Good week for wins. Last week, the Cavs got convincing wins over the Heat, Timberwolves, Pacers and Clippers. One decent team and three bad teams. But wins are wins, and the wins over the T-Wolves, Pacers and Clippers were significant because the Cavs seemed to keep their focus, maintain good offensive execution, win the rebounding and points in the paint battles and, of course, play good defense. The Cavs have now won eight straight and 10 of 11. Pretty good.
This week also brings a favorable schedule. The Cavs begin a six-game homestand Tuesday against Memphis. The Heat visit the Q Thursday and the Knicks on Saturday. These three games are all winable, with the game against the Heat being the obvious tough one. If that game is half as entertaining as the one in Miami last week, I'll be satisfied.
Mo Williams has been out, but no beats have been skipped. Daniel Gibson has played well, scoring in double figures in five straight games. On Sunday against the Clips, Gibson hit 4 of 5 3-pointers and totaled a career-high six assists. His shooting and ability to man the point guard position will be crucial to the Cavs maintaining their current level of play. Shaq has stepped up his game big time and is really starting to heat up. He is starting to draw double teams, which is freeing up Gibson and the other shooters to hit the 3-pointers. Shaq averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game in January, compared to 10 points and five rebounds per game in December. Quite a difference.
LeBron is amazing. What more do you say? He already is basically a lock for MVP. In January, he averaged 31 points, nine assists and seven rebounds per game.
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Talkin about Tebow
Former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow really struggled to find any sort of consistency during last week's Senior Bowl workouts and actual game. His draft stock may have taken a considerable hit ... maybe instead of going to circumcise foreign babies in the offseason, he should have worked on his game. Ouch. Seriously, though his NFL ability has been and will be a hot topic in the media, with opinions ranging from "he'll be a great QB" to "he's not worthy of being drafted' to "he's a tight end." While listening to Sirius NFL Radio today , I heard an interesting analogy: coming out of Tennessee, there were serious questions about Peyton Manning's arm strength and accuracy and his pro potential. So much for that. I'd be hesitant to write off Tim Tebow before seeing him on the field. If he can go to a team that develops players well, he may be a steal in the upcoming draft in April. If not, maybe he can get a job cutting meat.
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ACC hoops is great to watch. Most of my family and friends in Northeast Ohio probably have seen only a handful, if any, ACC college basketball games. I was that way before I moved south in 2005. But I am glad I got into it, as college basketball in February is really fun to watch and follow. If you're home on a Saturday afternoon, flip on ESPN or CBS and give it a shot. For my friends in Virginia and South Carolina, this is probably humorous that I actually wrote this as it is obvious to them.
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Coming tomorrow: My complete review of the 2000 Browns NFL Draft class
* Photo courtesy of the Associated Press
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