Cavs lose to Memphis 111-109...

Written by Brendan Bowers on .

Below are a collection of thoughts on last night's loss to Memphis...

* The Cavaliers game played out in stark contrast to our Wine and Gold Pregame Podcast last night.  Glenn and I started out slow due to working through some technical difficulties, and finished the last 45 minutes real strong...according to me. The Cavaliers started out great, looked to continue their Milwaukee roll, and then turned the ball over 74 times as a team from there en-route to an OT loss against and under .500 team.

* Shaq looked great offensively last night, but he guards the pick-and-roll worse than Z.  And Z does a bad job with it.  But don't take my word for that, take the word of Grizzlies Coach Lionel Hollins:  "I was hoping [O'Neal] would still be in the game," Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. "So we could use him in the pick-and-roll."  Via Brian Windhorst.

* During the Grizzlies run to get back in the game, I found myself for the first time in years, sitting on my couch thinking out loud that Mike Brown has got to get Daniel Gibson back into the game.  10 points in the 1st quarter, not heard from again basically until 2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, where he proceeded to hit another 3 (13 points on night).  Gibson's playing the best basketball of his life.

* Mo Williams is a great scoring guard, and he can create for others as well.  But he's not a true point guard by any stretch.  While Mo's been playing great, and had some tremendous looks in the first half yesterday (8 assists for the game), an elite floor general would not let all the turnovers, stagnant play, and LeBron watching that occured last night happen.  Not all Mo's fault, but John Stockton wouldn't have let that go on.  

* And neither would Earl Boykins. Speaking of PG's, the Cavaliers don't have one on the roster, and it showed last night.  If you bring an Earl Boykins in off the bench last night in the 3rd quarter, that could have re-directed the ship...instead it sank.

* Hard to find fault with a guy that goes for 43 and 13, and hits what should have been a game winner with less than 20 seconds left in regulation last night, but the Cavaliers only lose focus when LeBron lets them lose focus.  Shouldn't be that way, I know, but he's the leader, and that's his job too.

EPISODE 3 : "Wine & Gold Podcast" Cavs/Grizzlies Pregame Show

Written by Glenn Moore on .

"Wine & Gold Podcast" Pregame Show vs. Grizzlies 12.08.09 - Click to Listen

Brendan and I previewed the Cavaliers/Grizzlies game on the "Wine & Gold Podcast" on 12.08.09. We hit on the Bucks/Cavs game and gave our opinions on bench play, LeBron, and also Brandon Jennings. We also threw in a little LBJ/MJ debate and ended the show talking about Allen Iverson.

OUR GAME PREDICTIONS: THIS SEASON: TIED 1-1

GLENN - CLE 88 MEM 81 Mo Williams - 16 points / Rudy Gay - 19 points

BRENDAN - CLE 91 MEM 83 Mo Williams - 23 points / Rudy Gay - 17 points

Our next pregame show will be before tomorrow's (Wednesday) Cavaliers/Houston Rockets game at 7:30PM ET.

We also will be doing pregame shows for ALL Cavalier games, one hour before tipoff! Just come to the website and join the chat box and listen in!!!

"Wine & Gold Podcast" Pregame Show vs. Grizzlies 12.08.09 - Click to Listen

More of the same tonight...Grizzlies up next

Written by Bill Nagel on .

Cavalier Fans, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching our Cavs get back to absolutely dismantling teams. We're in a nice little stretch right now and things should continue tonight against the lowly Grizzlies.  Maybe that dud in Charlottewas the best thing that could've happened to them.  Since then they have decimated two of the elite teams out West in Dallas and Phoenix and did what they should do to the Bulls and the Bucks.  A few things that I've observed over that stretch, that I hope to see continue tonight:
 
Delonte West's having fun:  Obviously he has played well but it's quite obvious now that he's enjoying himself as well.  AC astutely pointed this out on the court, and it looks like he's even got a new custom-made handshake with Lebron.  The dancing and carrying on leaves something to be desired with me but it's always fun to see people enjoying what they do. I'm sure it does a lot for Delonte's psyche as well.
 
