Game-by-Game Recaps
Cavaliers Lose Their First Game
The Suns shooting put the Cavaliers in deep water tonight
Suns-118
Cavaliers-98
Shawn Marion catching the alley-oop from Steve Nash
CLEVELAND, Ohio Nov.10 (Ticker) -- Cleveland's shooting woes continued throughout this game. If there is anything that the Cavs need to improve, it's their shooting. Phoenix shot 52% from the field in the game, while the Cavs shot only 42% and 2-13 from 3 point range.
At the end of the first quarter, the Cavaliers trailed 28-22. Amare Stoudemire was dominating the quarter with 9 points on 4/5 shooting from the field, along with 7 rebounds. Drew Gooden led the way for the Cavaliers with 6 points and 3 rebounds. Cleveland just shot 37% from the field as their shooting woes continued. Phoenix was hsooting an amazingly 50% from the field.
Lebron was able to cut the lead down to 6 points after a layup with 6:37 left in the first half. Luke Jackson made a 3 with 4:57 left in the period to make the score 44-39 and the 3 also ended a drought for the Cavaliers of missing 10 straight 3 pointers, since last night against the Atlanta Hawks. Joe Johnson's jumper put the Suns back up 50-43. The pick and roll between Steve Nash and Johnson was deadly thoughout the game against Cleveland. At the end of the first half, Cleveland trailed 53-49. Lebron James scored 10 of his 13 points in the 2nd quarter and he also had 4 assists. Nash led the Suns with 10 points. Cleveland was able to shoot 50% from the field in the 2nd quarter and outscored the Suns 27-25 in the period.
The Suns lead was trimmed to 60-59 after Lebron was able to get a breakaway dunk with 8:30 left in the 3rd quarter, but Ilgauskas ended up drawing his 4th foul with 8:19 left in the 3rd and he had to sit out the rest of the quarter. Steve Nash's 3 put the Suns up double digits with a 75-65 lead with 4:19 left in the 3rd. The 3 gave Nash 28 points for the game. Steve Nash committed his 4th foul on Eric Snow and had to sit out for the remainder of the quarter and never came back in the game as he finished with 30 points for the Suns. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Cleveland trailed 91-77 and things looked worse than they did at first. Phoenix scored a season-high 38 points in the 3rd quarter, while shooting 63% from the field.
The Cavaliers started the 4th quarter on an 8-2 run and Gooden's two hand slam pulled the Cavs within' 8 points with 9:11 left in the quarter. The Suns were forced to call a timeout. Phoenix scored six unanswered points after the run by Cleveland and led 99-85 with just over 8 minutes left in the period. Phoenix went up 109-88 with 4:42 left in the 4th quarter and nothing was going right for the Cavs. Paul Silas took out all the starters with 2:17 left in the game and let the younger players get some experience for the rest of the game. Cleveland was down 113-95 and there wasn't enough time to comeback.
Photos from the Game:
Ilgauskas had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds
Lebron with the dunk that cut the lead within' 1 point
Stoudemire posting up Ilgauskas in the post
Nash making one of his many jumpers in the game
McInnis was one of the five players to score in double figures for the Cavs
Johnson kept his hot stroke going in the game
Gooden led the Cavaliers with 25 points in the game
Box Score
November 10, 2004 Scores
75
92
P. Pierce-17pts, 8asts
106
99
A. Mourning-21pts, 6rebs
117
94
G. Hill-34pts, 7rebs, 6asts
107
114
R. Artest-35pts, 8rebs
86
90
M. Redd-29pts, 11rebs
98
89
K. Bryant-19pts, 6rebs
91
94
C. Boozer-16pts, 13rebs
90
102
M. Ginobili-26pts, 11asts
117
87
P. Stojakovic-25pts, 10rebs
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Dramatic 2nd Half Comeback for the Cavs
Cleveland did the unbelievable against the Hawks
Cavaliers-98
Hawks-92
Drew Gooden had a season-high 24 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks against the Atlanta Hawks
ATLANTA, Ga. Nov.9 (Ticker) -- The Atlanta Hawks were unstoppable in the first half as they led by as many as 22 points against the Cavaliers. Cleveland was down six points at the end of the first quarter and things got worse in the 2nd quarter as the Hawks outscored them 27-16.
