Cleveland 88, San Antonio 81
Whether or not LeBron James wants to admit it, this was a statement game for the Cavs, who desperately want to be considered one of the league’s elite teams. They definitely made a statement with this win. In all fairness, the Spurs were coming off an emotional win in Dallas the night before, but they still should be able to handle the Cavs at home if they’re the league’s best team. They struggled mightily from the line, shooting a miserable 18-34, anchored by Tim Duncan’s 9-19 performance. If he continues to shoot like that from the line, it’s going to be a problem for the Spurs. (He did finish with 25 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Spurs in both categories.) LeBron looked great, tallying 35 points and 10 boards, and has proved that he is the best in the league at finishing at the hoop. He needs to do a better job of finishing games, however. And for some reason, he’s still fading away on his long jumpers. It makes sense when he’s driving and rising, but when he’s shooting a wide-open three, I don’t know why he fades. That’s going to lead to inconsistent shooting. Big Z is looking more and more out of place on this team. The demand for a slow 7’3” center has to be decreasing with the league’s movement towards an up-tempo game.
Random Thoughts: I was most surprised by Minnesota’s 112-109 win in Denver, Sacramento’s 89-88 win in Chicago and Utah’s 108-104 win in Phoenix. The Hornets also got a nice win in Indiana, 100-91…Fantasy-wise, the biggest shock is how many points and minutes Quentin Richardson is posting. Through two games, he has 50 points, 15 rebounds and three assists. Of course, it helps that the team released Jalen Rose, who quickly signed with the Suns. Now that should be interesting…T.J. Ford has already made an impact in Toronto, dishing out 18 assists in two games. Throw in 32 points and eight rebounds and you’ve got yourself a point guard.