Z's jumpers been found:  He's also been seen on the offensive glass as well.  Ironically things turned around after DNP-gate.  As hurtful as that seemed to be to him it seems to have fueled him a bit as well.  He shot 50% in the last 3 with 8 offensive boards averaging just over 10 and 6.  We'll take that from big Z.  Combined with Shaq that's over 20 and 12 from the 5 spot in the last three games.
 
Mo is scorching:  During the streak he's 15-26 from the 3 pt line.  He also played pretty solid D on Brandon Jennings on Sunday.  Mo's much of the reason why Lebron has only had to take 15 shots a game and has allowed him to become "distributor" Lebron for very long stretches in games.
 
Boobie's mid-range game:  In the last 4 Boobie has taken 17 of his 24 shots from inside of 3 pt range and hitting 59% of them.  Over the whole season Gibsonhas only shot just over 40% from inside the line.  We've seen him start to use that floater and also incorporate a little bit of a midrange game.  I gotta give it to Daniel.  He's apparently worked very hard this offseason on his game and getting himself back healthy.  On a side note his idea to shave a picture of himself in his hair is beyond hilarious.
 
Resigning Andy was the best move this offseason:   And certainly the least publicized.  He's a true pleasure to watch.  The guy plays like the "35 year old at a high school open gym" guy.  100 mph at all times.  His ability to finish in traffic has improved leaps and bounds since his "I'm gonna take it to Tim Duncan one on one with the Finals on the line" days.

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Bloguin NBA Power Rankings

Written by Brendan Bowers on .

Edition 3 of the BlogPoll NBA Power Rankings were released this morning, taking into account the votes cast by yours truly.  I had the Cavaliers at #2.  Is that too much?  I didn't think so, really.  They just blew out the teams ranked #5 - Suns - and #7 - Dallas - to kick off the four-game winning streak they are currently on.  Nevertheless though, the Cavaliers came in at #6 this time around, and the top 5 looks like this:

1. LA Lakers
2. Boston Celtics
3. Orlando Magic
4. Denver Nuggets
5. Phoenix Suns

I had LA #1 overall as well for the record.  To check out the complete BlogPoll NBA Power Rankings, Click Here. 

Additionally, if you missed it last Wednesday, the Bloguin MVP / ROY Power Rankings were also posted on With Malice, and to check those out Click Here.

I had Brandon Jennings #1, Tyreke Evans #2, and Jonny Flynn #3 for the ROY...don't sleep on Flynn...I had LeBron #1 overall for the MVP as well...its gotta go through him this year, no?

EPISODE 3 - WINE and GOLD PREGAME PODCAST - TONIGHT: 

Last bit of house-keeping news and notes...Glenn Moore and I will be live for the Wine and Gold Pregame Podcast tonight, one-hour before tip-off. 

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On Donaghy, Dancing, and Delonte

Written by Brendan Bowers on .

