Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

Since coming to Cleveland, Shaquille O’Neal has accepted an obviously lesser role than he has in previous stages in his career. He knew that when he came to the greatest city in the world and he embraces his opportunity to play within a system that is constructed around the best player in the NBA, LeBron James.

O’Neal vowed to “win a ring for the King” when he was first introduced to the Cavalier nation but his 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds a night fall far below his career average of 24.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.  Though his role, as well as his minutes, has drastically decreased this season, Shaquille O’Neal has makes arguably the biggest impact on any team in the National Basketball Association.

Last season, the Cavaliers ranked near the bottom of the league in points in the paint as they scored only 36 percent of their points in the key.  This season, that total is up to 43 percent.  The Diesel’s presence has made a greater impact on the defensive end of the floor though. The Cavaliers hold teams to a league-best 37 percent of points scored in the paint (down from last season’s 41 percent). Overall, the Cavaliers hold the league’s best points-in-the-paint differential at +9.4.  Last season they ranked 19^th with a differential of -1.4.

In ten seasons that the points-in-the-paint statistics have been kept, Shaq’s team has ranked in the top three eight times!

This season, the Cavaliers are 5-1 against perennial Eastern Conference teams (Boston, Orlando, Atlanta) with that only loss coming on opening night against the Celtics. Cleveland has won the points-in-the-paint battle in each of those six contests and have done so by an average margin of +10.3 points per game.

While the Big Fella isn’t lighting up the stat sheet like he did early in his career, he certainly has not gotten any smaller-he is still Shaqnormous. And with Mo Williams and Delonte West both shelved with injuries, Shaqtimus Prime has been Shaqtastic!

LeBron, Shaqalier, and their band of Wine and Gold winners will be back in action on Tuesday night against the NBAs-worst, New Jersey Nets.

I said the other night that I was never really wow’d by Cleveland’s performance against the Heat but I will certainly take a win.  I was, however, extremely impressed with the level of basketball our Cavaliers played on Saturday night against the Knicks. Well I was impressed with the first half anyways.Since Saturday night’s contest was like watching two separate games, I’m going to hit you with two different reactions to the game.  How’s that sound? 

Game #1: First Half 

LeBron James was absolutely ridiculous again in the first half against the Knicks.  He was in an incredible rhythm and hit just about anything and everything that he threw up and the Cavaliers scored 44 points in the first quarter.  The King notched 31 points in his first 14 minutes of work and finished game numero uno with 35 points.  The guy single handedly led Cleveland on a 24-14 run.  Yes, 24 straight Cavalier points! 

Shaquille O’Neal continued his dominance in the paint and JJ Hickson played another phenomenal game of basketball. 

LeBron finished the night with 47 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists

But towards the end of the half, Cleveland got caught standing around watching the LeBron James Show and never really got themselves into a groove heading into the break. 

Game #2: Second Half 

The stagnant play from the final minutes of the first half continued over into the third quarter and Cleveland was outscored by six as the Knicks chipped their way back into the game. 

An early run by the Knickerbockers brought about a three point game in the fourth.  Cleveland was at a stand-still at the offensive end and did not play very well on the defensive side.  I almost felt like I was watching the Boston Celtics or LA Lakers out there; that’s how good Cleveland made them look! 

But LeBron calmed his troops and scored the final six points of the game as Cleveland escaped a fourth quarter face-plant for a 113-106 victory. 

A win is a win fellas.  And eleven wins is, well, that’s amazing. 

Do I hear number twelve coming? 

With their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, New York dropped to 19-30 on the season and will bring their 7-15 road record into the Q on Saturday night.  Cleveland is darn good on their home court and New York is even worse than normal on the road.  Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here but ten straight victories without last year’s starting backcourt does not bode well for the Knickerbockers.

Gibson has stepped up big for the Cavaliers.

Nate Robinson v. Daniel Gibson

Since breaking in to Mike D’Antoni’s lineup, Nate Robinson has been playing great basketball.  He’s averaging a smidge under 13 points with about 3.5 assists a night.  Daniel Gibson, though, has gone seven straight games posting double figures and has played stellar ball since Mo and Delonte went down with injuries.

Delonte may or may not be back for this one tonight so Boobie’s playing time may go down a bit.  But I expect Gib to be just as productive as he has been lately, especially when you consider the lack of effort Robinson puts in on the defensive end.

