Hey everyone back in Cleveland! It's AC - what is happening? 

The Cavaliers started the second half in style - getting a nice win over the Raptors on Wednesday night. We were playing like our old selves. We rebounded the ball well; we did a good job of controlling the game.

I think the only category we lost was fast break points. But it really was an up and down game and we only lost that by four or five points, so that's not too bad. And everything else - the rebounding, the points in the paint, the second-chance points - we were able to get back to controlling those parts of the game, and it played a big factor in winning the game.

You can see the Cavs getting back to playing like they were before the injuries hit. They started by establishing Z down low, which was something they knew they'd have to do against Toronto. They went away from it for a while, and then Coach Brown got them back into focusing down low. And you had Z passing out of double-teams, finding the open man for scores. Once they established that, it opened up the floor and they started working the pick-and-pop with Z.

So basically, everyone played off of Z last night.

It's been said that the Cavs were a team in need of the All-Star Break. If they play like that again tomorrow night, I would say that's true. Because going into Milwaukee is going to be tough. They've won three of their last four. Jefferson's playing well, Villanueva is playing well, Sessions is playing well. If the Cavaliers play well tomorrow, then I would say that they needed the Break - because the energy level is back.

In those last three quarters in Toronto, they looked like the old Cavs - and it was good to see. So maybe they needed that Break to catch their breath and regroup.

Right now, the biggest thing swirling around is the Trade Deadline. As a former player, I can tell you that it can be a distraction. All players will tell you that it's not. But it is.

The Deadline does have an effect on you - especially players who are established, players who have homes in the area. It has an effect on everyone. Even a player like LeBron, who knows he's not going anywhere; he has friendships that he's developed on the team and this team has become very close.

So it does have some effect, but I wouldn't say it has a large one on a team like ours. But teams that aren't doing as well - the Bulls and teams like that - it has a huge effect on. You're like playing on eggshells and you're constantly looking over your shoulder.

One player that has no worries about the Deadline is Delonte West, who the Cavaliers could get back as early as this week. Getting him back is HUGE, because now they are back to themselves.

Delonte brings a certain toughness and consistency to the team that will make Cleveland even more dangerous and harder to deal with. As a team that has been as successful as the Cavs have been, you always want to get back to that situation when you were "whole" - with everyone on the floor together. Now, you have that feeling - not of invincibility - but that feeling that you have the opportunity to win every ballgame you play. And sometimes that knowledge, that confidence is enough to get you over the hump. 

The guys have great respect for each other, and Delonte commands so much love and respect and they know what he brings to the team. And they're looking forward to having their team 100% healthy and back, ready for the run.

It's a perfect time to get Delonte back, too. This is an important part of the year - we're right at the end of the "dog days."

When February is over, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. You get a certain energy boost from that. Sometimes in February, you can't see the beginning or the end of the season. You don't go through the motions, but you also feel like there's no end to it.

You want to get as many road wins as possible right here, because teams are beginning to have trouble and will start falling off the radar. That's where you want to jump them. If they can get through this little stretch here in February, and get into March with a decent situation, then they'll really be able to make a great run to close the season. 

And from there, it's anybody's game!

Hey everyone! It's AC, checking in - what's happening?

The big news right now is Mo Williams getting left off the All-Star Team, with David Stern picking Ray Allen.

I know the Cavs are going to use it as a motivational tool - which they should - because it was a slap in the face, as LeBron said.

I mean, there was always talk about the Cavaliers needing a point guard, needing a point guard, needing a point guard. And our record completely changes - (we won 45 games last year and we could have as much as 42 by the All-Star Break) - and the biggest change has been Mo. Naturally, LeBron has taken his game to another level, but the biggest difference has been Mo Williams.

Everything fit in the Cavaliers' universe when we got Mo, and he's been better than advertised. So I don't understand why they don't give him credit for that. Especially the coaches. I can see the fans not voting him in, because - in terms of All-Star voting - you know that they don't know what they're doing. They put Iverson in there and he really doesn't deserve to be starting on that team. You could almost say the same thing about Garnett.

