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Find out the scoop on the CAVS from award-winning sports writer Bob Finnan.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Game 38: Cavs at Lakers

LOS ANGELES LAKERS (28-11) 112, CAVS (8-30) 57
at Staples Center
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: I'm sorry. This is not NBA basketball.

Let's get some of this stuff out of the way. The Cavs have been in existence for 41 years. They have never scored as few as 57 points in a game. It was their franchise low in points, surpassing their 59-point effort on March 25, 1997, in San Antonio. I remember that game vividly. I was there. We had the record books out at halftime furiously checking the all-time records.

But back to the present. They didn’t compete at the Staples Center on Tuesday. They looked intimidated from the start. They played scared. One might expect that from the youngsters on the roster. But I'm talking about many of the veterans, including Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison.

The 55-point loss was their worst ever, and by far the most lopsided in the NBA this season. The Cavs’ previous worst loss came in their first year of inception, Nov. 2, 1970, in a 141-87 defeat at Philadelphia. For the wiseacres out there, I wasn't at that game.

It also represented their worst loss ever to the Lakers.

Former Cavs forward LeBron James sure enjoyed the debacle. Here's his Tweet from last night: "Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!"

Sorry, LeBron. But if God was watching this game, he would have changed the channel.

The Cavs have now lost 11 in a row overall, 21 of the last 22 and it was their 17th consecutive loss on the road.

Some of the plus/minus numbers are off the charts. Manny Harris' was -57, Jamison's -46 and Williams -43. You might never see numbers that wild again.

The Lakers' height caused them problems from the start. Remember, the Cavs have only one 7-footer on the roster, Ryan Hollins, and he's lacking in many areas.

I've got to question why the Cavs allowed rookie guard Christian Eyenga (sprained right ankle) to play. He was injured in the Phoenix game on Sunday, wore a walking boot to practice on Monday and was allowed to play against the Lakers. Of course, he re-injured his ankle. Not a sound decision all the way around.

The only bright spot on the night was the play of forward Alonzo Gee, who had a career-high 12 points, eight rebounds, three steals and a block.

Guard Daniel Gibson (sprained ankle) has rejoined the team in Los Angeles. There's an outside shot he'll be able to play against Utah on Friday.

PROBABLE STARTERS
SF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Ron Artest (6-7, 260)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Pau Gasol (7-0, 250)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Andrew Bynum (7-0, 280)
SG Manny Harris (6-5, 185) vs. Kobe Bryant (6-6, 205)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. Derek Fisher (6-1, 210)
PROJECTED INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Daniel Gibson, F Leon Powe, F Joey Graham.
Lakers – F Matt Barnes, C Theo Ratliff.
OFFICIALS
Ron Garretson, Marat Kogut, Olandis Poole.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can’t say I’m upset about last nights Heat game lol….

http://fanaticvice.com/clippers-knock-off-heat-karma-knocks-out-lebron/

January 13, 2011 at 8:33 AM 

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