air's Cavs dynasty

[nbalive744]

nice win man keep it up

[.LA.]

Nice double-digit win. What roster update are you using, because I noticed you don't have Larry Hughes.

[air]

Cheers Kobe101, nbalive744, .LA.! That was real fast.

Kobe101 Posted:

You scored 11 with Micinnis!

...of which four were from free throws. I mean, dribble and jumper doesn't work, never did for me in Lives I played. Even if I do a screen and make space and shoot an open shot off a dribble. I guess I could try going to the hoop but I have others who can do it better (LeBron).

.LA. Posted:

What roster update are you using, because I noticed you don't have Larry Hughes.

Still the same Andrew's 1.15 but I changed sliders dramatically. I know Hughes has signed for the Cavs, he'll be out of contract at the end of the season. I might go for him if I get the chance.

[.LA.]

Have you considered moving J-Mac out to SG? May help create more driving opportunities.

[air]

.LA. Posted:

Have you considered moving J-Mac out to SG? May help create more driving opportunities.

I'll keep that in mind. But it's no fun that jump shots don't play much of a role in the game.
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CAVS EMBARRASS THEMSELVES IN WASHINGTON

Cleveland 56
Washington 82

Cleveland Cavs slumped to a heavy defeat at the hands of Washington Wizards last night at the MCI Center in Washington. The Wizards had one of their stars Larry Hughes out due to injury, but it did not slow their progress. The Cavs had trouble scoring all night. Whether it was a lay-up, jump shot, three point shot, free throw or even a dunk, the ball just wouldn't go in. Add to that solid scoring from Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas, and the Cavs would not stand a chance. Having been down by ten at half time, the Cavs brought on their starters to begin the second half, but instead of them making a comeback, the Wizards started the third quarter with a 10-2 run. The Cavs continued missing shots and decided to sit out LeBron James for the final quarter, because there was no way they would come back into the game. James finished with only 13 points and eight rebounds, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas was the Cavs' top scorer with 18 points. Arenas was the star of the game with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Steven Blake scored 15 and Brendan Haywood was a monster in the paint with seven blocks.

"I can't believe we've just played a game like this. We showed great effort against Seattle and Portland and now this? I'm disappointed but we've shown we can come back and we will do it again", said Cavs center Ilgauskas.

It will not get any easier for the Cavs, as they face Detroit next.

Starters:
Cleveland (4-4 before game)
C Z. Ilgauskas
F D. Gooden
F L. James
G A. Peeler
G J. McInnis

Washington (2-2 before game)
C B. Haywood
F A. Jamison
F J. Hayes
G G. Arenas
G S. Blake

Player of the game:
Arenas WAS 25/6/5 ast

Box scores:
Cavs
Wizards

Pictures:


Newble is not a great player but he can take it hard to the basket.


This picture doesn't tell what really happened in the game.


Dixon goes for the lay-up. The defence wasn't too great either.

air's note:
Well I guess it isn't so simple after all. I took less jumpers in the last two games which I won and I figured it's still all about getting close to the basket. But I guess I couldn't get to the hoop with pace in this one. What a game. Nothing was going in.

Oh yeah. 3 for 10 free throws. Traylor took some, you see.

[Kobe101]

Embrassing loss, I dont know what too say. What a strange loss.

[air]

Kobe101 Posted:

Embrassing loss, I dont know what too say. What a strange loss.

Yeah, don't know what happened there. I could have got more points but I chose to leave LeBron on the bench in the fourth so he wouldn't get injured or anything.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PISTONS SHOW THEIR QUALITY AGAINST CAVS

Detroit 71
Cleveland 56

Cleveland Cavs were held to another low score when the Detroit Pistons took home the win at the Gund Arena. The start of the game was promising for the Cavs, because the Pistons were missing shots due to good defence by the Cleveland team. But the further the game went on, it became clearer that the two teams playing were of completely different quality. Detroit were playing great defence as usual and hitting their shots. Cleveland were just along for the ride. By half time, the Pistons had built up an eleven-point lead. It was a solid team effort by the Pistons as they shared the points between them. Their standout player was, however, Chauncey Billups, who had 20 and impressive figures in other categories as well. Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince followed with 10 points each, while Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace were toughest on defence making several blocks. LeBron James scored 22 for the Cavs, but got little help from his teammates. Drew Gooden managed 10 points and eight rebounds.