The fans vote them in because it's a popularity contest. But the coaches know the value of Mo on this team. And to snub him like that, that doesn't sit well with me.

But again, it's Cleveland, and they did the same thing to us. We went through the Miracle year with no All-Stars. For a three-year period, we were one of the best teams in the league. And we rarely got any All-Star love.

If you listen to Mo and LeBron and the team talk about it, you can see that they've almost developed a bunker mentality: Us against the World. And that's what I see in this team, now. They're going out to prove that they have more than one All-Star on this team. But they're such a team-oriented bunch of guys that the sum of their parts is greater than one or two players. And I think that's what their true strength is.

Now that Zydrunas is back, everything in the universe fits now. And once Delonte comes back, the universe will be whole again. There won't be any black holes; there won't be anything missing.

Z has brought back the flow - it's opened up again. And every time the offense has a breakdown, they can fall back on the pick-and-pop with Z. Because they know that the opponent's big man doesn't want to go out there and guard Z. When he does, that whole side of the floor opens up.

The Cavaliers have learned to get the pick-and-pop back as a weapon. They were so good at that before Z got hurt. The offense would never bog down because they could always use him as a safety net. And when the offense wasn't functioning properly, you knew Z would come out and set that little pick and BOOM - everything opens up.

It's so important to have floor spacing - it creates so many opportunities, especially for LeBron and the guards trying to penetrate into the paint.

LeBron's performance the other night in New York was simply amazing. The stage manager who I sat next to during the broadcast at Madison Square Garden said LeBron alone is worth the price of admission. And this is a guy who's seen every game that's been played in, what they call the "Mecca of Basketball."

The difference between LeBron and Kobe is that Kobe got three assists and zero rebounds on the night he scored 61. LeBron played both ends of the floor. He's so well-rounded as a player and now that he's turned it up defensively, pound-for-pound, he's easily the best player in the league.

On Sunday, I don't think LeBron will start out on Kobe, but by the fourth quarter, they'll be going nose-to-nose. I'm anxious to see how we match up against the Lakers now that we have Z back - even though they're missing Bynum.

People talk about Kobe and the year he's having. But they sometimes forget about Gasol, who's been playing pretty well himself. He's a tough guard around that basket. But now he's going to have some trouble on his hands because he has to be conscious of Z. And that puts Ben at his natural position - the power forward spot.

Again, you have to keep Kobe under control. You can't let him just go haywire out there. He's going to get his points. Gasol's going to get his points. It's the other guys that you need to watch - you don't want them to go off, too.

The intensity is going to be palpable at The Q on Sunday afternoon - you'll be able to cut it with a knife. And I can't wait.

Hey, Cleveland! We just rolled in from the West Coast and it's good to be back. What's happening? 

The Cavaliers have to feel good about themselves after the way they closed out the four-game trip. Especially the way it started out.

I really thought that the Laker situation caught us by surprise, because I don't think we realized they were that big, because we didn't play against Bynum last season. And it's obvious Gasol has been getting in the weight room. They really attacked us differently than other teams have. They went at us with their bigs right away. Kobe even backed off to establish that. And we got into a scramble mode.

You could tell that the Cavs did not like being treated that way, because the next game in Portland, they were not going to have any of it. Ben, LeBron, Wally, Anderson - they behaved like someone had ticked them off. The Lakers challenged their manhood and they were not going to take it again on this trip. It was good to see them bounce back from a loss like that against another good team. They are actually, mentally in playoff form already.

The fact that the Cavaliers haven't lost two straight tells me where their mental focus is. They don't like to lose. And that's a good sign, and it's a tribute to Coach Brown's coaching style - because they don't get too down after a loss or too high after a win.

