Final stat line for LeBron James: 39 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists. Add in 21 points from Mo Williams and 19 from Antawn Jamison. You’d expect the Cavs to cruise to an easy victory, right? Wrong!
The balanced scoring of the Chicago Bulls led them to victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 on Thursday, 108-106. Derrick Rose had another stellar game, posting 31 points and 7 assists on 50% shooting. But it was the scoring of little Kirk Hinrich (27 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 75% shooting) and the rebounding of loud-mouth Joakim Noah (15 rebounds) that made the difference. Add Luol Deng’s 20 points and good contribution from the bench, at this was Chicago’s game.
But it was not as easy as they would have liked. Up by 21 points in the third quarter, the Bulls let the Cavs make a grand comeback. With less than a minute to go, the normally steady free throw shooting of the Bulls left them. Misses by Hinrich, Rose, and Deng gave Cleveland a chance to win at the end, but Anthony Parker’s three point attempt was off the mark.
LeBron had a monster game, but he hurt his team with the one true weakness he has — free throw shooting. LBJ was 7 of 13 from the charity stripe and the team as a whole shot only 65% from the FT line and 44% from the field. Compare that to the stellar percentages of the Bulls — 50% FG, 76% FT — and you have your difference in the game.
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The much-anticipated debut pairing of LeBron & Shaq had fans in Cleveland thinking NBA Championship. But the veteran-laden Celtics team had other plans, winning the first contest between two of the Eastern powers 95-89.
The story in this game was one of balance, or lack thereof. The Cavaliers have 2 superstars — LeBron & Shaq — and then a bunch of decent players. I know, Mo Williams was an All-Star last year, but I would take Rajon Rondo over him any day of the week. Troubled wing player, Delonte West, is sorely missed for his on-ball defense and outside shooting. The new energy guy, Jamario Moon, has yet to takeoff, and Anthony Parker was more or less held in check. The Celtics, however, have quality at every position. The Big 3 might be the Big 4 with the addition of Rasheed Wallace…and I think Rondo deserves a ton of credit for driving this offense. If it weren’t for a dumb decision by Big Baby Davis, this team would be stacked.
LeBron James did little to quiet any talk of a second straight MVP, as his stat line looked like an all-you-can-eat buffet at Morrison’s cafeteria: 38 pts, 4 3s, 4 rebs, 8 asts, 2 stls, 4 blks. Shaq did his part but was not as effective in the low post as you would like. But it was Paul Pierce down the stretch that kept hitting big shot after big shot. He paced the Celtics with 23 pts & 11 rebs.
It may have only been the first game of the NBA season, but the Celtics getting a victory in Cleveland sent a clear message to the rest of the league: we are back!
The Cleveland Cavaliers got kicked in the teeth over the summer when their native son, LeBron James, announced on national television that he would not be staying in Cleveland, but rather “taking his talents to South Beach.” As you might have guessed, every red-blooded Clevelander has had December 2nd marked on their calendar since the NBA released the 2010-11 basketball schedule.
source: nbasoup.com
LeBron James Returns to Cleveland on December 2, 2010
Maybe only one game (or two) so far this season have brought with it an enormous Superbowl-type hype with it. The opening tip between Boston and Miami felt like a Game 7. The first Orlando v. Miami game also had something special, until the blowout of the second half. These games were hyped because everyone wanted to see how Miami measured up against the NBA heavyweights.
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