NBA 2008-09 Season
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Good luck to your Celtics, but I'll be busy watching my Cavs try and go 11-0 at home tonight against the Pacers en-route to their best start ever as an organization.
BTW, CetsHD, we'll have to get you an avatar....
Same to you and the Cavs. Playing at the Q is one road game I'm NOT looking forward to. RE: 2008 Playoffs.
Another game. Another impressive win.
Cavs 97
Pacers 73
The Cavs are now 11-0 at home and 16-3 overall. They are also first in the league for margin of victory. The Cavs are beating their opponents by at least 13 points every night! Gawd this is fun!
Cavs 97
Pacers 73
The Cavs are now 11-0 at home and 16-3 overall. They are also first in the league for margin of victory. The Cavs are beating their opponents by at least 13 points every night! Gawd this is fun!
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Another game. Another impressive win.
Cavs 97
Pacers 73
The Cavs are now 11-0 at home and 16-3 overall. They are also first in the league for margin of victory. The Cavs are beating their opponents by at least 13 points every night! Gawd this is fun!
I told you Indiana sucks on the road, HD.
They looked decent in the 1st quarter, but the Cavs got serious and locked them down on defense.
Tomorrow, we travel to Charlotte to face the Bobcats.
Another game. Another impressive win.
Cavs 97
Pacers 73
The Cavs are now 11-0 at home and 16-3 overall. They are also first in the league for margin of victory. The Cavs are beating their opponents by at least 13 points every night! Gawd this is fun!
Very impressive indeed! Meanwhile, the Celtics won their 11th consecutive game (Boston's longest streak since '86), 93-78 over Portland. Circle Jan. 9, March 6 and April 12 on your calendars..........those are the dates of the remaining Cleveland-Boston meetings. Two of those games are in Cleveland. IMO, the battle for homecourt advantage will be crucial come playoff time. The "Big Three" following tonight's action:
Boston- 19-2
Lakers- 16-2
Cleveland- 16-3
Tribute to #11
Today I'd like to pay homage to the longest tenured and still active Cleveland sports player, as tonight he may reach a notable Cavalier milestone previously thought to be impossible.
The player: none other than Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ilgauskas has been in Cleveland since 1996. For 12 years, Ilgauskas has seen many other players, coaches and owners come and go in this town, but Big Z has been a mainstay.
Tonight against the Toronto Raptors, Ilgauskas needs just 4 more rebounds to surpass Brad Daugherty's franchise record of 5,227. This stat means so much to the big man as he faced much adversity throughout his career.
While attempting to apply for the NBA draft in 1995, in what would become an all-too-common occurrence, his right foot started to hurt. In fact, it was broken and he wound up withdrawing from the draft and having two surgeries, which caused him to miss the 1995-96 season.
He came back strong the next spring, and reapplied for early entry into the 1996 draft and was selected by Cleveland with the No. 12 pick. Unfortunately, he broke his right foot again and missed what should have been his rookie season.
He looked to be back on track at the start of the 2000-01 season and was averaging 11.7 points and 6.7 rebounds as the team got off to a 15-8 record. Then came a game at Miami on Dec. 22, 2000.
"That was the lowest of the low," Cavs assistant coach/strength and conditioning coordinator Stan Kellers said, his voice cracking even now, eight years later.
"That whole year my foot wasn't hurting but it was achy," Ilgauskas recalled.
"Looking back, I just had a bad feeling in my mind that something bad was going to happen. Against Miami, I made a shot and landed on my foot and felt really a sharp pain. My foot went numb for a couple seconds. I never felt like that before. That scared me. Right then I knew, that was it. I took myself out of the game. I didn't need any MRIs or anything. I just knew."
"Everyone was disappointed for him because he had worked so hard and everyone knew how much he cared," the Cavs' current GM recalled. "His teammates are thinking more about the person than what's it going to do to our season or how's it going to affect us in games."
The left foot was broken again. A devastated Ilgauskas contemplated retirement.
"I didn't know if I had it in me to keep going," he said. "The lows were just too low. I put in so much work, and everything was just going down the drain. I spent more time on crutches in those years than walking on my own two feet. For me, just walking without crutches was a luxury. I had these permanent marks on my sides from the crutches. The hardest part was watching the games, just sitting there, sitting there, sitting there, watching, watching, watching."
After about six weeks, Ilgauskas decided to have one more surgery -- his fifth in six years -- a radical reconstruction of his foot by Dr. Mark Myerson in Baltimore.
"I was 25 at the time," he said. "If I was 35, the decision would have been made for me. But I just didn't want to look back at my life and feel like I missed something or quit too early. I wanted to be forced out.
"My biggest thing was, 'If I go down now, I'll be one of the biggest busts in Cleveland sports history.' Or at least Cleveland Cavs history. I wouldn't be there with [Art] Modell or anybody else, but seeing this promising career going down the drain ..."
So he had the surgery and then went through months of grueling rehab, working out with Kellers and a host of trainers, doctors and physical therapists. He was the perfect patient, following every instruction to the T. When he wasn't working out, he was wrapped in ice. He carried a bottle of Advil in his pocket, popping the pills constantly. Then one day during training camp in 2001, he woke up and the pain was gone.
