Cavaliers Top Sixers – Quotes from the Game

The Cleveland Cavaliers came out on top with a playoff type win over the visiting Philadelphia Sixers 91-88 at the Q.  Philadelphia which has been playing very well as of late led much of the game.  Delonte West had probably his best game since joining the Cavs scoring 18 points with 11 assists and 6 rebounds.  What I like best about Delonte is how quick and athletic he is.  He can really push the ball up the floor and and a spectacular dunk during one of the fast breaks.  LeBron added 26 points with 9 assists and 9 rebounds and Z topped off with 14 points.  Absent from any playing time was Sasha who sat at the end of the bench next to Damon Jones who only played a few minutes.  Quotes from the game:

HEAD COACH MIKE BROWN
(On the game as a whole):
“We did a better job in the second half, than the first half, in getting back in transition. They had 14 fastbreak points in the first half, they had four in the second half and that affected our defense. That was huge for us. The second thing tonight was that’s a very athletic team, a very long team. They do a good job offensive rebounding and our guys did a decent job boxing out. After last night’s performance I thought tonight was a gritty gutty win.”
(On Delonte West):
“Delonte was huge. I thought defensively he made a couple of game-winning plays for us. One was a loose ball turnover and he didn’t stop. He knocked down a couple of threes, and both those threes were huge. Hopefully, over time he will continue to understand, as well as the rest of our new guys, how to continue to play off LeBron. Delonte was good in all aspects. He could be big for us. He’s a good player in a lot of different areas. He could be good for us down the stretch.”

LEBRON JAMES
(On the final shot):
“I just wanted to be aggressive and just take the opportunity to get us a good shot. [The plan] was to attack but I didn’t think it was there in the beginning so I backed up and relocated the defenders and just tried to attack… I was able to get it off the backboard.”
(On clinching a playoff berth and ending a three-game losing streak):
“We know we clinched, but we know we want to get better. We’re not like Boston or Detroit right now where they know they clinched and they can try some new things to get guys acclimated and get guys out there playing… It’s a little frustrating at times because we have guys in and out of the lineup but hopefully we can just continue to get better.”
(On the importance of the win):
“That’s a very good team. This month they were the second best team in the whole NBA. It’s a very good high-flying, athletic team. It was good to see that we were able to control our home court which we’ve been doing throughout this year.”
(On the team’s road woes):
“We’re just not focusing defensively on the road. We’ve had some struggles of late. We just have to get back to the basketball that we were doing before.”
(On Delonte West’s performance):
“He’s not used to getting open shots a lot. On this team, I attract a lot of double-teams and one thing he has to do is catch and shoot. He doesn’t have to think about it. Tonight that’s what he did. He was able to attack, get into the lane, and then when I gave it to him for open shots, he took them.”
(On getting Daniel Gibson back):
“He can shoot the basketball. We all know that… I know it’s a struggle for him mentally because he’s never been injured in his career. Hopefully he can just get his ankle back right and not think about it much… Hopefully he can just continue to get healthy. We’re going to need him.”
(On the current state of the team):
“We’re playing okay. We’ve had some games where we could have played better… We’ve had so many lineup changes from the last month and a half that it’s hard to catch a rhythm… We have eight games left, so we’ll see what happens.”

DELONTE WEST
(On the game’s tempo):
“I think three days off definitely got my legs back under me. I found myself back to pushing the ball down the floor, creating our own tempo. Philadelphia definitely reminds me of being out on the west coast; those guys get the ball and they run. It’s going to be a tough matchup for whoever they see in the playoffs. We have got those guys one more time on their home [court] so I’m glad we came and got this win tonight because we do have to see them again.”
(On making his last shot):
“It’s funny because it goes to show how mental this game actually is. I remember sitting on the bench right before we came out from a timeout. I’m thinking ‘I’m getting ready to hit it, I’m going to sting them.’ Sure enough, the ball came right to me and I let it fly. It’s definitely a mental game and I’ll definitely try to build off of this.”

HEAD COACH MAURICE CHEEKS
(On the game):
“It was a tough loss for us. To play Cleveland like this, with LeBron (James), it’s like a playoff atmosphere, playoff basketball. It was something I talked to the guys about, being able to play in that moment like that and we responded. We were up four (points) and Delonte West hits a three in front of our bench out of a timeout. Then, he comes down and hits another three. Obviously, that put them (Cavs) over the hump. A tough loss for us, but I liked the way we played.”
(On LeBron James responding after an off game last night in Detroit):
“That’s what superstars do. They rarely have two bad games in a row. He had a tough game in Detroit, he stepped back and came back and played the way he’s capable of playing. He’s a playmaker , he can score the ball, he made the big shot down the stretch. That’s the way superstars play.”
ANDRE IGUODALA
(On the last 3-point attempt):
“I was trying to get a little space, I got a decent look. It just didn’t go down. Both guys converged on me, Delonte and LeBron. I shot it, I kind of didn’t see the rim, but I felt like I got a decent shot off and I had a chance.”
(On LeBron James, especially in the 4th quarter):
“He got to the basket, he hit a good three, he stepped his game up and played well.”
(On the game being a playoff atmosphere):
“It was a little bit. If there was one things we got out of it, we did some things well, but there were some things we could have worked on. Just trying to be smart down the stretch.”
(On Delonte West):
“LeBron draws a lot of attention, so a lot of those guys are going to get open looks. He knocked down some shots and he made some plays. If he continues to do that, they’re going to be real good with him shooting out there, being a three-point threat.”
(On the Cavs in the 3rd quarter):
“They scored off our turnovers. We had a bunch of turnovers in the third quarter and they were scoring off of those. We only had a couple of turnovers in the first half, then in the third quarter, we had a lot that turned into dunks for them and it just the momentum going.”