Watching Tim Donaghy last night I couldn’t help but find the part about how he picked NBA winners believable.  It’s pretty easy to picture, and pretty easy to understand.  Refs are just like everybody else in that they don’t like to be told they are bad at their job.  When a player shows a ref up in front of 20,000 fans, and a national audience, I imagine that it would be pretty hard for said ref to forget that.  Donaghy saying that he capitalized on those grudges and relationships in the way that he did - with the Allen Iverson example specifically - just makes me think…who don’t the refs like now?  And before you dismiss the rest of what I am about to say by asking how can you believe a guy like Donaghy, I’ll answer that question first:  I really didn’t believe him all that much, until I heard the FBI investigator talking about the case on 60 Minutes last night.  I believe Donaghy’s story, frankly, because that guy did.  I imagine you wouldn’t make it too far in the FBI by being wrong on stuff like that.   
Which takes me to the subject of Cavalier Bench Dancing.  Is that a subject?  Anyways, the way the Cavaliers carry on when their winning – to me – is something I enjoy.  To the rest of the world, I’d say it’s wearing pretty thin.  And while on the subject of officials, would you suppose 40 and 50 year old refs take to kindly to this banter?  I’d guess no.  I’d especially guess that refs don’t really like Cavalier dance leader LeBron James all that much either.  Why would they really?  First off, they don’t know how to officiate a guy like him yet – just like they didn’t know how to officiate Shaq when he came into the league.  The impact that knocks down, say a Dwayne Wade, doesn’t knock LeBron down.  It doesn’t even move him at all sometimes.  As a result, he doesn’t get all the calls he should.   And as a result of not getting every call he should, it seems that, to the outside observer, LeBron James literally hates all refs.  I’m not saying he doesn’t have a right to be frustrated at times, but he argues every single call – right or wrong – and he argues it with emphasis.  He shows at least one ref up every night, and I think he pays for it – to some extent – in the way that Donaghy described Allen Iverson paying for his argumentative in-game outbursts.
But on this Monday morning after the Cavaliers’ win over Milwaukee yesterday, all this Donaghy talk shouldn’t overshadow what Delonte West did yesterday.  no comments

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EPISODE 2 : "Wine & Gold Podcast" Cavs/Bucks Pregame Show

Written by Glenn Moore on .

"Wine & Gold Podcast" Pregame Show vs. Bucks 12.06.09 - Click to Listen

Brendan and I previewed the Cavaliers/Bucks game on the "Wine & Gold Podcast" on 12.06.09 and like our first pregame show, we did not disappoint our viewers with the second. We hit on the Bulls/Cavs game and gave our opinions on the whole LeBron James/Joakim Noah debacle. I was more old school with my opinion (play and respect the game) while Brendan was more open to the 'new school' NBA. We also hit on the play of Brandon Jennings for the Milwaukee Bucks and what could happen if Zydrunas Ilgauskas gets traded.

OUR GAME PREDICTIONS: THIS SEASON: GLENN 1-0
GLENN - CLE 103 MIL 90
LeBron James - 22 points / Brandon Jennings - 21 points
BRENDAN - CLE 94 MIL 85
LeBron James - 35 points / Brandon Jennings - 14 points

Our next pregame show will be before Tuesday's Cavaliers/Memphis Grizzlies game at 7PM ET.

We also will be doing pregame shows for ALL Cavalier games, one hour before tipoff! Just come to the website and join the chat box and listen in!!!

"Wine & Gold Podcast" Pregame Show vs. Bucks 12.06.09 - Click to Listen

Preview: Cavaliers - Bucks

Written by Amin Vafa on .

The Cavs (14-5) are fresh off sweeping a 3-game homestand after whomping the Bulls on Friday 101-87, and now take to the road to kick off a 3-game road trip at 3pm today against the Bucks (9-9) in Milwaukee. 

On Brandon Jennings and LBJ:
 
The highlight-reel matchup for today's game is obviously LeBron vs. Brandon Jennings. These guys have a lot in common. They both entered the NBA as teenagers, neither went to college, and perhaps most recently, they were the last 2 people to score exactly 55 points in Milwaukee. Both of those 55 point explosions resulted in wins for their respective teams. LeBron even said that "If [Jennings] decides he wants to go for 50, I'll be able to match him." Well, the Cavs don't really need LeBron to score like that today, as long as the ball doesn't stagnate on offense, and they keep their feet moving on defense.

LeBron also told the PD's Brian Windhorst that he's excited to see Jennings play, but he's also looking forward to the Cavs shutting him down. It may not be as difficult as it sounds, since the Bucks have lost 7 out of their last 8 games, and Jennings is averaging less than 20 points over that span (and shooting below 35%). 