He played 62 games that year, 81 in each of the next two years and 78 in each of the three years after that. He was named an All Star by the Eastern Conference coaches in 2003 and 2005. He played 73 games last year. Friday night against Indiana he tied Hot Rod Williams for third place in games played with the franchise at 661, just 62 behind all-time leader Danny Ferry.
It's no coincidence that with Ilgauskas healthy, the Cavs have reached unprecedented heights. Of course, the fact that he's playing with LeBron James also has something to do with that.
"I have enjoyed the basketball games so much more," Ilgauskas admitted.
Still, there was more tragedy. With the Cavs in the middle of their most successful season ever, resulting in a trip to the 2007 NBA Finals, Ilgauskas and his wife Jennifer lost the twins she was carrying. They would have been their first children.
The entire team mourned for their friends and it was no accident when James sought out Ilgauskas and wrapped him in a bear hug after the team won the Eastern Conference championship and weeped together with heavy emotion.
"He means a lot to me, honestly," James said. "When you go through adversity like he went through, you can always look to a guy like that to help you get through certain things. To have him go through the last few seasons winning, I think has added a little happiness to his life."
More than a little. With one year left on his contract, Ilgauskas, 33, doesn't know how much longer he'll play. He does know that he'll always have a home in Cleveland with friends who love him.
Big Z, as a Cleveland fan, the ultimate prize I want for you is an NBA Championship. With all you've been through, you deserve it more than anyone I can think of. Until then though, I will be shedding a tear as I stand in awe, cheering you as you reach a huge milestone that I know means so much to you tonight.
Thank you Big Fella for the inspiration and dedication throughout the years! :river
:
Today I'd like to pay homage to the longest tenured and still active Cleveland sports player, as tonight he may reach a notable Cavalier milestone previously thought to be impossible.
The player: none other than Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ilgauskas has been in Cleveland since 1996. For 12 years, Ilgauskas has seen many other players, coaches and owners come and go in this town, but Big Z has been a mainstay.
Tonight against the Toronto Raptors, Ilgauskas needs just 4 more rebounds to surpass Brad Daugherty's franchise record of 5,227. This stat means so much to the big man as he faced much adversity throughout his career.
While attempting to apply for the NBA draft in 1995, in what would become an all-too-common occurrence, his right foot started to hurt. In fact, it was broken and he wound up withdrawing from the draft and having two surgeries, which caused him to miss the 1995-96 season.
He came back strong the next spring, and reapplied for early entry into the 1996 draft and was selected by Cleveland with the No. 12 pick. Unfortunately, he broke his right foot again and missed what should have been his rookie season.
He looked to be back on track at the start of the 2000-01 season and was averaging 11.7 points and 6.7 rebounds as the team got off to a 15-8 record. Then came a game at Miami on Dec. 22, 2000.
"That was the lowest of the low," Cavs assistant coach/strength and conditioning coordinator Stan Kellers said, his voice cracking even now, eight years later.
"That whole year my foot wasn't hurting but it was achy," Ilgauskas recalled.
"Looking back, I just had a bad feeling in my mind that something bad was going to happen. Against Miami, I made a shot and landed on my foot and felt really a sharp pain. My foot went numb for a couple seconds. I never felt like that before. That scared me. Right then I knew, that was it. I took myself out of the game. I didn't need any MRIs or anything. I just knew."
"Everyone was disappointed for him because he had worked so hard and everyone knew how much he cared," the Cavs' current GM recalled. "His teammates are thinking more about the person than what's it going to do to our season or how's it going to affect us in games."
The left foot was broken again. A devastated Ilgauskas contemplated retirement.
"I didn't know if I had it in me to keep going," he said. "The lows were just too low. I put in so much work, and everything was just going down the drain. I spent more time on crutches in those years than walking on my own two feet. For me, just walking without crutches was a luxury. I had these permanent marks on my sides from the crutches. The hardest part was watching the games, just sitting there, sitting there, sitting there, watching, watching, watching."
After about six weeks, Ilgauskas decided to have one more surgery -- his fifth in six years -- a radical reconstruction of his foot by Dr. Mark Myerson in Baltimore.
"I was 25 at the time," he said. "If I was 35, the decision would have been made for me. But I just didn't want to look back at my life and feel like I missed something or quit too early. I wanted to be forced out.
"My biggest thing was, 'If I go down now, I'll be one of the biggest busts in Cleveland sports history.' Or at least Cleveland Cavs history. I wouldn't be there with [Art] Modell or anybody else, but seeing this promising career going down the drain ..."
So he had the surgery and then went through months of grueling rehab, working out with Kellers and a host of trainers, doctors and physical therapists. He was the perfect patient, following every instruction to the T. When he wasn't working out, he was wrapped in ice. He carried a bottle of Advil in his pocket, popping the pills constantly. Then one day during training camp in 2001, he woke up and the pain was gone.
He played 62 games that year, 81 in each of the next two years and 78 in each of the three years after that. He was named an All Star by the Eastern Conference coaches in 2003 and 2005. He played 73 games last year. Friday night against Indiana he tied Hot Rod Williams for third place in games played with the franchise at 661, just 62 behind all-time leader Danny Ferry.
