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Cavaliers need more from LeBron James, Kevin Love's homecoming spoiled and Damian Lillard schools Kyrie Irving: Fedor's five observations

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The Cavs are now 1-2 on the season and will have to regroup quickly as they head to Utah for a game on Wednesday. Here are Chris Fedor's five observations from Tuesday's win.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers did not get their three-game road trip off to a good start, losing to Portland, 101-82.

The Cavs got off to a blistering start, hitting their first 10 shots, but went 21-of-75 as a team after, shooting 36 percent overall. The defense was also a problem. Portland shot 49 percent from the floor and four players scored in double figures (Damian Lillard, Robin Lopez, Wesley Matthews and LaMarcus Aldridge).

The Cavs are now 1-2 on the season and will have to regroup quickly as they head to Utah for a game on Wednesday.  

Here are five observations from Tuesday's loss:

LeBron James needs to be LeBron James: It's been three games and it's hardly time to push the panic button. But the Cavs need more from James. Much, much more.

He was terrible on opening night, turning the ball over eight times and hitting 5-of-15 shots from the field. I thought that was one of his worst performances in recent memory. Then came Tuesday. In a perplexing display, James, like the rest of his teammates, got off to a great start. He scored nine points and helped lead the Cavs to a 34-31 edge at the end of the first quarter. But then he disappeared.

His last bucket came at the 6:39 mark of the second quarter, meaning he was shut out for the second half - the second time in his career that he was held scoreless after halftime. The other time was his fourth game as a rookie.

It goes beyond a poor shooting night. He looked to be coasting. He's the leader of the team and he didn't set the right tone for this group. He has talked about not taking a practice or possession off, which is the right mindset to have. He has to back that up.

Perhaps it's all part of a bigger plan. Maybe he's less than 100 percent after a back injury cost him some time during training camp. Or maybe he's trying to teach the team a lesson. I suppose it's possible he's still working his way into basketball shape after a crazy summer. I don't know the real answer. He talked about a lack of chemistry and some of the players developing bad habit over the years, which is true. However, teammate Love and a handful of players on the Blazers outplayed James. The same thing happened against the Knicks. James is the best player in the game and everything starts with him.

When he struggles to get past Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews, and he gets picked on defensively, it will raise questions. James also tossed up a few uncharacteristic airballs. 

Nobody is asking James to be superhuman or to carry the team on his back. All anyone wants is for him to play like the best player in the NBA. His 11 points aren't enough. The one thing that the Cavs should be able to rely on a nightly basis is James, and that hasn't been the case in two of the first three. 

Damian Lillard dominates the fourth meeting against Kyrie Irving: James wasn't the only one who played poorly. A team doesn't lose by nearly 20 on the road because of one guy. It was a team loss, and Irving deserves his share of criticism as well. Too often he stopped the flow of the offense because he was going one on one, with very little success.

Irving and Lillard have had some memorable showdowns in the past. Tuesday wasn't one of them. It was a one-sided battle. Had it been a boxing match, the towel would've been tossed in the ring early. Irving missed 13 of his 17 shots, scoring nine points in 37 minutes.

Meanwhile, Lillard scored a game-high 27 points, connecting on five three-pointers and all 10 of his free throws. He challenged Irving on the defensive end, controlled the game with seven assists, grabbed six rebounds and even blocked a shot.

Lillard looked like the two-time All-Star and Team USA representative.

Irving won't have too many of these games and I fully expect him to bounce back in the next two, but his friend school him on Tuesday. Lillard is now 3-1 head-to-head against the Cavs point guard and what was expected to be a showdown of two of the league's best young point guards was the same result as the game: a blowout favoring Portland.

The "No Big Three" lineup: Coach David Blatt continues to look for the right combinations. For the first time in the young season, Blatt went to a lineup that had Irving, Love and James on the bench at the same time. The result: a discombobulated team.

With the Cavs leading 34-31, that unit played about four minutes to start the second quarter, scoring zero points on 0-for-6 from the field. Blatt went back to it once early in the fourth quarter for two minutes. Once again, it didn't score and shot 0-for-4.

That was six minutes during a meaningful portion of the game, resulting in zero points and 10 misses.

The first points produced by a lineup without a member of the Big Three came in garbage time when Alex Kirk tossed in a pair of free throws.

The bench isn't solidified enough for Blatt to have Love, Irving and James resting at the same time.

Love's homecoming: Back in Portland, right down the road from where Love became one of the top high school players in the country, the three-time All-Star put on a show.

With his dad in attendance, Love scored 22 points on 7-of-14 from the field, including five three-pointers. He also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Love has played three games in the wine and gold and has a double double in each one. When Cleveland trailed against New York on Thursday, Blatt tried running the offense through Love. The same happened on Tuesday night. It wasn't enough, but it shows what the organization thinks of him. They need to keep feeding him. 

Love has been the Cavs' best player through three games, averaging 17.5 points and 15.0 rebounds.

Finding a role for Dion Waiters has been hard: Waiters has the talent to be a big weapon for the Cavs, but it hasn't been a good start.

He is averaging 9.5 points and shooting 36 percent from the field. He went 3-of-11 on Tuesday night for six points. He finished with zero assists and three turnovers, which highlights the biggest problem with Waiters: he's a one-dimensional player.

The only thing he brings to the team is scoring. When he isn't doing that, he's not making enough of an impact in other areas. He's not a great passer, he doesn't defend well, he only averages a little more than two rebounds for his career and he doesn't always bring the hustle, which is why Blatt has leaned heavily on Matthew Dellavedova to finish games and why Blatt brought Mike Miller off the bench early in the first quarter.

This isn't to pick on Waiters, but it's who he is and has always been, which is why I believe he's better coming off the bench where he can provide instant offense. If only the Cavs had another option to start alongside Irving in the backcourt. Other players such as Shawn Marion and Tristan Thompson will contribute in other ways (defense and rebounding) when not called on to score. Waiters won't. Hopefully he finds his offense again.


Cleveland Cavaliers fizzle against Portland Trail Blazers: DMan's Report, Game 3, Tuesday

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The Cavs shot 21-of-75 from the floor after a 10-of-10 start in losing at Portland on Tuesday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers lost to the Portland Trail Blazers, 101-82, Tuesday night in Portland, Ore. Here are some observations based on a dvr review of the Fox Sports Ohio telecast:

Bottom lines, up front: The Cavs (1-2) played poorly for the second time in three games to begin the season. They failed to match Portland's intensity/desire, gave up too many routine baskets and were disjointed offensively. They repeatedly made careless mistakes.  

Falling hard, fast: The Cavs opened the game a spectacular 10-of-10 from the floor, the 10th a 29-foot 3-pointer by LeBron James with one second remaining on the shot clock. James gave the Cavs a 27-20 lead with 4:54 left in the first quarter.

For the remainder of the game, the Cavs shot 21-of-75 (28 percent) and were outscored, 81-55.

Portland's in-game improvement defensively factored in the Cavs' shooting woes, no question, but much of the problem can be traced to brutal execution of the halfcourt sets. Cleveland coach David Blatt, known as an offensive mind, must not have recognized what he witnessed. The set pieces degenerated into too much dribbling on the perimeter and not enough ball movement or off-the-ball action. The Blazers did not need to work all that hard because the Cavs became predictable.

The Cavs scored 34 in the first quarter and led by three. But they failed to crack 20 in any of the next three quarters, capped by 13 in the fourth.

Not so fast: ESPN's box score credited the Cavs with nine fast-break points. DMan's Report had the Cleveland fastbreak producing four two-point baskets and two free throws for 10 points. By either count, it is no way for a talented NBA team to live.

LBJ fades: James scored the Cavs' first points on a dunk and free throw, the result of posting up and spinning on Nicolas Batum. Later in the quarter, he sank a 24-foot 3-pointer, then drilled the 29-footer.

With 4:53 remaining in the first, James was 3-of-3 from the floor and had scored nine points. For the remainder of the game, he went 1-of-9 for two points. He played a total of 35 minutes.

The Cavs can't be expected to win at Portland when James is 4-of-12 and scores 11 points. According to ESPN Stats and Information, James has scored 11 or fewer just 16 times in his career (Team: 5-11).

A dvr review was not necessary to notice that James moved less fluidly as the game progressed. Only James and the Cavs medical staff know for certain if the back is barking.

Backcourt blues: The Trail Blazers' starting backcourt of point guard Damian Lillard and shooting guard Wesley Matthews dominated Cleveland's Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters.

Lillard and Matthews combined to shoot 14-of-27 and score 48 points in 72 minutes. They had 12 rebounds, nine assists and two turnovers. Irving and Waiters combined to shoot 6-of-28 and score 15 points in 65 minutes. They had one rebound, five assists and four turnovers.

It is bad enough to be outscored, 48-15. Being outrebounded, 12-1, is that much worse.  

While Lillard and Matthews operated within the team framework offensively, Irving and Waiters too often lapsed into one-on-one exhibitions. Defensively, Irving and  Waiters -- and, to be fair, several teammates -- struggled mightily to fight through or avoid picks.  

Plenty of Love: Cavs power forward Kevin Love, a former Portland-area prep standout, scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He was 7-of-14 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range.

