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12/06/2008 0:55am
Cavaliers rout the Pacers
CLEVELAND - Everyone else wore the hairpieces that resembled the shaggy mane that flies when Anderson Varejao races down the court, but it was the Cavs forward that flipped his wig Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cavaliers rehashed the popular Varejao wig night for the game, giving the entire crowd new hairdos. Varejao apparently enjoyed having the support, because he teed off on the Indiana Pacers for 17 points in the first half, leading the Cavs to a 97-73 victory, their seventh consecutive and 15th out of 16.
This game wasn't just about Varejao's effort, however. The Cavaliers' defense effectively put the Pacers' top offensive threat, forward Danny Granger, in lockdown, holding him to four points on 2-of-7 shooting.
With Troy Murphy as the team's only other offensive option, the Pacers found the going tough against a Cavs defense that forced 16 turnovers, which led directly to 29 Cavalier points; blocked 10 shots; and had seven steals. The Cavs also held the Pacers to 40 percent shooting from the floor.
"For us, it comes down to who we are - a defensive team," coach Mike Brown said. "Our guys have that understanding. That's our foundation. You're not going to stop a guy like Danny Granger - one guy is not going to guard him by himself. It was a great team effort led by LeBron James, who was on him most of the night."
Indeed, on a night when James scored just 11 points, it didn't matter. The Cavs only needed him to pass the ball off, rebound and defend. He proved to be especially effective against Granger.
"It was all about defense and we have enough guys who can score," James said. "My initial thought tonight was to take what the defense gives, but at the same time, I'm going to key on Danny Granger and then just go from there."
James showed how he can affect a game even when he's not scoring. He had 11 assists in the win, but really electrified the crowd with a block on guard T.J. Ford from behind in the fourth quarter as the Pacers guard thought he was gliding in for an easy lay-up with 5:18 left. At one point, it looked as if the pressure got to Granger and the Pacers in general, as he gave James a hard foul, one that the Cavs forward thought might have been a bit out of line. It resulted in technical fouls on Granger, James, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Murphy.
It didn't look promising for the Cavaliers to open the game, even as they took a 13-4 lead. The Pacers soon raced back, going on a 10-0 run to take a 14- 13 lead at 4:11 in the first. The Cavs shot just 35 percent from the floor in the first quarter. It's not that they weren't getting the open looks. Their shots just weren't falling.
At times, it looked as if they were going for a quick knockout punch as they shot eight 3-pointers in the quarter and only hit one of them. They ended the quarter leading by the slimmest of margins - 21-20.
From that point on, it was clear that they needed a spark. It just came from the most unlikely and strangely appropriate source of the night: the guy whose hair looks as if he'd stuck his finger in an electrical outlet.
Varejao has enjoyed successful scoring nights before, most notably against the same Pacers in their first trip to Quicken Loans Arena, when he scored a career-best 18. But it was the way he did it Friday night - with jump shots ranging from 17 to 19 feet, hitting nothing but net. He had just four points in the fourth quarter, but scored 13 in the second.
"I thought Andy did a heck of a job for us, playing the right way," Brown said. "He set solid screens, then he spaced the floor correctly after setting those screens and when you do that, if you're on this team, you're going to get some great looks. He turned those great looks into made baskets."
By the time the second quarter ended, the Cavs began to show that flash of offense that allowed them to gain separation against teams in previous games. Up by five at 5:32 in the second quarter, an 8-0 run put them up by 13 with 3:06 left in the half. At halftime, they walked into the locker room leading 52-38. Six Cavs players hit double figures, with Varejao, Ilgauskas and Mo Williams leading the way with 17 points each.
Murphy led the Pacers with 15.
The Cavaliers will put their seven-game winning streak on the line tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats in North Carolina.
20081206 005501
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(c) 2008, Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio). Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.
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