"It's too bad we couldn't put up a better fight", said Gooden. "It's clear they have the better team but I don't think we were quite at our best level either."

The Cavs face Boston next, another of the few Eastern Conference teams with a winning record.

Starters:
Detroit (2-1 before game)
C B. Wallace
F R. Wallace
F T. Prince
G R. Hamilton
G C. Billups

Cleveland (4-5 before game)
C Z. Ilgauskas
F D. Gooden
F L. James
G I. Newble
G J. McInnis

Player of the game:
Billups DET 20/5/3 ast/3 stl

Box scores:
Pistons
Cavs

Pictures:


Behind you!


James makes a nice shot over Prince.


Another win in the bag.

[Kemp]

Cavs scored only 56 points! This can't be happening. Cavs needs help, maybe you should do another trade as to improve your team chances of winning. I hope you can bounce back on your next game.

[air]

Kemp40 Posted:

Cavs scored only 56 points! This can't be happening. Cavs needs help, maybe you should do another trade as to improve your team chances of winning. I hope you can bounce back on your next game.

Cheers. I have no-one to trade really. I doubt I will get a talented player in return for Anderson Varejao. Also I don't want to trade for a big money player because then I won't be able to sign a big-name free agent next summer.

[air]

Playoff basketball in Cleveland?
by Chuck Collins, cleveland.com sports writer

Looking at the way things are going for the Cleveland Cavaliers, many people are already suggesting there is no way the Cavs will be playing playoff basketball this season. They have a losing record and they seem to be unable to compete with the big teams in the league. LeBron James can't do it all himself, and the rest of the team cannot perform consistently enough to make it a successful season for the Cavs.

Let's take a look at the Eastern standings.

Detroit 5-1
Atlanta 4-1
Boston 6-3
Miami 5-3
New Jersey 4-4
Cleveland 4-6
Milwaukee 4-6
Orlando 3-5
----------------
Philadelphia 3-5
Washington 3-5
Indiana 4-8
Toronto 3-6
Charlotte 3-8
Chicago 1-3
New York 1-8

The standings show that only four teams in the conference have a winning record. The Hawks are way higher than anyone expected, while the struggling teams include Philadelphia, Washington, Indiana and New York. The first three of those could well be in the playoffs, but New York is beginning to look out of it. On the other side, there are teams such as Milwaukee who could well end up with a much worse record than they have now.

So the Cavs are definitely in the right conference. That alone will not be enough for them to reach the playoffs, and they will definitely need more wins. They have faced some of the weaker teams in the league, and now it's time for them to step up and challenge the big guns.

Artest and Marion named players of the month

Ron Artest and Shawn Marion have won the player of the month awards for November. Artest averaged 20.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists for Indiana while Marion recorded 17.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game for Phoenix. Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz and Raymond Felton of the Charlotte Bobcats were named rookies of the month.

Celtics at Cavaliers, probable starters

Celtics (6-3)
C R. LaFrentz
F A. Walker
F P. Pierce
G G. Green
G G. Payton

Cavaliers (4-6)
C Z. Ilgauskas
F D. Gooden
F L. James
G I. Newble
G J. McInnis

Ira Newble is back in favour again and will most likely start in place of long range shooter Anthony Peeler. LeBron James and Paul Pierce go head-to-head in perhaps the most interesting matchup of the game.

[air]

COUNTLESS TURNOVERS COST CAVS THE GAME

Boston 83
Cleveland 64

Cleveland Cavs suffered their third straight loss in last night's game against the Boston Celtics. The Cleveland fans' hopes were high after the home team started with a sensational 13-2 run, but then the Celtics found their game and started evening up the game. Boston were already leading by seven points at half time. It was a poor performance by the Cavaliers, who could have played a much better game if they hadn't given up the ball as easily as they did on some occasions. Also, some players could have done better, especially starting point guard Jeff McInnis, who had zero points playing against Gary Payton. LeBron James led the Cavs in scoring again with 19, followed by an impressive 14 by Tractor Traylor and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Celtics' sixth man Ricky Davis led the away team's scoring with 15, followed by 14 from Gerald Green. Paul Pierce earned player of the game honours with 12 points, five rebounds and three steals.

"We didn't take care of the ball tonight", said Cavs shooting guard Ira Newble. "We didn't do badly with rebounding, shooting and defence but too many turnovers is what cost us the game."