LeBron James soaks up March Madness

LeBron James was seen at Ford Field on Friday, cheering on the Davidson Wildcats as they beat Wisconsin to move on to the Elite Eight. James is a big fan of Davidson’s Stephen Curry. Stephen is former NBA player Dell Curry’s son.

“He’s a very good basketball player, he’s probably the best player in the tournament that I’ve seen,” praised James, the NBA’s leading scorer. “If you can shoot the ball as well as he can he definitely has a spot in this league.

LeBron was asked if he ever regrets not getting the opportunity to be part of March Madness. “Not at all,” smiled James, when asked by reporters if he ever regretted not going to college and playing in the tournament.

“It’s fun, I’ve always watched it, things happen in March Madness that you would never see happen in a regular season game, buzzer beaters, Cinderella teams winning all the time.

“It’s fun to watch. It was good, really good.”

Source: Sport Guardian

NBA’s Top Rumors Comes From Spain

If you are an NBA fan and love to dig for news and find rumors, you probably came across a site called, Hoopshype.

The Wall Street Journal published (subscription required) a great article about Hoopshype and the influence it has on the NBA.


The site is maintained by three 29-year old Spanish friends, who collectively been to two NBA games and one of them don’t even like the sport.

“Mr. Marin confesses he attended his first NBA game last year in Los Angeles. “It was boring,” he says. He points across the table at Mr. Sierra. “But it’s one more game than he’s been to.”

The soft-spoken Mr. Sierra is embarrassed to admit he’d never attended an NBA game in the U.S. before he traveled to New Orleans last month for the All-Star game.”

The site has such an influence on the sport that General managers, agents, and sportswriters log on every morning to Hoopshype.com for the latest in news and gossip.

“I like the fact that what I do has an impact on the NBA outside of my country,” says Hoopshype founder Jorge Sierra.

“It’s required reading for every member of my staff,” says Bill Duffy, an NBA agent in Walnut Creek, Calif.

The site started in 2002 by Mr. Sierra. He worked as a writer for “a women’s basketball Web site. He says he was shocked to discover that it was making money, so he bought a manual on how to create a Web site and launched Hoopshype.com. It began as a technical and financial disaster, crashing once a week and drawing no advertisers. Mr. Sierra eventually found a stable of U.S. writers to contribute articles at $25 a shot. He used his connections with European pro basketball teams to land interviews with players who were drawing attention from U.S. teams. ”

“Hoopshype taps a lengthy source list of agents, players and executives to confirm stories and break news. In 2004, according to Mr. Sierra, they were the first to report the Lakers were trading Gary Payton to Boston.”

“What most distinguishes Hoopshype is the critical mass of movers and shakers who read it daily. Even when the rumors prove false, the site acts as a catalyst. One morning in October 2005, a Hoopshype item caught the eye of Larry Harris, the former general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks: A New York tabloid was reporting that the New Orleans Hornets wanted to trade Jamaal Magloire.

The story turned out to be wrong. But the rumor prompted Mr. Harris to call the Hornets to find out if they were willing to deal. Two days later, Mr. Magloire was on his way to Milwaukee. Mr. Harris says he routinely calls other general managers in the league based on tips from Hoopshype.”

Last year, Fantasy Sports Ventures (FSV) bought the site for “low-seven figures,” according to Chris Russo, the chief executive. Sierra, Barrigón and Marin still run the site.

So what’s the latest rumor on Hoopshype?

LeBron James 4th in NBA top 10 most popular selling jersey since 1998

The NBA store, which opened on Sept 18, 1998 receives visitors from about 200 countries each year. To help celebrate its 10th year anniversary they unveiled the top 10 list of the most popular selling jerseys since they opened.

The other 23, Michael Jordan is still on top even though it’s been five years since he retired.


Jordan has the best-selling jersey in the history of the NBA Store, the league announced on Wednesday in kicking off plans for its anniversary celebration. Kobe Bryant was second, followed by Allen Iverson.

Like Jordan, they also changed uniform numbers or teams, creating more interest in their jerseys. Hopefully LeBron won’t be changing any time soon.