Love has opened his Cavs tenure with three straight double-doubles, and they are fat: combined 57 points and 40 rebounds.

No help: The Cavs' second unit was a mess offensively to begin the second and fourth quarters.

Below is a chart of how the Cavs scored their points against the Blazers. (Notable: QTR -- Quarter;  DIFF -- Scoreboard differential; S.CLOCK -- Time on shot clock at release; PAINT -- Based on location at shot release; SET/BREAK -- Set piece, or fast- or secondary break; KEY PASS -- Not necessarily the assist.)

#QTRDIFFS. CLOCKSHOOTERDESCRIPTIONPAINTSET/BREAKCONTESTEDVALUEKEY PASSCOMMENT
1 1 (-2) 8 James Two-Hand Dunk yes set yes 2+1 Love Love entry from right, James spins Batum
2 1 (-3) 4 Love Two-Foot Lay-In from restricted area yes set yes 2 Varejao Varejao drop-off to Love on left base
3 1 (-3) 12 Love One dribble, jumper from deep middle no set no 3 Irving Pick-and-Pop action
4 1 (-2) 10 Irving Pull-up jumper, deep top-side left no set no 3   Irving surprises Aldridge with pull-up
5 1 (-1) 18 Varejao Catch-and-Shoot Jumper at Foul Line yes set no 2 Irving Cavs' fifth FG in five attempts
6 1 (-1) 13 Varejao Catch=and-Shoot Jumper from Right Foul Line Extended no set yes 2 James James behind-the-back pass
7 1 1 17 (Varejao) (Varejao fouled on lay-up attempt) yes (fast) yes 1, fta James Love to James to Varejao
8 1 0 17 Love Catch-and-Shoot Jumper, deep right wing no secondary no 3 Irving Irving dribble-penetration, kick-out
9 1 0 15 Varejao Four-foot Runner off glass from right yes set yes 2 Irving Irving, Varejao work two-man game
10 1 2 6 James Pull-up Jumper from deep, top-side right no set yes 3   James beats Aldridge off dribble
11 1 4 1 James One dribble, Jumper from super-deep middle no set yes 3 Love James beats shot clock
12 1 (-2) 23 (Thompson) (Thompson fouled by Kaman in restricted area) yes (fast) yes fta, 1 James James steals, feeds Thompson
13 1 (-1) 23 Thompson Tip-in of own miss yes set no 2   Thompson initial oreb of James miss
14 1 (-1) 23 Miller Four-foot follow jumper on left yes set no 2   Miller follows Love miss
15 1 1 0.4 Dellavedova Runner in the middle yes fast yes 2 Love Love outlet, Deli athletic play
16 2 (-1) 11 Marion Catch-and-Shoot Jumper, deep right side no set yes 3 Irving Marion ends Cavs' inept stretch
17 2 0 7 James Fadeaway Jumper, left baseline no set yes 2   James backs down Matthews
18 2 2 22 Marion Lay-in off run-out yes fast no 2 James James slaps rebound out to Marion
19 2 2 8 Love Jump-hook, plus foul yes set yes 2+1 James James entry, good work by Love
20 2 (-1) 22 Marion Lay-in from right yes set no 2 James James oreb feeds Marion
21 2 (-4) 20 (Irving) (Irving fouled on lay-up attempt by Lopez) yes set yes 1, 1 Marion Good dribble-drive by Irving
22 2 (-2) 0.5 Thompson 18-Foot Heave off glass from right no set yes 2 Marion Thompson, Cavs fortunate to beat clock
23 3 (-7) 17 Waiters 12-Foot Jumper off dribble, in middle yes secondary yes 2 James Tough shot
24 3 (-9) 3 Irving 15-Foot Jumper, right side no set no 2   Irving uses Varejao screen, pulls up
25 3 (-13) 4 Love Step-back Jumper, deep topside left no set no 3 Varejao Quality shot by Love
26 3 (-12) 21 Waiters Lay-in from right yes fast yes 2 Thompson Thompson defense sets up break
27 3 (-12) 11 Love Catch-and-Shoot Jumper, deep right side no set yes 3 James James no-look to Love
28 3 (-9) 19 Thompson Two-Hand Dunk no fast yes 2 James James starts break with rebound
29 3 (-10) 1 (Love) (Love foulded on Jumper in paint) yes set yes 1,1   Love stays with play against Aldridge
30 3 (-8) 15 Thompson Dunk yes set yes 2 Love Love finds Thompson from left baseline
31 3 (-8) 5 (Thompson) (Thompson draws foul in restricted area) yes set yes fta, 1 Love Good vision by Love
32 4 (-11) 5 Waiters Fadeaway Jumper from right side no set yes 2   Waiters over Kaman
33 4 (-12) 22 Love Catch-and-Shoot Jumper from deep left base no set no 3 Varejao Varejao oreb, finds Love
34 4 (-18) 7 Varejao Twisting lay-in from left yes set yes 2 James James drop off to Varejao
35 4 (-18) 15 Irving Lay-in from right yes set yes 2 Kirk First points of 'garbage time'
36 4 (-19) 8 (Kirk) (Kirk fouled on short shot) yes set yes 1,1 Waiters Waiters, Kirk work two-man game
37 4 (-21) 8 Harris Lay-in from middle yes set yes 2   Good move by Harris from left wing

Cleveland Cavaliers look disinterested, drop one on the road to Portland Trail Blazers, 101-82

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Kevin Love was the most consistent Cavalier, providing 22 points, 10 rebounds and two assists.

PORTLAND, Ore. – "There are a lot of things to be concerned about. First of all, Portland is a tough, tough place to play. We're playing 10 o'clock at night, our time. They're playing regular time for them. That's something to be concerned about."

Cavaliers coach David Blatt feared this prior to tonight's game.

The Portland Trail Blazers protected home court Tuesday night by knocking off the Cavaliers, 101-82.

Damian Lillard had his best shooting game of this young season (5-of-10 from 3-point range), leading Portland to the tune of 27 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Robin Lopez contributed 19 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes.

What it means

The first game of a road trip is usually the most important as it sets the tone for the remaining games on the docket. Portland was the biggest fish to fry on this road trip, and the Cavs just couldn't pull it off.

Cleveland (1-2) looked disinterested after the first quarter. Portland (2-2) was a step quicker and those 50-50 balls seemed to always fall in the hands of the Trail Blazers.

Sputtered down the stretch

Playing in one of the most hostile arenas in the league, the Cavaliers came out firing on target. Cleveland didn't show any signs of being homesick as it converted on its first 10 field goals.

That was short-lived however due to a combined second- and third-quarter outing of 13-of-43 from the field. That gave the Trail Blazers their biggest lead of 13, and they extended it to 18 in the fourth.

Players of the game

Kevin Love was the most consistent Cavalier, providing 22 points, 10 rebounds and two assists. He had the entire repertoire going. The power forward connected on 5-of-8 from three, which opened up his game.

He was all alone.

LeBron James never imposed his will and his interest seemed nonexistent. He was passive, deferring to Kyrie Irving and Love. He finished the game with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists. Irving was 3-of-17 from the floor.

No Big Three

In the first half there was a stretch where no members of the Big Three were on the court, an obvious sign Blatt was trying to use his bench more.

Dion Waiters was featured as the primary play-maker, allowing him the freedom to initiate the offense. Blatt did the same to start the fourth, electing to sit the Big Three while down seven. Waiters never got into this one. He was 3-of-10 for six points in 26 minutes.

On deck

Cleveland heads to Salt Lake City on Wednesday evening to take on the Utah Jazz in the second game of a back-to-back.

Woodridge football season breakdown entering OHSAA regional quarterfinals 2014 (poll)

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Check out everything you need to know about Woodridge's 2014 football season.

Check out everything you need to know about Woodridge's 2014 football season.

Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals: 5 things to watch

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Joe Haden vs. A.J. Green, Andy Dalton vs. Tashaun Gipson and Nick McDonald vs. the Bengals' defensive front are a few of the things to watch in Thursday night's nationally televised Battle of Ohio.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The NFL Network crew couldn't have invented better story lines for this nationally-televised Thursday night battle between the Brown and Bengals in Cincinnati.

For starters, first place in AFC North is at stake. If the 5-3 Browns win, they'll be tied for first with the resurgent Steelers, who visit the 1-8 Jets on Sunday.

If they lose, the 5-2-1 Bengals will remain alone in first.

The Browns can also even their division record at 2-2 with a victory, and hand the Bengals (2-0  in the AFC North) their first division loss. Of course, it will be a huge challenge to win in Cincinnati, where the Bengals haven't lost since the end of 2012. And the Browns would have to snap their 17-game road skid in the division, longest in the NFL since the 1970 merger.

Then there's former Browns receiver Greg Little vowing that "somebody has to pay'' for his release by the Browns in May. So there's something for everyone.

"It's huge,'' said quarterback Brian Hoyer. "Obviously, playing a division opponent, you never have to say anything more than that. It's the Battle of Ohio, playing Cincinnati, right there that's the second thing you can talk about and then playing on Thursday night on national TV, we know what's at stake and what's going on. We're not taking this lightly at all. That's what you come here to play in these type of games for."