Heading into the 3rd quarter, the Cavaliers were down 52-35. Gooden had a team-high 12 points and 8 rebounds. Lebron was 1/7 from the field with just 6 points. Al Harrington had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Hawks. Cleveland was shooting 30% from the field in the first half.
The Cavaliers started the 3rd quarter on a 7-0 run that cut the lead to 52-42. Kenny Anderson's layup put the Hawks back up 16 points with a 58-42 lead. Antonie Walker who had 5 fouls in the first half, fouled out wtih 4:25 left in the 3rd after Drew Gooden went inside to draw contact. Walker fouled out with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Ilgauskas fouled out for Cleveland later on with 3:07 left in the 3rd quarter. He finished with 8 points and 7 rebounds in 24 minutes of play. At the end of the quarter, the Cavs trailed 63-76. Boris Diaw scored 8 of his 16 points in the 3rd quarter.
With 8:09 left in the period, Diop injured his left arm after going for a foul on Drobnjak. Later on in the game, the commentators indicated that Diop had a strained left finger and would not return to action. Drew gooden dunked the ball with 7:44 left in the game to cut the Hawks lead to 84-75. On Cleveland's next drive, Lebron passed the ball inside to Traylor who got the layup to cut the Hawks lead to 7 points with 7:03 left in the 4th. James made a key jumper with 5:23 left that made the game a two possession game and the shot gave him 19 points for the game after only scoring 6 points in the first half. After Al Harrington missed a jumper, Lebron got the rebound and was able to find Traylor again under the basket for the easy two points. The score was 89-85 with 4:54 left in the quarter. Cleveland were outscoring the Hawks 22-13 in the quarter.
Atlanta committed a turnover on their next possession with 4:32 left in teh game. McInnis blew past Harrington on the mismatch and made the game a one possession game as the Hawks led 89-87. Robert Traylor tied the game after overpowering Harrington in the paint. Cleveland's comeback was complete as they overcame a 17 point deficit at the beginning of the 2nd half and teh Hawks were forced to call a timeout. "We played as a team and with alot of heart tonight. There's no doubt about it. These men showed that they never give up on any given night," coach Paul Silas said.
Harrington was fouled by Lebron and he made 1/2 from the line. McInnis isolated Kevin Willis and he took it coast to coast against him and he gave the Cavs their first lead of the game with 3:18 left. Harrington gave the Hawks a 92-91 lead after making a jumper. Traylor was posting Willis up and Traylor elevated and dunked the ball on Willis and got the foul. Traylor missed the FT, but the Cavs still led 93-92 with 2:43 left in the game. Willis fouled out after fouling Traylor again on the perimeter which also sent Traylor to the line. Robert Traylor missed the first one, but made teh 2nd and he had a season-high 13 points, 7 rounds for the Cavs after making the free throw. Boris Diaw missed a 3 in the corner that would've gave the Hawks the lead and Gooden grabbed his 15th rebound of the game. He was fouled with 1:24 left in the period and was sent to the line. Gooden missed both FT's and Collier grabbed the rebound for the Hawks. Atlanta used their last timeout of the game after the rebound.
Anderson put up a jumper that rolled off the rim and Gooden grabbed another rebound with 1:08 left in the period. Cleveland could not get a shot off and had a shot clock violation with 46.9 secs left. On the Hawks next possession, Harrington passed the ball to Diaw for another jumper, but it hit the front of the rim and Gooden grabbed his 17th rebound of the game wtih 28 seconds left. Drobnjak fouled Ira Newble with 25.4 seconds left and he went to the line to shoot two FT's. Newble made both FT's to put Cleveland up 96-92 in the game. nderson came down and shot a 3 that didn't go in and Traylor grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled with 15.7 secs left. Traylor made the first one, but missed the 2nd and Lebron was able to grab the offensive rebound and was fouled with 14.5 secs left. James missed the first one, but made the 2nd one that put the Cavs up 98-92 and it sealed the game for Cleveland. Gooden finished with 24 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks.
