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.

LeBron makes his return (again)

LeBron will make his second return to Cleveland tonight when the Miami Heat play the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland.

On Dec 2nd, Miami and LeBron James return to Cleveland and was greeted with loud boo's and chants. However,that didn't seem to bother Lebron,as he and the Heat scorched the Cavaliers,118-90.

The game was marked as one of the must see games of the year and tnt covered the game. The game was considered Cleveland's championship game, only to fall flat on their feet.

At that time the Heat were 11-8 and Cleveland was 7-9 but since that Miami win, Cleveland has been the worst team in the league and currently has the worst record (14-58) in the league.

Meanwhile, the Miami Heat have been one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and will look to make a deep playoff run.

Tonight will be Cleveland's last change this season to beat James and the hated Heat. Baron Davis,who came over from the Clippers at the trade deadline, is expected to make his first start for the Cavaliers.

Samardo Samuels is out for at least the next few games thanks to a wrist injury he suffered. The frontcourt of the Cavaliers is even thinner without Samuels. Anderson Varejao,Antawn Jason and Semih Erdan are still out with injuries.

Tonight, the fans will be passionate,begging for a victory over the former Cavalier. I expect to see a Cavalier team tonight with the most passion fans have never seen before.

Go Cavs.

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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.

Former Wolverine Manny Harris continues to impress in Cleveland

Is Manny Harris the future starting shooting guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers?

At least for right now, he is the starter.

An undrafted rookie who wasn't supposed to make the team, Manny is making a strong case as to why he should be included in the franchise's future plans. 

During the last few games, Manny has found a rhythm offensively and is starting to grasp his role in our offense. 

Clearly an emerging talent, the numbers provide a better glimpse of the potential:

Over the last four games, Manny is averaging 14 points and is shooting 50 percent from the field.

The last two losses, in which we faced title contenders Orlando and Miami, Harris scored 20 points in each game.

Whether or not he remains the starter beyond this season is questionable.  It depends on whether or not we take a guard early first-round in the draft. 

One thing is for certain:  Manny Harris is not lacking confidence.  He is a lightning fast guard who makes impact plays defensively, and can finish strong at the rim.

Manny on his twitter account, 313MannyHarris , January 23rd:

"Im great at figuring things out and becoming good at it, i PROMISE once i figure more out on both ends of the floor i'll be VERY CONSISTENT!"

Believe it.  Once Manny figures out how to minimize the turnovers and attack regularly, he could easily average 20 a game.  Give him one summer in the weightroom and he's going to be solid.

Who would have thought a former Michigan Wolverine would have found a home in Cleveland, Ohio?

Big Shoutout to UMHoops.com and Michigan.Rivals.com

Heat 117, Cavs 90: Manny Harris dunked on LeBron James

Sure, the Cavaliers didn't win the game, but this was just about the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life.

Manny Harris was aggressive, finished with 20 points for the 2nd consecutive night, and without question provided the Cavaliers with the highlight of the season. 

On a fast break getting chased down by LeBron, he soared for a two-handed jam and LeBron went up to block the shot.  And then it happened:  Manny Harris dunked on LeBron James.

There were a few other feel-good moments, including most of the 2nd quarter.  The Cavaliers 37 points in the 2nd quarter was the most Miami has given up in a quarter this season.  Imagine if we could string 48 minutes of that kind of basketball together. 

The Cavaliers had every chance to fold in the 1st half, but refused to give up and gave 100% effort to stop the Heat from pulling away.

Antawn Jamison finished the 1st half with 17 points and 5 rebounds.  His 3 pointer was on, and he kept the Cavs in the game on multiple occasions.

Manny Harris was aggressive, and without question provided the Cavaliers with the highlight of the season.  On a fast break getting chased down by LeBron, he soared for a two-handed jam and LeBron couldn't do a damn thing about it.

When Mario Chalmers hit a 3 to go up 64-46, the Cavaliers could have easily chalked this one up as another loss.  Instead, our team showed the determination we've been waiting to see all season, and went on a 11-3 run to cut the lead to 66-57 as we headed into halftime. 

If Dwyane Wade hadn't scored 26 in the half we would have had an even closer affair.  Chris Bosh confirmed that he's one of the NBA's "fake tough guys" finishing the half with 2 points on 1/5 shooting.

