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Cavs drop Hawks for back-to-back 60-win seasons 88 - 93
April 2, 2010
In order to appreciate Cleveland's 93-88 win over visiting Atlanta on Friday night, you have to look at where the Cavaliers have been. This is a franchise that once had a starting small forward who publicly complained his jersey wasn't for sale in the team store. That was Lamond Murray during the earlier part of this decade, just a year or two before the starting small forward became a man by the name of LeBron James. Not long before Murray, the Cavs' roster at one time or another featured characters such as "Disco" Don Ford, "Dinner Bell" Mel Turpin and Jeff McInnis, who didn't have a nickname but once dubbed himself the "independent contractor." McInnis chose the moniker after becoming disgruntled with his playing time, displaying his dismay by wearing his jersey backwards at practice. There's more, as the Cavs began their first season (1970-71) by losing 15 straight, while playing in front of crowds that were likely comparable to those belonging to most middle school bowling matches. A decade later, they had perhaps the worst owner in pro sports history in Ted Stepien, who made so many awful trades the league had to step in and create new rules forbidding him to do so.
Even when the Cavs were good during the Brad Daugherty-Mark Price-Larry Nance era of the early 1990s, you just knew they weren't going to get past Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. No one did back then. That is why today's Cavs are cherished so much in Cleveland, as they have now won at least 60 games in two straight seasons. In their first 38 seasons, the Cavs (60-16) won 50 or more games just five times. The Cavs' win Friday, coupled with Orlando's loss in San Antonio, also clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference, and home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. "You can't take it for granted," James said. "I know that our goals are much biggeer than winning 60 games or clinching home court, but when those goals happen, you can't take them for granteds." Of course, it wasn't easy hitting 60. The Hawks (48-27) are no slouches themselves, as they too are having one of their best seasons in recent memory. Just two nights before the Cavs game, the Hawks handled the defending champion L.A. Lakers in Atlanta. But as has been the case in all three meetings this season, the Cavs played their best ball in the fourth quarter and the Hawks played their worst.
The Cavs also utterly dominated in the loose ball and rebounding departments, grabbing a whopping 55 boards to the Hawks' 36. When that happens -- and you're on the road against the league's winningest team -- well, the Hawks were bound to run out of chances. Their coach, Mike Woodson, admitted as much. "I can't say it's been that way since the All-Star break, but it has been that way against the Cleveland Cavaliers," he said. "It's been a close game in the fourth, then we can't seem to find any offense. Their defense really stiffened up and we didn't answer." Not surprisingly, James (27 points, 13 rebounds) was especially magnificent in the fourth, coming up with his typical collection of game-changing plays and highlight-reel moments. As important was Mo Williams (24 points, just two turnovers in previous two games combined), who is starting to pick it up when the Cavs need him most. Also worth noting were underrated performances of Delonte West (nine points), J.J. Hickson (16 rebounds) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (10 rebounds).
Josh Smith scored 20 points for the Hawks, but leading scorer Joe Johnson (6-for-17 shooting, 1-for-5 on 3-pointers) was held to 13. "We tried to put bodies in front of him the whole night," James said. "It's great to have Delonte and Anthony [Parker] to be able to guard some of the best two guards we have in this league." The Cavs have won 17 of their previous 19 overall, including 10 in a row at home. They also became the 18th team in league history to win at least 60 games in back-to-back seasons. Of course, they hope it doesn't end with that. "We thinking about winning championships," Hickson said. "All the other stuff goes out the window. We have only one goal in mind. It's that gold ball."