LeBron James was fourth and Shaquille O’Neal rounded out the top five. The remainder of the list included: Tracy McGrady, Dwyane Wade, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Tim Duncan.

Cavaliers lose to Hornets

The Cavaliers lost a close game, 100-99 to arguably one of the best teams in the West in front of a sellout crowd of 20,562.  David West sank an open 17 footer, a result of another assist from Chris Paul to capture their fifth consecutive victory and 10 of their past 12 games.  Cavalier’s center Ilgauskas was 13-19 for 29 points and 15 rebounds. 

Cavalier head coach Mike Brown on the game:

“We played a good team. Chris Paul is an amazing talent. His shots weren’t going down tonight being, but he still found a way to impact the basketball game with his 20 assists. I thought where we got hurt, we weren’t solid defensively. I thought the first half we turned the ball over quite a bit. Then we cleaned that up offensively in the second half by being more solid moving the ball. Defensively, I thought we weren’t good following the game plan. Our game plan discipline was not good as a team and it cost us especially down the stretch.”

LeBron James on Chris Paul:

“That’s why he’s the best point guard in the league. He puts his team in the best opportunity to win ballgames. He gives them a confidence that a lot of guys didn’t give them before they played well.”

New Orleans head coach Byron Scott on LeBron’s layup to take the lead:

“We wanted to send him (James)another way, but then, when you get beat, I think the thing our guys get a little fear of is putting him on the line and it’s an ‘and one.’ We knew it just put us down by one, we had plenty of time to get a good shot on the other end. They’re All-Stars, their superstar (James): made a great play and our All-Stars, CP and David, made great plays.”

Chris Paul on Lebron James:

“It’s funny because me and LeBron are like brothers. We talk all the time during the season, so I knew when the fourth quarter came, he was going to start guarding me because he hates to see me come off ball screens and stuff like that. That last play, I thought of just being aggressive, trying to get into the lane. Once I got in there, I called David West, the ’17-foot assassin.’ I knew he would be somewhere behind me, so when I saw him, I was like ‘thank goodness.’ When we are in that situation, if he makes it, it’s great, we win. If he misses it, we still got a great shot.”

Cavaliers next D-League Erie PA

Erie PA is expected to be the Cleveland Cavaliers D-League affiliate.

By being named an affiliate, it’s a guarantee that the league will assist D-League teams in finding quality coaches to develop a talent pool that helps fill NBA rosters.  Erie and Reno, Nev., which both were awarded expansion franchises in the past month, will get their first crop of players out of an expansion draft.  Widner expects the 14 existing D-League teams each will get to protect seven or eight players from their season-ending roster.

Ron Sertz, president of Erie’s still-unnamed D-League franchise, will be all ears when making the decision on whom to hire as the team’s first coach.

“The hiring of the coach in this organization and for this team will be something that’s done by a consensus,” said Sertz, former director of operations for the Erie Otters. “You always listen to the experts.”

Sertz also said he wasn’t going to hire a coach without talking to Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry or Cavaliers president Len Komoroski.

Source: GoErie.Com

LeBron James to play lawyer in latest commercial

LeBron James filmed a TV commercial on Tuesday for VitaminWater in which he plays the role of a defense attorney trying to win a case.  Early in his pro career, James signed an endorsement deal with Coca-Cola, which purchased Glaceau, maker of VitaminWater, last year for $4.1 billion.
James has always felt comfortable in front of the camera.  He sipped ”Energy” one of VitaminWater’s 15 flavors for each take before smoothly hitting his marks during the taping.
After arriving on the set and being touched up by his personal stylist, James greeted the commercial’s crew and extras, who had been rehearsing most of the day while waiting for the NBA’s leading scorer.
”What’s up, judge?” James said, flashing a thumbs-up to the black robed extra.
”What’s up, cop?” he said to the bailiff.
About a half hour before James arrived, a member of the production crew picked up a bullhorn to remind those on the set not to ask for the 23-year-old’s autograph.

Source: CBS4.Com

Daniel Gibson Ready For Action

Daniel Gibson thinks he is ready to play tonight against the Hornets. He has been doing drills up and down the floor to test his left ankle which he injured back in Feb. 20th.

“I competed in every drill up and down the floor. It felt good. So if you ask me, I’ll tell them that I’m ready to play.”

“I wasn’t hesitant today. I made a couple of shots, played some good defense and was still having fun,” he said. ”It’s 10 levels past anxious. I’m just looking forward to it just being able to play basketball”

It’s up to the coach Mike Brown to make that decision and how he will uses him remain unknown.

“He practiced today for the first time in a while and he didn’t come out, so I think he did everything all the contact stuff, obviously all of the noncontact stuff,” Brown said.

Gibson hasn’t played with the new guys since the trade.

“Today was a lot of fun. I know how LeBron felt when we got those guys,” Gibson said. “That new burst of energy and life. That’s the way I felt today being able to play with those guys today for the first time.”