Cavaliers soften up Raptors for Warriors

That was evident when the team lost to the Indiana Pacers by a score of 103-93 on Wednesday, as reported by ESPN.

And those were some of the nicer words he chose.

“There’s going to be calls throughout the game that could have gone this way, could have gone that way”, James said.

He sat out – for the goal of rest.

“We’re starting to trust each other”, said Paul George regarding his team’s newfound defensive effort. That there’s an asterisk next to that because of James’ absence hardly matters to IN, who will gladly take the gift given to them. Good on the National Basketball Association for getting out in front of this (hey Rodger Goodell, this is how it’s done).

Cavaliers: Coach Tyronn Lue is hopeful J.R. Smith can return for Wednesday’s game at Indiana. Still, Cleveland was competitive throughout the game, unlike some other games in which James wasn’t available.

And the fans, even those rooting for the Pacers, wept. “Tonight, the key was simply to take care of business, even it LeBron is not in uniform”. Frye’s a role player, a very good one, who camps behind the 3-point line, makes bigger defenders uncomfortable being on the perimeter and bludgeons teams with catch-and-shoot triples.James dribbles, draws the defense and forces opponents to “pick their poison”. “They played hard and competed and that’s all you can ask for”. The goal of the policy will be to get players help, but the punishments – suspensions – will be known and feel less random.

The Cavaliers’ only other visit to Indianapolis this season is February 8, so the question is: Should fans spend hundreds of dollars ahead of time to ensure they have tickets to a game James may not play in?

It is the stars the fans come to see, and some stars did indeed deliver.

The Cavs were able to extend their NBA-record string of double-digit 3-point performances by ending the night with 11, led by Kevin Love’s four and two apiece from Channing Frye and Jordan McRae. The Cavs did close the gap to just 5 by halftime but the Pacers tightened their grip in the third and never relinquished the lead.

But those guys aren’t LeBron. Less than 24 hours later, and Cleveland made a decision to rest their star instead of having him play on a back-to-back, much to the dismay of the high-paying fans in attendance. Who’s to say it’s made it better? “I am overwhelmed by the incredible generosity LeBron James has shown”, Ali’s wife Lonnie said in a statement. However, Toronto came up short against Cleveland just as it did in last year’s playoffs. “When you’re on a winning and championship club like this, I just adjust and just do whatever is needed”.

“Well, it doesn’t change what we do”, McMillan said. In their last match against Orlando team, Pacers defeated them by (88-69). “You might rest some guys, but not this early in the season”. Turner benefits greatly when he does not have to be the focal point on offense.

“It’s always a priority for me”, Lowry said. “We flew commercial. It’s a whole different game now”.