Photos from the Game:
Ilgauskas had foul trouble throughout the entire game
Newble played a season-high 32 minutes and scored 8 points
McInnis stepped up big in the 2nd half for Cleveland
Lebron with the acrobatic layin vs. the Hawks
Lebron going in on the Hawks defense for the easy layup
Walker could not get going in the game as he fouled out early in the 3rd quarter
Harrington only scored 5 points in the 2nd half for the Hawks
Box Score
November 9, 2004 Scores
107
117
A. Jamison-40pts, 7rebs
107
76
A. Stoudemire-15pts, 12rebs
97
101
T. McGrady-25pts, 6rebs
80
75
D. Nowitzki-13pts, 6rebs
76
84
J. Magloire-20pts, 17rebs
108
117
K. Garnett-31pts, 10rebs, 9asts
102
122
C. Anthony-31pts, 8rebs
100
93
V. Carter-17pts, 7asts
97
120
R. Jefferson-42pts, 11rebs
96
84
A. Iverson-25pts, 9asts
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Cleveland Got the Best of the Bucks
Jeff McInnis was the unsung hero of this game
Cavaliers-95
Bucks-84
McInnis had a season-high with 24 points along with 7 assists against the Bucks
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin Nov.6 (Ticker) -- After most of the attention focused on Lebron James, the Bucks basically forgot about the other four players on the court with him. Lebron always makes his teammates better and in this case he did that tonight against the Bucks.
In the 1st quarter, it was all Lebron as he scored 10 of the Cavaliers 19 points in the period. Milwaukee's Michael Redd couldn't handle Lebron one on one, and it cost them big time early in the game. Redd had two early fouls in the quarter, but that didn't keep him from doing what he had to do for his team. He finished the 1st quarter with 14 of the Bucks 19 points. "His release is so quick, that it's hard to contest the shot and that's just something he is very superior with," Lebron said. Neither team was able to shoot well from the field in the 1st quarter with both teams scoring just 19 points in the quarter.
Cleveland was able to get some ground going up by 5 points after McInnis made a three with 7:32 left in the 2nd quarter. The three pointer gave him 11 points for the first half. Milwaukee had nobody to step up for them in the 2nd quarter except for Redd and Van Horn. Redd and Van Horn combined for 18 of the Bucks 22 points in the 2nd quarter. The amount of depth and balance on the Bucks team offense caused them to lose the game.
Keith Van Horn and Michael Redd were the only two Bucks players to score in double figures. They combined for 52 points with Redd leading them with 35 points. Lebron James had another solid game for the Cavaliers with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. The Bucks were only able to shoot 33% from the field during the game, while the Cavs shot 40%. "Even though we shot bad from the field, we still had more players involved in the game which brought us to victory," Paul Silas said.
The turning point of the game came in the 2nd and 3rd quarters where the Cavaliers outscored the Bucks in those quarters and in the 1st and 4th quarters, the scores were tied. "It was good that our players weren't tired during the 2nd quarter and we came out strong in the 3rd to try and finish the Bucks off," assistant coach Brendan Malone said. Cleveland couldn't connect on free throws shooting 26-37 from the line, while the Bucks shot 19-20. "This is something we must improve on along with our 3 point shooting. If they would've attempted more FT's than we did, they could've won this game," Silas said. The Cavaliers will finish out the 3 game road trip against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.