When you have two-fifths of your starting unit out, you can't win with just one or two guys. It has to be a total team effort. Just look at what Ben has done, what Anderson has done without the big man in the middle. Look at what Mo has done, what Sasha has done with Delonte out. Look at Tarence Kinsey coming in and giving us quality minutes. J.J. is stepping up his game. Wally has been tremendous - guarding guys six, seven inches taller than him.

It's just a great effort, seeing everyone contribute. And that all helps the camaraderie of the team, and everyone now feels that they have a piece of it. You come forth with a much stronger resolve to win, because everybody takes ownership.

I have a term that I got from Mark "Cobra" Cashman - our equipment manager - he says the Cavaliers are "battle tested" by having Delonte and Z out. That term is perfect. Because now, the Cavaliers are able to play two or three different ways against any team and any set of personnel. It just shows how deep they are.

Big Z's been out a while, but we mustn't forget how the flow will open up when he returns. That changes everything. Right now, they've learned to play in a congested area. Whatever kind of defense you play against them, they have confidence that they can beat you. When Z comes back, when Delonte comes back - you'll see how difficult it'll be to beat this team in a seven-game series.

Mo Williams showed me so much on this road trip. It's easy to get up at home, with the crowd behind you. When you're on the road and all you have are your teammates, that's where you separate the men from the boys. In the second half against the Warriors and the Jazz, he was awesome. The second half is money time - that's when it's time to win the game. And I would say he is an All-Star.

The Cavaliers are now able to win a game without LeBron having the ball in his hands the entire time. They've been doing that all year. When they went through their early season run, they proved they could do that. You're talking about the best basketball player in the world.

He's taking a little bit more of punishment now that we're somewhat depleted. But when you take the ball out of his hands and you get other guys involved - it frees him up. LeBron's not only the best player in the world with the ball, he's the best without the ball.

Now, teams can't play 1-on-5 with him. Now, he's able to run through the offense and, by the time he receives the ball, there's only one guy to beat. And there's not one guy on the planet who can stop him by himself.

The Cavs are now 8-2 against the West on the road. What that tells you is that they don't lose any focus away from home. They stay focused even in adverse situations. And that's something that all Championship teams have - they can win anywhere.

We still have some tough road games ahead of us - San Antonio, Houston - but the key is to play a good game. If you play a good, competitive game and get beat, that's life in professional basketball. As long as you put forth a good effort and do things the right way, you have to feel good about yourself. And so far, this team has had only one stinker and that was the Washington Wizards game.

The bigs had to step up on this trip because the rotation was different. What a lot of people don't understand is that when you're playing 10-15 minutes a game and that increases to 20-25 minutes a game, that puts a lot of pressure on your consistency level. Now, you're playing minutes that are vital to the win or loss. If a player can succeed with a heavier workload, that just builds your confidence.

But the Cavs can't live off one successful trip. They have a big week ahead of them - most notably against the Magic. It's a huge game because Orlando has stepped to the forefront of the Eastern Conference - they're rolling with the big boys now. The players and coaches will tell you that it's just another game, but you can bet that it'll have an extra edge to it.

We had a tough situation in L.A. on the road, now we just have to see if we can turn that around when we travel to Orlando.

Hey, everyone back in chilly Cleveland. It's AC again - what's happening? 

Wednesday night's win was one of the season's best. The Cavaliers simply do not lose two in a row, and that was the case in Portland. 

After the way they were treated by the Lakers, you could tell that the Cavs were not going to get beat up again inside - even though they were shorthanded. The win also gave them "the Yellow Brick Road" and what I mean by that is that they understand what intensity level and style of basketball they have to bring to beat good teams with the injuries that they have now.

And that's very important as a team. You have to have that understanding.

The Lakers' size really bothered the Cavaliers on Monday. And the Blazers were every bit as long as L.A. But the Cavaliers found a way to mitigate that size. Other than double-teaming when they got the ball in the post, they didn't allow Portland to receive the ball as close to the basket as they did against the Lakers. They pushed the Blazers out a little farther from the basket, so instead of turning around and being in business, the Blazers bigs had to turn and do something with the ball. That gave us time to double-team.

