CavsNews.com

The Spurs are 1-0 with a win over the Denver Nuggets Tuesday night. Their next game, as with the Cavaliers, is Friday night when the two teams square off. Aaron Lopez, Rocky Mountain News predicts, along with many others, that the Spurs will finish first in the Southwest Division. Below he fills us in on the latest:
SOUTHWEST DIVISION

• Last season: 59-23, first in division, second in West; beat Pistons in seven games to win NBA title.

• Coach: Gregg Popovich (10th NBA season, all with Spurs, 455-233).

• Best new threads: G Michael Finley (free agent, Mavericks); G Nick Van Exel (free agent, Trail Blazers).

• Out of style: G Devin Brown (free agent, Jazz); F Glenn Robinson (free agent).

• Design trends: The Spurs, winners of two of the past three NBA titles, are wearing a tuxedo while everyone else is clad in denim.

• Possible fashion faux pas: Free-agent addition Van Exel is perpetually chasing a championship ring and could be San Antonio’s kiss of death.

• Will walk the playoff runway if . . . : They do what they always do – defend like crazy, run the offense through Tim Duncan and listen to Popovich.

The Q was alive Wednesday night, with Ronnie Duncan not the only one bellowing out his favorite players nicknames.

LeBron James, playing his first regular-season game with new teammates brought in to help get him to the playoffs, made six 3-pointers and scored 31 points as the Cavaliers beat the New Orleans Hornets 109-87 in their season opener Wednesday night.

James made five straight 3-pointers — four in a row during a 1:44 span over Hornets forward Bostjan Nachbar — and scored 24 points in the first half as the Cavs built a 21-point lead and buzzed the Hornets, who won their opener on Tuesday over Sacramento.

Following a timeout, James chuckled as he went back onto the floor and quickly hit his fifth 3-pointer of the half. As he retreated on defense, the 20-year-old blew on his hand like a gunslinger cooling off his hot hand. The first one caused a stir, the next two a commotion. And when LeBron James sank his fourth straight three-pointer in less than two minutes, everyone in the building was on their feet begging for more.
“It was amazing,” Cavaliers forward Donyell Marshall said. “We were just like the fans, we wanted him to keep shooting, too.”

James feels 50 victories are a realistic goal for the Cavaliers, who went 42-40 last season. “I think we can get to 50,” he said. Asked what Cleveland has that it didn’t last year, James said: “Everything.”

The New Orleans/OKC Hornets are predicted to finish in last place of the Southwest division of the Western conference. They have a tough division, much like the Cavaliers. San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and Memphis. Some interesting facts about the Cavaliers home opener opponent as written by By Aaron Lopez, of the Rocky Mountain News:

• Last season: 18-64, fifth in division, last in West.

• Coach: Byron Scott (sixth NBA season, second with Hornets, 167-203).

• Best new threads: F Rasual Butler (trade, Heat); G Desmond Mason (trade, Bucks); G Arvydas Macijauskas (free agent, Lithuania); G Chris Paul (draft, Wake Forest); G Kirk Snyder (trade, Jazz).

• Out of style: G Dan Dickau (trade, Celtics); C Jamaal Magloire (trade, Bucks); F Lee Nailon (free agent, 76ers).

• Design trends: Because of Hurricane Katrina, the Hornets will play their home games in Oklahoma City (35) and Baton Rouge, La. (six). Not that it matters. They went 11-30 at home last season.

• Possible fashion faux pas: Pity the designer who has to fit Oklahoma City and New Orleans on the front of a uniform.

• Will walk the playoff runway if . . . : Fate finally smiles on a Gulf Coast team. The Saints are struggling as temporary residents of San Antonio, and the Hornets will fare no better.

Brian Windhorst, Beacon Journal sports writer writes, “Zydrunas Ilgauskas used to view season openers like plane landings: If he walked away, he was happy.

Nearly five years removed from his debilitating foot injuries, the Cavaliers center has become more of a sage. He’s married, has a new dog and is comfortable at the start of a rich five-year contract. In other words, he has his health, money and a best friend.

His contentment is only stunted by the fact he hasn’t been to the playoffs since he was a rookie, which is what he’s really thinking about as the Cavs head into their opener Wednesday night against the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets at Quicken Loans Arena.

“When I was young, the opener seemed like the end of the world to me,” Ilgauskas said. “Two hours later it was over and it was like, OK, now there’s six more months to go. So, for me, the anxiety is gone, but I think it is more intense.” For a complete look at his story click HERE

Last season the home crowd chanted almost in every game MVP for LJ. But that wasn’t enough to get him the MVP award after the team took a deep dive at the end of the season and missed the playoffs by one game.

But this season is going to be different. Five ESPN.com experts voted for LeBron to win the MVP award in the 2005-06 season. Followed by Tim Duncan with 4. Shaq, Koby, and Ron Artist tied with 2 votes and T.Mac got 1 vote.

The Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday exercised their fourth-year contract option on swingman Sasha Pavlovic.

Pavlovic, who is receiving just over $1.27 million this season, will be paid slightly more than $1.96 million for the 2006-07 campaign.

The 19th overall pick of the 2003 draft by the Utah Jazz, Pavlovic was dealt to Cleveland by the Charlotte Bobcats on June 23, 2004, for a future first-round pick.

Sasha, in 144 career games with 23 starts has averaged 4.8 points and 1.6 rebounds.

“Sasha is a talented young player,” Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry said. “With continued hard work, Sasha can play an important part in our team’s future.”

First up for our Cavaliers are the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. Nick Evans from NBA.draft.net provides us with a preview:
“After everything this organization has dealt with in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it seems a bit crass to analyze how the New Orleans Hornets will perform this season. But they have 82 games in front of them and a roster of handsomely paid professionals, so let’s take a look at how they might do.

Obviously, the Hornets will be unable to play any games in New Orleans this season, so the NBA has made Oklahoma City its unofficial home. This means that the Hornets, a team already expected to struggle in 2005-06, will have 82 road games this season. Not exactly the best way to begin the roster rebuilding process.

However, there are reasons for optimism for Hornets’ fans this season. Chris Paul fell to them at the fourth pick of last year’s draft, and he’s expected to contend for the Rookie of the Year award. He’s one of the most NBA-ready point guards to enter the league in quite some time, and he’ll have plenty of minutes to learn on the job. He’s a little undersized, but he’s a born playmaker with multiple All-Star games in his future.

Teaming up with Paul in the backcourt of the future will be J.R. Smith. He had an up-and-down rookie season, but that’s to be expected from any 19-year-old kid not named LeBron. At his best, he showed flashes of being a superstar in the making. Few players possess Smith’s athleticism and long-range shooting skills. Watch for the Paul/Smith tandem in a couple years. They could be something special. Backing up Smith at the 2-guard spot will be Arvydas Macijauskas. The Lithuanian sharpshooter will prove to be a valuable addition to a team desperate for all the scorers they can find.

Longtime NBA veteran PJ Brown will hold down the fort at power forward. He had a better-than-most-people-realized season in 2004-05, even garnering a 5th place vote in the MVP ballot. In a related story, he had the worst season of anyone who ever received a vote in the MVP ballot. Expect him to put up another 12 point, 8-9 rebound season and possibly get mentioned in a few deadline-day trade rumors. His backup will be oft-injured, but promising Xavier star David West. I’m granting West bona fide sleeper status. If you’re running a fantasy team, keep West on your radar in case some of your guys get hurt. ” For a full view of the story CLICK HERE.