The second half started off magical, with the Cavs cutting the lead to 70-67 after Eyenga and Hickson helped put together a 10-4. 

But the heat went on a 9-0 run of their own and pushed the lead back to 12.  Meanwhile, Manny Harris was getting no-calls while getting hacked on layup attempts.  Simultaenously he was throwing down fastbreak dunks, and pushing the tempo keeping the Cavs in the game.

But the referees were set on screwing the Cavs.  Fast forward to 30 seconds left in the 3rd where Antawn Jamison received a technical foul for demonstratively arguing the consisten no-calls on the offensive end.

The Cavaliers finished the quarter down 89-72 and the game was essentially out of reach. 

The Heat continued to put points on the board while the Cavs struggled to find much of anything offensively. 

D-Wade led all scorers with 34, and pretty much had his way with the defense of the Cavaliers' all night long.

Cleveland records its 21st consecutive loss, and finishes the month of January without a win.

Instead, we'll focus on remembering it as the night when Manny Harris dunked on LeBron James.

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.

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.

Report: Brian Windhorst leaving Plain Dealer for ESPN to cover the Heat

Reports have surfaced that Brian Windhorst is "taking his talents" to South Beach to cover the Miami Heat.  This after ESPN offered him what I'm sure is a lucrative deal for his insider access of LeBron.  I'm not surprised, and I don't even really care.  Windhorst was always a LeBron lover.

Like LeBron, he chose to ditch the city that put him on the map.  Congrats Brian, we won't miss you.

Sincerely, the city of Cleveland

** I recently decided my comments about Brian were unfair and were rather rash and unfounded.  It's simply bad timing for another prominent name in Cleveland sports to be heading to Miami (and ESPN).  You can't blame him for choosing a bigger market and wanting to advance his career.  He deserves respect as does any other reporter.  I still stick by my statement that he is a LeBron lover.  And he might just regret this decision when the 8 seed Cavaliers upset #1 Miami in a playoff shocker of epic proportions.  Don't quote me on that.

The Wine & Gold Scrimmage - Friday, October 1st

This year’s edition of the wine and gold scrimmage will again be held at the University of Akron’s Rhode Arena, this Friday at 7:00 pm.   This will be a great opportunity to watch an entertaining intra-squad scrimmage.   The scrimmage is free with an entrance voucher. 

If you are interested in seeing the overlooked, underrated players on the Cavaliers' roster for the upcoming season, this is the best opportunity to do so.  It will also be an exclusive opportunity to see head coach Byron Scott take control of this team in the first public appearance of the season.  Unlike other teams that claim their goal and mindset will be to “run the ball,” Byron actually makes it happen.  This year’s team will be exciting to watch, as an uptempo pace is exactly what is needed.  No more watching an overrated player dribble the ball at the top of the key while the shot clock winds down.  Scott will have this team in shape and ready to run at every chance.  At the very least, this team will be fun to watch.

It will be interesting to see who can step up and take ownership of this team.  Obviously with the injury, Mo Williams will not be playing;  This will give Ramon Sessions an opportunity to show why he should be starting.  Will Jawad Williams make the proverbial leap to become the starting SF, or will Jamario Moon cement his starting position?  Does Ryan Hollins have the skillset to start at center in the NBA?  And will Anderson Varejao be able to create offense essentially on his own? 

This scrimmage will go a long way in determining who can play and who will be watching the games on the bench.  Personally, I’m excited to see Samardo Samuels perform either against or alongside JJ Hickson, both of which are talented but raw forwards in the Association.  I’m not sure if Eyenga will start the season on the roster or whether they will send him to the D-league to start out, but either way he has the talent and athleticism to become a special player in this league.

At this point with Williams out, everyone expects Jamison to take the role as veteran leader of the team.  Will he return to his All-Star form and average 20 points a game?  Looking at our roster, it certainly might be required of him.  The main question for Jamison will be whether or not he is coming off the bench.  The combination of Hickson, Varejao, Hollins, and Jamison will mean someone is not on the floor for the opening tip.  I’d like to at least see Scott try to play Jamison at the 4 and start Hickson at Center, with Varejao coming off the bench for his much needed spark.  I’m excited to see what the Cavaliers will be able to do this season; I don’t agree with anyone that says we won’t be able to compete. 

