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.

Hey everyone back in C-Town! It's A.C. - what's happening? 

Another nice road win for the Wine and Gold on Tuesday night in Memphis. It's obvious that they miss the two big fellas in the middle. Defensively, you could see that there were a lot of uncontested shots at the hoop. Even though the rookies - J.J. and Darnell - are learning fast, Big Ben and Z don't allow you to come in there and have an uncontested shot. The young guys did better as the game went on, but that's something to work on.

Overall, the Cavaliers played well on Tuesday night. They're finding other ways to win.

They've relied on the one staple this season - which has been there from Day One - and that is the consistency of our backcourt play. Delonte and Mo have really been consistent on both ends of the floor all season long. They complement our frontcourt and they're something the team can depend on. In Memphis, the Cavaliers were depleted in the frontcourt and the backcourt came through again and gave us some solid numbers. And when things got tight, they were able to do their thing and maintain some separation.

Delonte had another strong game on Tuesday. He just came right out and took it to the rookie, O.J. Mayo. He didn't attack him as much as he just outplayed him. Offensively, Delonte shot the ball extremely well on Tuesday. He drilled his first six shots and went 7-for-9 overall. He also passed the ball exceptionally well - finding Anderson and LeBron cutting to the basket.  

He just did a professional job of taking O.J. out of the game. It was a pleasure to watch him do his thing.

Delonte has a challenge every night, because of his size. But he's a tough man. And he just comes to play and doesn't come with any excuses. He just brings his "A-Game" every night. Some nights it's a scoring night, some nights it's a defensive night, some nights it's an assist night. But it's a consistent night, every night.

You can tell that this is a cohesive team. They all came to the table at halftime before the start of the third quarter. LeBron gathered the team and everybody had their input in the huddle as to what they were going to do and they came out, again, ready to put the pedal down in the third quarter. They've changed from the "Third Quarter Blues" from last year to the "Third Quarter Energy Attack" this year.

One final note from last night: If LeBron doesn't make First Team All-Defense this year, someone isn't paying attention to the games we've been playing.

The Cavaliers won their 30^th game last night and I saw an interesting number this morning. I guess this is the first time in NBA history that four teams have had 30 wins and less than 10 losses. And the wild thing about it is that three of those four teams are in the Eastern Conference.

I think one reason for this is that the really good, young players have become more mature. And to be honest, I think there's just been an infusion of talent from the West to the East. You've got guys like Kevin Garnett and Rashard Lewis and Elton Brand and Hedo Turkoglu who have come over to the East. A lot of talent has come across the Mississippi, and you're starting to see it in the teams' records.

One thing that has surprised me this year, however, are that the teams that ended last season on a high note have started out so slowly this year. Again, you have to wait until you get through these dog days of January and February and see what happens in March and April - and see if these teams can pick themselves back up. But it has really become the haves and the have-nots in the East.

Injuries have played a part in the growing pains of some of the teams in the East. To Mike Brown and the Cavaliers' credit, we have been able to sustain a couple of injuries for a short period of time. If we can get through these next four or five road games at .500 or better, I think we will really have weathered the storm.

The Cavaliers wrap up their season series with Chicago on Thursday night. Last year, the Bulls really had our number. This year, it's been the exact opposite. We had our guys from the big trade last year against Chicago, but they hadn't gone through a Training Camp together.

People don't understand the importance of having a Training Camp with all those guys. That time gave everyone a chance to get used to each other on and off the court, to bond, and start the season out together and build on that. It makes a huge difference.

Thursday's game is going to be a tough one because it's a Division game. All Division games are tough because those teams are used to you. They've scouted you - they know your strengths and weaknesses. So, sometimes it comes down to individual matchups, and LeBron has been simply awesome against Chicago this year. And again, our backcourt has been rock-solid all season.

If Ben's not able to go, the rookies are going to have to step up. The scoring will have to come from the backcourt and LeBron and then you'll have to have somebody on the bench bring some energy and step up off the bench. But this team usually plays us tough - especially in Chicago.

It should be a good one in the Windy City!

Hey everyone! It's AC - what's happening?

There was some concern going into Wednesday night's game against Charlotte that the Cavaliers would overlook the Bobcats with the Celtics rolling into town on Friday.

My basic thinking coming into Wednesday's game, though, was: Based on Coach Brown and LeBron's mindset, I knew they wouldn't let that game get in the way of what they want Friday to be.

And then I look at the Bobcats. They're way under .500 for a reason. They've played good ball since the trade, but mentally, they're not tough. And I knew they'd have a let-down. If the Cavs came out in that first quarter with energy - and we forced seven turnovers in the first - I knew we'd be OK. Charlotte doesn't have the mental toughness to have success back-to-back, especially with the second game on the road. You've got to be mentally tough to do that.

We've gone through that part of the growth process. Boston's gone through it, Orlando's gone through it. All those teams at the top have gone through it, and they understand what to bring to the floor the second night of a back-to-back on the road. And you could tell the Bobcats had no clue. Once we jumped on them - that was it.

Now, the Cavaliers can focus on the Celtics, who are in a major funk right now - losing six of their last eight.

What I've seen from them is, defensively, they're not as "tight" as they were last season. When you played against them last year, it looked like six or seven green men on the floor. Now, teams are spreading the floor on them quite a bit, and you're seeing gaps. And that allows driving lanes to the basket.

All the media is trying to put Boston's ills on Rajon Rondo. And that's going to be the key to success for us - attack the head of the snake. Get on him immediately. Don't allow him any breathing room, because he's in a negative mindset right now. So he's trying to come out of it. And that's the best time to attack a guy.