I'm picking the Browns to win 24-23 based on their opportunistic defense, and here are five things to watch:

1. Joe Haden vs. A.J. Green

It's always one of the marquis matchups of the game: the 5-11 Haden vs. the 6-4 Green. In the fourth year of their rivalry, both have had their moments, with Haden getting the best of Green in the two meetings last season.

"He's a great corner and it's always a challenge for me,'' Green told the Cincinnati Enquirer this week. "It's always a battle with us two.''

Last season, Haden hit Green hard after a couple of catches and rattled him. He finished with seven receptions for 51 yards in the first meeting and two catches for seven yards in the second. In 2012, however, Green burned Haden for a 57-yard TD catch, and has totaled four TDs in his six games (27 catches for 409 yards).

"Joe's a fine, fine player, and I've known a lot about him ever since he came out of Florida and I spent a lot of time working on him,'' said Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. "Now, I get to see him all the time on tape. I'm a big fan of Joe's, and I think he plays a great job to playing the ball in the air. He's very handy around the receiver. He's not cumbersome. He has great ability to open and close his hips and run and do all the things that great corners do."

This season, Haden is just getting warmed up, and Green is coming off a toe injury that's knocked out much of his season. He returned to action part-time against the Jaguars last week after missing four weeks with the toe, catching three passes for 44 yards. Mohamed Sanu has picked up the slack, leading the team with 39 catches or 628 yards and four TDs.

"I felt a little rusty at the beginning," Green said after the Jaguars game. "I didn't feel as crisp coming out of my breaks like I usually do. It's a work in progress. I did miss four week. I'll play much more snaps Thursday, and we'll see how it goes.''

2. Home cookin'

The Browns will not only battle the Bengals, they'll also fight their impeccable home record. The Bengals have gone unbeaten in their last 14 regular-season games at home, a club-record. Before their tie with Carolina Oct. 12, they had won an club-record 11 straight at home. As it is, they're 13-0-1 at Paul Brown Stadium since the end of last season, including 4-0-1 this year.

"There's no question we've created this as a tough place to come win,'' says Bengals offensive tackle Andre Whitworth. "We have a lot of pride and resolve in protecting our home turf, and offenses are struggling to play well here because not only do we have a great defense, the atmosphere is loud and it affects your calls and makes it hard when you want to get the ball out quick.''

But the Browns aren't fazed by the Bengals' home dominance.

"It was a daunting thing to play Ben Roethlisberger, who was 18-1 against the Browns,'' said Donte Whitner.  "So we don't really care about previous records, because it's a whole new regime from top to bottom. We're not really worried about what the past Cleveland Browns did or how they matched up against the Cincinnati Bengals or the Pittsburgh Steelers. We're only worried about what we can control and that's now. That's 2014 and that's what we plan on doing.''

Likewise, the Browns aren't concerned about their astounding 17-game road losing streak in the division.

"We're only worried about right now,'' said Whitner.

3. Browns center Nick McDonald vs. Bengals defensive front

McDonald was manhandled Sunday by Bucs All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, and will have another tough test Sunday against the likes of Cincy's three-man front, which features ends Carlos Dunlap and All-Pro Geno Atkins, and nosetackle Domata Peko, who's led the line in tackles for most of his eight seasons.

With center Alex Mack still in the lineup, the Browns rushed for 146.4 yards per game. With him out, it's 52.6. With Mack around, they gave up six sacks in the first five games. With him gone, it's been seven in the last three games.

Atkins, who will mostly play over the guards but likely also try to exploit the middle, is coming off a torn ACL that cost him the final seven games of last season. But he's growing stronger each week.

"What makes Geno special is his quickness,'' said Lewis. "He's got great inside hands and does a great job with leverage and so forth. Those are the things that make Geno very effective."

McDonald vowed to play better this week, but Lewis acknowledged the magnitude of losing a two-time Pro Bowl center.

"When you lose a fine, fine player like Alex it's hard to replace,'' said Lewis. "You're replacing a guy that's somewhat your quarterback up front in a lot of ways. He's got great experience. This guy came to the NFL as a guy that had been playing the position all his life.

"He understood the ins and outs and nuances of playing the position. So, you lose a lot of that headiness that Alex is, and they're doing a good job of playing the guys. Now, the guys have been playing together for a couple weeks, and the more you play together the more people settle in and they play well."

4. Bengals QB Andy Dalton vs. Browns safety Tashaun Gipson

Gipson, the interception machine, should strike fear in the heart of any quarterback this season, especially one who's thrown five interceptions in his last four games. Dalton threw only one pick in his first four games this season, and has thrown five in his last four, including two last week against the Jaguars.  

Lewis, when asked about Dalton and Brian Hoyer this week, praised Hoyer for protecting the football and urged Dalton to do the same.

"Andy continues to do the things that we feel good about with him, but we have to continue to know that at all points in the game the No. 1 job for every one of our offensive players that touch this football is to take care of the football,'' he said. "It's very important and that's the No. 1 job that all the time I give the quarterback responsibility for. We have to continue to take care of the ball all the time, regardless of the situation in the football game."

Meanwhile, Gipson has every intention of thwarting those plans. He has four interceptions in his last three games and is leading the NFL with six. In addition, his 11 since last season are the most in the NFL. The Browns picked off Dalton three times last season, and Gipson plans to keep the streak alive.

As a team, the Browns have recorded seven interceptions in the last four games.

Dalton is 4-2 against the Browns with 11 TDs and seven INTs for a mediocre 88.2 rating.

5. WRs Greg Little and Andrew Hawkins against their former teams

Little was cut by the Browns in May and vowed Tuesday that "somebody has to pay'' Thursday night for his unceremonious dumping. Picked up by the Bengals Oct. 14, Little has four catches for 55 yards so far, but plans to wreak havoc on his former team.

"Greg came in here, and he worked his tail off in the workout and showed that he was in good football shape,'' said Lewis. "(He has) a great ability to run routes, body control and so forth. He's a big man, can go up and make contested catches that way.

"He's hungry for an opportunity, and he's come in here and hit the ground running and spent a lot of time here learning what we do, how we do it, kind of getting up to speed our way and how we practice and how we do things. Sometimes, when you sit on the couch for a little bit it gets you in gear."

Hawkins, meanwhile, has nothing but fond memories of his three years with the Bengals, who opted not to match the Browns' lucrative offer in free agency.

"The number one goal is to win the football game but it does mean something extra,'' said Hawkins. "It will be emotional. The Bengals gave me my first chance in the NFL, when no one else would... the history I have with them; you couldn't write a better story."

Hawkins leads the Browns with 39 catches and 504 yards, but has only one TD. The Bengals could've used him this year when receiver Marvin Jones was lost for the season to a broken foot and Green missed four games with the toe injury.

 "We know Andrew and how much heart and what a quality person and player he is," Lewis said Monday. "He's doing the dirty work for them. He's cutting off linemen on the backside. He's doing all the things we know Hawk can do."

Hawkins suffered a thigh/knee injury against the Bucs on Sunday and is listed as questionable, but Mike Pettine highly doubts he'll sit this one out.

Shaker Heights forward Esa Ahmad, St. Edward coach Eric Flannery discuss upcoming boys basketball season on Full Court Press podcast

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The podcast took a look back at the boys basketball offseason and looked ahead to this upcoming season.

The podcast took a look back at the boys basketball offseason and looked ahead to this upcoming season.

Ohio State football: DB Armani Reeves likely out against Michigan State, Cam Burrows would start at nickel

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Urban Meyer doesn't expect Ohio State nickelback Armani Reeves to play against Michigan State. Cam Burrows would get the start at nickel if Reeves can't go.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said Wednesday that nickelback Armani Reeves has not yet been cleared to practice, and he doesn't expect to have Reeves for the Buckeyes' game against Michigan State on Saturday.

"I don't think Armani is going to be cleared to start practice," Meyer said. "He was out here today and didn't practice."

Meyer said sophomore Cam Burrows will start at the nickel if Reeves doesn't play against the Spartans.

The nature of Reeves' injury is unknown, but Meyer said Tuesday on the Big Ten coaches teleconference that Reeves has had trouble focusing. Co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said Reeves was not with the team during last week's win over Illinois.

Burrows, who didn't play against Penn State, has played in seven games for the Buckeyes this season. He has 12 tackles and one pass breakup.

• Meyer said Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett has looked "great" in practice this week and shown no ill-effects of the MCL sprain he suffered against Penn State two weeks ago.

• Meyer was asked to compare this year's Michigan State team to last year's team:

"This team is a better team," Meyer said. "They're more balanced. Offensively I think they're dynamic. I know they had some seniors leave, but they've filled in nicely. I think this year's team is even a little better."

• Buckeyes freshman quarterback Stephen Collier was seen wearing a No. 18 jersey after Wednesday's practice. It seems Collier, who normally wears No. 13, is playing the role of Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook, who wears No. 18, on the scout team.

• Ohio State's receivers will be pressured by Michigan State's defensive backs this week, but Buckeyes receiver Evan Spencer said that won't be anything new.

The Spartans' scheme is similar to the one co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash has installed at Ohio State.

"They run a really similar defense to ours now, so we've been going against that since January," Spencer said. "It's helped us know how to adjust to different things."