Photos from the Game:
Ilgauskas trying to move around Gadzuric
Tractor Traylor getting his only two points of the game
Michael Redd with the layup
Lebron scoring two of his 28 points against the Bucks
Keith Van Horn with the two hand jam
Drew Gooden with the dunk over Gadzuric
James getting another dunk for the season against the Bucks
Box Score
November 6, 2004 Scores
103
110
T. McGrady-30pts, 8asts
108
106
P. Gasol-24pts, 10rebs
97
101
J. Richardson-44pts, 5rebs
120
84
S. Nash-31pts, 13asts
85
87
R. Artest-25pts, 11rebs
100
108
A. Jamison-30pts, 15rebs
109
89
S. Francis-20pts, 10asts
66
83
L. Sprewell-16pts, 5rebs
97
85
C. Boozer-25pts, 10rebs
78
92
J. Crawford-27pts
82
117
C. Billups-26pts, 9asts
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Cleveland Wins in Overtime
Another great performance from Lebron gave the Cavs a 2-0 start for the season
Cavaliers-117 OT
Heat-116
Shaquille O'neal and the Heat are now 0-2 on the season
MIAMI, Fla. Nov.4 (Ticker) -- There is nothing to say about the sophmore Lebron James who was very affective in tonight's game. He did everything on the floor that made his teammates better and also improved his team record to 2-0 of the season.
The Heat we're struggling earlier in the 1st quarter after missing five straight shots. Haslem then scored to end their drought as the score was 10-9 wtih the Cavaliers winning. Jeff McInnis was able to make a layup while getting fouled on the play wtih 5:41 left in the 1st quarter. He put the Cavaliers up 16-12 in the game. Miami took a 17-16 lead after Eddie Jones nailed aj umper that also gave him 5 points in the quarter. Cleveland led 29-27 at the end of the quarter. They were able to hold Shaq to just 2 points and 1 rebound in the 1st quarter, but Rasual Butler and Eddie Jones combined for 12 points after making outside shots. Ilgauskas led the Cavaliers with 9 points and 3 rebounds. Lebron had 6 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists for Cleveland.
McInnis made a jumper that gave the Cavs their largest lead of the 1st half as Cleveland led 39-31. The Cavs were outscoring the Heat 10-4 with Cleveland shooting 44% and the Heat just shooting 16% from the field. Miami had to use a timeout after Lebron James threw down a two-hand dunk to pu the Cavs up 45-36 with 6:36 left in the 1st half. The dunk gave Lebron 12 points in the first half. Shaquille O'neal had 4 points after 17 minutes of play after making a hoookshot over Ilgauskas. Miami tied the game up at 55-55 with 1:32 left in the period after Wade hit a three that gave him 15 points in the quarter. At the end of the 1st half, the Cavaliers led 57-55. Shaq scored 4p oints in the last two minutes of the 2nd quarter and he finished with 8 points in the first half. Ilgauskas led the Cavs in scoring with 15 points, while Lebron had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. The Heat were shooting 43% in the first half, while the Cavs were only shooting slightly better with 45%.
The Heat took their first lead of the game since leading 17-16 in the 1st quarter after a Butler jumper that put them up 61-59. Miami was on a 6-0 run and they went up 65-59 in the quarter. Cleveland was forced to call a timeout to regroup. Gooden finally ended the Cavaliers drought shooting 1-13 from the field in the quarter with a dunk over Haslem. The Cavs regained the lead after Lucious Harris made a three to put them up 78-77 with 1:43 left in the 3rd. At the end of the quarter, Cleveland led 82-81. Lebron james had a double-double with 20 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists.
Ilgauskas got a 3 point play to go after making a hook shot over O'neal as he got fouled. The play put Cleveland up 88-83 early in the 4th quarter. McInnis hit a big jumper that gave the Cavs a 94-87 lead with 6:35 left in the 4th. The Heat went inside to Shaq as he turned and got the easy 2 points over Ilgauskas. It gave SHaq 20 points in the game to go along wtih 11 rebounds and 5 blocks. Lebron fed Traylor in the paint as he made the layup to tie the game at 100-100 with 1:31 left in regulation. Wade then came down and made a free throw line jumper to put the Heat up 102-100. After letting the shot clock run down to 7 seconds, Lebron took control and went inside strong for the layin that gave him 24 points for the game and tied the game up 102-102 with 22.7 seconds left in the 4th quarter. Wade held the ball for the last second shot, but he ended up giving it to Eddie Jones win the corner open for the jumper, but he missed the game winner and the game was headed into overtime.
