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Cavs defense leads the way to close win over Bucks 82 - 85
Dec 18, 2009
For the second time in three nights, the Milwaukee Bucks had the unfortunate honor of testing how far they have come against one of the NBA's best. For the second time in three nights, the Bucks were involved in a game that went down to a final shot. And for the second time in three nights, the Bucks discovered they're not quite ready to be a member of the league's steak-and-jet set. The verdict: Cleveland 85, Milwaukee 82 in front of a sellout crowd of 20,562 at Quicken Loans Arena. This one had it all, from the Bucks' racing out to an early lead, to the Bucks holding on for a two-point advantage at halftime (49-47), to the Cavs putting the defensive clamps on in the third quarter -- and finally, to the Bucks scrapping their way back in it in the fourth. Just like Wednesday's one-point home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, which ended on a buzzer-beater by the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, the Bucks had a chance in this one at the end. But a 3-point attempt by rookie sensation Brandon Jennings from 26-feet fell short with 4.5 seconds remaining. Cavs forward Anderson Varejao grabbed the rebound and tossed the ball to mid-court to run out the clock.
It was another toughie for the Bucks (11-13), who suffered their seventh loss by three points or less. It's no wonder Bucks coach Scott Skiles stood outside the visitors' locker room with his head down, wearing the weathered look of a man who had spent the past 48 minutes tumbling in a clothes dryer. "We're playing hard for the most part," Skiles said. "But you have to play smart, too. We're making some unintelligent plays that are hurting us. And they're just sort of professional, poise-type plays that we have to get better at." On the other hand, things are going better for the Cavaliers (20-7). They have won nine straight at home and five in a row overall. That said, it hasn't been pretty, as the Cavs have been doing just enough to get by against some of the league's weaker teams. In Friday's game, they led 83-68 with 6:35 left -- then failed to put it away by scoring a measly two points the rest of way. It's been an ongoing issue for the team that will now embark on its first West Coast trip of the season, including a Christmas Day tilt with the defending champion Lakers. Considering the offense went kaput in the blink of an eye, it is safe to assume the Cavs defeated the Bucks via hard-nosed, often relentless defense. That's especially true of the third quarter, when the Bucks scored 12 points on a miserable 5-for-25 shooting.
"When we have that type of focus (on defense), that type of energy, with the communication we had, our guys can be pretty good," said Cavs coach Mike Brown. "We did a good job of helping one another on that end of the floor and our trust was extremely high. That was the separation in the ball game." LeBron James took just 13 shots (making six) and seemed to have a quiet night. But the truth is he almost compiled another triple-double, leading the Cavs with team-highs of 26 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Point guard Mo Williams added 17 points, and combo guard Delonte West provided another all-around effort off the bench with 12 points and loads of stifling defense. "The one thing we did is we flied around, big time" James said of the Cavs' defense. "We just contested everything. Like I've said, the one thing you can't control is when you're making shots. But you can control defense and that's how we won the game."
Jennings and up-and-coming forward Ersan Ilyasova each had 18 points for the Bucks, although Jennings was 5-for-21 shooting. On the plus side, he compiled eight assists and committed just two turnovers. As for missing the final shot, Jennings said, "I don't know. There were a lot of options that were supposed to be open. I thought Mo Williams was going to go for the switch when I was driving past him. But he stuck with me. He didn't go for the drive or the fake. He played good defense right there, and there's really nothing you can say." The Bucks shot just 7 for 26 on 3-pointers (.269), which marks the fourth straight game in which the Cavs have held their opponent to less than 30 percent shooting from beyond the arc.