The Cavs travel to Miami to meet the Heat next.

Starters:
Boston (6-3 before game)
C R. LaFrentz
F A. Walker
F P. Pierce
G G. Green
G G. Payton

Cleveland (4-6 before game)
C Z. Ilgauskas
F D. Gooden
F L. James
G I. Newble
G J. McInnis

Player of the game:
Pierce BOS 12/5/3 stl/2 ast

Box scores:
Celtics
Cavs

Pictures:


Pierce goes up against James and Snow.


Green makes a windmill dunk.


Traylor got the best of Walker on some occasions with his strength.

[Keo]

You're getting completely blown out again and scoring -70. Hopefully there's still time for you to turn things around.

[colickyboy]

man, your cpu steals and interceptions sliders are crazy high. maybe you should dial it down to compensate for the fact that your computer-controlled guys don't block shots in superstar.

[.LA.]

2 straight games under 70? Come on air, snap out of this funk, get these Cavs to glory. You have had K-Mart score more than the Cavs in your past dynasty. Hopefully you can turn things around. Go for cheap roleplayers man.

[colickyboy]

i also found it not that easy to rebound with james. in fact, his assists are higher than his rebounds in my dynasty. could be another bug in superstar...i see a lot of rebounds where the player is just standing there and the ball just lands in their hands basically.... instead of players skying for it.

[air]

colickyboy Posted:

man, your cpu steals and interceptions sliders are crazy high. maybe you should dial it down to compensate for the fact that your computer-controlled guys don't block shots in superstar.

Good to see you back. I think I have CPU steals on 40 and interceptions on 20 now. I might post my sliders here at some point but they're sure hard enough!

.LA. Posted:

2 straight games under 70? Come on air, snap out of this funk, get these Cavs to glory. You have had K-Mart score more than the Cavs in your past dynasty. Hopefully you can turn things around. Go for cheap roleplayers man.

No, I scored more than 70 against Miami . I'm trying to reach the playoffs (East is weaker) but I have high hopes for next season when I get a big name free agent signed. And it's not cool having K-Mart or anyone score 50 points, that's why I started a dynasty with tough sliders. Thanks for your feedback!

[edit] Miami game coming right up.

colickyboy Posted:

i also found it not that easy to rebound with james. in fact, his assists are higher than his rebounds in my dynasty. could be another bug in superstar...i see a lot of rebounds where the player is just standing there and the ball just lands in their hands basically.... instead of players skying for it.

He's grabbed a couple in recent games although it could have been me controlling him. Then again Gooden is rebounding well, thankfully.

[air]

CAVS CAN'T HANDLE THE HEAT

Cleveland 77
Miami 93

Cleveland Cavs gave it their best shot against Miami Heat but couldn't come away with a win. After a good first quarter, the Cavs kept the game close and went into half time losing 40-44 after an unlikely buzzer beater by Robert Traylor. The deciding point of the game was when the Heat managed to put together a 14-2 run in the third quarter and the Cavs could not recover. However, the Cavs showed some of the effort and determination that they had been lacking in the recent games. LeBron James had his best game of the season so far, finishing with 32 points, four rebounds, three assists and five steals. Another outstanding player on the Cavs team was Drew Gooden, who recorded 18 and 12 along with three steals. Shaquille O'Neal was player of the game, the big man scoring 24 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and making three assists. His opponent Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a terrible game with six points and just one rebound. Damon Jones scored 23 for the Heat, while Dwyane Wade finished with 12.

"The effort was there tonight", said Cavs star LeBron James. "Miami is just one of the many teams in the league who have better players. We have to compensate for that by playing better as a unit and playing to the very best of our ability. We had the right idea but couldn't pull it off."

The Cavs face the Golden State Warriors next.

Starters:
Cleveland (4-7 before game)
C Z. Ilgauskas
F D. Gooden
F L. James
G I. Newble
G J. McInnis

Miami (5-3 before game)
C S. O'Neal
F U. Haslem
F E. Jones
G D. Wade
G D. Jones

Player of the game:
O'Neal MIA 24/11/3 ast

Box scores:
Cavs
Heat

Pictures:


Haslem realizes James really is unstoppable.


O'Neal muscles Ilgauskas away and dunks.