• Ohio State linebacker Curtis Grant said he thinks Michigan State's offensive line is the best the Buckeyes will see this season.

"Very good," Grant said "They'll get you off the ball if you're not ready to go."

• Play on the back end of the defense was a problem for Ohio State last year, particularly in the loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten championship game.

Meyer said he's seen improvement with the safeties this season, and credited Tyvis Powell with making that position a strong point for the Buckeyes.

"Safety play was not a strength of ours," Meyer said. "I still some room to grow with (Powell) too. He's got everything you want. He's a great person, good student. Good range, good speed. We're looking for tall corners like that to eventually move them to safety. He's the perfect fit. There's still a lot more left in that tank."

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Utah Jazz, Game 4: Live chat and updates with Chris Fedor

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Get live updates and analysis as cleveland.com's Chris Fedor brings you the latest on the Cavs-Jazz game in the comments section below.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers lost their second game in a row on Wednesday night, 102-100.

LeBron James made three free throws to tie the game with three seconds left, but Gordon Hayward's game-winning jumper at the buzzer gave Utah its second win of the year.

The Cavs, 1-3, head to Denver to finish their three-game road trip of Friday night. 

Scoring Summary:

End of 3rd Quarter - Cavs trail the Jazz, 76-75. LeBron James has a game-high 23 points on 6-of-13 from the field. Kyrie Irving has added 22 points in 33 minutes. It's been a struggle for Kevin Love, who is 2-of-8 from the floor en route to 11 points. For Utah, Derrick Favors has 18 points. 

End of 2nd Quarter - Cavs trail the Jazz, 59-48. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James each have 15 points. Kevin Love has chipped in with nine. Utah is being led by Gordon Hayward's 15. 

End of 1st Quarter - Cavs trail the Jazz, 32-23. Kevin Love has eight points for the Cavs. Kyrie Irving has added eight as well. LeBron James has four on 2-of-5 shooting. For Utah, Enes Kanter has been a load, scoring 11 points in eight minutes. 


Matthew Dellavedova to miss up to six weeks with a diagnosed MCL sprain, sources tell NEOMG

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Sources: Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova to miss weeks with a diagnosed MCL sprain.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Doctors in Salt Lake City have diagnosed Cavaliers backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova with a Grade II MCL sprain in his left knee, league sources told Northeast Ohio Media Group.

We have been informed that he could miss up to six weeks. The Cavaliers will get Dellavedova checked out in Cleveland before they release any information.

The sources spoke on the conditions of anonymity due to the team having yet to make an official announcement.

Dellavedova sustained the injury during last night's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

This is a bit of a blow for the team being that he is one of David Blatt's favorite guys. In an overtime win over Chicago last week, Dellavedova closed the game out with the Big Three, a sign how much Blatt trusts his backup point guard.

In three games he is averaging 2.7 points, a rebound and 2.3 assists. The Cavaliers recently signed Will Cherry to be their third point guard. He could very well get some run against Utah.

LeBron James: When I've played passive, we've lost

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LeBron James tyring to choose between teaching a lesson to young Cleveland Cavaliers teammates and playing to win

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – LeBron James said there "is a fine line" between the way he impacted the game offensively in the Cleveland Cavaliers' win over Chicago and his purposefully passive approach in Tuesday night's loss to Portland.

"I've had two games where I played a little passive and been more of a setup guy and it resulted in two losses," James said Wednesday, prior to the Cavaliers' game against the Utah Jazz. "And I've had a game where I've been very aggressive and we won. Is winning the ultimate thing of being the best team we can be or (do we need to win) one game? That's something going on in my mind right now.

James took just 12 shots and scored 11 points in a 19-point loss to the Trail Blazers. Last week in Chicago, he scored 36 points on 30 shots and the Cavaliers won in overtime. The night before, he scored 17 in a similarly passive performance when his team lost to the Knicks.

James said after the Portland game that he was trying to send younger players a message about sharing the ball and playing defense (though James has struggled at at times defensively this season, too). He reaffirmed that he sent that message, saying Wednesday "I don't know if the guys read or if they saw it or not, but I'm going to continue to preach it."

What first-year Cavaliers coach David Blatt has on his hands is his best player – the NBA's best player – purposefully not impacting games offensively the way he can to prove a point. That point is being directed primarily at guards Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters, two holdovers from past Cavaliers teams who portray the "bad habits" James said he needs to break.

Irving and Waiters combined to shoot 6-of-28. Shawn Marion will start in place of Waiters against the Jazz.

James said he thinks Blatt is on the same page with him, though he hasn't asked. Blatt declined to criticize James both after Tuesday night's game and again Wednesday.

"I'm not OK with how we used him, I told you that last night," Blatt said. "I'm not holding him responsible, I'm holding us responsible."

As James preaches patience, he continues to refer back to the team's slow start with the Miami Heat his first year there. He said one difference between then and now is "the questions were angrier" in Miami.

As for what to expect from James Wednesday?

"I definitely can't go into a game having 12 shot attempts," he said.

"I need to have a bounce-back game tonight, so I should have a good one tonight."

Former Baltimore Ravens cheerleader accused of sexual contact with minor

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Molly Shattuck, 47, was arrested and charged Wednesday with third-degree rape and unlawful sexual contact.

A former Baltimore Ravens cheerleader and a mother of three has been accused of having sexual relations with a 15-year-old boy, according to news reports.

Molly Shattuck, 47, was arrested and charged Wednesday with third-degree rape and unlawful sexual contact, reports the Baltimore Sun. She pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Sussex County Superior Court and was released on $84,000 bond, the Sun reports. A condition of the bond is she have no contact with the alleged victim or other minors except her own children, the Delaware attorney general's office tells the Sun. She was also required to turn in her passport.

Molly ShattuckView full sizeMolly Shattuck 

Shattuck is married to Mayo Shattuck, a Baltimore businessman and the chairman of energy company Exelon Corp. The couple is estranged and Mayo Shattuck has filed for divorce, according to reports.

NBC News reports Shattuck first made contact with the boy after seeing his photos on Instagram. She began picking up the boy from summer school in July and had physical contact with him a parking garage, NBC reports.

The alleged victim is a classmate of Shattuck's son, the Sun reports.

According to the Washington Post, Delaware police said the relationship between Shattuck and the boy "culminated with Shattuck providing alcohol to minors and engaging in a sexual relationship with the 15 year old male at a vacation rental home in Bethany Beach" over Labor Day weekend.

The Post reports Shadduck faces nine counts overall: two of third-degree rape, four of unlawful sexual contact and three of distributing alcohol to a minor. The third-degree rape charges carry a potential sentence of two to 25 years in prison on each count, the Sun reports.

Shattuck's defense lawyer, Eugene Maurer, said his client is maintaining her innocence, the Sun reports. "She is obviously quite distraught," Maurer said.

Shattuck is due back in court Dec. 3 for a case review, the Sun reports.

In 2005, Shattuck became the oldest cheerleader in the NFL at age 38. She was a cheerleader for two years and worked as a coach for the squad for six more, according to the Associated Press. She also appeared on an episode of the ABC reality show "Secret Millionaire" and wrote a healthy lifestyle book titled "Vibrant Living", NBC reports.

Bay boys soccer beat Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, 3-1, in the 2014 OHSAA Division II state semifinals (slideshow, videos)

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Bay boys soccer topped Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, 3-1 win in the OHSAA Division II state semifinal matchup.

Bay boys soccer topped Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, 3-1 win in the OHSAA Division II state semifinal matchup.

St. Ignatius soccer advances to Division I state championship game with 1-0 win over Copley in Division I semifinal (slideshow)

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St. Ignatius' soccer team advances to the Division I state championship game with a 1-0 win over Copley Wednesday night.

St. Ignatius' soccer team advances to the Division I state championship game with a 1-0 win over Copley Wednesday night.

LeBron James' late-game heroics not enough against Utah Jazz: Joe Vardon's instant analysis

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More points from LeBron James doesn't change the result; Cleveland Cavaliers lose on buzzer beater.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- LeBron James predicted a better game for himself and delivered, but it didn't change the end result for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

A buzzer-beater from the Utah Jazz's Gordon Hayward lifted them over the Cavaliers 102-100, despite 31 points from James. Utah had the ball out of bounds on its final possession and James appeared to be on Hayward, but James slipped and lost him. (James said afterwards he tripped trying to get through a pick).

James had some strong words prior to the game, declaring he had been passive to teach younger teammates a lesson. After making such statements, the game seemed to rest on James' shoulders late in the fourth and he delivered with six consecutive points.

But an all-around active night for James -- he was 12-for-12 from the foul line -- was for naught, and the Cavaliers dropped their second straight.

Here is an instant, quarter-by-quarter briefing on James' performance against the Jazz.

1st Quarter

Stats: 4 pts, 0 rbs, 1 ast, 2-5 FG, 0-0 FT

Highlight: Dribbling near the top of the key, James found a path into the lane for a short runner that fell with 2:02 to go.

Briefing: James has had better quarters. Hayward, he of video-game-challenge acclaim, shook James on his way to a layup. There was a turnover mixed in with James' misses. He left with under a minute to go and a scowl on his face.

