Despite Sloppy Performance, Cavs Slide Past 76ers

There’s a reason the 76ers are one of the worst teams in the NBA.  And the Cavaliers used that to their advantage on Friday night.

Cleveland launched 31 three-point attempts, missed nine free throws and were outscored 66-40 in the paint but still managed to come away with a 100-95 victory.  And, surprisingly enough, I was never really nervous about the Cavs’ chances at picking up the win.  Only against a bad team I suppose.

TheBron returned to the floor and led the way with 23 points and 10 assists.  However, he was a miserable 3-of-10 from downtown and an even less impressive 6-of-12 from the charity stripe.  I think it’s safe to say that he was a tad bit rusty from the week long break.  Mo Williams chipped in with 21 points on a reassuring 8 for 13 shooting performance but only managed two assists from the point guard position.  And I couldn’t help but think to myself while I sat back and watched Friday night’s matchup, “Is there a point guard in the league that can’t beat Mo off the dribble?”  Sounds a bit harsh, I know.  And I am one of the biggest supporters of MoGotti.  But c’mon, man.  You play on a team whose main focus is on the defensive end!

On the flip side, I found myself wondering, “Is there another shooting guard in the league that can guard Delonte West?”  I have been very impressed with Brotha Red lately.  West poured in 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting while dishing out four assists.  Anderson “Wild Thing” Varejao connected on 6-of-9 from the field in a solid 12 point-12 rebound effort.  That’s a combined 29 points for two Cavalier reserves.  Solid.  Add that to Jamario Moon’s nine points, four boards, three dimes and two steals and you’ve got yourself a solid outing from an undermanned Cleveland bench.

Leon Powe got his first start in Wine & Gold but couldn’t manage to put the ball in the bucket while collecting just three boards in 15 minutes of play.  He seems to be hobbling around still.

Overall, a very sloppy two hour game that was extremely painful to watch.  More power to the 20,000+ that turned out in the Wachovia Center.  The Cavs will head back home to take on the Boston Celtics (the same Celtics that Cleveland ran out of Beantown a few weeks ago) on Sunday afternoon.  Stretch-4 should be back in the rotation to give us another scorer.  Thankfully.

Until then, let’s hang our hats on this:

BIG Z COMES HOME IN 9 DAYS!