Anyone who's watched or listened to Mike Brown's pre- or post-game media availability knows that one of his favorite bits is to knock on the side of his head as a physical expression of "knock on wood." (Coach set a record after practice on Friday with three knocks.)

A perfect example came before Tuesday's matchup with Atlanta, when the NBA's current Coach of the Year was asked about his team getting lured into the physical scrapes that have marred other series.

"In the four years since I've been here, I don't think our guys have ever gotten caught up against individuals where they've put the team in jeopardy," said Brown. "And knock on wood, hopefully it doesn't happen."

Whether the Cavaliers have been fortunate through the first six games of the postseason or whether it's because they're loaded cool-headed veterans on a bigger mission, there hasn't been the bad blood that's flowing - (in the Lakers-Rockets series, literally) - around the rest of the playoffs.

Actually, aside from Zaza Pachulia inadvertently breaking Sasha Pavlovic's nose or poking Delonte West in the eye, the greatest adversity the Wine and Gold have faced through the first part of the postseason was in the fourth quarter of the previous round's Game 2, when Detroit's Will Bynum forced Mike Brown to bring his starters in to salvage the blowout. 

Other than that, it's been an adversity-free postseason - knock on wood - through the first round-and-a-half.

By this time last year, the Wizards - namely DeShawn Stevenson - had tried to get extremely physical with LeBron James, sending him to the deck every time he got within striking distance of the hoop. Yet, the Chosen One and the Cavaliers kept their collective cool.

"We have a few guys on this team that could lose their cool - (I'm not going to say who)," smiled James. "But hopefully, guys on our team know how important the game is and try not to take things personally. But there comes a time where somebody can really test your manhood and you may have to react. You don't want to be disrespected."

It's not that teams are necessarily "dirty" when they physically get into it with one another. It's more the repetition of competition.

"You're seeing the same team over and over again," reasoned Coach Brown. "You've heard every single tendency that opponent has. It's like when you were younger and you're playing against your brother for five straight days. After that third day, it's not going to be a basketball game, it's going to be a brawl. The bigger, stronger guy is probably going to win it. But somebody's going to get popped."

The Magic weathered the storm against Philadelphia when Dwight Howard got a one-game suspension for elbowing Samuel Dalembert. On Wednesday night, Kobe Bryant planted one in Ron Artest's throat, but it was Artest who got the heave-ho when he confronted the Lakers' superstar.

Mike Brown is very familiar with the former Defensive Player of the Year's mental makeup from his days in Indiana.

"If you play against Ron, you better be mentally tough. Or you're going to lose."

There's no chance anyone could accuse the Cavaliers of not being mentally tough. But as the playoffs wear on, the challenges to that will are about to increase.

"We come to play basketball," said LeBron. "It's not about disrespecting people or taking cheap shots at people. We're all men. You just have to go out and try to protect yourself. But at the same time, we just want to go out and play basketball and have fun. That's what we do."

The league's reigning MVP quickly added: "But we're not going to back down from anybody. We got Ben Wallace on the team. He won't let us do that."

One thing that's easy to forget - especially when the season turns the corner into the playoffs - is that basketball is just a game, and that some of the men playing it - while making millions of dollars - are young men.

If you've watched a single game this season, you know that these young Cavaliers truly enjoy hanging out with one another. And take it from a member of the organization and the media - it's no act.

They practice hard. They play hard. They wouldn't have 70 wins under their belt if they didn't.

But when practice ends at Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence, the Cavaliers splinter off into groups. Andy and Big Z always work together with assistant Melvin Hunt. Ben Wallace works on his shot with Coach Kuester. The young bangers like J.J. Hickson, Darnell Jackson and Jawad Williams usually work with Lorenzen Wright.

And then there's the group that plays a post-practice game called "Rain Man", one that entertains the collective media on a daily basis. (And I mean that last part literally. This group plays the "Rain Man" game every day - without fail.)

The group consists of mostly guards and wing players: LeBron James, Daniel Gibson, Tarence Kinsey, Mo Williams, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. I'll let T.K. explain it, but you can click on the video link (below) to get a glimpse for yourself.

"I think (Rain Man) probably started before I got here," said Kinsey. "Or maybe it started this year, I'm not sure. But you just have to shoot the ball as high as you can - it's basically a teardrop. If you're the last person left, you keep shooting until you make one. Yesterday, Wally got up to, like, 34 (misses).

