action.

The Cavaliers were outscored 33-45 in the second half with Paul out of the game.

David West was a beast in the second half. He ended up with 23 points and had 7 rebounds. With Paul out, West proved to be the leader and helped push the Hornets to an 18 point lead.

Marco Belinello scored 18 and Jarret Jack filled in for Chris Paul with 14 points and 5 assists.

Cleveland stuck with the Hornets the entire game before Paul left the game. Cleveland was down only three at halftime and was tied with the Hornets before the All-Star point guard left the game.

JJ Hickson had another strong game, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds and Samardo Samuels continued to play tough. He scored 11 points and 6 rebounds, but Samuels also looked like he has been working with Anderson Varejao. Samuels continued to play stunning defense, taking charge after charge.

The Cavaliers found themselves down as many as 18 points in the 4th quarter and could never recover. The Hornets took advantage of what it seemed like an overconfident Cleveland team.

Cleveland (12-49) hasn't won consecutive games since winning three games in a row back in November.

Baron Davis makes successful debut against the Knicks: Cavs 119, Knicks 115

NEW YORK - Looks like payback is going to have to wait.

Carmelo Anthony vowed revenge after the New York Knicks lost at Cleveland on Feb. 25.

Maybe next time.

Baron Davis made his Cavaliers debut a memorable one by scoring 18 points, including a key 3-pointer with 10.6 seconds left, as the Cavs shocked the Knicks for the third time this season, 119-115, on Friday night in Madison Square Garden.

Amar'e Stoudemire had 41 points and Anthony added 29, but it wasn't enough for the Knicks, now 31-29. In fact, the Cavs (12-49) have 25 percent of their victories against the Knicks.

"It always feels good to win in the Garden," said Davis, who scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter as the Cavs erased a 12-point deficit with 6:58 left. "As a kid, you dream of playing here on the big stage, the bright lights.

"They're one of the top teams in the league. Now that they're a powerhouse team, it's good for . . . these young guys to get that experience playing on that prime-time stage. This was a lot of rookies' first chance playing here. It was definitely a big confidence boost."

J.J. Hickson had 23 points and eight rebounds to lead the Cavs, and two rookies came up huge -- Luke Harangody and Samardo Samuels. Harangody wasn't even supposed to play because of a painful right hip pointer, but he finished with 18 points, including two free throws with 1.2 seconds left.

Samuels had 15 points and six rebounds and drew two charges from Anthony in the final 1:32, including the game-saver as Anthony drove for what would have been a game-tying basket with 1.8 seconds left.
Anthony also got a technical after whacking Samuels early in the third quarter.

"We were talking the whole game," said Samuels, the 2008 USA Today high school player of the year at St. Benedict's prep in nearby Newark, N.J. "It's basketball. Guys get under each other's skin. My teammates were telling me, 'Don't take it too far.' I was like, 'I'm good.' I know my limits.

"At the end of the day, I'm a big dude. Ain't too much going to hurt me out there. I was just confident and having fun."

Asked if he thought he was getting under Anthony's skin, Samuels smiled and said: "A little bit. He was like, 'Who is this guy? He's out here pestering us.' "

Anthony admitted after the game that, in fact, he did not know who Samuels was.

"I don't even know his name," Anthony said when asked about the technical. "Samar, Sam, I don't even know his name, the guy who took the charge. I just pushed him. He flopped a little bit. It is what it is. No hard feelings."

After Davis hit his 3-pointer, Stoudemire hit one with 7.5 seconds left to get New York back to 116-115.

Ramon Sessions made one of two free throws with seven seconds left before Anthony charged into Samuels.
"I guess it was an offensive foul," Anthony said after the game. "I didn't want to settle for a jump shot."

The Cavs didn't want to settle for just coming close. But after beating the Knicks twice at home, beating them in Madison Square Garden was something else all together.

"I don't think the guys let the bright lights get to them tonight, which is big," Cavs coach Byron Scott said.

