NBA Central: Cavs making life miserable on visitors
Sports Network | November 28, 2008
(Sports Network) - The place which Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James calls home, at least until 2010, has been a house of horrors for opponents.
James has helped the Cavs to an 8-0 record at Quicken Loans Arena, marking the third-best home start in team history. The Cavaliers started 9-0 at home in both 1991-92 and 1976-77, and are just one of two teams in the NBA undefeated at home this season (Portland, 6-0).
Through the first eight home games of the 2008-09 season, Cleveland is averaging 106.9 points per contest and is shooting .511 from the floor. The Cavaliers are also holding opponents to 92.8 points per game.
Cleveland, which is currently tops in the Eastern Conference and fourth in the NBA in field goal shooting, has won three in a row overall and 11 of its last 12 games to improve to 12-3 this season. The Central Division-leading Cavs will wrap up a short two-game homestand Friday versus Golden State.
The Cavs are currently in the midst of playing five of seven games at home. Their bench has been a huge help this season, averaging 30.6 points per game and shooting .477 from the field.
James leads the NBA in scoring with 27.9 points per game.
INJURIES DE-RAIL BUCKS
Take Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson away from Orlando and the Magic will struggle dramatically. Do the same to Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets and see what happens.
Unfortunately for Milwaukee (7-10), injuries have forced center Andrew Bogut and guard Michael Redd to the bench and the Bucks are paying the price for it. Bogut is hobbled with a bruised knee and is expected to miss at least another week of action, while Redd has been out since November 2 because of a severe ankle injury.
Bogut, the former No. 1 pick in 2005, is averaging 11.4 points and 10.9 rebounds in 31 minutes this season. Redd is posting 21.2 points and 1.8 assists per contest.
Forward Luc Mbah a Moute has picked up the rebounding slack with 42 boards in his last five games. Reserve big man Charlie Villanueva is averaging 17.8 points in his last four games, while Richard Jefferson is enjoying his first season in Milwaukee with 18.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
The Bucks, who are last in the Central standings, have dropped two in a row, five of seven and eight of their last 12 games. They are 1-2 on a four-game road trip, which concludes Friday night against the Detroit Pistons.
PACERS NEED SOME CONSISTENCY
Pacers head coach Jim O'Brien has enjoyed success throughout his career and is trying to leave a lasting impression in Indiana.
O'Brien guided the Pacers to a 36-46 mark in his first year at the helm in 2007-08, and has his club off to a 6-8 start this season. Led by forwards Danny Granger and Troy Murphy and guard T.J. Ford, Indiana is aiming for just its second winning streak of the season Friday night versus Charlotte.
The Pacers ended a three-game losing streak and won for just the second time in seven tries following Wednesday's nail-biting 91-90 victory over the Houston Rockets in the finale of a three-game trip from the Toyota Center. Indiana is now trying to string together back-to-back wins for the first time since winning three in a row from November 8 - 12.
Indiana blew a lead in all three losses before Granger tipped in his own miss with 13 seconds left against the Rockets. Granger leads the team in points (23.2), blocks (1.9) and steals (1.0), as the Pacers relied on the former University of New Mexico star to erase a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Charlotte will pay a visit to Conseco Fieldhouse on Friday, where the Pacers sport a 4-3 mark in 2008-09.
LOSING IS NO CIRCUS FOR BULLS
The Chicago Bulls are set to wrap up another unsuccessful 'circus' road trip with a showdown at Philadelphia set for Sunday at the Wachovia Center.
Chicago (7-9) is 2-4 so far on the trek and 2-7 overall as the visitor this season. The road trip was certainly tough sledding for the Bulls, who faced off with the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs. Portland and Golden State were also opponents on the swing.
It's no surprise the Bulls have been struggling this season under new head coach Vinny Del Negro. Del Negro is working with a young team and has talented rookie point guard Derrick Rose to get the trend started. Rose leads the Bulls with 5.8 assists and a 48.4 field goal percentage, while sitting second in the NBA in scoring among rookies (18.4 ppg).
Ben Gordon leads Chicago with 20.4 points per game and an 88.6 free throw percentage. Larry Hughes has played the last eight games, five of which were starts, after missing the first eight, and is averaging 11.8 points and 3.0 boards per outing. Del Negro can use the talent and experience a healthy Hughes has to offer.
The Bulls have a nice break before visiting the City of Brotherly Love to close out the swing.
"We'll get a little rest for the guys, enjoy Thanksgiving and have a good practice Friday and, hopefully, Saturday and go over to Philly," Del Negro said. "We're still trying to figure things out. There's a lot of things we have to improve on. We know that. If we put in the effort every day hopefully, eventually, the results will come in our favor."
IVERSON ALREADY MAKING BAD HEADLINES
Many thought he was over this kind of behavior and tom foolery, but it didn't take long for star Allen Iverson to spark up controversy in his new digs. Iverson may not play at all Friday when the host Detroit Pistons take on the Milwaukee Bucks at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Iverson was fined for not showing up to Pistons practice on Thanksgiving and will not start against the Bucks. According to head coach Michael Curry, who scheduled the practice in order for the team to get more acquainted with the former first-round pick, Iverson is questionable and may not play at all.
The Pistons (9-5) have split 10 games since acquiring Iverson from the Denver Nuggets earlier this month while the future Hall of Fame guard is averaging 18.5 points and 5.4 assists during his stint with Detroit. The Pistons ended a two-game slide and improved to 1-1 on a four-game homestand and 4-2 as the host with Wednesday's 110-96 victory over the New York Knicks.
In other team news for Detroit, forward Antonio McDyess may return to the team next month. McDyess was a piece of the trade that landed Iverson from Denver and the Nuggets later released the former Alabama star. The Pistons could McDyess to improve on the inside and rebounding.
While Chauncey Billups runs the point in Denver, Rodney Stuckey has been seeing more time on the floor in Motown. Detroit is 2-0 when Stuckey starts and the Eastern Washington product is averaging 8.2 points and 3.5 assists. He dished out a career-high 11 assists in the win over New York. Forward Jason Maxiell is averaging 10.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in his last three games.
