Mike Kahn of FOXSports.COM tells us what it really means: “The Cleveland Cavaliers were rolling along at 9-2, including a 6-0 mark at home for an average of nearly 21 points a game until Thanksgiving Day at Conseco Fieldhouse against the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers embarrassed them by 22 points; then two nights later, they lost at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
What this really means: The Cavs found out late last week that they’re not over the hump yet. Pacers forward Ron Artest got into LeBron James’ face and never left. James missed his first eight shots, and the rest of the team began launching from the perimeter instead of executing in the half court.
What James, Larry Hughes, Eric Snow and everyone else have to remember is that they re-signed 7-foot-3 center Zydrunas Ilgauskas because he’s that rare breed of scoring center. Instead of forcing jumpers and fast breaks when they’re not there, they should execute the half-court offense around the soft hands of Ilgauskas.
Young power forward Drew Gooden has improved a lot this year; so now that they’ve gotten off to the good start, it’s time for them to listen to new coach Mike Brown and focus on defense and executing when the early offense isn’t there. A three-game West Coast swing, beginning Friday night in Seattle, will be a good barometer of just how much they’ve grown up.”