Gooden made a 12 foot jumper that put the Cavs up 110-106 with 2:25 left in overtime. O'neal drew his 5th foul on Ilgauskas with 2:00 left in the OT period. Lebron was able to drive in to put the Cavs up 112-108 with 1:37 left in the extra period. Eddie Jones came down and made a 3 to cut the lead 112-111 with 1:07 left in overtime. On the Cavs next possession, Lebron was fouled by Shaq which fouled Shaq out of the game and put Lebron on the free throw line. Lebron made both free throws that put Cleveland up 114-111. Butler made a jumper with 52 seconds left that cut the Cavs lead to 1 point. Cleveland setup an isolation play for Lebron, but he missed the jumper. Miami came down and Wade shot a jumper that didn't go, but Allen went up for two tip ins that didn't go in, and Gooden was able to finally grab the rebound and was fouled with 13.3 seconds left in the game. Gooden sinked both FT's to put the Cavs up 116-113. Miami used their last timeout of the game. After the timeout, the Heat tried to go inside for 2 points, but Malik Allen failed to score and Gooden grabbed his 14th rebound with 7.8 seconds left and was fouled again. Gooden missed the first FT, but made the 2nd one. Malik Allen made a desperation three with 2.7 seconds left, but the Cavs were able to run the clock out the rest of the way.
Photos from the Game:
Snow trying to go past Eddie Jones
Shaquille O'neal with two of his 8 points in the 1st half
Ira Newble shooting the jumper
Lebron shooting the fadeaway over Haslem
Diop and Gooden double teaming O'neal
Drew Gooden with the left hand hookshot
Eddie Jones missing the last second shot in regulation
Dwyane Wade finished with a season-high 23 points
Lebron going up strong on 3 defenders
Box Score
November 4, 2004 Scores
96
94
L. Sprewell-27pts, 5rebs
77
62
A. Jamison-33pts, 16rebs
Inside the NBA with Kenny "The Jet" Smith, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and Ernie Johnson
Welcome everyone to Inside the NBA. I'm Ernie Johnson along side Kenny "The Jet" Smith, Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson. You have just watched the Cavaliers take on the Miami Heat with Cleveland coming out in overtime with the one point victory over the Heat. Miami falls to 0-2, while the Cavs move to 2-0. Lebron James had another great performance with 30 points, 12 assists, 9 rebounds and 4 steals. Minnesota played at Denver tonight and we're able to win a game on the road 96-94. Latrell Sprewell led the Timberwolves with 27 points and 5 rebounds. The Timberwolves were one of the best road teams last season as well. Washington defeated the new expansion team the Charlotte Bobcats 77-62. Jamison scored 33 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.
I'm very impressed with Lebron James so far in the season. He is almost averaging a triple double and he has brought his game to the extreme. He is leading this Cleveland team to a playoff berth no doubts about it.
You have to love Lebron's game. Alot of people doubted him about getting ROY because they thought Carmelo deserved it more, but Lebron is showing why he deserved that award. He had 34, 9 and 9 last night and 30, 12 and 9 tonight. He will be one of the great ones soon. There's nobody in the league playing better than him right now. I know it's early in the season, but he can be a potential MVP canidate and can win the award!
Lebron was amazing tonight. I have to give it to him, but I'm not going to go jumping on the bandwagon just yet. It's only the 2nd game of the season and anything can happen in the next 80 games. If he is still playing well midway through the season, I can say that he is an MVP canidate, but not right now. He has alot more tasks to accomplish this season, like getting his team to the playoffs.
How can you not say that he won't be a MVP canidate? He has had two straight games where he has almost had a triple double. Can you see that this kid is for real? Charles you always hatin' on the young cats because your getting too old and fat.
Whatever Kenny, I'm not going to talk about your ignorance on opening night of the show.
Well, that's it for tonight folks. We will see you next time on Inside the NBA. I'm Ernie Johnson along with Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson. Goodnight.