2nd Quarter

Stats: 11 pts, 0 rbs, 0 ast, 2-4 FG, 7-7 FT

Highlight: James started the play on defense, knocking the ball up in the air for one of three steals, then finishing it at the other end with a layup at 4:40.

Briefing: Much better. James attacked all quarter, getting to the line seven times. But a good quarter could've been even better. James stole the ball and should've been credited with a layup with less than two minutes left, but a clear goaltend wasn't called. Hayward capitalized with a three-pointer.

3rd Quarter

Stats: 8 pts, 3 rbs, 1 ast, 2-4 FG, 2-2 FT

Highlight: James drilled a three-pointer on the right wing with 2:56 left on an assist from...Dion Waiters. It was Waiters' first assist in 10 quarters.

Briefing: Body language and activity improved for James and teammates as they cut an 11-point deficit to one. James could've given the Cavaliers their first lead, but he was blocked on his drive by Rudy Gobert on Cleveland's last possession. James also fumbled two would-be steals, but he was in position to make the plays – which counts for something.

4th Quarter

Stats: 8 pts, 0 rbs, 2 ast, 2-5 FG, 3-3 FT

Highlight: With 3.4 seconds to go, James draws a foul on a three-pointer and coldly knocks in all of them to tie the score.

Briefing: James appeared to slip (he said he was tripped) while on Hayward, wound ended up burying the game-winning shot over Tristan Thompson as time expired. James had the Cavaliers' last six points and nearly sent this one to overtime.

Totals: 31 pts, 3 rbs, 4 ast, 8-18 FG, 12-12 FT, 42 mins

Cleveland Cavaliers showing no life on the road and it's killing them

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The Cavaliers are showing no life on the road and it's killing them.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Kevin Love was sitting at his locker stall slouched over in a frustrated state following Gordon Hayward's game-winning jumper that handed the Cavaliers their second straight loss in as many nights.

Love lacked vigor and spunk, which is rightfully so after banging with the frontcourt of the Utah Jazz for 38 grueling minutes. The way he looked at his locker is equivalent to how the Cleveland Cavaliers have played in three of their four regular season games.

For the second consecutive contest, Cleveland was flat. They were lifeless, absent of pride and lacked motivation for much of the game. Someone apparently missed a payment on the team's energy bill.

Their power is momentarily shut off.

Cleveland didn't get their first lead until it was 5:25 left in Wednesday's loss to Utah. This is a young Jazz team still trying to figure out how to play this game. They were not supposed to be the team executing down the stretch.

Hayward's step-back game-winner over the outstretched arms of Tristan Thompson displayed poise and a sense of urgency. Two things currently not present with this Cleveland group.

It may only be four games in and yes, their chemistry still needs time to materialize, but there's no excuse for not showing up. It's starting to become problematic.

"We should have never been in that position in the first place," Thompson told Northeast Ohio Media Group of Hayward's shot. "Our energy level was terrible the whole game. We didn't start picking it up until the last eight minutes probably. So we have to live with the results."

Thompson makes his living off of hard work and doing the little things that helps a team win. For a player of his work ethic, it's extremely difficult for him to watch this team give a lackadaisical effort.

He's puzzled, as he can only shake his head in disapproval.

"I can't put my finger on it but we got to figure it out collectively as a group," he said. "It can't just be one or two guys. It has to be all of us collectively as a group, figuring out what it takes to play 48 minutes of hard basketball, playing with some heart, some balls and being ready to fight."

The fight came too little too late. They're not playing the game the right way.

David Blatt's motion offense is predicated on spacing and ball movement, which should lead to plenty of assists considering the weapons on this Cavaliers team. On Wednesday night, six assists were all they could muster up. It tied a franchise low for a game. The final score was 102-100.

Six?

Kyrie Irving had a nice bounce-back outing with a game-high of 34 points on an efficient 12-of-23 shooting in 44 minutes of play. His scoring kept Cleveland in the game. However, the All-Star point guard failed to register a single assist.

Blatt tried to defend his team, saying they wanted to attack the Jazz in some pick-and-roll situations and in isolations that often don't lead to assists. That's a fair argument but the guys know that's unacceptable.

"You can't explain it," LeBron James said in amazement. "There's no way you're going to win a basketball game like that, just having six assists...We just can't win like that. We have to figure out a way to help each other and not make it so tough."

No one can blame Dion Waiters and his aggressive nature this time around. He came off the bench and only played 13 minutes. Plus, he got one of those six assists. Blatt said he started Shawn Marion in an attempt to get the defense going.

"It did not work, but that was the idea," he said.

Respectfully, that wasn't the only thing that didn't work for the Cavaliers.

James has been preaching patience with this group and it appears his patience will be tested. There are some deep-rooted defensive issues going on and only time will resolve the matter.

They have a lot to clean up. James and company got their work cut out.         


Cleveland Cavaliers slip to 1-3 with loss at Utah Jazz: DMan's Report: Game 4, Wednesday

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The Cavs lost at Utah, 102-100, Wednesday night despite a combined 65 points from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers lost to the Jazz, 102-100, Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, Utah. Here are some observations based on a dvr review of the Fox Sports Ohio telecast:

Stumbling: The immensely talented Cavs are 1-3.

Observers of Cavs basketball who take the long view maintain that there is nothing to see here, nothing to see here, and that the Cavs will be fine. The long-viewers are almost certain to be proven correct, barring significant injury to a major player. But those who invest in this Cavs season on a game-by-game basis have a right to be jarred by 1-3, especially given that two of the defeats have come against the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz.

A team as skilled as the Cavs should not lose to the Knicks at home, as happened Oct. 30 (95-90), or the Jazz anywhere, under any circumstances.

The Jazz entered at 1-3 and had allowed 104, 120, 118 and 107 points. But the best the high-powered Cavs could do was 100 in a loss.

Offensive defense: The Cavs lost primarily because they played bad defense for the majority of the first 2 1/3 quarters.

In the first quarter, the Jazz had their way inside and outside in building a 32-23 lead. Shooters were as open as Denny's. The Cavs were a step or three behind most of the time, particularly from the weak side when trying to fill gaps after double-teams.

The Jazz led, 59-48, at halftime. They shot 59 percent from the floor; the Cavs, 40 percent. The Cavs had made a big three out of Gordon Hayward (15 points), Enes Kanter (11) and Derrick Favors (10).

Coming out of the break, Cavs assistant coach Phil Handy told Fox Sports Ohio reporter Allie Clifton: "We're not guarding anybody.''

Handy said his team needed to tighten up, get more physical, communicate and trust each other. The combination didn't come to fruition with any frequency until soon after Utah's Trey Burke sank a 3-pointer for a 66-50 advantage with 9:40 remaining in the third.

The Cavs chipped away and took their first lead of the game with 5:24 remaining in the fourth, when Kyrie Irving's Uncle Drew drive made it 87-85. But it never should have taken so long for the Cavs to assert themselves, and their biggest lead ended up being just three (89-86 with 4:43 left).

The previous night, at Portland, the Cavs allowed 31 points in the first quarter but led by three. They faded and lost, 101-82.

Cavs coach David Blatt, in an effort to provide a defensive spark, inserted Shawn Marion in the starting lineup in place of Dion Waiters against Utah. Marion failed to   help enough early, although he became effective late. On the other end, Marion shot  0-for-3 and scored zero points in 24 minutes.

Passing disparity: The Jazz finished with 26 assists on 39 baskets, which helped them shoot 50.6 percent. The Cavs had six assists -- six -- on 30 baskets, which factored in their shooting 41.7 percent.

The Cavs didn't anticipate piling up assists against the Jazz because the plan was to attack them with pick-and-rolls and isolations. But to manage six assists in an NBA game is inexcusable. The Cavs' halfcourt offense simply lacks flow; if players don't break down the opponent off the dribble, it stagnates.

Strong games wasted: The Cavs lost despite 34 points from Irving and 31 points from LeBron James.

Irving was 12-of-23 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the line. In some cases, Irving's reliance on the dribble can be counterproductive. Not Wednesday. It was necessary in order to create points, and he put on a show.   

James, moving well all night, was 8-of-18 from the floor and 12-of-12 from the line. He sank three free throws with three seconds left after a pump-fake drew contact by Favors. The free throws tied the score, 100-100.

Coming out of a timeout, James guarded Hayward. Favors picked James, sending him to the floor and enabling Hayward to get open for a long jumper on the right wing. Cavs forward Tristan Thompson left Favors to close on Hayward, but Hayward sank the shot at the buzzer for the victory.

James has opened the season with games that were bad, good, bad, good.

Milestone man: James has scored in double-digits in 576 straight games -- the third-longest such streak in NBA history. Michael Jordan leads at 866.

Below is a chart of how the Cavs scored their points against the Blazers. (Notable: QTR -- Quarter;  DIFF -- Scoreboard differential; S.CLOCK -- Time on shot clock at release; PAINT -- Based on location at shot release; SET/BREAK -- Set piece, or fast- or secondary break; KEY PASS -- Not necessarily the assist.)

