Cavaliers End Losing Streak

After jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, the Cavaliers never looked back and beat the Charlotte Hornets 97-88.

(Photo from: Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer)

It's always interesting to see what Lebron comes out to start the game. Will it be the attacking, aggressive Lebron or the facilitating Lebron who lets the game come to him?  Monday night it was the facilitating Lebron who came to play as he had six of his 13 assists in the first quarter. His teammates would follow suite as the Cavs ended the quarter with 11 assists on 11 made shots.

The ball would continue moving the entire night and while Charlotte remained in the game, the Cavs remained in control on their way to victory.

In addition to his 11 assists, Lebron James would finish the night with 27 points and seven rebounds. Helping lead the way for the Cavs was Kevin Love who finished the game with 22 points and 18 rebounds. Kemba Walker would pace the Hornets with a team-high 24 points.

Three Things:

1. Lebron on the decline?

Coming into the game, Lebron was only averaging 5.5 rebounds per game, his lowest since his rookie year. While some may look at this as a sign of concern, it is better to look at it as a sacrifice. The reality is, playing with Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, and Anderson Varejao not too many rebounds are going to be available. Anybody looking at Lebron's rebounding numbers as a reason he is on the decline would be sadly mistaken given the circumstances.  

2. Magic Jordan

Lebron can score, that's a fact. After scoring 41 points against the Pelicans last game and a career high 61 points against Charlotte last year, Lebron decided to this time dominate the game with his passing.  Even though he finished the game with 27 points, his assists seemed to be much louder than his points scored. Lebron can always channel his best Michael Jordan impression but thats not what this team needs with scoring threats like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Instead the Cavs seem to be at their best when Lebron decides to do his best Magic Johnson impression, evident by tonight's game versus the game against the Pelicans.

3. The Hornets who have no Buzz

Coming into the season, I picked the Hornets as the team I thought would give the Cavs most trouble come postseason, and boy I could not have been more wrong. While the talent is there, this team struggles to space the floor and score effectively. The organization reportedly is ready to move on from the Lance Stephenson experiment and if he is traded, the experiment becomes another chapter added to Michaael Jordan's failures as a GM. 

Statline of the night: 

Lebron James: 27 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds.

While Kevin Love's monster double-double was a candidate, Lebron takes the honor of having the best stats because of how his passing became contagious to the entire team. With Lebron setting the style of play, the team would finish with 28 assists on 38 field goals. 

What's next:

Cavs take on the Atlanta Hawks at the Q, Wednesday Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. EST.