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May 13, 2008 - By John Hnat
What a basketball game. And just like that Cavs fans, this series is deadlocked. King James and the bench bunch led the Cavaliers to a 88-77 game four win over the Celtics ... in a game much closer than the final score indicated. If you're a fan of defensive basketball, this one was enough to bring a tear to your eye last night, and predictably, John "The Anti-Branson" Hnat is seriously jacked up about this win. And he writes about it for us in his latest. Game five, Wednesday night in Beantown.
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May 12, 2008 - By Jesse Lamovsky
As we get ready for tonight's monumental game four clash between the Cavs and the Celtics, it's time to take a quick look back at last year's magical playoff run for the wine a gold, a run that ended with the franchise's first ever appearance in the NBA Finals. In Jesse's latest, he recalls the signature games, plays, and moments of that run ... starting with the chain reaction on the last night of the regular season, and ending with Boobie Gibson's barrage of three balls to advance the Cavs to the Finals.
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May 11, 2008 - By Brian McPeek
Check that patient doctor. I swear he’s breathing. The Boston Celtics, continuing to clamp down and minimize the effectiveness of LeBron James on the offensive side of the court, were outdone and dominated by a much maligned and thought to be gasping for life Cavalier supporting cast in a Cavs 108-84 blowout win at ‘The Q’ Saturday night. It was all Cavs from start to finish, and we're back in this series baby. Peeks recaps the game three win.
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May 9, 2008 - By Erik Cassano
Game 3 of the Celtics-Cavaliers series will tip at just after 8 p.m. tonight. Obviously, this game and Monday's game are must-wins for the Cavs to even have a shot. Go down 3-0 or 3-1, and the offseason will arrive on Cleveland's doorstep. As we all get geared up for tonights big game, Papa Cass chimes in with some last minute random thoughts on tonights tilt, Mike Brown, and the face of the Eastern Conference next season. GO CAVS!
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May 9, 2008 - By Brian McPeek
Down two games to none, with two poor performances from LeBron James in the books. Sound familiar? It should, because that's exactly how the Eastern Conference Finals started against Detroit last year. The Cavs came home, held serve, then LeBron put on a performance from the ages in Game 5 before Boobie Gibson rained down threes in game six for four straight for the Cavs. Can they pull it off again this season? Peeks previews tonights game three.
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May 9, 2008 - By Jesse Lamovsky
The Cavaliers played about a half-quarter of outstanding basketball on Thursday night. The other three-and-a-half were a pit of relentless suck, a pit as deep as the 0-2 hole they’re in as they go back to Cleveland, having absorbed an 89-73 thumping at the hands of the Celtics. It was another horrific night for LeBron James, the second leg of probably the worst back-to-back performance of his career. Will things improve at the Q? They’d better. Or this series will be over, quickly.
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May 8, 2008 - By Jesse Lamovsky
When it comes to Tuesday's game one heartbreaking loss to the Celtics, some fans have taken the optimistic view, some the pessimistic. But the bottom line remains ... if we lose tonight, we need to win four out of five against the winningest team in basketball this season to avoid going home. It's a big game this evening Cavs fans. 7 PM on ESPN. And Jesse Lamovsky previews tonights tilt for us in this excellent column. GO CAVS!
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May 7, 2008 - By Erik Cassano
Never let it be said that professional sports has no bearing on real life. LeBron James, through persistent tormenting of the Washington Wizards and their fans, scored you a nearly-free Thursday dinner. LeBron's response to the Papa John's crybaby t-shirts? 27, 13, and 13 in leading the Cavs to a rout over the Wizards in their own crib to finish them off in game six. Now, coming off a 2-18, 10 turnover performance ... can the King respond again?
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May 7, 2008 - By Nick Allburn
What a weird basketball game. The Cavs hold Ray Allen SCORELESS, Paul Pierce to 2-14 from the floor, force 21 Celtic turnovers, and hit 22-26 from the foul line. And lose. How you ask? The Cavs shot 30% from the floor. LeBron was 2-18 with 10 turnovers. And KG just killed us, scoring 28 of the Celtics 76 points on a dizzying array of jumpers and bank shots over Ben Wallace and Joe Smith. The Cavs fell, 76-72, and Nick Allburn checks in to tell us about it.
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May 6, 2008 - By Tony Lastoria
With all three teams in Cleveland now contenders all at once, for Cleveland to win a championship over the next few years in any sport that road will have to go through....Boston. A rivalry is being born between the two cities, which was kickstarted last October when the Indians and Red Sox squared off in the ALCS. Now, the Celtics arguably are the best team in the NBA after a 66-16 regular season and are poised to make an NBA Finals run, but the Cavaliers stand in their way. With that, another war between Boston and Cleveland gets set to tip tonight, and our panel of writers offer up their predicitions.
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May 4, 2008 - By Erik Cassano
After three home routs over the Hawks in games 1, 2, and 5, the Celtics are big favorites to win and advance to play the Cavs in the second round tomorrow afternoon. But seventh games do not fall under the umbrella of death, taxes or any of the other guarantees in life. So the Hawks, who have done so much to frustrate the more-talented Celtics over the past two weeks, have at least a fighter's chance on Sunday. It begs the question, if you're a Cavs fan, who should you be rooting for on Sunday? Don't utter the knee-jerk response of "Atlanta, of course" just yet. Let's take a look at this in more detail.