It's no coincidence that with Ilgauskas healthy, the Cavs have reached unprecedented heights. Of course, the fact that he's playing with LeBron James also has something to do with that.
"I have enjoyed the basketball games so much more," Ilgauskas admitted.
Still, there was more tragedy. With the Cavs in the middle of their most successful season ever, resulting in a trip to the 2007 NBA Finals, Ilgauskas and his wife Jennifer lost the twins she was carrying. They would have been their first children.
The entire team mourned for their friends and it was no accident when James sought out Ilgauskas and wrapped him in a bear hug after the team won the Eastern Conference championship and weeped together with heavy emotion.
"He means a lot to me, honestly," James said. "When you go through adversity like he went through, you can always look to a guy like that to help you get through certain things. To have him go through the last few seasons winning, I think has added a little happiness to his life."
More than a little. With one year left on his contract, Ilgauskas, 33, doesn't know how much longer he'll play. He does know that he'll always have a home in Cleveland with friends who love him.
Big Z, as a Cleveland fan, the ultimate prize I want for you is an NBA Championship. With all you've been through, you deserve it more than anyone I can think of. Until then though, I will be shedding a tear as I stand in awe, cheering you as you reach a huge milestone that I know means so much to you tonight.
Thank you Big Fella for the inspiration and dedication throughout the years! :river
:
The Spurs are just vampires- they just don't go away.
WHEN ARE THOSE OLD GEEZERS GOING TO WITHER AND GO AWAY?!
WHEN ARE THOSE OLD GEEZERS GOING TO WITHER AND GO AWAY?!
Cavaliers Rewriting the Record Books!
Satellite Guys and Gals along with fans of the NBA, listen up!
There is something REALLY special brewing in Cleveland right now. This Cleveland Cavaliers team is on a historic run and they are even rewriting the record books!
Last night, LeBron James became the franchise leader in steals and Big Z became the all time franchise leader in rebounds.
Plus with last nights win, the Cavs won their 9th straight game by at least 12 points! (This has never been done before in NBA history!)
Since Nov. 3rd, the Cavs are 17-1 and in the last 9 games, the Cavs are beating their opponents by an average of 21.5!!!
I am definitely cherishing what appears to be a special season, but as a lifelong Cleveland fan, I'm not making myself too vulnerable just yet. It's a long season and the Celtics are still the defending Champions.
Satellite Guys and Gals along with fans of the NBA, listen up!
There is something REALLY special brewing in Cleveland right now. This Cleveland Cavaliers team is on a historic run and they are even rewriting the record books!
Last night, LeBron James became the franchise leader in steals and Big Z became the all time franchise leader in rebounds.
Plus with last nights win, the Cavs won their 9th straight game by at least 12 points! (This has never been done before in NBA history!)
Since Nov. 3rd, the Cavs are 17-1 and in the last 9 games, the Cavs are beating their opponents by an average of 21.5!!!
I am definitely cherishing what appears to be a special season, but as a lifelong Cleveland fan, I'm not making myself too vulnerable just yet. It's a long season and the Celtics are still the defending Champions.
Oh...this ones nicer....someone has THE NERVE to try to block it!
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSpvx6Gvzc8]YouTube - D-Wade Posterizes Emeka Okafor 12/08/2008[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSpvx6Gvzc8]YouTube - D-Wade Posterizes Emeka Okafor 12/08/2008[/ame]
That wasn't even the best dunk from LBJ last night.........
While scoring 31 in 3 quarters (continues to be able to sit during 4th quarters as the games are typically over by then), LBJ also broke the all time steal record for the Cavs. One of them lead to another monstrous dunk.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6H3YgM1JHw"]LeBron Dunks All Over Toronto[/ame]
While scoring 31 in 3 quarters (continues to be able to sit during 4th quarters as the games are typically over by then), LBJ also broke the all time steal record for the Cavs. One of them lead to another monstrous dunk.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6H3YgM1JHw"]LeBron Dunks All Over Toronto[/ame]
Hey HD....check this out:
http://www.nba.com/statistics/playe...itScope=GAME&qyalified=Y&yearsExp=-1&splitDD=
LBJ and D.Wade lamost have IDENTICAL stats....it's almost scary!
http://www.nba.com/statistics/playe...itScope=GAME&qyalified=Y&yearsExp=-1&splitDD=
LBJ and D.Wade lamost have IDENTICAL stats....it's almost scary!
The Celtics are going for their best start (21-2) in team history tomorrow night in Washington (8pm on TNT). That's pretty remarkable for a franchise with 17 NBA titles.
BTW, the difference between the "Big Three" (Celtics, Cavaliers, Lakers) and the rest of the NBA is widening by the day. If one of those three doesn't win the championship this year, I'd be shocked!
BTW, the difference between the "Big Three" (Celtics, Cavaliers, Lakers) and the rest of the NBA is widening by the day. If one of those three doesn't win the championship this year, I'd be shocked!
I still am keeping an eye on those damn Spurs.
Pistons are not looking good, but San Antonio... what is it going to take for these old fossils to wither away?