And you look at the Celtics as a team. They're looking at this game with us to get themselves back on track. So now the key once again is that first quarter. The key is, you want to let them understand right away: 'You're not having success against us on our home floor.'

Let them understand that they might beat us, but we're not going to give it to them. Let Boston see that right away. The Celtics are a little shaky right now. And I've seen little arguments between players on the floor - so you want to keep in that mindset. And the way you do that is to jump on them, just like the Cavaliers did to the Bobcats.

In the moment, Friday night is a big game. But in the long process of developing into a Championship-contending team, it's just another game of measuring where you are at this point in the season. The fans have to understand that.

The big importance of this game - in the moment - is that we've already lost to this team one time. So we have to find a way to even that up, with tomorrow and two more games this season. If we're going to be focused on getting homecourt advantage all the way through the Eastern Conference Playoffs, we have to figure out how to beat this team at some point in time.

That's the importance of the game.

Again: the way Coach Brown functions, the way the Cavaliers function, they understand - it's one quarter, one game, one day at a time. That way you don't get too far ahead of yourself. You don't get too high or too low. You stay in the present. And that's what they have to do.

These are the dog days of the season right here - January and February. The shine of the beginning of the season is gone. And the end of the season is too far away to focus on. So these are the dog days, and you want to make sure you're not just treading water at this point of the season.

You want to make sure that you're getting better every day.

Hey, Cavalier fans! It's AC, here - what's happening?

That was a tough loss on Sunday afternoon in D.C. Right now, the Cavs aren't functioning like they were earlier this season. That's obvious. 

The big thing that I see now that's different from the first 20 games of the season is that the Cavs were coming out with the same energy level from the first quarter to the fourth quarter. And now, we just come out with that energy level ONLY in the fourth quarter. And I don't know if you can sustain that energy level for all 82 games, but to only do it in one quarter - as opposed to what you've been doing - it's not going to get you to that final goal.

Sure, we are a different team without Z. And it's not as if Z was needed to score a lot of points. But when you're a finely-oiled machine and you take the carburetor out - it changes the way the engine flows. Having him in there, it seems like the team is relaxed. They're a little on edge when Z's not in the linuep and all the pieces aren't together.

LeBron does more when Z's not in the lineup. He knows he has to do more, so he gets into that mode a little more.

The key to remember now, however, is you have to remain true to yourself - and that means moving the basketball and moving bodies. That's how they established this record and that's how they're going to keep this record intact. That's the new formula that they've had, and it has to continue.

On Sunday afternoon, one man had 10 assists and three guys had one assist. That was it.

To me, that's saying that teams are taking our first option from us, and instead of moving the ball immediately, we're trying to figure out what's going on. And we're getting into our offense late. When you get into your offense early, you can get to your second, third, fourth options before the shot-clock begins to work against you. It's just being a little out of sync, because we don't have the full unit together.

It's about adjusting. And that's where practice time becomes so incredibly valuable. Right now, the Cavaliers need that practice floor to work on the new cadence that's out there now. You're going to need guys who haven't played important minutes to pick up those important minutes - and play them well; not just be out there.

Right now, again, it's about adjusting. And the quicker we make that adjustment, and get on with our business - the stronger we'll be when Z gets back.

But again, it's an 82-game schedule, and they're probably going through a little bit of a "holiday funk" right now - with the food and friends and parents. All that has an effect on you. It's a tough time to play, but you have to put that behind you and now you need to get focused back on your job. The relatives are out of town now, the food is going back to normal.  It's time to get back to business and focus on putting people to sleep again.

To do that, the energy level has to be high right from the first quarter again. They have to come out of the locker room with it and keep it up for four quarters. We can't revert to two or three years ago, where we wait for the end of the game and give it to LeBron to get the win. That's not going to work anymore. Not for what we're trying to do - win a Championship.

The bench has to develop. J.J. Hickson has to elevate his game. Andy's energy off the bench is something that you're going to have to replace. The bench has to step up.

J.J.'s coming along. He's making fewer mistakes, but around the basket, he still doesn't understand that these are grown men that he's playing against. The more he keeps getting his shot blocked, the more he'll start making adjustments. He's got to learn to use what he has: explosive leaping ability, strength, size. He could get stronger in his upper body, but he's got great legs.

He needs to learn to take that one dribble and - BANG! - throw down. He wants that spin move everytime. He gets his back to the basket and he wants to spin off his right shoulder every time.

He'll learn all that from experience and he's a young man who needs to WATCH FILM! That's what I did when I came into this league as a scorer. I wasn't worried about anybody, but I would be in such a rush, that I would pass quality shots up. But I watched film, watched tape. Then, you start running the plays and you know exactly what to look for. Once you program things in your mind, all you have to do is see the play, and you'll know exactly what to do.

And that's how J.J. Hickson is going to get better. Once this kid understands his game and meshes it with the pro game - he'll be an All-Star.

He'll get his chance this month, beginning with Charlotte on Wednesday night.

That game Wednesday night against Charlotte is HUGE. You need that momentum for Friday night's game against Boston. If you lose to Charlotte at home, and they break our home streak, the Cavs go into the Boston game in a deflated mood. We want that Boston game to be for the Eastern Conference lead. We both have six losses.

As a team, with the West Coast trip coming up - if we can beat Boston with Z out of the lineup - we can take things to the next level for the rest of the month.

When you lose a guy like Z, a team  has to find something that I call "the Yellow Brick Road." You need to find the road to success without one of your main guys. What do we have to do to win ballgames without him? You have to answer that question in your mind. And if they can find that answer - win Wednesday and beat Boston on Friday night - then they will know how to find the Yellow Brick Road.

And when Z does come back, the Cavaliers will just be that much stronger.