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.

Preview - Cavs vs. Hornets: Byron's old team comes to town

In 2004, Byron Scott took over the New Orleans Hornets and initially managed very little success.

There are some parallels to that situation and the one Coach Scott is currently facing.

That season, the Hornets finished 18-64 and were one of the worst teams in the league.

Baron Davis was the point guard and they really struggled throughout that the entire season; Lee Nailon would lead the team in points scored at the end of the season.

That team was deprived of talent, but Scott took a bad situation and turned it around the next year.

The following season, 2005-06, the Hornets won 20 more games than the year before and finished 38-44.  You can probably chalk up some of those wins to drafting one of the best point guards in the league, Chris Paul.

Baron Davis and Coach Scott were not getting along so they shipped him out and handed the keys to Chris Paul.  While they didn't make the playoffs that year, the team was improving and Scott was seeing results in both the win column as well as the atttitude on the floor.

Just two years later the Hornets finished 56-26, and made a run through the playoffs eventually losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semi-finals.

That formula could prove to be very similar to the current plan with the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Have a tough season or two, draft solid talent and build the team for the future.

Stopping Chris Paul will be one of the keys to tonight's game.  The Cavs will look to build off an impressive and exciting win at Madison Square Garden vs. the Knicks.

The strong play of Samardo Samuels will also be key, as he made several crucial plays down the stretch in New York. His confidence is building each game and he's starting to get a feel of what he can do in this league.

Baron is excited to play for the first time in front of his new crowd, who will definitely embrace "the beard".  His late three pointers and exciting style of play will go over well in Cleveland; our fans are hoping he can provide for excitement at the point guard position.

Baron on twitter following the big win over Carmelo and company,

"Yep! Good win in the Garden. Can't wait to play in front of the home crowd at The Q!!! Go cavs!"   

Also, watch to see how Coach Scott continues to use Sessions and B-Diddy in the backcourt together. 

Tip-off tonight is at 6:30 at the Q. 

                         

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. Knicks: The Baron Davis show begins

Baron Davis will be in a Cavaliers uniform for the first time tonight. 

He will make his debut at Madison Square Garden, vs. the new-look Knicks.

Baron will come off the bench tonight, but could very easily become a starter for this team.  "I'm excited,'' he said. "First game for a new team. I'm excited. I think the players are excited. It will be good for us all to get out there, put our best foot forward and just start working to be a better team, working on our chemistry, working to get better.''

The only concern is his nagging knee injury, which has bothered him all season long.

The Cavaliers beat the Knicks just one week ago, in Carmelo Anthony's second game as a Knick. 

More recently New York stunned the Miami Heat, and are playing solid basketball. 

There is a sense of excitement about Baron's debut; he knows how to get his teammates involved while also scoring the basketball.

Baron and Coach Scott have vowed their past differences aren't a concern, as Baron has matured and grown to respect his former coach.

Cleveland will be without Antawn Jamison, who broke his pinky finger and is expected to miss 5-7 weeks (which might as well be the rest of the season). 

Riddled with major injuries all season, the Cavaliers will also be without Daniel Gibson, who has a left quad injury.  We just can't seem to get all of our pieces healthy at the same time.

Defending Carmelo and Amare are the keys to tonight's game.  The Knicks don't exactly have a defensive mindset, so scoring shouldn't be a problem.

It would be nice to drop New York back to reality again, especially during the debut of a new Cavalier.

Baron Davis is going to make a difference, and he's ready to embrace the Wine and Gold.