"We were down 12 points with [seven] minutes left in the game and we never quit. Guys kept fighting. It says a lot about our character. We were down, we weren't playing our best, we were playing against a team that's been playing pretty well and we just kept fighting till we got the victory."

- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer

Preview - Cavs. vs. 76ers

Today at 5 p.m the Cavs host the Philadelphia 76ers.

Everyone wants to know if the newest members of our franchise will be in uniform, but it's still unknown at this point.

Baron Davis, Luke Harangody, and Semih Erden all missed practice while taking physicals and getting settled in.

In the last meeting with the 76ers, the Cavaliers were blown out 117-97. 

Earlier in the season however, the Cavs won two contests against Philadelphia, in games where the entire team looked impressive.

Ramon Sessions and Antawn Jamison will look to continue their strong play as of late.

Speaking of Sessions, Coach Scott declared that it's not out of the question for both Sessions and the newly acquired Baron Davis to start in the backcourt together.  That would be a tough offensive tandem to deal with.

Whether or not Baron will see any playing time tonight is highly questionable, as he has yet to learn any of the plays or even attend a single practice with his new team.

Slowing down Andre Igoudala will be the first defensive priority. 

Also important will be containing Thaddeus young, who scored 26 points on 92% percent shooting in the last meeting vs. the Cavaliers.

Hickson must rebound effectively for us to win this game, and we need production out of all our players. 

We very well could be short-handed if Byron decides to have the new guys sit and watch this one.

In our last 4 games, the Cavs are 3-1.  Those 3 wins came against the Lakers, Knicks, and Clippers, all solid basketball teams right now. 

Will we finally be able to say the Cavaliers are on a winning streak?

Cleveland 115, New York 109: (Beating the "New" New York Knicks)

The Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks in Cleveland for the second time this season.

The short-handed Cavaliers beat the New York Knicks 115-109, one day after the trade deadline.

The New York Knicks lost in OT in December against these Cavaliers, but on Friday night the Knicks had a complete roster shake-up. Carmelo Anthony was in a Knick uniform and so was Chauncey Billups, who came over to New York in a blockbuster trade with Denver.

Anthony scored 27 points in his Knick debut which won against Central Division foe, Milwaukee Bucks. For an encore with Cleveland, Anthony and the Knicks did all but impress the nation with a disastrous night.

Carmelo ended with 27 points and eight rebounds but did miss a key free-throw late in the game that could have cut the lead within two. Anthony later said that he banged up his elbow and that was bothering him late in the game.

Amare Stoudemire lead the Knicks with 31 points and Chauncey Billups (the apparent throw-in) scored 20 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter.

Billups did all he could in trying to avoid the 10th straight loss in Cleveland, however, that streak did not end.

Cleveland played with a sense of passion tonight. Every player was very much into the game, and it was great to finally see some emotion out of these players.

The Cavaliers were once again alive, thanks to the trades GM Chris Grant pulled out of his hat. With Baron Davis, Semih Erdan and Luke Harangody coming to town you could feel that the players felt like this was a new start.

Antawn Jamison scored 28 points and JJ Hickson had a monster game, scoring 24 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.

Newly acquired Baron Davis liked what he saw in JJ, "JJ is ballin super underrated, Look forward to working with him and see him become a BEAST!" he tweeted.

Ramon Sessions also continued his strong play, scoring 22 points and had four assists as well.

With the new players coming to town, the vibe of the city felt great and so did Baron Davis.

Via his twitter page, "Loving the energy I'm seeing," he wrote.

The Knicks, who were down as many as 12 points, got within two points with about 50 seconds remaining. Mr. Big Shot lived up to his nickname. His layup got the Knicks within striking distance.

But Boobie Gibson hit the biggest shot of the evening. His three-pointer couldn't have come at a more perfect time. With 30 seconds Boobie pulled up for three and went "deep in the Q" as the crowd went nuts.