Gooden was amazingly good, it was his best game yet.

[.LA.]

Another loss, but this one is easier to take in, looks like the Cav's played tougher, hopefully that can increase each game.

[air]

.LA. Posted:

Another loss, but this one is easier to take in, looks like the Cav's played tougher, hopefully that can increase each game.

Yeah. So many things to focus on. I also need to score points with players other than James:
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CAVS MAKE INCREDIBLE COMEBACK BUT LOSE IN OAKLAND

Cleveland 78
Golden State 79

Cleveland Cavs made a great fourth quarter comeback against Golden State Warriors but it wasn't enough for them to get the win. Losing by 11 points with only four minutes to go, the Cavs made some great baskets and steals to get the game close again. Zydrunas Ilgauskas' shot made it a one-point game with 16 seconds to go, and the Cavs fouled Baron Davis. The point guard missed both free throws, and when LeBron James tried to win the game, he was fouled on the shot. Unlike Davis, James hit both foul shots and the Warriors called a timeout with only 3.3 seconds on the game clock. They managed to play the ball to the top of the key to Troy Murphy, who hit an amazing turnaround jumper which won the game since the Cavs had no timeouts left. It was a bitter end to a great fight by the Cavs, which was inspired by a 33-point six-rebound performance from LeBron James. Another hero was Robert Traylor, who came off the bench to help the Cavs score during a difficult patch in the second quarter. Jason Richardson led the Warriors in scoring with 16, while Baron Davis had 15. The difference between the teams was that Golden State were able to get points from several players, while Cavs only got points from six players, including a 1-point performance from DeSagana Diop.

"It's tough to lose like this", said James who had a much better second half. "I probably tried to do a bit too much myself because we need points from other guys as well. And I could score even more but for some reason I'm having a tough time with free throws."

The Cavs face the Denver Nuggets in their next game.

Starters:
Cleveland (4-8 before game)
C Z. Ilgauskas
F D. Gooden
F L. James
G I. Newble
G J. McInnis

Golden State (2-8 before game)
C T. Murphy
F I. Diogu
F M. Pietrus
G J. Richardson
G B. Davis

Player of the game:
Diogu GS 11/11

Box scores:
Cavs
Warriors

Pictures:


James didn't have an easy first half. He really tried to force baskets.


Some tough play involving Diogu, Gooden and Varejao.


James gets fouled on the second last shot of the game.

[air]

Tough month coming up for Cavaliers
by Chuck Collins, cleveland.com sports writer

The Cleveland Cavaliers have now lost their last five games, but looking at their schedule for January it will not get any easier. The teams they face are all Western Conference teams with a winning record. The only good thing is that the Cavs are in the Eastern Conference themselves. The January schedule in full (team and record):

Denver 10-6
Dallas 9-2
San Antonio 8-1
LA Lakers 5-3
LA Clippers 8-5
Minnesota 7-2

Player of the month awards for December

Detroit Pistons' center Ben Wallace has been named December player of the month of the Eastern Conference. He averaged 10.1 points, 11 rebounds and 2.5 blocks over the month. The Western award went to Denver Nuggets' small forward Carmelo Anthony, who put up 21 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Raymond Felton and Deron Williams again picked up awards for Rookie of the month.

[Kemp]

I don't know what to say. Cavs are very struggling right now. I know that game against the Heat was a tough one but that game against the Warriors was so close, one point difference. I hope you can bounce back from here.

[air]

Kemp40 Posted:

I don't know what to say. Cavs are very struggling right now. I know that game against the Heat was a tough one but that game against the Warriors was so close, one point difference. I hope you can bounce back from here.

Thanks for your support! Well, I almost bounced back...
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CAVS LOSE ANOTHER GAME DOWN THE STRETCH

Denver 82
Cleveland 81

Cleveland Cavs lost another game by a single point last night at the Gund Arena in Cleveland. It was quite a turnaround by the Cavs, having been down 32-39 at the half. However, a great third quarter saw them take the lead by five points going into the final quarter, and Cleveland still held a six-point lead going into the final minute of the game. Some big threes by Voshon Lenard and Andre Miller made the game close, and when Zydrunas Ilgauskas went to the line with 20 seconds left at 80-79 Cleveland, he hit only one of his shots. Andre Miller brought the ball up court and put up a surprising three to make it a one-point lead for Denver. Cleveland played the ball to LeBron James for the final shot of the game but he couldn't convert with an 18-foot jump shot. James had another amazing game, shooting jumpers with accuracy. He finished with 33 points. Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony lost his shot completely in the second half and had 14 points, but Kenyon Martin had a good game with 24 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.

