Love & Basketball?

Though one might have expected for this game to have a lot of action due to the back and forth that the Hornets and Cleveland started the game with, it ended up surprisingly slow paced. The Cavs started to pull away with a series of three-pointers courtesy of Wally Szczerbiak and Sasha Pavlovic that put the Cavs ahead 28-17 at the end of the 1st quarter and never looked back.

The half ended with a technical foul on the usually calm Chris Paul; which is just another example of the frustration the Cavs cause their opponents. The baby faced Paul usually stays out of conflicts, but after having almost every offensive play shut down and their defense give up three after three, no amount of light eyes and baby doll lashes could disguise his aggravation. After the half if was clear the Chris Paul attempted to step up for the Hornets and put some points on the board, it was not enough to stop Wally & Sasha from draining threes or to stop LeBron from being... LeBron.

The crowd was silenced for a bit when LeBron went down hard on his elbow with 6:18 left in the third quarter. While it is common for teammates to check on a hurt player, the entire Cavs bench cleared out as they went to check on the status of "The King." LeBron acknowledged that they are "a close team on and off the court" so it's not surprising that they show so much concern. LeBron stated after the game that his elbow "still hurts" and that he will "see how it feels tomorrow." LeBron actually played all positions this game as the Cavs went with a small lineup with LeBron at the 5. When asked how he liked playing the 5, LeBron said that he, "would do anything for his team" and it's clear the same is true in reverse.

As the game wound down the Hornets became even more frustrated and showed it with a technical foul on David West and the ejection of Chris Paul and James Posey due to techs. If a calm team like the Hornets can get riled up at the Q it seems like the Cavs might just be unstoppable this season. Coach Mike Brown attributes their success to the "multiple effort" and the fact that they "stayed in and contested shots." Even without the help of starters Delonte West and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland was able to get it done with a little MO-tivation from Mo Williams and help from its bench. It's this depth, teamwork, and overall love for one another that I think will be their greatest asset this season. As a female, it's nice to see these typically macho men play with emotion that leads them to work more closely together and be a better team. This Cleveland Cavalier love-fest looks like it's going to take them straight to the finals.