The Cavaliers have won 2 of 3 and will look to continue this momentum they have on Sunday against Philly. The Cavaliers will look for that game to be the debut of Baron, Semih and Luke as the new look Cavaliers will try to start a winning streak.

Cleveland 104, Lakers 99: (Shocking the NBA)

Back on January 11th, the Cavaliers traveled to Los Angeles and lost by an embarrassing 55 points.

Just a month later, the Cavaliers shocked the NBA and beat the two-time defending champion, Los Angeles Lakers 104-99. The Cavaliers (10-46) handed the Lakers (38-19) their third straight defeat in which was the last game of the "Grammy Road Trip" for Los Angeles.

It was a turn around of 60 points for the Cavaliers from the last time these two teams met up just a month ago.

The Cavaliers not only got their revenge but they bounced back from an embarrassing lost to the Washington Wizards last Sunday. The Cavaliers played one of their most complete games this season.

The team played with a strong sense of passion right from the start of the game. They outscored the Lakers 29-21 in the first quarter and was up as many as 12 points in the 1st half.

Ramon Sessions played his best game as a Cavalier this season. He scored a season high and game high, 32 points. He also dished out eight assists as well. Sessions came off the bench behind Mo Williams, as Mo played the first three minutes of the game and did not return.

Mo Williams aggravated his ankle again and Byron Scott decided to let him rest and give him the extra time to give him a full recovery.

As for Ramon, he made his presence felt as soon as he got in the game. He pushed the tempo and got in the paint whenever he wanted. He scored 14 first quarter points and never looked back.

It was the kind of night that felt like nothing could go wrong for the Cavaliers. In the second quarter, with the shot clock winding down, Antawn Jamison shot a ball from the "C" on the Cavaliers logo and make it. Jamison finished with an impressive 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Cleveland improved effort from the last meeting showed at the end of the first half. They scored 51 first-half points compared to 57 points for the entire game in January against the Lakers.

Pau Gasol finished with a monster effort, 30 points and 20 rebounds, but it wasn't enough. The Cavaliers pushed the lead to 14 points in the second half .

Cleveland had an answer for everything the Lakers threw at them. Christian Eyenga made the highlight of the night. He posterized Gasol for a big throw down and blew the roof off the building.

Eyenga finished with a strong game. He scored 10 points on 5-7 shooting. However, he wasn't the only Cavalier with a timely bucket.

JJ Hickson also had a a strong game. He scored a respectful 13 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Hickson held up his own against the Lakers 7-footers. When the Lakers made a late-run and got it withing four in the final minutes of the game. Hickson had a momentum changing put-back slam.

Kobe Bryant, who is recovering from flu-like symptoms, didn't have much of an impact in the game. Bryant finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds but still didn't seem to be himself, especially with the game on the line.

The Lakers had 19 turnovers in the game and that lead Phil Jackson enraged. He had to call several timeouts and that lead to screaming at his players in disgust. The Lakers played sloppy all night long and it showed. In the second quarter, Gasol had the ball in his hands and threw a pass to the corner, only to find teammate Shannon Brown sitting on the bench.

The Cavaliers ended a poor first half of basketball with arguably their best win of the season.

The Cavaliers will head into the All-Star break with a lot of momentum and will look to carry that momentum into the second half of the season.

Key comment: It is kind of ironic that when the Cavaliers lost to the Lakers in January, they called the lose "rock bottom" and "embarrassing". Yet a month later, the Lakers might have just lost the worst game of the Pau Gasol era or perhaps Phil Jackson's worst lose as a Laker. So do I dare say that this lost, just a month later when it was "rock bottom" for the Cavaliers would be "rock bottom" for the two-time defending champions?

Preview - Cavs vs. Lakers

The Cavaliers play host to the Los Angeles Lakers tonight, in a rematch of the January showdown that resulted in a 55 point beatdown.

