Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgausksas became the team’s all-time leader in games played when he entered tonight’s game at the 3:50 mark of the first quarter. It marks Z’s 724th career game, surpassing Cavs GM Danny Ferry (723 games).
All Time Leader Games Played
| dcass | 
December 2, 2009 9:37 pm | 
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LeBron James criticizes coach Mike Brown’s failure to play Zydrunas Ilgauskas in record-setting game Saturday
By Mary Schmitt Boyer, The Plain Dealer
November 30, 2009, 2:40PM
Joshua Gunter, The Plain Dealer
via cleveland.com
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — LeBron James criticized Cavaliers coach Mike Brown today for his failure to insert Zydrunas Ilgauskas into Saturday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks, which would have given Ilgauskas the Cavaliers record in games played at 724.
Speaking after a rousing game of touch football following today’s practice, James said:
“Me personally, I definitely thought he should have played. I’m not trying to stir up anything with coach or the organization. I
1 DNP CD - on his big daydon’t know who made the call. But sometimes one game is a smaller thing. What was on the line the day before yesterday was way bigger than us playing the Mavericks, and that was Z breaking the record to become the franchise leader in games played.
I stand behind Z and whatever Z feels at this point in time, I definitely — if I was in control of it — would have put him in, probably would have started him. You could have easily started him and subbed him right out and had the standing ovation from the fans with a timeout. If you didn’t want to play him, there were a lot of ways for that accomplishment to be accomplished.
It’s a sensitive subject. I’m not one to raise havoc or raise fire into the locker room or our team. But, for me, I speak the truth. I stand behind Z and I feel like Z not playing wasn’t the right thing. As a friend of his, I was very upset, and I know he was also.”
Ilgauskas, who worked on his shot while most of the rest of his teammates took part in the football game, declined an invitation to speak to the media, the first time reporters remember that happening. Saturday’s game might have been the first time in his career he did not play in a game based on a coach’s decision, although that cannot be verified.
He was the first person to head to the locker room after Saturday’s game and the first person to leave the locker room, also two rarities. He reportedly was devastated by the decision, in part because he had a contingent of family and friends at the game to help him celebrate.
It has been a difficult season for the 33-year-old center, who is coming off the bench for the first time in his career, backing up Shaquille O’Neal.
Tags: Accolades, LeBron, Plain Dealer, Press, Z
| dcass | November 30, 2009 5:38 pm | Comments (2)
I Dunk on Your Face
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, for games played Monday, Nov. 16, through Sunday, Nov. 22.
James averaged a league-best 34.3 points on .583 shooting from the field, 5.8 rebounds and a team-high 9.3 assists, leading the Cavaliers to a 3-1 week. James was the only Eastern Conference player to score 30 or more points in each of his games and recorded his first 40-point game of the season in a 105-95 win over Indiana on Nov. 20.
Here is a recap of the week for James:
Nov. 17 vs. Golden State: Posted 31 points, five rebounds and 12 assists in a 114-108 win over the Warriors.
Nov. 18 @ Washington: Scored 34 points to go along with two rebounds, nine assists and two steals in a 108-91 loss to the Wizards.
Nov. 20 @ Indiana: Poured in 40 points and added nine rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal in a 105-95 win over the Pacers.
Nov. 21 vs. Philadelphia: Tallied 32 points, seven rebounds and nine assists in a 97-91 win over the Sixers.
We keep track of this stuff here.
| dcass | November 23, 2009 4:45 pm | Comments (0)
Just a reminder, that with all the hubbub of Shaq and Delonte and JJ starting to play well that we may have overlooked a major milestone coming up in just one week.
On Nov 27th, big Z will tie former player and current GM Danny Ferry with 723 games played and on Nov 28th he will have played in more games than any Cavalier EVER.
Pretty big deal.
Old Man Z (as a young man)
| dcass | November 19, 2009 2:00 pm | Comments (1)
By Henry Abbott (via ESPN.com)
High Regards
NBA Commissioner David Stern will be on The $ports Take with Rick Horrow (on Versus) on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Stern was asked about LeBron James, and this is some of what he had to say:
He may be the best player ever to have played. Michael might dispute that, but he has a lot of canvas yet on which to paint. I have no doubt the picture is going to be beautiful.
You know, he hasn’t won anything yet but he may be the best player ever to descend to this planet. It’s a delight to watch him; it’s a delight to watch him grow, to see his width and breadth, in terms of his interest and capacities. He’s a great kid and a great player.
| dcass | October 22, 2009 4:57 pm | Comments (1)
James a unanimous pick for All-NBA First Team
NEW YORK — LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 2008-09 Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, was a unanimous selection to the 2008-09 All-NBA First Team, the NBA announced today. Joining James on the First Team are Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat.