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May 3, 2008 - By John Hnat
We came. We saw. We kicked their ass. WHAT A GAME last night in D.C.! LeBron was LeBron with a ho hum 27, 13, and 13 triple double. And Wally and Boobie ... the duo combined for 48 points, including 10 of the Cavs 11 three pointers on the night. Capping off an already great night for Cavs fans, the Hawks did the Celtics in game six, sending that one to seven games and giving the Cavs a couple extra days to rest. The Anti-Branson, John Hnat, gives us the good, the bad, and the summary on last nights win.
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May 1, 2008 - By Brian McPeek
The nation's capital is always among the league leaders when it comes to homicides. So what better a place for the Cavaliers to finally give that knife currently stuck between the Wizards' shoulder blades a final violent twist and turn? Knock them to the ground, kneel on their throats and shut them up for good. D.C.-style. What's one more death in the ‘Detroit of the Mid-Atlantic'? Peeker's geeked for game six tonight, and says the Cavs have things under control despite the game five setback.
May 1, 2008 - By Erik Cassano
It's become a defining trait of the Cavaliers during the LeBron James Era: While the Cavs have shown an ability to rise to the occasion against tough opponents, they also have shown an utter inability to manufacture their own sense of urgency. Unless circumstances put their backs against the wall, you're probably not going to see a maximum effort out of this team. This was supremely evident last night, and Erik Cassano writes about it.
April 30, 2008 - By Jesse Lamovsky
The Cavaliers didn't have to do anything special to win on Wednesday night. They didn't need to be exceptional. A middling effort would have sufficed to knock out the Wizards and end this first-round series. But the display the Cavaliers put on was a long, long way from middling. They shot 36 percent, blew lay-ups and wide-open looks from the perimeter, committed unforced mistakes with the ball, were beaten on the offensive glass and to loose balls, played a horrible first half, and in the final insult, pissed away a five-point lead in the last minute-and-a-half to lose 88-87.
April 30, 2008 - By John Hnat
Game five tonight baby. Time to send Brenda, Antawn, DeShawn and the rest of the Wizards home to start watching the Playoffs on the tube like the rest of us. A 6:00 PM start has Clevelanders scrambling to adjust their schedules to make sure not to miss a minute of the Cavs putting the Wiz out of their misery before what is sure to be a packed and raucous crowd down at The Q. John Hnat is all jacked up for this one. His take? The Wizards wanna-be tough guy approach is laughable. And ineffective.
April 30, 2008 - By Nick Allburn
Playoff fever has once again gripped C-Town, and the Cavaliers appear primed to oust the Washington Wizards from the NBA's second season for the third straight year. With all the blustering and boasting that's taken place both on and off the court (mostly off, in the Wizards' case), one can't help but feel a sense of pride for how the Cavaliers, and more specifically LeBron James, have handled themselves.
April 27, 2008 - By Nick Allburn
It's not always pretty, but LeBron James and Mike Brown have made gutsy playoff wins a Cavaliers' hallmark over the last three years, and Sunday was no different. Facing a reenergized Washington team and a hostile crowd, the Cavs managed to finish off a crucial road win. Now the Cavaliers have a chance to finish the Wizards on Wednesday and wait for the winner of the Celtics/ Hawks match up, which is suddenly in danger of becoming a series. Nick relive today's big win.
April 27, 2008 - By Brian McPeek
The "bad Cavs" reared their ugly heads for the first time this postseason in game three, and Brian McPeek is actually happy they did. Peeks says that the humiliating 36 point loss was exactly what this team needed for their swollen heads after impressive victories at home in games one and two. And to expect a return to the norm on Sunday in D.C. Pounding the ball inside, taking it aggressively to the basket and making the Wizards earn every point they put on the board.
April 26, 2008 - By Benjamin Cox
The NBA playoffs are in full swing and Ben Cox is keeping one eye firmly on the postseason and another firmly on the summer. The Cavs can take a commanding 3-1 lead Sunday afternoon, which would set them up for a classic second round matchup against the Boston Celtics, but Ben can't keep his mind from drifting to thoughts of the offseason. The Cavs are expected to make a big splash this summer, and Ben takes a look today at some of the players they may target.
April 25, 2008 - By John Hnat
When Dwayne Jones enters the game with seven minutes left, you know all hell has broken loose. And that's exactly what happened last night at the MCI Center in the nation's capital. At home, on three days of rest, with their season on the line ... the Washington Wizards absolutely destroyed the Cavaliers, from start to finish. The Anti-Branson, John Hnat checks in this morning with a harrowing but hysterical account of last nights rout.
April 24, 2008 - By Erik Cassano
Maybe it's the pressure rendered by the prospect of losing to the same team in the first round three years in a row. Maybe someone pulled Wizards coach Eddie Jordan aside and made him believe that the toughest, most defense-minded teams usually advance in the playoffs. Maybe they're desperate. Whatever the reason, the Wizards have tried to reinvent themselves as bullies in this series. And it's not working says Erik Cassano.
April 23, 2008 - By Nick Allburn
Two up, two down. After absorbing blow after blow from fans and the media, it appears that reports of the Cavaliers' demise have been greatly exaggerated. There's a reason why they actually play the game, and there's a reason why it's never wise to count a team out when they still have LeBron James on the roster. Nick drops in with some Cavs/Wizards series notes for us this morning.
April 22, 2008 - By Brian McPeek
It was a beatdown of epic proportions Monday night at The Q, as the Cavaliers and "overrated" star LeBron James laid the wood to the Washington Wizards by a 116-86 count. The game featured a bevy of hard fouls on both sides, and King James continued to make the Wizards pay, going for 30, 9, and 12 on a night that all the Wizards top scorers were held in check by a swarming Cavalier defense. Brian McPeek recaps the big win for the wine and gold.