Advantage: Daniel Gibson

Danillo Gallinari v. Anthony Parker

Gallinari puts up better than 14.5 points a night for the Knickerbockers and continues to shoot the ball at a high percentage.  However, Anthony Parker’s biggest value to this Cavaliers team is his ability to lock down perimeter threats and completely remove them from the game.  Let’s not forget that AP has quietly sank open jumpers at a high percentage as well this season.  I’m just waiting for him to have one of those lights out games that leaves us thinking, “Well dang. That guys pretty good.”

Advantage: Anthony Parker

Wilson Chandler v. LeBron James

Chandler’s 13 points a night rank him third on the team.  He snatches about five rebounds a night but it’s not every day that you go up against a guy like LeBron James.  As if he wasn’t incredible during his MVP season last year, ‘Bron has improved every part of his game again this season and is hands down the top candidate for MVP again this season.  The guy has done things lately that I don’t even think would’ve been possible in Space Jam!  He blocks game winning shot attempts, steals weak behind-the-back passes, posterizes his good friends and dances his way to greatness each and every night on the floor.

Advantage: LeBron James

Jared Jeffries v. JJ Hickson

Jared Jeffries has been anything but impressive throughout this year (or throughout his career for that matter) and will be matched up against one of the hottest young players on the Cavaliers.  On Thursday night, Hickson threw the hammer down on Dwyane Wade and then pounded his attempt to get even.  He has finished very well around the rim and has been a key player in the Cavs’ recent win streak.

Advantage: JJ Hickson

David Lee v. Shaquille O’Neal

David Lee is one of the best young forwards in the league today and posts a double-double night in and night out for the New York Knicks.  However, he’s just another forward that Mike D’Antoni has allowed to get pummeled under the basket on the defensive end.  Lee is way too small to handle a guy like Shaquille O’Neal and it doesn’t help that the Shaqalier has been playing with a little bit of fire lately.  I don’t expect that streak to end against New York.

Advantage: Shaquille O’Neal

New York Bench v. Cleveland Bench

New York is 19-30.  Cleveland is 40-11.  That right there says it all.  Cleveland’s bench has been magnificent and has won several games for the Cavaliers this season.  Cleveland is arguably the deepest team in the league and may be getting back another weapon tonight in Delonte West.

Advantage: Cleveland Bench

Prediction:

The Cavaliers have posted convincing victories in the last five games beating teams by an average of more than 18 points a game.  With New York’s struggles on the road (and pretty much everywhere) this season, I don’t really expect them to give Cleveland much competition on Saturday night.  The Cavs are just playing way too good to be stopped by a team playing under the D’Antoni failosophy.

Cavaliers win 111-88.

In that game against the Grizzlies the other night I was left thinking, “Dang! That was impressive!”  Thursday night’s matchup with the Heat didn’t quite leave me with that same feeling but it was still a great win.

LeBron continued his complete dominance and poured in 36 points to compliment his 8 assists and 7 boards. Miami elected to put the King on the line rather than giving up easy buckets but James calmly sank 17 of his 21 attempts. Shaquille O’Neal muscled up on Jermaine O’Neal for 13 points and 8 boards while using the smaller Heat center(s) to his advantage for most of the game.

Wow! Get you some of that!

JJ Hickson played extremely well again on Thursday night. His 12 point effort was highlighted by a posterization of one Dwyane Wade and, on the other side of the ball, the sophomore forward swatted away Wade’s attempt to get even.

Boobie Gibson spent the first quarter and a half (or so) at the hospital with his fiancée, Keisha Cole, who is expecting a baby but showed up to contribute 12 points in the second half.  Gibson stroked two more three balls and paused for a quick (actually it was rather long) pose after splashing home the first one.

Andy was his typical annoying self and was visibly frustrating Udonis Haslem and Michael Beasley while Z gave a steady 8 point effort.

Similar to the game these two teams played not too long ago, Dwyane Wade played a solid game in the first half. However, Miami’s superstar went ice cold in the second half and could only manage six points.  He did have four steals on the night including a theft of LeBron’s between the legs attempt to JJ Hickson. 

Overall, it definitely was not the most impressive victory in this ten game streak.  But it was a solid performance nonetheless.  Cleveland looks to continue their winning ways against the Knickerbockers on Saturday night.

Cleveland will bring their nine game winning streak back into the Q on Thursday night for another match up with one Dwyane Wade.  The last time these two teams met, the contest turned into the LeBron James-Wade show for much of the first half but Miami’s young star was shut down in the last 24 minutes.

