Cavs after three of five games on West Coast

1. Two wins and a loss is just fine with me.  Before the trip started, I said I'd be pleased with a 3-2 record, but would love 4-1. Well, the Cavs lost the first game in Denver, to a Carmelo Anthony-less Nuggets team. The bounced back in a big way and beat Portland the next night, in the LeBron vs. Brandon Roy shootout, which was fun to watch to say the least. The next night, the Cavs held off the Warriors, which is impressive because the Warriors were rested and the Cavs were playing the second game of a back-to-back.
2. That means the Cavs can afford to lose one of the next two and be fine. Remaining is a game at Utah Thursday night and at the Clipper Saturday night. Two winnable games. Very winnable games. Utah is always a tough place to play, but the Jazz are 21-17 and are playing well, winning three of four (loss to the Grizzles, wins over the Grizzles, Mavs and the Heat). The game against the Clippers is a classic "trap" game, the last game on the trip and against a team that could surprise you. So 3-2 is very likely...4-1, again, would be fantastic.
3. Defense continues to be the key. Here's an interesting state: Portland was just the second team to shoot  50 percent or better against the Cavs this season (38 of 74, 51.4 percent). That is pretty impressive. The Cavs continue to rank second in the league in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to 43.4 percent shooting.
4. LeBron is having quite a trip ... shocking. Here's his numbers in each game:
vs. Denver - 35 points on 12-of-28 shooting, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 9-of-13 free throws, 2 3-pointers.
vs. Portland - 41 points on 13-of-19 shooting, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 12-of-14 free throws, 3 3-pointers.
vs. Golden State --37 points of 12 of 23 shooting, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, and a +/ of 12. Impressive.
- LeBron scored 20 in the first quarter against Portland and hit his first 9 shots.
- Against Denver, he did take 28 shots and some questionable ones late in the game, while teammates watched. Cavs fans know that when that happens, it's never good...can be maddening at times. Regardless, the way LeBron is playing lately, especially in December and January, he is already starting to make his case for another MVP.
5. Mike Brown continues to have his work cut out for him. Figuring out when to play Z and Shaq together, or when to play neither. When to rest LeBron. When to rest Mo. How many minutes Deltone West can play. How long Shaq stays on the floor with foul trouble. When to leave Daniel Gibson in the game when he is invisible.
All of these are relevant issues. Brown is still figuring out his rotation and is trying different combinations of players on the court in order to see what lineups are the most effective. It's all starting to come together, though. Brown played his big men (Shaq, Z and Varejao) very effectively against the Warriors and it showed, as the Cavs outrebounded the Warriors 46-38 and scored 54 points in the paint.