"I think we played a good game tonight", said James. "It's too bad I couldn't hit the final shot. We really needed it."

The Cavs have another game coming up tomorrow, this time against Dallas Mavericks.

Starters:
Denver (10-6 before game)
C M. Camby
F K. Martin
F C. Anthony
G V. Lenard
G A. Miller

Cleveland (4-9 before game)
C Z. Ilgauskas
F D. Gooden
F L. James
G I. Newble
G J. McInnis

Player of the game:
Martin DEN 24/12/2 blk

Box scores:
Nuggets
Cavs

Pictures:


That's more like it by Ira Newble. Eight points.


James takes the contact and... gets it to go!


Miller hits the game-winning three here.

[.LA.]

Ouch, those two back to back close game losses hurt even me man. Need to build some momentum, but I just dont know how. I say focus in and make Drew Gooden try to dominate in the post as your second option, and make Peeler your shooter and your third option. Then just try to drive in with J-Mac, and shoot down low with Big Z. Lebron can take you their man, make him get his teammates involved.

[air]

.LA. Posted:

Ouch, those two back to back close game losses hurt even me man. Need to build some momentum, but I just dont know how. I say focus in and make Drew Gooden try to dominate in the post as your second option, and make Peeler your shooter and your third option. Then just try to drive in with J-Mac, and shoot down low with Big Z. Lebron can take you their man, make him get his teammates involved.

Thanks for your sympathy . Gooden's great but can't really score against a good defender. Tractor can do a good job coming off the bench as PF against a weaker player. I still prefer Newble over Peeler, because Peeler feels like a defensive liability. But I must get McInnis to score somehow. In this next game, I didn't really have to...
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CAVS TAKE SURPRISE WIN BY EXPLOITING DALLAS' INSIDE DEFENCE

Cleveland 96
Dallas 90

Cleveland Cavs won a game at last in unlikely fashion away at Dallas Mavericks. It was a real scoring contest with both teams hitting lots of shots and only one team - Cleveland - playing defence. Dallas didn't seem so interested in playing defence, because Cavs' low post trio of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Drew Gooden and Robert Traylor were allowed to go one-on-one against weaker opponents such as Alan Henderson at center and Keith Van Horn at power forward. Even Dirk Nowitzki had a tough time against Traylor and Gooden, although he made up for it by scoring a game-high 30. The score was still 44-46 to Dallas at half time but the Cavs kept making use of the matchups in their favour and got the lead. Dallas came within three points at the end with a 6-0 run, but Cavs made a smart substitution and brought on shooter Anthony Peeler, who got open after a Mavs double team to make a big three pointer, his only basket of the game. Player of the game was LeBron James, who scored 28, but Cavs got a huge contribution from Ilgauskas' 16, Gooden's 22 and Traylor's 21 points.

"We really exploited their weaknesses", said power forward Gooden. "Their inside is not as strong as their outside and so we went inside. That's where we won the game."

The Cavs take on the San Antonio Spurs next.

Starters:
Cleveland (4-10 before game)
C Z. Ilgauskas
F D. Gooden
F L. James
G I. Newble
G J. McInnis

Dallas (9-2 before game)
C E. Dampier
F D. Nowitzki
F J. Howard
G M. Finley
G J. Terry

Player of the game:
James CLE 28/2/2 stl

Box scores:
Cavs
Mavericks

Pictures:


Nowitzki had 30 points.


Ilgauskas goes up against [sigh] Henderson.


Peeler puts the game out of reach.

air's note:
It was like playing with Denver again. Or the previous sliders. So easy, but it was all because Dallas simply WOULDN'T double team me inside!! Even if I had Ira Newble on the outside, they just wouldn't! And will I exploit that? Of course. I'm glad Z, Tractor and Gooden all had their shots and layups falling.

[Kemp]

This is what I want to see, Cavs winning games. Balance attacks by James, Z, Traylor and Gooden. Solid efforts by those 4 players. Peeler is such an important player where he can hit big shot, you should play him more in the fourth quarter. Now go get the Spurs.