The Cavs seemed very focused from the opening tip knowing that LeBron James wasn’t going to be there to rely on. The Cavs had 8 players finish in double figures in scoring and they outrebounded the Warriors 48-35. That explains why they won this game. Sasha Pavlovic started in place of LeBron and he scored a career high 24 points and he also had 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Donyell Marshall had a super 15 minutes on the court in which he scored 15 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a really solid game with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Daniel Gibson had a fine first start with the Cavs as he scored 12 points and grabbed 3 rebounds. He hit 4 of 5 of the 3-point shots he attempted.

The Cavaliers improved to 26-19 on the season with this big win. http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270130005

For as bad as the Cavs have played this season they are still only 1 game out of the Central Division and 1.5 games out of the Eastern Conference lead. LeBron James has looked tired this season due to playing over the summer for the U.S. He’s still averaging 27.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game so it’s hard to complain. The Cavs need more from Larry Hughes. Hughes is only shooting 40.4% from the floor and averaging 14.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists. If he doesn’t improve his play it will be hard for the Cavs to move up in the Conference. The Cavs also need to get the ball more to Zydrunas Ilgauskas because they are wasting the big guy’s talent. He’s averaging 11.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, but he’s capable of more if the Cavs give him the chance. Drew Gooden also could use a few more looks with the ball. He’s averaging 11.9 points & 8.8 rebounds per game and his numbers would be much better if the Cavs ran some plays for him. Eric Snow is probably the worst starting point guard in the NBA. He’s only averaging 5.0 points and 4.5 assists per game. The Cavs need to replace him by either playing the kid (Daniel Gibson) or trading for a legit point guard (like Andre Miller).

The Cavs bench was supposed to be a strength of this team but it hasn’t worked out that way. Anderson Varejao has been great filling in for Ilgauskas and Gooden. He’s averaging 6.7 points & 6.2 rebounds per game and has earned a little more playing time. He plays great defense and it a master at drawing the charge. Damon Jones has played better than last season as he’s averaging 8.1 points per game, but his only skill is his shooting. Donyell Marshall’s play hasn’t been as good as it was last season. He’s averaging 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this season, but some of the reason for that is Varejao taking some of his minutes away. Sasha Pavlovic is instant energy off the bench, but he doesn’t get to play to often. Rookie Daniel Gibson is a fun player to watch because he goes full speed all the time.

Rookie Daniel Gibson will be the starting point guard tonight for the Cavs and it’s about time! Gibson is very energetic on the floor and he’s not scared to shoot the way Eric Snow is. Snow was only averaging 5.0 points and 4.5 assists per game and that just doesn’t get it done no matter how well he plays on defense.

The team doctors have told LeBron James to take a few days games off to rest his hurt toe. It will be interesting to see how the Cavs play while he is out. They are 1-0 this season and 7-2 with him out over his career.

The Cavs played poor defense as they allowed the Suns to hit 57.1% from the floor and that’s why they lost this game. It also appeared that the Suns wanted this game more than the Cavs did as they outscored them 24-13 in the 4th quarter. LeBron James led the way for the Cavaliers with 30 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Drew Gooden was a monster around the rim with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Donyell Marshall also had a solid game off the bench with 15 points and 5 rebounds.

The Cavs fell to 25-19 on the season with this loss. http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270128005

The Cavs looked like they were sleepwalking in the first half as they were down 60-43 at halftime. Mike Brown must have said something that clicked in the locker room because the Cavs came out breathing fire in the second half and outscored the Sixers 62-37 to win the game! Drew Gooden led the way for the Cavs with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. Donyell Marshall had a solid game off the bench with 17 points & 9 rebounds. Larry Hughes was very active against his old team with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Damon Jones also was sharp as he hit 5 of 7 from three-point range and wound up with 15 points and 3 assists.

The Cavs improved to 25-18 with this huge road win without LeBron. http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270126020

LeBron James sat out tonight’s game with the Phildelphia 76ers because of an injured toe. The injury is minor and James should play Sunday afternoon against the Phoenix Suns.

The Cavaliers had two chances to ice this game but LeBron James and Larry Hughes both missed key free throws down the stretch. The Cavs only shot 39.4% from the floor and they didn’t play well on defense as the Sixers hit 52.4% from the floor. LeBron James did have a great game with 39 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Larry Hughes also had a good game with 26 points and 4 assists. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a good game near the basket with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cavs fell to 24-18 on the season with this loss. http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270124005

Hughes has been pathetic lately and it’s hurting the Cavs offense as a whole. In his last 7 games he’s averaged 12.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The Cavs need him to score about 17 or 18 points a game for the offense to really click. But that will be hard to do if he doesn’t shoot better soon. In his last 7 games he’s only hitting 33.3% of his shots from the floor and that is plain awful.

Not everyone on the Cavs brings their A-game all the time….but Varejao sure does. No one takes as many charges as Varejao does and he’s a great defensive player that often frustrates the competition and gets in their heads. In his last 8 games, Varejao is averaging 7.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.4 steals. He’s starting to earn playing time away from Ilgauskas, Gooden and Donyell Marshall.