"Every shot you miss after everyone's made the shot is a push-up. Delonte cheats the rule a little bit. He don't do the push-ups. He does the one-armed, 'Rocky' push-ups to make us laugh. But it's not really a push-up."

Led by LeBron - naturally - the players who've made their shot take great delight in counting the misses (and push-ups) that await the last man shooting. And on Tuesday, when Wally finally ended the torment and hit the deck, his teammates laid on the gym floor to make sure he did them all.

LeBron claims that he is the originator of the game. "Yeah, I will have to say that I am," smiled the Chosen One. "I've lost one time, too. And I was upset about it."

Basketball players aren't as wedded to routine and superstition like baseball players. But they still have their bizarre traditions - most of them involving trick shots - or the Rain Man game - to make the long NBA season a little more interesting.

"We're kind of routine-type guys, but at the same time, you have to have fun with it," added Kinsey. "When we're having our shooting competition, you don't want to lose - so you're still using your same rotation, same form, and getting the exercise. You're just having more fun with it."

So who's the king of the Rain Man game?

Guess.

"Who's the luckiest?" clarified Kinsey. "Probably LeBron. I don't think you can really be good at that, because it's an unorthodox shot. But, yeah, probably LeBron."

LeBron might be the top dog in that particular shooting game. And he's prone to full-court heaves - air-mailing the rock the way normal humans like you and I throw a softball. But at the moment, Kinsey has the trick shot that everyone, including No. 23, covets.

The shot is difficult to describe, but it involves throwing the ball - at close range - against a wall facing the basket. The ball comes off the wall at a strange trajectory and, if you're doing it right, snaps the twine for two points. (Or more, if you're counting style points.)

"That's my signature shot - I got that one down," beamed the proud former Gamecock. "That's the one everybody wants to get right now. First it was the halfcourt, underhand shot. And LeBron mastered that one. So we came up with something clever. And he hasn't made that one yet."

Following Tuesday's practice, Mo Williams supposedly drained TK's trick shot. (Kinsey hasn't come up with a name for it yet; but he's working on it.) Channel 19 claims to have it on video tape, but LeBron - being the uber-competitive sort that he is - is still skeptical.

"If I didn't see it, he didn't make it," quipped the MVP candidate.

Eventually, LeBron will see Mo Williams sink the shot. That's because these guys will keep trying until they succeed.

The same competitive fire that has led the Cavaliers to the best record in the NBA is the same one that drives them to beat each other in silly shooting games. It also keeps them on the practice court for hours after every workout - continuing to grow together as a cohesive unit.

That's got to be a good thing. And it's really fun to watch.

You could almost say it started with 3:15 to play in the fourth quarter of Game 5 at the Palace in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals.

That's when LeBron began on his epic 48-point rampage in Motown. And that was, in some ways, the beginning of the end of the Pistons' current dynasty. They returned to the East Finals for the sixth straight time last year, but I don't think anyone thought they were going to stop the Celtics run.

Chauncey Billups now has his Denver Nuggets up, 2-1 against the Hornets in the West. And Ben Wallace has the Pistons in his rear-view mirror as the Cavaliers move on to round two. Detroit's remaining big three went a combined 3-for-24 from the floor. Tayshaun Prince looked like he was really hurting and Rasheed Wallace, who took the collar in seven attempts on Sunday, looked completely disinterested.

After Sunday's win, Big Ben sounded like he was filled with remorse over the Pistons' fortunes. "I'm sure that's a tough situation, but that's not my situation anymore. It's not my problem anymore."

After seeing most of the record 259 sellouts at the Palace, Ben was as shocked as every other Cavalier by the overwhelming support.

"Very. Very surprised," said Ben. "Six years that I've played here - win, lose or draw - regardless of whether we were winning or losing, the crowd would always get behind us. Even if they did decide to boo us, they'd boo both teams. So, it was very surprising for me today."

If you weren't one of the Clevelanders who made the trip to Detroit - and I don't know how it sounded on TV - but the Palace seemed like it was at least half filled with Cavalier fans. Not only could you hear "MVP!" chants throughout the game, but a bunch of Cavalier fans sang the famous "Na, na, na, na. Hey, hey. Goodbye" song in one end zone while Cleveland was putting the finishing touches on the sweep.

Just the thought of that would have seemed totally unthinkable just four years ago. Maybe last year.