Like most people in this great city of Cleveland, I already have December 2^nd circled on my calendar.  But first things first, let’s have a good showing at the Wine and Gold scrimmage and set the bar high for the season.  We might be missing a superstar, but we gained a great coach and a new offensive philosophy.  We won’t have to worry about pleasing a self-absorbed primadonna.  I’m convinced we’re a playoff team, and you won’t be able to tell me otherwise.  Preseason starts in 8 days.   Is there anything better than Cavaliers basketball?

Byron Scott will lead the Cavaliers to the Playoffs.. This Year

Quite Frankly, I'm sick and tired of hearing about how bad the Cavaliers are going to be this year.  Seriously. 

I will agree, we are not the favorite in the Eastern Conference anymore.  Granted, we might not even be in the Top 5.  (I've got the Heat, Celtics, Magic, Bulls, and Hawks ahead of us.  In that order)

Although those teams look better on paper, this is the NBA and Cavaliers are still one of the Top 8 teams in the Eastern Conference.  Who's to say that on any given night Cleveland can't beat one of those teams?

We still have Mo Williams.  Mo Gotti is an underrated regular-season player and the only knock on him is his inconsistent defense during the playoffs.  With the new uptempo offense, Mo will have a much more significant role on this team and under the tutelage of Byron Scott, will be an offensive juggernaut this season.  Quote me on that.

Antawn Jamison is still a legitimate All-Star.  Jamison represents a versatile player who can play both the 3 and the 4 position.  Do you remember how good this guy was in Washington?  Sure, he didn't look great during the Boston series but then again nobody did.  It's hard to get your looks when the team defers to a single overrated player, who quits when the going gets tough. 

During the series with Chicago, where we actually looked like the #1 seed, Antawn averaged 19.4 points per game to go along with 7 rebounds.  Playing alongside the Akron Traitor.  He's still a perrenial All-Star and will benefit NOT having LeBron to worry about.  Unlike LeBron, he is not a selfish ego-maniac and is actually a good person.

Anderson Varejao is still the best hustle player in the game.  His ability to get under the skin of opposing players is one of his best assets, not to mention his constant energy and vastly improving offensive game.  I hope he takes out LeBron at least once this year.

We've already talked about 3 great players and still haven't even mentioned J.J. Hickson's name.  This guy is all-upside and has the ability to have the presence of an Amare Stoudemire, blocking shots and getting dunks left and right.  Many predict him to become one of the premiere offensive power forwards in the league.

I'm quite convinced that Byron Scott is confident that he can win with this group of guys.  I mean, how many years did LeBron fail in Cleveland?  You're telling me with the likes of Shaquille O' Neal, Delonte, Z, Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison, and Hickson you can't win a championship? 

I think when LeBron really sat down and thought about it, he knew he wasn't good enough to be the man and couldn't win a ring without playing alongside another player of Wade's caliber.  What happened to the good old days when the best players wanted to beat the other team, not join them?

The entire time LeBrick spent in Cleveland, the organization bent over backwards for him and the focus shifted away from the franchise and team-mentality to worshipping a player who has never won anything.  How many rings did he bring to Cleveland?  Chances are if he had stayed he still would have failed, like he always did.

For 7 years, the Cavaliers spent significant sums of money attempting to find the Robin to LeBron's Batman, when LeBron was Robin the whole time.  He consistently made a mockery of himself by passing up game-winning shots to set up his teammates.  Sure, I understand trusting your teammates but you're LeBron James.  Make some shots.

Maybe the departure of LeBron will be a blessing in disguise, and the team won't have to worry about pleasing a player who refers to himself in the 3rd person.  Dan Gilbert is the greatest owner in sports and he intends to make good on his promise to win a championship "before the former self-titled King" wins one.

I'm excited about this season, and I refuse to believe the haters.  Wouldn't it make for a hollywood story if the Cavaliers ended up as the 8th seed and knocked off Miami in the 1st round of the playoffs on their way to a championship?  Call me optimistic, or unrealistic, I really don't care.  All I know is this organization is committed to winning and there will come a time when we do win a championship.  Boston is getting nothing but older, and karma will come around for LeBron and Miami.  Byron Scott is taking this team to the playoffs, and I'm not just talking about a 1st round appearance.  Don't be surprised if the Cavaliers go 12-5 in October and November.  Byron has done more with less in the past.