* This week, the Cavs host the god-awful Nets on Tuesday and the Magic come to Cleveland on Thursday in what will be a crazed atmosphere at The Q, no doubt. The way the Cavs are playing right now, both are winnable. Hopefully, the Cavs can beat the Nets handily and LeBron and Shaq can get some rest so they enter the game against the Magic fresh.
* I continue to be impressed, but not shocked, that the Cavs are racking up the wins without some key personnel. The streak is up to 11 straight now, nine of which have come out the injured Mo Williams. Deltone West has also missed some games. I am particularly impressed at the Cavs' level of play without Mo. I have always thought it's hard for the Cavs to win without Mo. Example: he played very poorly against Orlando in the playoffs last season and the Cavs were defeated. Without Mo, Daniel Gibson has been more than satisfactory. In the past eight games, Gibson is averaging aroune 13 points and is shooting around 46 percent, 44 percent from the 3-point line. Those are great numbers and one of the main reasons the Cavs are putting so much distance between themselves and the rest of the league.
* What will Gibson's role be once Williams and West are healthy? I have no idea, but don't be surprised if his minutes become sporadic again. A possible trade could impact this logjam at guard. But in the NBA, depth is never a bad thing and the Cavs have it, no doubt.
*One item on LeBron: In February's three games (wins over the Knicks, Heat and Grizzlies), LeBron is averaging 35 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds per game. In those three games, LeBron is shooting 54 percent from the floor and has made eight of 20 3-point attempts. Throw in an average of three steals per game and you have the making of one of the finest months of LeBron's career. And there have been a lot of them, obviously. He is playing at such a high level right now, whether it is as a shooter, point guard, post player, defender ... anything the team needs on any given night. I think LeBron has gotten better exponentially this season in so many different aspects. He is getting Shaq more involved in games and I think LeBron is also making J.J. Hickson better.
*One item on LeBron: In February's three games (wins over the Knicks, Heat and Grizzlies), LeBron is averaging 35 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds per game. In those three games, LeBron is shooting 54 percent from the floor and has made eight of 20 3-point attempts. Throw in an average of three steals per game and you have the making of one of the finest months of LeBron's career. And there have been a lot of them, obviously. He is playing at such a high level right now, whether it is as a shooter, point guard, post player, defender ... anything the team needs on any given night. I think LeBron has gotten better exponentially this season in so many different aspects. He is getting Shaq more involved in games and I think LeBron is also making J.J. Hickson better.
* The Cavs lead the NBA in scoring inside the paint and points against in the paint. Both of those are a direct result of Shaq. Championship teams score inside and defend inside. Look it up. This stat, courtesy of Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer, proves this point: Last season, the Cavs were outscored, 104-52, in the paint in their two losses to the Lakers. With O'Neal, the Cavs outscored the Lakers, 88-74, inside, winning both games.
* In Boston, the Celtics are just 9-11 since Christmas and are dealing with the distraction of a possible Ray Allen trade, the rapid decline of Kevin Garnett (due to injures, mostly) and apparent trouble in the locker room, according to Rajon Rondo last week. Age could simply be catching up to this team, which was bound to happen when this current team was put together. They do have a championship to their credit, but nobody can outrun time and this year may be the last for this current Celtics core of players.
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The rest of the East ...
* As far as the Magic, Vince Carter averaged less than 10 points per game in January and in that time, is shooting around 35 percent from the floor. As I previously wrote in this space, Carter has taken away minutes and shots from Rashard Lewis, and now, people in Orlando are starting to debate whether or not J.J Redick should start in place of Carter. On Tuesday against the Bucks, Dwight Howard got into early foul trouble and Carter put the team on his back, getting nearly a triple-double in a win. Maybe Carter is starting to find his place. But as the article in the link I just posted above says, Redick plays fantastic ball whenever he sees significant minutes, as he is a serious threat from the 3-point line and averaged 11 points per game in January. This whole situation seems like a mess to me. It could come together toward the end of the season for the Magic and they could make a long playoff run. But this team is nothing close to the team that took out the Cavs last season.
* On Sunday, the Celtics and the Magic completed their four-game season series, with the Magic winning 96-89 and taking three of the four games. In the game, the Magic went on a 19-0 third quarter run, led by Vince Carter who scored 20 in the game. Boston couldn't hold an 11-point halftime lead. Good win for the Magic and this was a game where Carter was a positive. It'll be interesting to see how this team plays down the stretch, as I discussed in the previous item on this post.
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* I read in The Plain Dealer Sunday that Zydrunas Ilgauskas has made $130 million from the Cavaliers since he was drafted in 1996. That is pretty incredible, for some reason I was in awe of that number when I saw it. Not that he doesn't deserve it. Just pointing it out.
* Photo courtesy of Getty Images
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