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Cavaliers Upset the Pacers
Lebron James performance was unbelievable in his first game of the season
Pacers-95
Cavaliers-105
Lebron James, who finished with 39 points, with the electrifying two-hand dunk
CLEVELAND, Ohio Nov.3 (Ticker) -- Gund Arena was the place to be tonight as the Cleveland Cavaliers put on a big time performance for the fans. Lebron James was unbelievable in the game. The Cavs was coming into the game as the underdogs and they showed why they are serious this season. Cleveland got stops when they needed them, and played like a veteran team.
During the 1st quarter, the Cavaliers weren't shooting well from the field. They shot 39% from the field, while the Pacers shot 48%, but Cleveland was able to stay close throughout the quarter. Zydrunas Ilgauskas shined for the Cavaliers as he scored 6 points and grabbed 2 rebounds during the 1st quarter. Jermaine O'neal scored 8 points to lead the Pacers in the quarter and also had 4 rebounds.
The Cavaliers came into the 2nd quarter with fire in their eyes. They started the quarter on a 8-0 run that was led by Lebron James who had two highlight dunks in the quarter. The dunks had the Cavaliers pumped up and the crowd became very loud. Jeff McInnis and Drew Gooden then went off in the quarter, scoring 12 points on five straight possessions for the Cavs. The Pacers could not do anything during the quarter. Jermaine O'neal only scored 2p oints in the 2nd quarter. Lebron had finished the quarter with 11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists to lead the Cavs. Jamaal Tinsley was forced into taking shots with the Cavaliers pressuring O'neal and Artest. Tinsley shot 2-8 from the field in the 2nd quarter and finished the game shooting 4-18 from the field. Cleveland led 61-51 at the end of the 1st half.
The Pacers we're able to slow the Cavs momentum down during the 3rd quarter. They became more involved in going down low to O'neal and not settling for jumpshots. Indiana went on a small run that cu the Cavaliers deficit to two points, but Cleveland was able to hang on during the quarter and tried to run some clock. The Pacers outscored the Cavaliers 23-17 in the 3rd quarter. At the end of the quarter, Cleveland led 78-74. Lebron James led Cleveland with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Jermaine O'neal already had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana.
During the 4th quarter with only 44 seconds into the period, Lebron dished out his 7th assist of the game to Robert Tractor Traylor who got the layup and the foul on Jeff Foster, but he missed the free throw. Cleveland was up 82-76 after the sequence. Lebron extended the Cavaliers lead to 10 points after driving in for the layup with 8:33 left in the quarter. Drew Gooden was able to get a block on Jermaine O'neal wtih 2:02 left in the period. The Cavs were up 103-92 and had control of the ball. Lucious Harris made a jumper off a Lebron assist to give the Cavs their largest lead of the 2nd half leading 105-92 with just 1:41 left in the game. The Pacers were forced to call a timeout after the Cavs were outscoring them 27-18 in the quarter. After stopping the Pacers on their next few possessions, the Cavs were able to run the clock out. Lebron James played 41 minutes and led Cleveland with 34 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals.
Photos from the Game:
Ilgauskas with the dunk in the 1st quarter
Jeff McInnis going up for two of his 16 points in the game
Lebron with the two hand reverse dunk that set the tone for the Cavaliers during the 2nd quarter
O'neal going up strong with the dunk over Gooden
O'neal uses the mismatch backing Newble down
Drew Gooden grabbing one of his 11 rebounds
Lebron shot 3-4 from downtown in the game
Ron Artest getting two of his 17 points
Gooden and O'neal battling for the rebound
Box Score
November 3, 2004 Scores
91
93
J. Posey-24pts, 7rebs
70
62
D. Nowitzki-17pts, 10rebs
94
109
K. Garnett-30pts, 13rebs, 8asts
86
65
A. Walker-29pts, 10rebs
81
102
R. Davis-22pts, 6asts
98
88
P. Stojakovic-21pts, 12rebs
88
103
E. Brand-26pts, 10rebs
120
87
Z. Randolph-11pts, 17rebs
94
98
R. Jefferson-26pts, 5asts
109
82
K. Bryant-29pts, 6rebs, 5asts
96
101
V. Carter-21pts, 7asts
99
80
M. Redd-41pts, 7rebs
Sim Quarter Length- 12 minutes
good luck!
