NBA.com reports: They knew what was coming, but weren’t even close to stopping it. With the Cavs down by one and 4.9 ticks left, Cleveland sent its inbounds pass to LeBron James, who demonstrated why he is truly the king of the clutch. James blasted past the defending Brandon Roy, seeped through LaMarcus Aldridge and went around the extended arms of Travis Outlaw to drain a game-winning last-second layup to give the Cavs a thrilling road triumph over the Blazers. It was the finishing touch to a 17-point fourth quarter for the King, who brought the Cavs back from an 11-point final-period deficit. “We stepped up too late,” Roy said of Portland’s defense on LeBron’s final drive. “Once he got to into the paint we didn’t want to foul him so a couple of guys shied away. We’ve got to force him into a jump shot in that situation.” Cleveland has now won five straight games on the road, its longest streak since April 1998.
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Anderson Varejao out 3-4 weeks
The latest Varejao injury update, this time with a timeline:
Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao arrived back in Cleveland from the Cavaliers’ current road trip west Tuesday evening and was evaluated at Cleveland Clinic Courts by head team physician Dr. Richard Parker. He has a left ankle sprain (inversion sprain) with bone bruises, which he experienced during the third quarter of the Cavaliers/Lakers game in LA on Sunday afternoon. He will remain in Cleveland to continue his rehabilitation process and is currently estimated to be out 3 to 4 weeks.
Anderson Varejao ankle update
This is official information as of 6:20 p.m. ET:
Cavaliers forward/center Anderson Varejao experienced a left ankle sprain during the third quarter of the Cavaliers game vs. the Lakers in LA, Sunday afternoon. X-rays taken at the arena were negative. He received an MRI today in LA, the results of which showed no additional injury beyond the sprain. He will continue to receive treatments in LA today and travel to Cleveland tomorrow morning. He will be evaluated at The Cleveland Clinic tomorrow night and his status will be updated after that. No timeline has been established for his return to the court at this point.
LeBron or Kobe for one game
If I had to choose between LeBron James or Kobe Bryant for one game, it would probably come down to who their teammates are. LeBron looks to create for others a bit more, Kobe looks to take over the game himself. But both players are perfectly good at everything on offense. If a dude is open, Kobe can nail him. And LeBron can completely dominate all on his own, teammates or no teammates. Still, if I had to pick one or the other for one game, I’d probably still go with Kobe.
Anderson Varejao sprains left ankle
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao left today’s game versus the Los Angeles Lakers with 3:12 remaining in the third quarter with a Left Ankle Sprain. X-rays taken at the Staples Center were negative. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow in LA and his status will be updated after that.
With Sasha Pavlovic’s recent injury, the last thing Cleveland needs is Varejao being hurt as well.
Sasha Pavlovic may be out 2 months
The start of the Cavaliers season was a mess due to injuries and unsigned players. Now, one of the two key guys who rejoined the team after the season had already started may be gone for a while. The AP reports:
Cavaliers guard Sasha Pavlovic could miss up to two months because of a sprained left foot, a blow to the defending Eastern Conference champions, who are playing their best ball this season. Pavlovic got hurt during the third quarter of Wednesday night’s win over Washington.
The Cavs have played great basketball over the last month. This hurts their flow.
Wizards-Cavaliers roster connections
Cavaliers guard Larry Hughes appeared in 189 games for the Wizards from 2002-05… Wizards guard Antonio Daniels and Cavs forward Ira Newble were teammates in San Antonio in 2000-01… Daniels attended high school at nearby Saint Francis DeSales in Columbus, OH… Wizards center Brendan Haywood was originally drafted by Cleveland with the 20th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft… Wizards assistant Phil Hubbard averaged 10.6 points per game as a player with the Cavaliers from 1981-89… Wizards Head Coach Eddie Jordan was drafted by Cleveland 33rd overall in the second round of the 1977 NBA Draft.
Cavs extend Mike Brown’s contract
The Cleveland Cavaliers today extended Head Coach Mike Brown’s contract. The announcement was made today by Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry. The Associated Press reports that the deal is a two-year contract extension lasting through the 2010-11 season.
Brown is the winningest head coach in Cavaliers history with a .592 winning percentage (119-82). Brown has also won more playoff games (19) than any coach in Cavaliers history. The Cavaliers won their first Eastern Conference Championship last season and became one of only five teams to win at least 50 games in the last two seasons (Dallas, Detroit, Phoenix, and San Antonio).
“Mike Brown brings his high character, work ethic and talent as a coach with him to work every single day. He has been, and will continue to be, important to our continued growth as a basketball team as we work towards a championship,” said Ferry.
Brown became the 17th Cavaliers Head Coach on June 2, 2005 and became the first Cavaliers head coach to win a playoff series in their first season. Brown came to the Cavaliers after serving as the associate head coach of the Indiana Pacers for two seasons and as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs for three seasons, including the Spurs 2003 World Championship season.
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Cavs assign Shannon Brown to D-League
The Cleveland Cavaliers have assigned Shannon Brown to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today. Brown is the 24th NBA assignment to a D-League affiliate this season.
The 6-4, 211-pound guard has appeared in 12 games for the Cavaliers this season, including four starts. Brown is averaging 7.9 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 16.4 minutes for the Cavaliers this season. This is the second stint in the D-League for the second-year pro. Brown was assigned to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds on March 2, 2006. He played in one game, posting 14 points, four rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes. He was recalled on March 3, 2006.
The Maywood, Ill. native was selected in the first round (25th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He appeared in 23 games (five starts) as a rookie and averaged 3.2 points in 8.8 minutes per game.
A product of Michigan State University, Brown averaged 12.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in three seasons for the Spartans. In his final season at MSU, Brown was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and the All-Big Ten Defensive Team after averaging 17.2 points and 4.4 rebounds.
Cavs recall Cedric Simmons from D-League
The Cleveland Cavaliers have recalled forward Cedric Simmons from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today.
Simmons was assigned to Rio Grande Valley on Jan. 2 and played in three games for the Vipers. He averaged 9.3 points on .450 shooting, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks in 28.7 minutes per game. Against the Austin Toros on Jan. 5, Simmons scored 13 points, grabbed three rebounds and blocked a game-high seven shots.
In four games for the Cavaliers this season, he has grabbed 11 rebounds in 43 minutes.