Heading into tonight’s game, the word was that our four new acquisitions would be unable to play at all. Wallace, West, and Smith arrived in Cleveland around 4pm, and Szcerbiak would get here after 8pm. None of them would have the time to even complete their required physical, let alone learn any of the playbook.
So with six warm bodies (and two pickups from the Developmental League), we were in trouble.
Not so fast.
LeBron James had 33 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists (barely shy of a third-straight triple double), and Damon Jones had 27 points to lead the Cavaliers to a 90-89 win over Washington. Even Devin Brown had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. And to top it off, Billy Thomas scored 9 points within a few hours of signing a 10-day contract.. Yeah, I know. WTF?
With Wallace, Szcerbiak, West and Smith watching from GM Danny Ferry’s loge, the arena was buzzing all night long. Fans were anxious to see the new-look Cavaliers, and the players were clearly fired up for the new arrivals.
When the final horn sounded, Damon Jones climbed on top of the scorer’s table and emphatically pointed to his four new teammates in celebration. You can feel the excitement these guys have for the new era. I swear, I haven’t seen this much anticipation since the arrival of King James. The players are showing excitement that I have not seen in a LONG time (well, except for beating the Pistons last year).
This is a team that KNOWS they have the talent to go far in the playoffs, and now they KNOW they are the scariest team in the East. An inside enforcer, a 45% 3-point shooter, two more experienced guards who average double-digits…and you are adding that to a team that just won playing 8 warm bodies.
Scary-good.
And now they’re energized for the stretch run.
Oh, and by the way…did I mention that we get Anderson Varejao back on Sunday.
Scary-good.
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