The keys to winning today's game for the Cavs:
 
1) Defense (duh). If Delonte is having one of his good days, look for him to contain Jennings. Bogut has also been playing well since he's been back, so the Cavs need to make sure he doesn't take advantage of them in the paint; hopefully Shaq can take care of that. The Cavs also cannot sleep on Ilyasova. He's been playing really well for them, and they have to make sure that they have fresh legs on him at all times. If Delfino and Bell can beat the Cavs, then they didn't deserve to win the game anyway.
2) Ball movement. LeBron had a career high 8 three pointers last time he played here. Let's hope he doesn't need to do that again.

Fun Facts for today's game:

1) There are 3 #1 overall picks playing in today's game: LeBron, Shaq, and Bogut.

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Podcast debuts...Cavs win 101-87

Written by Brendan Bowers on .

Glenn and I kicked off our Wine and Gold Pregame Podcast yesterday, and the Cavaliers went on to win 101-87 over the Bulls...coincidence? Yeah I know, none whatsoever.  Nevertheless, if you missed it, feel free to check it out here.  We'll be back on Sunday to recap the Cavs-Bulls game, as well as preview the match-up with Brandon Jennings and the Milwaukee Bucks up next on the docket.  In recapping Friday's win - which moved the Cavs to 14-5 on the season - we will be sure to offer our thoughts on the LBJ -Noah confrontation, as well as the dancing on display yesterday night.  For now, we offer you the thoughts and opinions of those esteemed bloggers we call friends:

On LeBron and Noah - Waiting For Next Year, Denny:

"At one point LeBron did a shimmy or a flexing thing or something after a foul call, and Joakim Noah called him out on it from the bench, which led to LeBron leaving the foul line and jawing at Noah. At first it prompted a bit of ‘WTF’ from me, but after I read Eamonn Brennan’s tweet that said Noah told LeBron his flexing was ’so corny’, I changed my tune. I think it’s 1) good on Noah for having the cajones to say this and 2) funny. As I wrote last weekend, LeBron act is starting to wear on me a bit. His whining and posturing aren’t my jam...I’m likely in the minority (especially here) on this one, but whatever. That’s my opinion."

Dancing over the Bulls - KingJamesGospel, Cody:

"Both on and off the floor, the Cavs bench shined again tonight (Friday). From dance moves to spin moves the Wine and Gold reserves played stylish basketball and contributed 40 points of offense to the 101-87 victory over the Chicago Bulls.   LeBron and Company showed flashes of last year’s fun-spirited squad and danced their way to a fourteen point advantage.  The King busted out all his (dance) moves in a 23 point and 11 assist night to lead the Wine and Gold to their 11th win in 13 games."

What LeBron and Noah said about it - Cleveland.com, Windhorst:

Noah: "You're losing the way you're losing and guys are rubbing it in your face, dancing and all that," Noah said. "I have a lot of respect for LeBron. It's just a frustrating situation." James: "I think he was more frustrated about the way he played as an individual and didn't help his team win," James said. "It is nothing against the Bulls, it is nothing against Joakim or any of those guys.  It's nothing new, we have fun. It happened all last year."

 

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EPISODE 1 : "Wine & Gold Podcast" Cavs/Bulls Pregame Show

Written by Glenn Moore on .

The "Wine & Gold Podcast" kicked off their first pregame show on 12.4.09, previewing the Cavs/Bulls game! We hit on the Cavs game vs. the Suns, Z, DWest, and the play of Jamario Moon.

Our next show will be Sunday, December 6, at 1PM ET, as we preview the Bucks/Cavs game!

We also will be doing pregame shows for ALL Cavalier games, one hour before tipoff! Just come to the website and join the chat box and listen in!!!

Click below to listen to our first show!

"Wine and Gold Podcast" Episode 1 : Cavs/Bulls Pregame

 

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"The Wine and Gold Podcast" Cavs Pregame Show

Written by Glenn Moore on .

Join us as we preview tonight's Cleveland Cavaliers/Chicago Bulls game. Show starts at 7PM ET. Streaming live video by Ustream
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