By SAM AMICO
FOXSportsOhio.com
March 6, 2011
CLEVELAND -- If you're a fan of the Cavaliers, you will just have to get used to seeing this during the final 20 games.
The Cavs looked good early, then OK after that, then not-so-great late. Mostly, they looked like Baron Davis and a bunch of young guys in a 96-81 loss to visiting New Orleans on Sunday. And that's not necessarily a bad thing -- because Davis and a bunch of young guys is pretty much what the Cavs have become.
What does it mean? It likely means the Cavs will have plenty more games like the one Sunday, when they had no answers for an experienced opponent that knows a little something about clamping down on defense.
"They exploited some matchup problems," Davis said. "Overall, they just out-executed us. They're a good defensive team. It was hard for us to get those open looks."
The Hornets also had a major source of motivation, as star guard Chris Paul was wheeled off the court on a stretcher. Paul suffered a concussion following a third quarter collision with Cavs guard Ramon Sessions.
Paul was immediately transported to the Cleveland Clinic, but later rejoined the Hornets before they departed for Chicago. He reportedly wanted to get off the stretcher and back into the game before even being taken to the hospital.
At the time of Paul's injury, the Cavs led 61-60 with 4:36 remaining in the third quarter. After Paul's injury, the Hornets went on a 20-5 run -- as the Cavs shot just 4-for-22 the rest of the way. They also managed to score a measly six points in the paint in the second half.
Such is life for a young and remade group consisting of players who are still figuring out their teammates, and themselves. And again, the Hornets had a little something for which to play.
"A situation like that is when you circle the wagons a little bit," Williams said. "We felt like we wanted to win this one for Chris."
Paul had accumulated 13 points and what ended up as a game-high 11 assists before getting hurt.
"Chris is not the type to lay down like that," Williams said. "To see him flat on the floor, you stop thinking about basketball."
Meanwhile, forward David West took over when Paul went out, having his way with Cavs rookie Samardo Samuels and even third-year man J.J. Hickson. West missed just five shots on his way to 23 points, and was nearly as dominant at the other end. That was especially the case in the second half.
Davis led the Cavs with 17 points, but try as he might, he couldn't generate offense for the other guys. The rest of the Cavs simply held on to the ball too often, then missed a mostly poor selection of shots.
"For the first time in a while, and I told this to the guys, I thought we played selfish basketball," said Cavs coach Byron Scott. "Against a good defensive team, you have to do the extra little things -- make the extra pass and things like that, and I don't think we did that tonight."
Hickson and Ramon Sessions added 15 points apiece for the Cavs, with Hickson also grabbing 10 rebounds. Samuels finished with 11 points and eight boards.
"I thought we were out of sync offensively," Davis said. "We didn't really move the ball and play with a sense of urgency. We didn't get any fast-break points or points off their turnovers. We just have to focus and work in practice and hopefully (get better)."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
