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Cavs run streak to 12 with predictable win over Nets 97 - 104
February 9, 2010
The best in the NBA faced the worst, and the results were to be expected. Still, New Jersey interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe was somewhat peased over the Nets' 104-97 loss Tuesday night in Cleveland. "I can't fault the effort," Vandeweghe said. "We played very, very hard and I thought everyone who played contributed. ... I have no complaints with our guys." The Nets (4-47) are off to one of the worst starts in league history. The Cavaliers (42-11) have been the fairest of them all, having won a league-best 12 straight. But for the Nets, there were some positives to take out of Tuesday's outcome: the game was tight for the most of three quarters and were the first team to lead the Cavs after the first quarter (27-26) since Miami did it Jan. 25. That's especially big since they were without injured starting point guard Devin Harris (shoulder). In fact, the Nets went up 23-15 midway through the first. They also trailed just 55-49 at halftime and 78-72 at the end of the third.
Then without warning, LeBron James and the Cavs woke up. The fourth quarter began, and within a matter of moments, the Cavs had ripped off a 13-2 run. Eventually, the lead swelled to 17. Eventually, it turned into nearly 10 minutes of garbage time. And eventually, the Cavs left the floor with handshakes, hugs and high fives. But again, the Nets don't need to feel too badly. They put up a valiant fight and battled the hottest team in the league as well as anyone. But these days, even your best isn't good enough against a team like Cleveland and a man like James. "We tried to double team him and get the ball out of his hands, and at times we did it and he scored anyway," Vandeweghe said. "That's why he's LeBron James." James seemingly had a quiet night, until you look at the box score and notice game highs of 32 points and 11 assists. He also went 13-for-21 from the field, all while treating it like just another day. "We have guys who have been in the league a long time and know how to play," James said of the Cavs' winning streak. "I didn't think we'd be 42-11 near the [All-Star] break, but we are playing some pretty good basketball." A lot of that has to do with the Cavs' bench, which contributed 39 points and 19 of the team's 35 rebounds on Tuesday. Of particular note was second-year reserve forward Jawad Williams, who scored a career-high 17 points. Also, energetic forward Anderson Varejao compiled 15 points and nine rebounds.
Just don't ask the Cavs if they think they've peaked. Chances are, they'll just smile and shake their heads. "We don't think we're peaking at all," Williams said. "We look at it like we still have room to get better. You gotta remember that we're still playing without [injured guards] Mo [Williams] and Delonte [West]." Second-year guard Courtney Lee paced the Nets with 24 points, and second-year center Brook Lopez added 23 points and a game-high 14 boards. As a team, the Nets shot 54 percent (38-for-74). "We've definitely become more resilient," Lopez said. "You can see it, obviously, in each game we play. We're definitely growing." The Cavs shot 52 percent and are 32-1 when hitting 50 percent or better. Interestingly, they are also 18-2 when James records a double-double.
"To have a 12-game winning streak at this level, or any level, is impressive," said Cavs coach Mike Brown. "You want to be greedy as a coach. You want to play better defensively, or whatever, but our guys have earned this 12-game winning streak."