#QTRDIFFS. CLOCKSHOOTERDESCRIPTIONPAINTSET/BREAKCONTESTEDVALUEKEY PASSCOMMENT
1 1 (-5) 4 Love 17-foot jumper, left of key no set yes 2   Love fakes out two players
2 1 (-3) 12 Love jumper deep left wing no set no 3 Irving Love pump-fake loses Kanter
3 1 (-2) 16 (Irving) (Irving draws foul on lay-up) yes secondary yes fta, 1   Irving creates off right wing
4 1 (-4) 17 Irving 18-foot jumper, left of foul line no set no 2   Irving uses James screen
5 1 (-6) 21 Varejao twisting lay-up from left yes fast yes 2 James James bounce pass, Varejao athletic play
6 1 (-6) 9 James two-footer off glass on left yes set yes 2 Love good lob pass from Love
7 1 (-6) 1 (Love) (Love draws foul on three-foot shot yes set yes 1,1   Love refuses to be denied
8 1 (-8) 10 Irving Uncle Drew reverse lay-up on left yes set yes 2   Irving uses high screen by Love
9 1 (-8) 15 (Love) (defensive three seconds, T yes set   1   Love makes free throw
10 1 (-7) 9 (Waiters) (Waiters fouled on dunk attempt) yes set yes 1, fta James James finds Waiters on left baseline
11 1 (-11) 15 James seven-foot runner yes set yes 2   James uses Thompson pick
12 1 (-12) 1 Irving pull-up jumper, deep top-side right no secondary yes 3   Irving beats quarter buzzer
13 2 (-11) 14 Waiters Waiters six-foot runner, plus foul yes set yes 2+fta   Waiters creates off dribble
14 2 (-11) 15 Irving lay-up, right side yes set yes 2   Irving uses Thompson screen, creates
15 2 (-14)) 15 (James) ((James fouled on lay-up attempt) yes set yes 1,1   James creates off dribble
16 2 (-14) 11 Varejao six-foot, jump-hook yes set yes 2 Miller Varejao good body control
17 2 (-12) 3 (James) (James draws blocking foul at line) yes set yes 1,1   James strong move to basket
18 2 (-12) 7 (Irving) (Irving draws foul on three-pointer) no set yes 1,1,1   Irving uses Varejao screen
19 2 (-11) 19 (James) (James fouled on lay-up, from right) yes (fast) yes 1,1 Irving Love outlet triggers opportunity
20 2 (-9) 20 James four-foot runner yes fast yes 2 Thompson James defense triggers break
21 2 (-14) 5 Thompson two-hand dunk yes set yes 2   Thompson oreb of Love airball
22 2 (-12) 21 James James makes lay-up, draws foul yes fast yes 2+1 Marion Marion defense triggers run-out
23 2 (-9) 21 (Irving) (Irving lay-up, draws foul) yes (fast) yes 1,1   Irving defense triggers break
24 2 (-9) 11 (Love) (Love fouled on four-footer from right) yes set yes 1,fta Irving Irving entry pass from right wing
25 3 (-15) 11 Irving lay-up on left side yes set yes 2 Varejao Irving creates from right wing
26 3 (-16) 6 James jumper, deep top-side left no set yes 3   James creates with help from Love
27 3 (-13) 20 Varejao lay-up from right yes fast no 2 James Varejao defense triggers break
28 3 (-13) 23 Varejao four-foot put-back on left yes set no 2   Varejao oreb of Marion miss
29 3 (-13) 17 Irving pull-up jumper, deep top-side middle no set no 3   Irving uses Varejao screen
30 3 (-10) 19 (Love) (Love fouled on lay-up attempt) yes set yes 1,1   Love creates off second chance
31 3 (-10) 11 Irving lay-up from right side yes set yes 2   Irving uses Thompson screen
32 3 (-8) 9 (Thompson) (Thompson fouled on six-footer) yes set yes 1,1 James James bounce pass sets up play
33 3 (-6) 4 James catch-and-shoot from deep right side no set yes 3 Waiters good unselfishness by Waiters
34 3 (-3) 11 Thompson two-foot put-back on left yes set yes 2   Thompson oreb of Love miss
35 3 (-3) 7 (James) (James fouled on lay-up from right) yes set yes 1,1   James creates from top
36 3 (-3) 12 (Waiters) (Waiters draws foul on floor, left side) no set yes 1,1   Waiters creates
37 4 (-5) 15 Irving pull-up jumper from right foul line extended no set yes 2   Irving uses Thompson screen
38 4 (-3) 15 Irving pull-up 12-foot jumer right no set yes 2   Irving creates off dribble
39 4 (-4) 10 Irving six-foot runner in lane yes set yes 2   Irving creates from left wing
40 4 (-4) 9 (Irving) (Irving fouled on three-point shot, right no set yes fta,1,1 James Irving good job to draw foul
41 4 (-2) 10 (Love) (Love fouled on four-foot runner) yes set yes 1,1 James Love good up-fake and drive
2 4 0 15 Irving Uncle Drew four-foot lay-in from right yes secondary yes 2   First lead of game for Cavs
43 4 1 9 James pull-up 18-footer, middle no set yes 2   Love screen creates space
44 4 (-4) 13 (Love) (Love smashed by Booker on four-footer) yes set yes 1,fta James Love sweet spin-move on left block
45 4 (-6) 19 Thompson four-foot jump-hook, left yes set yes 2 James Thompson over Favors
46 4 (-4) 20 Irving Uncle Drew lay-up, right side yes fast yes 2 James Irving defense ignites break
47 4 (-4) 14.9 James fall-away jumper from deep left baseline no set yes 3   great shot by James off loose ball
48 4 (-3) 3.4 (James) (James fouled on deep jumper from middle) no (fast) yes 1,1,1   James draws contact by Favors

LeBron James finds "a little bit of clarity" in another Cleveland Cavaliers loss

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LeBron James decided against passive aggression and chose to be the aggressor, finding some "clarity" and other positives in a loss to the Utah Jazz.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – For one night, at least, LeBron James' better angels won out in the ongoing battle in his head.

The Cleveland Cavaliers still lost and are now 1-3. But that's beside the point for now.

James shifted gears again Wednesday night, playing more like his old self in Cleveland's 102-100 loss at the buzzer to the Utah Jazz.

Thirty-one points, four assists, three steals, 12-for-12 at the foul line for James – obviously a huge difference over the 11 points on 12 shots he registered the night before in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

We know James' better angels got the better of his demons because, as he has done only one other time in four games this season, he clearly set out to impact the game.

In the Cavaliers' previous two losses, James was much more passive – abnormally so for him. He articulated after the loss to Portland Tuesday and again before the Utah game Wednesday that he had purposefully played that way in attempt to prove a point to younger Cleveland holdovers from the bad teams which lost tons of games before James returned.

There is a "fine line," James called it, between playing passively and allowing the team to lose now as a teaching tool, and being the kind of aggressor that can will the Cavaliers to victory. He suggested he was torn on how to play.

James' better angels won because it would do no one – not him, not first-year coach David Blatt, and not Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters, the two players James is most trying to reach – any good for the Cavaliers to go on a losing streak with a seemingly disinterested James standing around on the perimeter.

The jelling that needs to take place between now and whenever Cleveland reaches its potential, the breaking of the "bad habits" James identified Tuesday, will probably come faster if he plays at his typically high level.

"We played well, and I was very aggressive," James said after the loss to Utah. "I got to the line a lot tonight. My body felt it good, it let me know I was in attack mode. I think it put us in a position to win. That's all you can ask for as a player is to put your team in a position to win at the end of the game. So we got a little bit of clarity, but me, personally, I've got to figure out a way to get my teammates involved, too, because it can't be just a one, two, or three-man show."

James was speaking in part about the Cavaliers' six assists on 30 field goals -- which tied a franchise low. Remember, four of those were from James.

Blatt said part of the Cavaliers' gameplan was to try and beat the Jazz off the dribble. Irving scored 34 points on 23 shots, but he didn't have any assists.

The formula nearly worked.

James played better defense. He's known as a premier defender, but he's gotten lost at times and merely waved at his man on other occasions this season, while preaching the need for younger player to commit to defense.

James moved his feet against the Jazz, played the passing lanes and nearly had two more steals. The Cavaliers started slowly on defense against Utah, coughing up 59 first-half points, but got back in the game with a more committed effort in the third and fourth quarters.

Also, for all of James' tough words and bold actions this week, he was in a position to have to back all that up at the end of Wednesday night's game. He scored the Cavaliers' final six points to tie the score, including drilling three free throws with 3.4 seconds left.

A miss on any one of those probably sinks the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers were one defensive stop away from overtime after having never led until late in the fourth quarter. But the man James was guarding out of the Utah timeout, Gordon Hayward, got free momentarily when James tripped trying to get around a pick.

Tristan Thompson ran toward Hayward as the shot was going up, but the ball splashed in.

"Tristan kind of laid off a little too much and allowed him to get off a look," James said.

Those are the kind of teachable moments that should help the Cavaliers later on, when the games matter most.

A teachable moment when the teacher was playing more like himself.

Why Michigan State might be the perfect place for a program-changing win for Ohio State: Buckeye Breakfast

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The Buckeyes changed their program trajectory on their last trip to East Lansing two years ago. Now they could do it again. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Saturday will be the most important regular-season game for Ohio State in years, with the No. 14 Buckeyes having the chance at No. 8 Michigan State to gain respect nationally and keep alive postseason playoff dreams.