Cleveland no longer has the national spotlight because the team ended that unthinkable losing streak.  Although the Cavs did come out flat vs. Washington on Sunday night, there are signs of progress.

The Lakers are hard to figure out right now.  Finally beating one of the NBA elite teams in Boston didn't translate in the last two consecutive losses.  They were out-classed in Orlando and then suffered a shocking 20 point defeat to the Charlotte Bobcats.

Both teams would love to win this one, and you have to think the Lakers don't really see this one being much of a contest.  You can't really blame them, but they aren't exactly in championship form right now. 

Kobe is still recovering from flu-like symptoms; slowing him down will be part of the battle. 

The other obvious concern is defending Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.  Right now, it's going to be tough to handle their big-men down low.

Mo Williams will need to play well and push the tempo vs. a Lakers team that still plays excellent defense.

J.J. Hickson will need to have one of those 20 rebound games we've seen as of late, if we want to compete tonight.

It's always fun when Kobe and the Lakers come to town, we just have to hope the Cavs are up for the challenge.  It sure would be nice to steal a win against one of the top teams in the NBA. 

Cleveland 100, Washington 115: (Breaking another streak)

Just a couple of days after the Cavaliers snapped their 26-game losing streak against the Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland helped snap another losing streak.

The Cavaliers fell to the Washington Wizards 115-100 and ended the Wizards 0-25 mark on the road this season. This gave Washinton their first road win of the season and snapped the longest losing streak on the road for any team.

Washington was four losses shy of an NBA record for consecutive road loses set by Dallas in the 1992-1993 season at 29-straight.

For the Cavaliers, they never were able to recover after a hot start by the Wizards. Washington started the game 9 of 11 from the field and Cleveland trailed by 12 points after the first quarter.

Nick Young torched the Cavaliers with 31 points, and the top overall pick from last years draft, John Wall played a solid game scoring 19 points and had 14 dimes to help the Wizards snap the streak.

The Cavaliers never had a chance after the first quarter, they trailed by as many as 22 in the first half and trailed by 25 points in the third quarter.

Antawn Jamison, facing his former team, finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds. JJ Hickson also helped out with 16 points and 13 rebounds as well.

The Cavaliers did make it a game towards the end. After Jamario Moon's three ball, the Cavaliers got within 11 points but a couple of easy baskets by Andray Blatche put the game out of reach.

The Cavaliers failed to win back-to-back games for just the second time this season.

Cleveland entered the game as healthy as they have been for a while. With Mo Willams back in the starting role and Leon Powe being active the Cavaliers started to look full again (minus Andy V).

However, the Cavaliers may have started the game healthy but didn't leave that way.

Daniel "Boobie" Gibson left the game with a strained quadriceps in the second quarter and did not return.

This is a blow because Boobie is one of Cleveland's best players and outside shooters.

Ramon Sessions, who returned to the bench because of the return of Mo Williams had 14 points and 6 assists in just over 24 minutes of action. While Mo Williams scored 10 points and had 7 turnovers.

After the game, Byron Scott showed some frustration calling the game "Ridiculous" and "Sleepwalking through the start of the game".

The Cavaliers host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday and then play Houston and New York in trying to start a winning streak, or try to avoid another losing streak.

Cleveland 93, Detroit 104: (.......26 and counting)

So much for winning time.

Before the 7:00 tip-off between the Detroit Pistons (20-33) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (8-45) most of the nation saw Cleveland finally snapping the streak.

Even Michael Wilbon on PTI (Pardon the interruption) predicted the Cavaliers to break the 25-game losing streak. The 25-game losing streak was the longest in NBA history.

However, with a 93-104 lost to the Piston tonight, the Cavaliers not only own the longest losing streak in NBA history, but they tied a record for consecutive losses by ANY pro team.

Cleveland's losing streak reached 26, matching the 1976-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers' record for consecutive losses in any season.