Here’s what these two guys bring to the table for their respected squads:

Dwyane Wade, Shooting Guard

For the 24-25 Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade has either scored or assisted on just over 43 percent (751 of 1,746) of the team’s field goals this season.  His 1,295 points are a team-best and the Marquette alum accounts for 27.87 percent of Miami’s points. 

What does that mean?

-Well, just like you saw in the previous matchup, when Dwyane Wade goes cold, the Miami Heat get colder. If Cleveland can force someone else on the floor to score the basketball, the game will turn into one that is similar to the previous four Cavalier blowouts.

LeBron James, KING

LeBron James picked up his third consecutive Eastern Conference Player of the Month recognition on Wednesday evening and has led these Cavaliers to their league-best 39-11 record.  Between tossing in buckets and dishing off assists, LeBron accounts for better than 48 percent of Cleveland’s field goals. The King’s 1,465 are amongst league leaders as he notches almost 29 percent of the Wine and Gold’s baskets.

What does that mean?

-LeBron has 409 assists on the season compared to Wade’s 297.  When the King is dethroned for a short/long period of time, he has developed a pass-first mentality and his teammates have found a way to get open. LeBron normally delivers the knockout blow but the Cavs can knock down some shots. If Miami can find a way to slow LeBron down, the King will find his teammates for high percentage shots and the Cavs will ultimately win the game.

Prediction: Cavs win 103-91

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

It wasn’t long ago that I wrote up a midseason report card for each member of the Cavaliers and I took a little grief for my evaluation of one guy in particular.  Here’s what I wrote a few weeks ago:  

JJ Hickson — JJ Hickson is, by far, the most inconsistent player on the Cavs roster this season.  He’s averaged about 6.5 points and 4 rebounds a night  but probably will see his workload shrink once Leon Powe is back and ready for action.  JJ is still young and has a lot to learn but I am not completely sold on his future with the Cleveland Cavaliers.  

Grade: C-  

I think maybe the Baby Bull was checkin’ up on the Gospel that day and may have been a little offended by those comments.  Or maybe he’s a little perturbed because he didn’t even get the nod to play for All-Star Saturday’s sophomore squad.  Whatever it is, the guy has played like a champ since Mo and Delonte went down with injuries and he did it again on Tuesday night.  He was 6 of 12 from the field for 15 points and 8 boards.  His defense has improved drastically since the beginning of the season as well.  And his two steals were evidence of that.  

King James was absolutely ridiculous again.  LeBron poured in 22 points while handing off a season-high 15 assists in an impressive 105-89 victory.  Early in the third quarter, James showed off another vintage Bron-Bron chase down block/outlet pass off the backboard to Shaquille O’Neal.  

Shaquille O’Neal continued his dominate performance as of late and tossed in 13 points to go along with 13 rebounds in just 21 minutes of work.  Boobie Gibson shot 6 of 11 from the field in another solid 16 point performance.  In the absence of Mo and Delonte, Boobie has averaged over 13 points a night and has done nothing but prove his value since getting his opportunity.  Off the bench, Z and Andy combined for 22 points and 11 boards to help Cleveland earn their ninth straight victory.  

On another note, former Cavalier Ben Wallace swatted the 2,000^th shot of his career on Tuesday night making him the first player under 6’10” to earn 2,000 denials. Congratulations go out to Big Ben!  

And, to be fair, we can’t close out tonight’s recap without rewriting JJ’s report card: 

JJ Hickson – The Baby Bull has been incredible as of late and is playing very consistent basketball. Hickson is making it really difficult on Mike Brown as Leon Powe is set to return soon.  How do you sit a guy who has been working his tail off and can finish they way JJ has around the bucket? You can’t!   

Good luck Coach Brown. I’m awfully glad I don’t have your job right about now.  

Grade- A  

Cleveland will host Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat on Thursday night for a nationally televised contest.  Since knocking off Miami on January 25, the Cavs have rattled off four Cleveland-style beatdowns to give them nine straight victories.  What do you say Cavs fans? Let’s get number ten!

Cleveland is firin’ on all cylinders lately and will play host to the unlucky Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night.

And here’s how the two teams matchup:

Mike Conley v. Daniel Gibson

Former Ohio State Buckeye Mike Conley has played solid basketball for the Memphis Grizzlies thus far this season.  He is averaging better than 10 points and 5 assists a night but, since taking over for Mo Williams and Delonte West, Daniel Gibson has been better.  Gibson leads the NBA in the three point percentage (.479) and canned 4 of 5 attempts in Cleveland’s Sunday night beat down of the Clippers. Time to give the sweet stroke of Daniel Gibson a little credit.