"We understand this is a pretty pivotal game in our season," OSU defensive tackle Michael Bennett said this week. "It's the highest-ranked opponent we've had all year, and it kind of is a deciding factor in how this season is going to go."

East Lansing is just the place for it, then. If the Buckeyes are going to reignite the program, they may as well do it in the place where Meyer really first found his footing as the Buckeyes' coach, and started to believe in his team, two years ago.

There may be no bigger win among Meyer's 31-3 record at Ohio State so far than the Buckeyes' 17-16 victory at Michigan State on Sept. 29, 2012.

"Two years ago, I think the deciding factor of our season was that big win over Michigan State," Bennett said. "I think if we lost that game, we might have lost a lot of confidence, but winning that game, and winning the way we won it, by shutting down their run - they had been a very good running team - it showed we had the guys and we could come together.

"I think that's the same this time. It's important to stop their run and win by stopping their run."

Here's a look back at the start of my story from that game two years ago. Reading it now, it's clear how vital it was to what has happened with Ohio State since then, including that 12-0 first season that led into a 24-game winning streak through 2013.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- This was Big Ten football at its best and worst, low-scoring and run-heavy and chippy, with every yard, much less every point, a minor victory. Urban Meyer took it, and gave it a big victory hug.

After the Buckeyes' 17-16 win over Michigan State on Saturday, the OSU coach celebrated with his team in the locker room, then smiled and hugged wife Shelley and son Nate outside Spartan Stadium, now 1-0 as a head coach in Big Ten conference play.

"Just to see him in the locker room after that win almost brings tears to your eyes," OSU senior right tackle Reid Fragel said. "He was so joyful. It just felt like he was one of the guys. It was a really cool atmosphere, and I really think he started to embrace the whole thing."

 

It wasn't easy, as the Buckeyes trailed, 13-10, late in the third quarter before a 63-yard touchdown pass from Braxton Miller to Devin Smith put them back ahead for good.

It wasn't pretty, as Miller went down twice with injuries but came back in the game. He also fumbled twice and threw an interception — all in Michigan State territory.

But, "It's all worth it," Shelley Meyer said, five games into her husband's return to coaching. "Sometimes I say, 'Why are we doing this again?' But we just can't get away from these kids. It's a great atmosphere. It's fun. Everyone is good. Urban is good. He handled this very well. It was very stressful, but he did great. And he just loves this team so much.

"That one point is all you need. We knew how hard this would be. It's the first conference game, and we haven't been playing perfect, so it's a huge, huge win."

Meyer would later talk about a pregame toast, at 11:22 that morning, that brought the team together in a way it hadn't been united before. The Buckeyes now continue that tradition of a team toast at their meal before each game. And Meyer talks about that Michigan State game.

"He gives a little speech before it every time that explains how that really changed our season around and changed our program around," Bennett said.

It could change again Saturday.

Our coverage from Wednesday

Walsh Jesuit grad Connor Cook could be the best Michigan State QB yet

Browns QB and MSU grad Brian Hoyer talks Spartans-Buckeyes

Comparing OSU-MSU QBs in the NFL

Cam Burrows should be Ohio State's nickelback with Armani Reeves out

The best coaches in the Ohio State-Michigan State series

Why this is the most important regular-season game for Ohio State in 6 years

Braxton Miller responds to Michigan State LB Taiwan Jones

Buckeyes still on MSU RB pledge L.J. Scott

Michigan State coverage

Mlive.com: Spartans needs fans at their best

Mlive.com: Michigan State hopes to get LB back from broken arm

Mlive.com: Connor Cook could benefit from familiarity of OSU defensive look

Freep.com: MSU would be best Big Ten playoff rep

Freep.com: Michigan State graduates from OSU pest to peer

A game-winning jumper by Gordon Hayward keeps Cleveland Cavaliers in road funk, 102-100

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Gordon Hayward's game-winning jumper lifts the Utah Jazz past the Cleveland Cavaliers, 102-100.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- The blues for the Cleveland Cavaliers continued Wednesday night as Gordon Hayward nailed a game-winning step-back jumper at the buzzer to lift the Utah Jazz to a 102-100 victory.

Hayward finished the game with 21 points and Derrick Favors added 21 points as well to go with 10 rebounds.

Before the game Cavaliers coach David Blatt said it would take some time to gel, but this can't be what he had in mind.

"Our team is a work in progress and I think when you have a lot of new players, in particular a lot of new very talented players, sometimes it's a little harder to put together," Blatt said during his pregame presser.

Cleveland (1-3) falls to 0-2 on this road trip.

What it means

The Cavaliers need some work, on the offensive end and defensive end. There were way too many defensive breakdowns and not nearly enough ball movement. Cleveland only managed six assists.

The Cavaliers took their first lead of the game via a driving layup by Kyrie Irving with 5:25 remaining in the game.

Kyrie Irving had zero assists in 45 minutes of play, but he did score a game-high 34 points on 12-of-23 from the floor.

Blatt's offense is designed for spacing and crisp ball movement. It was hard to see that this evening.

Utah is a nice up-and-coming team trying to learn the game of basketball, but there was absolutely no way it should have dominated that half in the manner in which it did.

Player of the Game

LeBron James had some pep in his step and the burst we're all accustomed to seeing was in full effect. Coming off of game where he was held scoreless in the second half, James was much more assertive, providing 31 points, three rebounds and four assists in 42 minutes.

Pregame, James was confident he'd be back to form.

"I need to have a bounce-back game tonight, so I should have a good one tonight," he said.

Bold move

It only took three games, but Blatt removed Dion Waiters from the starting lineup and inserted Shawn Marion in his place. Coming into tonight's game Waiters was shooting 30 percent from the floor and averaging 8.3 points.

It is unsure if the switch was due to Waiters' struggling to fit in, or because Matthew Dellavedova is out with a MCL sprain. Either way, the move showed little with Marion going for zero points on 0-for-3; and Waiters getting three points on 1-of-4shooting.

Blatt is clearly trying to find the right combination of players to go with. After that brutal loss to Portland on Tuesday, Blatt said he didn't have a message for the team. He saved it for today.

"Our message was positive but pointed and specific to the things that we need to do to come together as a group faster," he said prior to tip.

Next up

The Cavaliers will travel to Denver for Friday's game that will conclude this three-game road trip.

Cleveland Browns 24, Cincinnati Bengals 3: Jamie Turner's in-game diary

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Our NFL live blog gives you all the developments from Paul Brown Stadium with observations from cleveland.com and Plain Dealer reporters and columnists.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Yes. They are. Really.

Cleveland Browns, at 6-3, are your leaders in the AFC North.

A night of total, absolute domination left Bengals QB Andy Dalton the butt of Twitter jokes everywhere, the Browns rediscovered a running game, the Browns had three interceptions and a fumble recovery in storming to a 24-3 triumph over the Bengals (5-3-1).

Tonight, our NFL live blog gave you all the developments from Paul Brown Stadium with observations from cleveland.com and Plain Dealer reporters and columnists -- as well as comments from around the league.

The first-place Browns -- feel free to roll that around for the next 10 days. That's when we'll be back with our live coverage of the Texans game at FirstEnergy Stadium.

12:28 a.m.: From Bud Shaw on tonight's game:

"What's most remarkable about these Browns isn't that they eventually found the forbidden territory where front runners live. The odds of it happening at some point were on their side.

"What's most impressive is that they discovered relevance and first-place in a one-stop shopping spree at the expense of a playoff-tested Bengals team.

"All on the same night, the Browns put the snickers about the Jacksonville-Oakland-Tampa portion of the schedule behind them along with the Bengals and (even further behind) the Ravens in the AFC North."

12:22 a.m.: From NFL.com's Chris Wesseling on the impact of tonight's game:

"Now standing atop the AFC North, the Browns are off to their best start since 1994. They will be favored the next two weeks against the Texans and Falcons. Meanwhile, the Bengals hit the road for three straight games, starting with a forbidding matchup at New Orleans in Week 11."

12:17 p.m.: From Tim Warsinskey on the atmosphere at Paul Brown Stadium in the final quarter.

"Often in recent years, Browns fans have had to endure cheering visiting fans from Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and elsewhere while the home team struggled.

"It was interesting, then, to hear the opposite effect in Paul Brown Stadium as Browns fans could be heard cheering, loudly, on several occasions. It was especially noticeable following Desmond Bryant's consecutive sacks of Andy Dalton in the third quarter, the kind of plays the Dawg Pound would love.

"Midway through the fourth quarter, a "Let's go Hoyer'' chant filled the west end zone. At moments like that, with the entire stadium decked out in brown and orange, it was almost like being home."

12:13 a.m.: Hoyer in his press conference: "The best thing is we play as a team and nobody worries about getting credit. ... Maybe we're not good enough to beat teams man-for-man but we can do things as a team."

Said third week with Nick McDonald with the rest of the offensive line showed.

He consoled Hawkins before the game, that there are seven games left to go.

Calls Browns "a mature team," and "it's on to Houston now."

"There's a confidence about our team. It's a close team ... we've had close games and we just stick together."

