Speed get the win playing strong 3 quartersSt. Louis 98 - Cleveland 90For once, the Speed only showing up 3 quarters didn't end in a loss. Why is that you ask? The visiting Cavaliers dominated the 2nd quarter, outscoring the Speed by 9. But the rest of the game, the frontcourt of the Speed was just too much for the Cavs as Carlos Boozer, Kevin Love, and Chris Mihm took over and led their team to victory. Lebron did what he could with a solid effort, but the rest of his team just didn't do enough to result in a win.
"We knew we couldnt stop Lebron" said Speed point guard Ricky Rubio. He spent much of the game exhaustively running down James ensuring a body was always on him. "Us and Coach Duke discussed it earlier in the week. We could leave everyone else on the floor wide open, as long as Lebron didnt get a clean look. He's a great player, and he got his stats, but at least we made him earn it." The Speed had just finished a hard fought game against the Bulls the night before and fans could tell they were dragging slightly.
"It was rough man. Going one night playing against Derrick, then the very next having to handle Lebron. Luckily we got the Cavs on the ropes and we got to play our game instead of theirs" said Boozer. When asked about his offensive dominance tonight Boozer refused to speak "We won as a team. I dont even know how many points i scored." Odds are this is because he lost count somewhere around the 30 mark. Boozer finished with 51.
With this win the Speed are now tied for 9th in the conference and hope to tack on a few more wins sneaking into the playoffs. Their upcoming schedule includes the Bucks, Warriors, Lakers, Wizards, and Bobcats. Coach Duke says they're not thinking that far ahead yet. "We've got Milwaukee coming up. After them, we'll worry about the next game. Then the next game after that. If we get into playoffs, that'd be great, but we can't sit her thinking it the whole time."
Player of the GameCarlos Boozer
51 pts 11 reb 4 ast 2 stl 1 blk
Boozer was anything and everything the Speed needed tonight to hold on against the Cavs that were trying to surge into a lead.
Notable Speed PerformancesKevin Love 16 pts 3 reb 2 stl 2 blk
Chris Mihm 10 pts 1 reb 1 blk
Ricky Rubio 7 pts 25 ast 2 stl
Notable Cavaliers PerformancesLebron James 23 pts 4 reb 5 ast 1 stl 1 blk
Brendan Haywood 16 pts 4 reb 2 ast
Leon Powe 14 pts 5 reb 2 ast
Rajon Rondo 12 pts 2 reb 9 ast 1 tl
Screenshots or It Didn't Happen Images of the Game
Kevin Love nonchalantly puts up a circus shot and doesnt even look to see if it goes in. Lebron was pissed.
Up Next: Can the Speed keep up their winning ways against a Bucks with the exact same record? A battle for 11-13 supremacy!