The Cavs (8-45) remain winless since Dec. 18 and have now dropped 36 of 37. Their next chance to end the unthinkable streak will be on Friday against Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Cavaliers were slow right out of the gate, being outscored 27-16 in the 1st quarter. It was all catch-up from there.

Ramon Sessions continued his strong play, scoring 20 points and dishing out a game high, 12 assists. He also added six rebounds and five steals on the defensive side of the ball.

The Cavaliers were down 17 points in the game. However, The Cavaliers made a final push in the last minute of the game cutting the lead to three. The Cavaliers got in within six points but the comeback feel short again.

Antawn Jamison added yet another strong performance in this nightmare, scoring 22 points and adding seven rebounds as well in 43 minutes.

JJ Hickson also took advantage of a weak front-line of the Pistons. He scored 18 points and grabbed a game high boards.

Forget the longest losing streak in NBA history, the Cavaliers are aiming for the longest losing streak in any pro sports.

Recently announced three-point contestant, Daniel "Boobie" Gibson, scored 12 points going 4-7 from 3-point land.

The Cavaliers younger players did not have much of an impact tonight, Christian Eyenga, Manny Harris and Samardo Samuels combined for just over 31 minutes of action. Eyenga scored eight points shooting 4-9 from the field.

Manny Harris scored zero points and only played five minutes of action. Coach Byron Scott is staying with the hot hands as of late, Ramon Sessions and Antawn Jamison as been the Cavaliers best players and it shows.

The Cavaliers will try to avoid the longest losing streak of any pro team in history on Friday when the Clippers come to town.

Mavericks 99, Cavs 96: The comeback that wasn't

No one gave us a shot against one of the NBA's hottest teams, the Dallas Mavericks.

Last night, the Cavs gave Dallas all they could handle in a game that came down to the wire.

The losing streak is now officially cemented in the NBA record books at 25 consecutive games.

Who cares?  As Cavs radio legend Scott Zurilla said on Saturday's post-game show, try to think about this record in the context of the future.

In one or two years when the Cavaliers are contending for the playoffs, will you say, "Wow we had such a terrible season in 2011?"  No, you won't. 

You'll be more concerned with how well the Cavs are playing and the multiple winning streaks we'll be on.

So as far as I'm concerned, this record really isn't that big of a deal.  No one could have predicted the departure of LeBron in addition to key injuries.  It's not too big of a surprise we're not contending right now.

Back to the game.  Solid performances by J.J. Hickson, Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga were the reason we had a chance.

Hickson really stepped up his game last night.  He led the Cavaliers with 26 points on 12/18 shooting.  That kind of performance going up against Tyson Chandler and the rest of the talented Mavericks roster is downright impressive. 

J.J. also snatched 12 rebounds; he's really developing an all-around game that was missing earlier in his career.  Add a legitimate center to this roster, a few other pieces, and teams are going to have their hands full with the Cavs frontcourt.

Ramon Sessions is leading the Cavaliers very effectively during the absence of Mo Williams.  Sessions has talked about how he's still learning when to drive and when to find his teammates.  Sometimes you want to yell at him for walking down the court and immediately driving to take a shot, but more times than not, he finishes at the rim. 

Ramon poured in 19 points on 6/12 shooting to go along with 13 assists.  That's the kind of performance we're getting used to from him.

Christian Eyenga continues to impress; he scored 15 points in 27 minutes on the floor.  Gotta love the progress he's making and experience he's gaining during his first season in the NBA.

The defense was there as well; Cleveland held an opponent to under 100 points for just the second time in 22 games.  (Remember we held Chicago to 92 not too long ago). If the Cavs can continue to match this defensive effort, the wins will come. 

The problem for this team has never been scoring, we've always found a way to put up close to 100.  The defense is where we get killed, as teams shoot a high percentage against us and score in the paint at will.

Antawn Jamison scored 18 points, but made only 8 of the 23 shots he attempted.  The one 3 pointer he made came late when we needed it, but making 1 out of 6 from deep is not going to help this team win on a nightly basis. 