I'm sure many of you remember going to the old Coliseum and being furious with local fans wearing "Bird" or "Jordan" jerseys and cheering for their clubs over the Cavaliers. I hated those people!

Now, LeBron and the Cavaliers are the team that fills opponents' gyms with their fans. Only on Sunday, it was Clevelanders who made the trip.

"I know Cleveland's a short drive from here, but we're in this together - players, fans," said Delonte West. "It was obvious out there today. We came out to the tunnel to a standing ovation. Normally, in a visiting building, you come out to boos and name-calling. And here, when you made a shot, you'd hear more cheers than boos. And that does wonders to your confidence."

"I was surprised," smiled Anderson Varejao, who finished with six points, five boards and a blocked shot. "We've played against Detroit before and we had something going. But it was unbelievable. We felt like we were at home. They were screaming 'MVP!' at LeBron. It was great. The Cleveland fans have been supporting us and for the first two playoff games. And now they drove here to cheer for us. We didn't expect it, but it was great."

The Pistons are still the only East team in this year's playoffs to make it to the last eight straight. And they have a promising pair of guards and a bunch of cap relief coming their way. There's even talk that a former Cavaliers power forward and free-agent-to-be might end up taking some of that cap space next year. He'll be disliked by Cavalier fans - both here and at the Palace - even more than he is already if that happens.

Rasheed Wallace probably won't be back in Detroit next year and on Sunday, he looked like it. Wallace was 0-for-7 and didn't get bent out of shape by Anderson Varejao one time.

Seeing Rasheed go gently into that good night - not drawing a single tech - in a potential elimination game, at the Palace, with Joey Crawford refereeing was as shocking as the amount of Cavs fans in the building.

The most fight we saw at the Palace over the weekend came in the form of a brawl in the stands on Friday night. You might have heard Joe Tait talking about it on the air, but it was definitely the most action I've ever seen in an arena. Actually, it was just one guy: crushing everyone in sight. He connected on every shot. Even players - from both teams - were captivated from the bench. The security guards were afraid of this guy.

He and the Pistons have a long summer to think about where they go from here.

From here, the Cavaliers get a few days off to scout, fine-tune and get a little healthy. Ben Wallace, who's been on a minute restriction, could definitely use the extra time to get back to 100 percent.

"Any time you can get some rest, it's good," said Ben. "Right now, I'm a little banged up and I could use a couple days to try to get myself back to full strength. We don't want to get relaxed and sometimes when you have a long layoff, you tend to get relaxed. You tend to beat up on each other a little bit, and you get a little overexcited when you see somebody else. But hopefully, we can stay focused and continue doing what we're doing."

The Heat and Hawks will continue slugging it out on Monday night in Miami. If the Heat can keep the Hawks in the halfcourt, they could pull the upset in the seven-game series. Either way, the Cavaliers will be here - waiting for the winner when it's settled.

All-Star Weekend has come and gone and the NBA's unofficial second half tips off for the Cavaliers on Wednesday night north of the border. As they continue to get healthy, here's a quick look at a few second stanza storylines that could begin developing as early as this week. 

Home Run - After getting crushed to start last season - an eight-day trip to China followed by a six-game West Coast trip - the schedule-makers at the NBA made it up to the Cavaliers on the back end of the 2008-09 schedule. The Wine and Gold close out the month of March with eight of their final nine at The Q. All in all, as the Cavaliers make their final tune-up for the postseason - and likely make their push for the No. 1 overall seed - they'll play 12 of their last 17 games at home.

Deadline - At last year's deadline, the Cavaliers were major players, pulling off the huge 11-player trade that brought Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak to Cleveland. But this year, the Cavaliers enter the trade deadline as the East's second-best team, are 23-1 at home, and feature the league's top defense. Will it be a case of if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it? Or will the Wine and Gold use a pair of its movable pieces to add a big to an aging frontcourt that was called on the carpet by the Lakers twice in the first half?

Getting Healthy - The Cavaliers headed to the Break banged up. But Delonte West is back on the practice court, set to return any day, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas looks like his former self. Wally Szczerbiak's expiring contract has been the gem of the Deadline rumor mill, but with Sasha Pavlovic and Tarence Kinsey on the shelf - and with Wally averaging 12.0 over his last five games (with just a single turnover in that span) - the Cavaliers could head into the home stretch with the team that started Training Camp together.