Advantage: Daniel Gibson

OJ Mayo v. Anthony Parker

OJ Mayo has played and started all 46 games for the Grizzlies this season and is averaging a very productive 18.3 points a night.  The problem is, Mayo’s strength is not shooting the basketball. And that poses a problem when he will be matched up against, in my opinion, one of the better on-the-ball perimeter defenders in the league. Anthony Parker is near the top with his 46% three point shooting and has done a great job spreading the floor for LeBron and Shaq.

Advantage: Anthony Parker

Rudy Gay v. LeBron James

King James proved (again) on Sunday night why he is the most dominate player in the game of basketball. When he is dialed in from long distance like that and, as always, poses the threat of attacking in the rim, LeBron is impossible to stop.  Rudy Gay is no slouch though.  Gay is averaging about 20 points and 6 rebounds a night for the 25-21 Grizz and will look to attack the basket as much as possible. Too bad there isn’t a player in the world that can match up against the great Akron Hammer.

Advantage: LeBron James

Zach Randolph v. JJ Hickson

Cleveland will be stopped just short of a clean sweep in player matchups tomorrow night because Zach Randolph is a heck of a lot better than JJ Hickson.  I am by no means dissin’ JJ.  It’s just that Randolph is a stud!  Randolph pours in 21 points a night while snagging more than 11 rebounds for the Grizz and will pose a huge matchup problem for Hickson and the Cavaliers.

Advantage: Zach Randolph

Marc Gasol v. Shaquille O’Neal

If Marc Gasol has learned anything from his brother Pau, he’ll decide to come down with the flu or something on Tuesday night.  The way he’s been playing these days, nobody in the league wants to take on Shaquille O’Neal.  He’s too big and too strong.  After putting up about 9 points a night for the first half of the season, O’Neal turned up the volume in the month of January and canned better than 14 points a night.

Advantage: Shaquille O’Neal

Memphis Bench v. Cleveland Bench

Like I’ve said for the past few weeks, Cleveland’s bench is way too strong for arguable anyone in the league to matchup with.  The Cavs Bench will take this on by default anyway because Memphis plays their top five for most of the game.

Advantage: Cleveland Bench

Prediction:

After several close games in a row Cleveland has ran over their opponents in the last two match ups. If it weren’t for a prayer from Sundiata Gaines a couple weeks ago we’d be talking about an eleven game winning streak!

Cleveland comes out ready to play on Tuesday night and really hands it to the Grizzlies.  The only disappointment in the first half is that they don’t pour in 46 points in the first quarter like they did on Sunday. However, they do go into halftime with a comfortable 59-42 lead.

LeBron drops 37 points on the night followed by Daniel Gibson’s 23 and the Cavs take the win 109-83.

CAVS WIN +26

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

A lot of folks on the East Coast (including myself) got hammered with snow this weekend but the forecast was a little different in Cleveland on Sunday evening.  20,500+ witnessed their Cleveland Cavaliers bring the rain in the first quarter of a 114-89 blowout.

The Cavs nailed 11 of 13 first quarter bombs and recorded 46 points in the period.  LeBron James canned five triples for 23 of his game-high 32 points in the first twelve minutes while Jamario Moon came off the bench hot, knocking down two tres in an early 8 point effort.

Five other Cavs posted double figures behind LeBron in the scoring column.  Shaquille O’Neal went for 16 points and snagged 12 boards (4 offensive) while connecting on his only two free throws! Daniel Gibson stroked splashed home four of his five long distance attempts in a 14 point effort and Anderson Varejao brought an energetic 11 point-7 rebound performance off the pine.  Jawad Williams and Jamario Moon knocked down a pair of three balls apiece while posting a combined 24 points on the night.

All in all, the first quarter of the game was a thriller.  Each quarter after that looked like LA was just trying not to get embarrassed.  After nearly turning my hair grey over the last several weeks (which is really bad at 19) with so many close games, the Cavs haven’t trailed since the second quarter of Friday night’s stoot slappin’ of the Minnesota Timberwolves.  I do enjoy the nail biters a lot more but the last two have been much easier on the heart.

Anyways, Cleveland will host the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night for what may very well be another good ol’ fashion butt whoopin’ by the good guys.