He seems to have lost that smooth 3 point stroke we were accustomed to seeing earlier this season.

This game was fun to watch and you could see the intensity between the teams on the floor.  It probably started with Ryan Hollins' hard foul on Tyson Chandler.  Fast-forward to the 4th quarter where Dirk Nowitzki essentially threw a wild punch at Sessions.  Dirk tried to talk to Sessions afterwards but you could tell there wasn't a whole lot of love between the two.

Austin Carr pointed out that the NBA should take a look at that play and possibly levy some sort of punishment on Nowitzki.  Apparently the referees didn't see it, because he didn't get a technical and you could see the disdain on the faces of Byron Scott and the rest of the Cavaliers.

The Cavs are coming to play every night as of late, which is more than can be said earlier in the losing streak.  During the last 4 games, the Cavs have either tied or had the lead in the 4th quarter.

As Byron Scott often says, there's no such thing as a moral victory.  However, you have to admit this was a pretty impressive comeback after being down 10 at half.  We're not rolling over when things get tough; this team is now fighting back and you can tell they're making progress.

Jamario Moon seems to have replaced Manny Harris in the rotation, who only played 5 minutes last night.  Moon has had to swallow his pride and ride the bench for most of the season, which must have been tough seeing as he won the starting SF position out of training camp.

Unfortunately for Jamario, he made a critical error at the end of the game.

With 10 seconds to go, the Cavaliers trailed 99-96.  Anthony Parker dribbled down the court and missed his 3 point attempt, but the rebound was kicked out to Moon.  With 1.2 seconds or so on the clock, he passed on a game-tying shot and instead swung it over to Antawn. 

The buzzer went off before Antawn even had a chance to shoot it.  Jamario absolutely should have taken that shot, clearly he thought there was more time on the clock. 

Bryon assessed the situation. 

"J-Moon just really wasn't aware," Scott said. "That's the bottom line. Because he had really a pretty good look."

This game was hard to swallow, because the Cavs had a chance to beat one of the best teams in the NBA and end this awful losing streak.  It just wasn't meant to be. 

That being said, this team is getting closer to that elusive win.  I hope it happens when we play the Pistons on Wednesday.  The way we're playing, we deserve to win a game.

Preview: Cleveland vs. Dallas (Can the streak end tonight?)

When the Cavaliers started the season at 7-9 the city was talking about getting a final spot in the playoffs. Now at 8-43, Cleveland and its fans are looking more towards the draft.

It has been a nightmare for everyone in Cleveland: the fans, the players and the front office. The nightmare began as soon as Cleveland lost to Boston last year in the semi-finals and then LeBron bolted to South Beach.

The 7-9 start without the former King was promising, but the Cavaliers soon began to taste reality. That reality was injuries to starters, Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao, Anthoney Paker and other players such as Boobie Gibson and Leon Powe.

Now in the beginning of February, the Cavaliers have tied the longest losing streak in history (24) and will try and snap the streak against the hottest team in the league tonight Dallas, winners of 8 straight.

Cleveland lost 111-105 to Portland on Saturday to make it 24 losses in a row, and 34 in its past 35 games. On Monday night they will try to avoid becoming the only team to lose 25 in a row in one season.

Antawn Jamison will try to continue his strong play, he has averaged 20.7 points per game in this streak. Ramon Sessions will also look to continue his strong play, dishing out 45 assists and only 10 turnovers in his past 5 games.

Cleveland met Dallas earlier in the year on January 2nd, and lsot to the Mavericks 104-95. Dallas was without star player Dirk Nowitzki, and was able to overcome Antawn Jamison's 35 points and 10 rebound performance.

Dallas has won the past 14 out of 20 regular season games against our Cavaliers and 8 out of 10 have been won in Dallas.

Dirk is now fully recovered from a knee injury and Dallas has been able to get back in mid-season form. Dallas (35-14) is on an eight game winning streak and is now second in the Western Conference. Nowitzki is averaging 27.7 points on 59.2 percent shooting in his last three games.

