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**remy23** · 03-17-2006, 06:20 PM

At the end of the third quarter, Cleveland leads by seventeen points (79-62).

**remy23** · 03-17-2006, 06:32 PM

The Blazers cut the lead down big early with a 20-10 run. But the Cavs have made some baskets and fought back to push the lead back.

**Pioneer10** · 03-17-2006, 06:49 PM

Lebron with 44 minutes tonight: Brown can't even sit him in a blow out

**remy23** · 03-17-2006, 06:51 PM

Cleveland 99, Portland 84

**Benedict_Boozer** · 03-17-2006, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pioneer10

Lebron with 44 minutes tonight: Brown can't even sit him in a blow out

This irritates me beyond belief.

**remy23** · 03-18-2006, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Cavs 99, Trail Blazers 84
Another letdown avoided
Cavs hold on for win, snap three-game skid

By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter

CLEVELAND - Down by 10 points at halftime Friday, the Portland Trail Blazers had to feel like they had the Cavaliers right where they wanted them.

After all, that was the recipe the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks had used within the last week to gut-punch the Cavs. Get down big early and storm back against little resistance for an emotional victory. Only, the Blazers aren't the Mavs, much less the Heat. Daresay, record-wise, they're not even the Atlanta Hawks.

That reality plus the fact the game was being played in the 216 area code against a twice-bitten, finally shy Cavs outfit made this night different. Instead of playing tentatively with a big second-half lead, the Cavs were aggressive and it led to a satisfying 99-84 victory.

It snapped a three-game losing streak and helped the Cavs (37-29) maintain their three-game lead for the fourth playoff spot over the Indiana Pacers.

LeBron James had a nice night, scoring 27 points with nine rebounds and a season-high six steals to help the cause. Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 15 points and seven rebounds, Flip Murray added 16 points and Anderson Varejao had seven points and six rebounds off the bench.

But the real centerpiece of the victory was Drew Gooden, which was surprising for many reasons. In Tuesday's loss at Dallas, Gooden seemed to go into a shell after an embarrassing blocked dunk attempt by Erick Dampier. Perhaps it was more of a fog than a shell, one that hadn't lifted by game time Friday.

Gooden was burned repeatedly in the game's early going by friend and Blazers star power forward Zach Randolph. Not to mention, Gooden and the Cavs were getting pushed around on the boards, too. A few minutes into the game, the Cavs were down five points and the Blazers had an 11-4 rebounding edge.

After Randolph dropped Gooden and freed himself for an easy dunk, Damon Jones lit into his power forward with plenty of gyrations and cursing on the court and then carried it over into a timeout. Whatever he said must have worked because Gooden swung into action and virtually carried the Cavs with his energy and playmaking.

He finished with a season-high 23 points, his first 20-point game since late December, and 14 rebounds for his first double-double in six games.

"All I was saying was to guard Randolph like he guards you,'' Jones said. "And from then on he was on another planet.''

Gooden held Randolph to just eight points over the final three quarters and patrolled the paint. The Cavs ended up winning the rebounding battle 47-36 and they piled up 58 points in the paint. That's probably the way it should be with Portland (20-45) center Theo Ratliff out with an ankle injury and starter Joel Przybilla (zero points in 15 minutes) having an off night.

"Zach and me are friends and he was going at me so I had to go back at him,'' Gooden said. "It motivated me and I got up.''

Gooden's efforts helped the Cavs build that 10-point halftime lead. Then with Miami and Dallas on the brain, they attacked to open the second half with a 16-4 run that basically put the game out of reach.

"We wanted to be mentally focused and not give a team like Portland back into the game,'' James said. "We closed the game out.''

**remy23** · 03-18-2006, 10:15 AM

Quote:

LeBron James slaps the ball away from Portland Trail Blazers' Zach Randolp during the third quarter of the Cavaliers' 99-84 win Friday, March 17, 2006, in Cleveland.