Mo was spectacular on Wednesday night. I think if he makes the All-Star team, you can point to Wednesday night's performance that did it.

On Wednesday, Ben and Anderson played like men inside. They were not going to take the whuppin' that they took against the Lakers. You could see they were not going to take the beating they took against the Lakers.

I believe much of this mental toughness, this mindset is directly attributable to Mike Brown, because it starts from the top. And they all believe - because they've had success - that defense is the reason for that success. They use that to hang their hat on. You can see, when they need stops, they work their tails off to get them. On Wednesday, it was as if they used "controlled chaos" to get those stops.

Once again, Ben was one of the huge reasons for the win. Some fans just look at numbers, but you can't understand Big Ben's contribution like that. People don't understand, that's why he won four Defensive Player of the Year awards - because he can guard a little man or a big man and still be equally effective. There aren't many guys who can do that.

The win over Portland gives the Cavaliers, mentally, the confidence that they can win without Delonte and Z. That's the first thing. Secondly, they understand what type of effort they need to win without those two. If they had lost on Wednesday, they'd still be searching. Now, they know what they have to do.

And I'd love to see them do it two more times before we land in Cleveland on Sunday morning.

Hey, everyone! It's A.C., here on the West Coast. What's happening? 

That was a tough loss in L.A. on Monday night. The effort was there, but the Cavaliers simply ran out of gas against a healthy Lakers club. Their frontcourt was a little strong for us - being undermanned. Having Z would have changed the whole dynamic of the game, along with Delonte in the backcourt. We were missing two-fifths of our starting unit, but we still represented ourselves well in the first half.

For the first time this season, injuries have really taken their toll on the Cavs. They've taken away from our nine-man rotation and that's all it is. We're still giving forth a good effort, playing good defense. But a big part of our rotation is missing and you're asking guys that normally don't play big minutes to play big, quality minutes. And it's changing the feel of the game for us. You have to make adjustments to it, but that's tough to do on the road.

To be successful on this trip, they need to keep the turnovers down. We gave up 27 points off turnovers against L.A., and that's usually what hurts you on the road. If we keep the turnovers down, we can execute well enough to get the job done. But we cannot give up that many points off turnovers.

We had three ballhandlers out there in Mo, Delonte and LeBron. Now you only have two. That changes everything because now you only have two guys who can beat opponents off the dribble instead of three. One of those three will always have the opportunity to break you down one-on-one. Now, they can double-team two guys and that's what the problem has been. Teams are double-teaming Mo and LeBron and forcing the other guys to beat them.

Those other guys are simply going to have to step up. I think that J.J.'s playing well. He played well on Monday. He's a quick learner and he's starting to learn the pro game. And he's had his share of Spalding sandwiches. He's starting to hit enough jump shots, he's physical around the ball. But he's learning fast and he's starting to get a feel for the level of competition - and that's a good sign.

I think, overall, the team needs to get used to the new cadence that they have to play with. And I think they can do it.

Again, the Lakers had a great game plan. They attacked us down low and I would imagine Portland will try to do the same thing. But I think we'll make adjustments to it now because we've seen how teams plan to attack us in our current state.

We were fine in the short-term, but as we go through the season - until we get our people back - it just makes it harder. Because we're getting scouted and teams are figuring out how to shut us down. Again, before the injuries, we had three ballhandlers on the floor at the same time, and it's awfully tough to double-team someone more than once in a single possession.

The West Coast can be a tough place to play for any Eastern Conference team. Naturally, the time change affects you and usually your energy level goes down as you get towards the end of the trip. That's why you always want to get off to a good start during a road trip - especially out West. That way, momentum can maybe carry you through the rest of the trip.

Tonight's matchup in Portland will be huge in that respect. It should be a good one at the Rose Garden and I expect to see a hungry team on Wednesday night.