Game #70: Cavs @ Rockets (3/26/2006)

CAVALIERS INSIDER
Ilgauskas faces big assignment in Yao

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Branson Wright
Plain Dealer Reporter

There are not too many players that 7-3 center Zydrunas Ilgauskas has to literally look up to. He will have his hands full with 7-5 center Yao Ming when the Cavaliers face the Rockets in Houston on Sunday.

"It seems like the time that he was out with an injury has really helped him because he's come back rested," Ilgauskas said. "He's a tough guy to guard. With Tracy [McGrady] out, he's the main focus of that offense."

Yao's averaging 27 points and 11.4 rebounds this month. His size and scoring ability will give Ilgauskas some trouble.

"He has a nice shooting touch and good inside moves," Ilgauskas said. "I can't get to the ball because he releases the ball so high. All you can do is put your hands in his face and hopes he misses."

Big shot:

LeBron James hit his first career game-winning shot on Wednesday against the Charlotte Bobcats. The shot came after many, including TNT's Charles Barkley, criticized James for not stepping up late in games.

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers disagreed with the criticisms.

"LeBron was doing the right thing before by making passes," Rivers said. "You're supposed to try to win the game and to me, that's what he does. [All of the criticism] was overblown and overdone. LeBron's a terrific player and he's already figured out that you hit the open man and if the open man hits the shot, you did the right thing."

Playoff experience:

Eight Cavaliers have playoff experience: Eric Snow (71 playoff games), Alan Henderson (34), Damon Jones (30), Larry Hughes (18), Donyell Marshall (nine), Drew Gooden (seven), Ilgauskas (four), Flip Murray (four).

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Dribbles

• The Cavs soon should clinch their first playoff spot in eight years, but there's no big celebration planned. Accused of being over the top in some of their endeavors over the past year, the franchise has taken a low-profile approach to the playoff march.

They've resisted publicly acknowledging their magic number and have held off on playoff ticket announcements.

The past two years, the Cavs looked like locks for the playoffs only to experience late-season swoons and near misses. That doesn't look like it will happen again, but the Cavs still want to take everything in stride despite not having been to the playoffs since 1998.

• With the Cavs in position to clinch homecourt advantage, James' Most Valuable Player candidacy is no doubt on the rise. He'll better his sixth-place finish from a year ago and has a good shot to crack the top three. Interesting, considering James' minutes, personal fouls and turnovers are up from last season, his field-goal percentage is flat and his 3-point percentage, rebounds, assists and steals are down.

The big difference is he's averaging three more points per game, largely because he's averaging nearly four more foul shots per game -- truly his greatest improvement from a year ago.

• Lithuanian guard Sarunas Jasikevicius was conflicted about his decision to sign with the Indiana Pacers over the Cavs last summer for months, even into this season. Things haven't worked out exactly as planned for the European star, who is averaging 8.0 points and 3.1 rebounds but has fallen out of the Pacers' regular rotation. That also could've happened with the Cavs, of course.

• Though the ups and downs of the season have led to frustration with the Cavs at times, if the team can finish off the season with the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference, it still will qualify as a breakthrough year. To put it in perspective, the Cavs have had homecourt advantage in a series just once since 1993.

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LeBron James displayed his amazing talent in the fourth quarter of the Cavaliers' come-from-behind win over Boston on Friday, scoring 19 points in the final period.

CAVALIERS
Snow appreciates skills of James, A.I.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Burt Graeff
Plain Dealer Reporter

Cavaliers point guard Eric Snow has had the opportunity to play on the same team with two of the top NBA players of this generation -- Allen Iverson for 6½ seasons in Philadephia and LeBron James for two seasons in Cleveland.

James' latest mind-blowing effort -- getting 19 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal -- in the fourth quarter of Friday night's come-from-behind 94-82 victory over Boston recalled memories of teaming with Iverson from 1997-2004.

"What I see in both," Snow said, "is the God-given ability to consistently seek to amaze.

"Allen did it below the rim. LeBron does it above the rim."

Snow said it is easy to get caught up in watching James, who had 36 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, two steals and no turnovers in 45 minutes, as a fan does.

"It doesn't matter if you are on the court with him," Snow said, "or sitting on the sideline.

"All you can say is, 'Wow.' Most people watching this don't understand how hard it is to do what he is doing."

Snow, 32, grew up in Canton. He said he first heard about James, 21, who grew up in Akron, when James was about 13 years old. "I was told that this kid was going to be something special," said Snow, who starred at Michigan State.

"By the time he was a freshman and sophomore, some people at Michigan State asked me to help recruit him. By the time he was as junior they just said to forget about it.

"Everyone knew he would not be playing college basketball."

Snow said that James, who is 6-8 and 245 pounds, is a combination of speed and power perhaps never seen in the NBA. "He is a freak of nature, just a freak of nature," said Snow, a 6-3, 205 pounder. "I've never seen him in the weight room.

"I mean, I've seen him in the weight room, but I still don't know how he does it. I truly believe that guys like this are doing what God designed them to do.

"And, there is no copy-catting here. Guys like this are unique in their own way."

The Cavaliers (40-29), closing in on the franchise's first playoff appearance in eight years, have won four straight and face the Rockets (30-39) today in Houston.

With 13 regular-season games remaining, the Cavaliers have an outside shot at the fourth 50-victory season in the 36-year history of the franchise.

Under coach Lenny Wilkens, the Cavaliers topped 50 victories three times in a five-year span - 1988-93.

Finally:

Snow was outside the Cavaliers' locker room on Saturday talking to a reporter when the Tennessee women's basketball team passed by en route to a practice session at The Q for today's NCAA game against Rutgers.

Snow got a warm embrace from Lady Vols star Candace Parker, who became the first woman to dunk in an NCAA game when she did it twice against Army on March 19.

Snow and Parker's brother, Anthony, were teammates for two seasons (1997-99) in Philadelphia. "I first met Candace when she was 9 years old," Snow said.

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