Ironically, while Nowitzki is shooting well, he always has trouble against the Cavs. He averges only 20.7 points a game, which is his second-lowest scoring average against any team in the league.

The only team that Nowitzki averages less is Portland at 20.6 points a game. However, while the Cavs have their eyes on Nowitzki, they must pay attention to the big man in the middle.

Tyson Chandler is having an excellent season and is coming off back-to-back 15 rebound games.  He's averaging just over 16 points and 11 rebounds a game during the winning streak.

The Cavaliers must buckle down; lacking inside height and strength has been an issue containing the bigger centers. Hickson and Jamison must work as a team to slow down the tandem of Nowitzki and Chandler.

The Cavaliers have been playing hard the past couple of games and are looking to snap the streak tonight. Tip-off is at 8:30 at the American Airlines Center.


                      

Grizzlies win fifth straight while Cavaliers tie NBA futility record

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The Cleveland Cavaliers are haunted again by losing No. 23.

The Cavaliers matched the longest single-season losing streak in NBA history, dropping their 23rd straight game with a 112-105 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.

The Cavs tied the 1995-96 Grizzlies, then in Vancouver, and the 1997-98 Denver Nuggets for longest skid in one season, and can equal their own overall mark for futility with a loss in Saturday night's game at home against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Cleveland lost 24 straight games spanning the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons.

"Watching the guys in the locker room, the one thing I can say is guys are very disappointed in the way we finished the game," Cleveland coach Byron Scott said. "And maybe that's a good thing."

One season after losing LeBron James, who led the Cavs to the league's best record the last two seasons while wearing No. 23, Cleveland (8-42) clinched a losing record.

"Everybody was really quiet with their heads down," said center J.J. Hickson, who matched his career best with 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. "We're not playing to lose. We're not going out there trying to lose. I think we did a good job of playing hard."

Ramon Sessions finished with 20 points and Antawn Jamison scored 19 for Cleveland, which hasn't won since a Dec. 18 overtime victory over the New York Knicks.

Zach Randolph had 29 points and 13 rebounds, and Rudy Gay added 26 points and 11 boards as Memphis won its season-best fifth straight.

Memphis also moved into the Western Conference playoff picture, taking over the eighth spot by a half-game after its victory and Portland's 100-87 loss to Indiana.

Mike Conley added 21 points and eight assists for Memphis, while Sam Young finished with 19 points, matching his season best.

"I think we are at the point where we believe that we can win," Randolph said. "We can compete with anybody. We just have to continue to build trust and help each other on defense, and try to execute the game plan."

The Cavaliers were without guard Daniel Gibson, who left the team earlier in the day and returned to Cleveland for personal reasons. Add to that Mo Williams, the team's second-leading scorer, and Anderson Varejao are out with injuries, and Cleveland was at a personnel disadvantage.

The 6-foot-9 Hickson started at center, and rookie Christian Eyenga, who was in the D-League a little over a month ago, was at forward.

Cleveland gave Memphis all it could handle through the first three quarters, but the Grizzlies put together 13 straight points to open the fourth en route to their eighth win in nine games.

Despite the Grizzlies hitting their first 10 shots of the game, Cleveland took advantage of Memphis' subsequent lackadaisical approach in the first half and led by 10 before carrying a 59-52 lead into the break. Hickson already had 21 points, including 14 in the second quarter.

The Cavs led much of the third, and Jamison's inside basket with a second left in the period gave Cleveland an 84-83 lead heading into the fourth.

"We were in a desperate situation," Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. "The way we were turning the ball over in the first half, it could have very easily gotten away from us."

But the Memphis rally to open the fourth sent Cleveland to a familiar finish.

"They say you can't win 'em all, but in the same light, you can't lose 'em all either," Hickson said. "So, if we stay [focused], I think we can get a couple of wins before the season's over."

This story from the AP