MVP Push - There aren't many pieces of NBA hardware that LeBron James hasn't taken home during the course of his career. He's been the All-Star MVP twice, has won the scoring title and leads the league heading into the break. He's been Eastern Conference Player of the Week five times this season - and 18 times over the course of his career. And in 2008-09, if his head coach has anything to say about it, he'll be on the All-Defense Team. All these numbers - combined with the Cavaliers record, if they keep pace - could add up to James' first MVP award.

Ever-Changing East - The Cavaliers may or may not be active before the Trade Deadline, but the Eastern Conference has already drawn first blood - essentially Shawn Marion for Jermaine O'Neal - a move Cleveland will witness first-hand on Wednesday night in Toronto. (And the Raptors might not be done dealing.) The rumors are still flying hot and heavy, although the coaching change in Phoenix could calm the Amare Stoudemire situation. In Motown, the Pistons will make a lineup change with Antonio McDyess return to the starting lineup as Detroit tries to move up the ladder with Orlando trying to regroup without an injured Jameer Nelson.

On the Road - The Cavaliers have been almost unbeatable at The Q this year, and are an impressive 16-10 on the road. They went 3-1 on the first leg of their West Coast trip and have a three-gamer remaining in early March - all against teams (LAC, PHX, SAC) they've already beaten this year. Before they head for the Left Coast, however, Cleveland has a tough four-games-in-five-nights excursion featuring a tough Texas twosome (at Houston and San Antonio on Feb. 26, 27) before closing out the longest trip remaining with a back-to-back against Atlanta and Miami to start the month of March.  

This isn't exactly how Mo Williams envisioned himself making the All-Star team, but they say the third time is the charm. 

On Tuesday afternoon, Williams finally received his first invitation to the NBA's midseason classic - replacing the injured Chris Bosh, who sprained his right knee against the Lakers on February 4. Mo now joins LeBron James and Head Coach Mike Brown in Phoenix, where he and his wife planned on vacationing over the Break whether he made the squad or not.

The Cavaliers' stellar point guard has been doing and saying all the right things over the past couple weeks, despite an All-Star bid that was dangled before him and pulled from beneath him on two previous occasions.

Exactly two weeks ago, when the polls closed on Eastern Conference coaches voting for the 2009 reserves, Williams dropped 43 points on the Kings at The Q - an effort that seemed like it might punctuate his bid for the East squad. Instead, New Jersey's Devin Harris and Orlando's Jameer Nelson - the third of three Magic players - were named to the team.  

But on February 5, Nelson suffered from a torn labrum in a game against Dallas, sidelining him for at least the All-Star game, if not the remainder of the regular season. With a perfect opportunity to even out the squad - and simultaneously replace one point guard with another - David Stern selected Ray Allen to appear his ninth career All-Star game.

That second snub put a burr in the Wine and Gold's saddle. LeBron called Mo's omission a "total smack in the face" and Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert described the Commissioner's rebuff as "stupidiculous, idillogical and preposterageous."

But as of Tuesday, hours before the Cavaliers tip off against the Pacers in Indiana, Mo Williams joins his coach and superstar on the East squad - giving the Cavaliers a duo of All-Stars for the first time since 2005, when Big Z made his second career appearance, joining the Chosen One in Denver.

Williams has started all 49 games for the Wine and Gold - averaging 17.1 ppg, 4.2 assists and 3.3 rebounds per contest. On the year, Mo is shooting .461 from the field, including .398 from long distance and .943 from the stripe - good for third-best in the NBA. In the Cavaliers' last four home games leading up to Tuesday's invite, Williams had been averaging 25.3 points per game on .493 shooting - including .607 from three-point range.

The man who once tormented the Cavaliers in seasons past is now the answer to the point guard quandary that had perplexed the Wine and Gold for years. This season, Williams has been the quarterback of the defense and, offensively, the straw that stirs the drink. He's been terrific as a solo act and just as effective acting as the L-Train's conductor.

So after the long, strange two-week trip that has seen the point guard's All-Star fortunes rise, fall, and rise again, what better way to consummate Mo's selection to the Eastern Conference All-Star squad than another malapropism-filled statement from owner, Dan Gilbert ...

"It's unfortunate that Chris Bosh is unable to play in this year's All-Star game in Phoenix. The entire Cleveland Cavaliers organization is thankful that the NBA called on Mo' Williams to take his rightful place on the Eastern Conference squad. In fact, we think it is 'fantacular', 'extraordulous' and 'phenomerful.'