CAVALIERS CAVALIERS 99TRAIL BLAZERS 84
Ill Gooden puts a hurtin' on Blazers

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Burt Graeff
Plain Dealer Reporter

Drew Gooden is not feeling good. He's coughing and sneezing. The guy looks ill.

"I've had this for three days," Gooden said after scoring a season-high 23 points and pulling down 14 rebounds in the Cavaliers' 99-84 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night at The Q.

As sick as Gooden looked afterward, he looked sicker seven and a half minutes into the game.

Making Gooden look particularly sick was Portland's 6-9, 253-pound mobile power forward Zach Randolph.

Randolph used pull-up jumpers, slam dunks and a finger roll to score nine points in less than eight minutes -- sending the Trail Blazers into a 16-11 lead. Randolph, who averaged 28.6 points in five previous games, looked like he was headed for 50 -- maybe more.

"What was I thinking? I was thinking we had to make some adjustments," Gooden said. "Especially since I knew he would be getting a lot more touches than I would be getting."

The adjustments were made. Gooden, getting double-team help from LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, held Randolph to eight points over the last three quarters and the Cavaliers (37-29) snapped a three-game losing streak.

Randolph, a five-year pro from Michigan State, went from scoring nine points in the first 7:12 to not scoring again until 8:37 was left in the third quarter. By then, the Cavaliers had taken control, 61-45.

Randolph (17 points, six rebounds) was pulled with 8:03 left in the fourth quarter and the Cavaliers on top, 83-67. "It's hard to stay motivated when you're getting beat by 20 every night," Randolph said.

"You get real frustrated when you're constantly getting beat bad."

An example of just how effective the double-teams on Randolph were occurred moments before he was lifted. Taking a pass in the post, Randolph was jumped by Gooden and James. James knocked the ball loose, and flipped it out to Damon Jones.

Jones dribbled upcourt, then hit James with an alley-oop pass for a slam dunk that stretched the lead to 83-67.

"Drew's effort at both ends of the floor, especially pounding the glass, was big for us," said Cavaliers coach Mike Brown. "His energy and his toughness was something that was great for us."

Gooden hit 8 of 15 shots from the field, and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. "Drew ducked in and posted up extremely hard," Brown said, "and we got him the ball in the right spot."

Brown said he noticed that Gooden woke up after the early abuse he took from Randolph. "I don't know what it was that fired him up," Brown said, "but he did get fired up."

The Trail Blazers (20-45) were just what the Cavaliers needed. This is a team that has lost nine straight on the road, a team that averages an NBA-low 88.4 points a game. Stop a guy like Randolph and they are in trouble.

James (27 points, nine rebounds and five assists) led the Cavaliers, who pounded the Blazers in the paint (58-34) and in second-chance points (15-2). Portland is the NBA's second-youngest team and, for much of the game, looked it.

Flip Murray (16 points) scored from the perimeter and took the ball to the hoop in hitting 7 of 10 shots from the field for the Cavaliers.

Ilgauskas (15 points, seven rebounds and four assists) tossed up a couple of nice hook shots and Anderson Varejao logged an active 14 minutes off the bench - seven points, six rebounds.

Forgotten were consecutive games in which the Cavaliers squandered leads of 15 and 19 points to lose at Miami and Dallas, respectively. "We did a great job of closing out this game," James said.

"We didn't want to give Portland a chance at getting back into the game."

CHKNWANG321 · 03-18-2006, 10:28 AM

I didnt get to watch the game, but iam shure glad we actually blew a team out.

**Pioneer10** · 03-18-2006, 01:25 PM

Anyone notice that Telfair just abused both Snow and Jones? Thankfully Gooden had a fire under his *** lit.

**remy23** · 03-18-2006, 02:22 PM

^ Yeah. Benedict and I were praising Telfair during the course of the game. He was knocking down the jumper, which made him unguardable when you take into account his speed.

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