James, who earns First Team honors for the second straight season, ranked second in the NBA in scoring (28.4 ppg), eighth in steals (1.69 spg) and 10th in assists (7.2 apg) to go along with averages of 7.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. James guided the Cavaliers to a franchise-best 66-16 record overall and a 39-2 mark at home, both tops in the league. James was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month four times (November, January, March, April), tying Kevin Garnett (2003-04) as the only players to receive the award four times in one season since the NBA began voting for Eastern and Western Conference Player of the Month separately.
2008-09 ALL-NBA TEAMS
• Official release | Past All-NBA teams
• SCHUHMANN: All-NBA team’s golden quality
• PHOTOS: First Team | Second Team | Third Team
ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Kobe Bryant | Dwyane Wade | LeBron James |
Dirk Nowitzki | Dwight Howard
FIRST TEAM SEASON MOMENTS
* Kobe Bryant: Kobe’s 61 at Madison Square
* Dwyane Wade: One-footed 3-pointer sinks Bulls
* LeBron James: LeBron’s near triple-double in NYC
* Dirk Nowitzki: Nowitzki drops 46 points on Thunder
* Dwight Howard: Howard misses 30-20 triple-double
Bryant, the 2007-08 Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors, finished third in the league in scoring (26.8 ppg), while averaging 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists. Bryant led the Lakers to a Western Conference-best 65-17 record. Bryant earns his fourth straight First Team selection and seventh overall. Among active players, only Tim Duncan (nine) and Shaquille O’Neal (eight) have more First Team selections.
Howard, an All-NBA First Team selection for the second consecutive season, led the NBA in rebounding (13.8 rpg) and blocks (2.9 bpg), becoming only the fourth player to pace the league in both categories since 1973-74, the first season where blocks were kept as an official statistic. Howard led the Magic in scoring (20.6 ppg), while shooting .572 from the field. His 63 double-doubles ranked second in the league (David Lee, New York, 65).
Earning his fourth First Team selection, Nowitzki was the league’s fourth-leading scorer (25.9 ppg), while also averaging 8.4 rebounds. His .890 free throw percentage ranked seventh overall. Nowitzki finished the season by scoring at least 20 points in 25 straight games, the longest such streak in the NBA this season.
Wade earns his first All-NBA First Team selection after ranking first in scoring (30.2 ppg), second in steals (1.7 spg) and eighth in assists (6.7 apg). He also averaged 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Wade became only the fifth player in league history to reach 2,000 points, 500 assists, and 150 steals in a single season, as well as the only player under 6-foot, 4-inches to register 100 blocks since they became an official stat in the 1973-74 season.
The All-NBA Second Team consists of New Orleans’ Chris Paul and Portland’s Brandon Roy at guard, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and Boston’s Paul Pierce at forward, and Houston’s Yao Ming at center.
The All-NBA Third Team includes Denver’s Chauncey Billups and San Antonio’s Tony Parker at guard, Denver’s Carmelo Anthony and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Paul Gasol at forward, and Phoenix’s Shaquille O’Neal at center.
The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.
| dcass | May 13, 2009 5:13 pm | Comments (0)
So Now that we have some banners hanging up in the rafters, I thought it would be appropriate to represent them on the site. They now shine proudly on the awards page.
Tags: Accolades, Site Update
| dcass | May 5, 2009 2:21 pm | Comments (0)
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers is the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2008-09 NBA Most Valuable Player presented by Kia Motors. James totaled 1,172 points including 109 first place votes, from a panel of 121 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for third, three for fourth and one for each fifth-place vote received.
Rounding out the top five in voting for this season’s award are the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (698 points), Miami’s Dwyane Wade (680), Orlando’s Dwight Howard (328) and New Orleans’ Chris Paul (192).
As part of its support of the Most Valuable Player Award, Kia Motors America will donate either a new Borrego SUV or Sedona minivan on behalf of James to The Urban League of Akron. Kia Motors is presenting a brand new vehicle to the charity of choice of each of four 2008-09 season-end award winners as part of the “The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors.”
James, the first Cavalier to win the award, led Cleveland in scoring (28.4 ppg, second in the NBA), rebounds (7.6 rpg), assists (7.2 apg, fourth), and steals (1.7 spg, eighth). Since the 1973-74 season when steals became an official stat, James is the fourth player to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals, while also leading his team to 50-plus wins (Larry Bird 1985-86; Grant Hill, 1996-97; Kevin Garnett, 2002-03). The 6-8 forward helped Cleveland to an NBA- and franchise-best 66-16 season, a 21-game improvement over last season (45-37), marking the 12th time an NBA team has reached 66 wins in a season.
James led the league in triple-doubles (seven) and became the 12th player in NBA history to record three-consecutive triple-doubles (March 7, 10, 12). In his sixth season, James became the ninth player in NBA history to have at least five consecutive 2,000 point seasons.
Since the NBA began voting on the Eastern and Western Conference Player of the Month separately in 2001-02, James is just the second player to receive the award four times in one season (Kevin Garnett, 2003-04). James was voted the Eastern Conference Player of the Month in November, January, March and April. James was also named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week seven times (Nov. 10, 17; Dec. 29; Jan. 26; Feb. 9; March 16, 23).
The NBA MVP trophy is named in honor of the late Maurice Podoloff, the first commissioner of the NBA who served from 1946 until his retirement in 1963.
The 2008-09 NBA Most Valuable Player Award presented by Kia Motors is part of a series of on-court performance awards called “The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors.” The awards, which are part of a multi-year marketing partnership that makes Kia Motors America the official automotive partner of the NBA, also include the Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Sixth Man Awards. The series also includes the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month presented by Kia Motors. For more information on the “The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors”
Link to the article here
We keep track of this sort of stuff here.
Congrats LeBron!!!
| dcass | 12:50 pm | Comments (0)
LeBron James was named today as the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Month presented by KIA for games played in the month of March.
In 17 games during the month, James averaged 28.2 points on .472 shooting, 8.9 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game. James has now won the award for the 10th time in his career: for the third time this season (November, January); two times during 2007-08, once in 2006-07, twice in 2005-06 and twice during the 2004-05 campaign.
During March, James ranked first in triple-doubles (4), free throws made (129) and free throws attempted (170) and tied for first in double-doubles (12). He also ranked second in points per game (28.2) and field goals made (159), third in assists (8.4), tied for fifth in three-pointers made (32), sixth in steals (1.8), seventh in rebounds (8.9) and ranked 13th in blocks (1.3) among Eastern Conference players. He finished with 479 points, 152 rebounds and 143 assists during the month; the only other player in NBA history to reach each of those totals in one month is Oscar Robertson, who did it eight separate months, most recently in January 1965. James led the team to a 16-1 record during the month, helping Cleveland to its best month in franchise history and tying the league record for wins in a month. James also won Eastern Conference Player of the Week twice during the month (for the week ending March 15th and March 22nd).
James recorded four triple-doubles during the month (March 7th vs. Miami, March 10th at LA Clippers, March 12th at Phoenix and March 19th vs. Portland). On March 7th, James achieved his first triple-double of the month with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. At the LA Clippers on March 10th, he finished with 32 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists and tallied two blocks and two steals. Against Phoenix, for his third triple-double of the month, James scored 34 points to go along with 10 rebounds, 13 assists and had three blocks and three steals becoming the 12th player in NBA history to have three consecutive triple-doubles. On March 19th versus the Trail Blazers, he scored a game-high 26 points and added 11 rebounds and 10 assists to record his league leading seventh triple-double of the season.
In an overtime win against the Sacramento Kings on March 13th, he led the Cavs with 51 points, nine assists, three blocks and two steals to clinch the Central Division for the second time in franchise history. This marked his eighth career game of 50 plus points and third time this season (leads the NBA).
At Quicken Loans Arena, James posted 22 points and added eight rebounds and 11 assists, versus New Jersey on March 25th. With his first points of the night he became the second player in league history to post four seasons of 2,000 or more points, 500 or more rebounds and 500 assists in a season (Oscar Robertson-six seasons) and the ninth player in NBA history to have at least five consecutive 2,000 point seasons.
James finished with 43 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, four steals and one block to record his 22nd double-double of the season versus the Magic on March 17th. The only other player to record those numbers in a game is Larry Bird in 1992 for the Celtics when he had 49 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals.
Full article here
We keep track of this here
| dcass | April 3, 2009 7:42 pm | Comments (0)
With their win against the Nets on the 25th of March the Cavs got their 58th win of the season. This already makes them the winningest team in franchise history and there are still 10 games left.
Go Cavs and congrats!
| dcass | March 25, 2009 10:21 pm | Comments (0)