He downplays the standings, saying the meaningful games come in December and late November. "Being first on Nov. 6 doesn't mean anything. We just have to keep pressing on."

12:07 a.m.: Pettine says Andrew Hawkins could have "gutted it out," but Pettine made the call to save him for the Texans. Hawkins might have played if he had gotten three more days and tonight's game was played on Sunday.

12:03 a.m.: On NFL Network, Deion Sanders says Leah Still is the strongest person in the stadium on Thursday, but tells Hoyer that he's the second strongest during the post-game TV interview. After a setup by Rich Eisen, Sanders says that if "(Andy Dalton) can make a 100 (million), this man can make a million.

"Pay The Man."

Hoyer laughs and tells Sanders that he had his posters in his bedroom. He also gives a nod to his alma mater, Michigan State, in Saturday's showdown with Ohio State.

12 a.m.: Mike Pettine's press conference: "The most complete game we've played all year."

Said the team grew increasingly confident as the game progressed. Praises how the team prepared in the short week. "It was just a matter of who executed. Our guys played their best game of the year."

He sidesteps a question on the changing of a franchise's recent history, saying just that "this is a tight group."

Credited defensive coordinator Jim O'Neill for his play-calling, and Joe Haden's work on A.J. Green. Said secondary was strong as a unit ... "it started with us stopping the run."

Said the Craig Robertson interception and the ensuing touchdown "got (the Bengals) back on their heels a bit."

11:54 p.m.: From Mary Kay Cabot's game story:

"In the biggest game of his life, on the huge national stage, Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer rose to the occasion, and his defense completely shut down, befuddled and embarrassed his Bengals counterpart Andy Dalton.

"As a result of the Browns' defensive dominance and Hoyer's superb outing, the Browns crushed Cincinnati 24-3 at Paul Brown Stadium to move into a tie for first place in the AFC North with the Steelers at 6-3 -- at least for a few days. The Steelers visit the 1-8 Jets on Sunday.

11:50 p.m.: From Tom Reed's quick analysis:

"The surging defense played its best game of the season. They forced four turnovers and turned Andy Dalton into nervous wreck who almost threw more passes out of bounds than into his receivers' arms.

"Jabaal Sheard had one of his best games as a Brown. He brought great pressure and drew a pair of holding calls on Marshall Newhouse. Desmond Bryant recorded a pair of sacks. Buster Skrine had a pair of picks. Safety Tashaun Gipson forced a fumble and Craig Robertson intercepted a first-quarter pass that led to Browns first TD.

"The Browns defense has forced 12 turnovers in the past four games.

"Dalton was simply awful. He finished 10-of-33 for 86 yards and three picks. He had a 2.0 passer rating."

11:45 p.m.: Enjoy it.

Final: Browns 24, Bengals 3


11:43 p.m.: Big hits by Craig Robertson and Chris Kirksey highlight the final possession. The Browns' 17-game road AFC North losing streak ends, and the Bengals lose at home for the first time in 14 regular-season games.








Browns 24, Bengals 3, 2:00 left in fourth quarter


11:38 p.m.: After three short West runs, we hit the two-minute warning.


"One of the great road wins in recent Browns history," says Jim Donovan on the radio.


11:36 p.m.: Jason Campbell now the Bengals QB. Hits Greg Little for eight. Toss to Burkhead gets four and a first down. Campbell incomplete to Little at the 40, Skrine covering well. Second-down pass broken up by K'Waun Williams at the 40, intended for Sanu. On third-and-10, Campbell pass to TE Kevin Brock dropped.


Huber's punt is his eighth, touched down at the 14.


Browns offense waves at the fans in the end zone.






11:32 p.m.: Of course, if this was a fight, the referee would be waving his arms and the seconds in the Bengals' corner would have thrown in the towel. But we have to play out the final seven minutes.


West for eight yards over left tackle, then after 35 seconds West gets another six for a first down. West for two to the 35, with Bengals calling second timeout with 5:31 left.


Browns have 160 rushing yards.


West for four yards as Bengals use last timeout at 5:26. Browns fans -- pretty much all that's left in the stadium -- boo.


On third-and-4, West loses three at right end and Browns punt.


Spencer Lanning's punt fair caught by Brandon Tate at 22.


11:23 p.m.: Dalton wide right of James Wright at Browns sidelines. Second-and-10 at the 34, Dalton to Hill gets 17, but guard Clint Boling flagged for being downfield on the pass. On second-and-15, Joe Haden deflects a pass and Green nearly hauls it in on his back at the Bengals 45 before it slips away. On third-and-15, Buster Skrine outwrestles Wright at the Browns 19 for a diving interception with 7:01 left.


This is a beatdown of Andy Dalton that almost has to have lingering damage, doesn't it?














11:18 p.m.: West loses three on first down -- Bengals know the Browns will likely be conservative. Nice hard six-yard run by West on second down. On third-and-7, Hoyer to Austin in the left flat -- Austin spins away from Jones for a first own at the 32. Nice move.


No gain on first down as clock drops under 9:00. Tate replaces West.


Browns line keeps pushing -- Tate gets five up the middle as NFL Network pulls out its Johnny Football tape package -- no point wasting old material. On third-and-5, Tate slips at the 27 for no gain. Bengals call first timeout with 8:01.


Cundiff attempts 44-yard field goal. Wind grabs it and it's wide right with 7:56 left.






11:13 p.m.: Bengals have to score a touchdown, so they have two plays to make three yards. On third-and-3 at the Browns' 34, Dalton intercepted by Buster Skrine at the 25 (intended for Greg Little), returned to the Bengals 44. He fumbles, but recovers the ball.


"First off, the route was terrible," says Phil Simms, cut off by another commercial break.






11:08 p.m.: Anything left in the Bengals?


Dalton misses Hill badly in right flat at the 20. On second-and-10, Gresham gets six on a flip over the middle. On third-and-4, Dalton scrambles right and dives head-first for a first down at the 31 -- by not sliding he gets the first down.


Hill on a rare run gets 11. At the Bengals 41, Dalton hits Sanu on a slant over the middle for 18 to the Browns' 41. Dalton throws his first-down pass away under heavy pressure from Kirksey. On second-and-10, A.J. Green for seven with a tackle by Phil Taylor chasedown. Taylor down with 12:01 left. Official timeout.






11:04 p.m.: Browns lead in yards, 323-121, as the quarter begins. On third-and-2, Tate around right and is stopped two feet short of the sticks. Browns aren't going to gamble.


Lanning punt bounds into the end zone. Touchback.


Browns 24, Bengals 3, end of third quarter


11 p.m.: Great blocking by Joel Bitonio helps Terrance West get seven over left tackle. Tate in. On second-and-3, Tate gets a yard. Browns no huddle on third-and-2, hits Tate in left flat for 23 yards chased OB by Adam Jones. Flag thrown on Tate for personal foul. Loss of 15 yards, but still a first down.


At the 19, Hoyer hands to West for four yards. Browns happy to take their time now. On second-and-6, West pops through a hole by Nick McDonald and gets 13 up the middle. At the 37, play action Hoyer is behind Taylor Gabriel at midfield. Browns have 115-12 lead in yards as Tate gets nine and the quarter ends. Make it 124-12.










10:54 p.m.: Adam Jones returns the Cundiff kickoff to the Bengals 29.


Dalton's first-down pass spiked to the turf by Paul Kruger on the left side, showing serious hang time. On second-and-10, Dalton sacked by Billy Winn, but Jabaal Sheard jumps offside. On second-and-5, Dalton looking long for Sanu, who is triple covered and nearly intercepted by Whitner -- the ball was tipped away by Buster Skrine.


On third-and-5, Dalton finally gets a positive play, hitting Gresham for 15.


At the Bengals 49, A.J. Green drops a pass with Haden covering at the Browns 40. On second down, Phil Taylor has the second spike of the drive by the defense. Bengals have totally abandoned anything other than Dalton pass mode.


In shotgun, third-and-10 pass caught and dropped by Green seven yards short of the sticks. Whitner covering.


Huber punt downed by Dre Kirkpatrick at the 3.


Browns 24, Bengals 3, 4:46 left in third quarter


10:46 p.m.: On second-and-10, Hoyer fakes bubble screen and hits TE Gary Barnidge for 28 yards to the 3. Tate on first down powers inside the 1. Hoyer on second-down sneak gets nothing. On third down, Browns call first timeout with 4:54 left.


FB Kiero Small and Terrance West in the backfield, with backup OT Paul McQuistan as an extra blocker. West leaps, fumbles into the end zone, but one linesman signals touchdown -- Bengals are called offside anyway.


"That's one of the sloppiest touchdown (drives) I've ever seen," says Dieken.


Play is reviewed. Touchdown confirmed.














10:39 p.m.: Jeff Triplette's crew is having a hard night -- replay reverses the fumble. Crowell on the sideline. Ben Tate in.


10:38 p.m.: West over right guard for three as NFL Network shows Marvin Lewis plowed by Dre Kilpatrick on the punt coverage. Crowell in, gets three at right tackle. On third-and-4, Hoyer to Miles Austin for 16 to the 41 -- there have been lots of yards to be found over the middle in front of the safeties.






Crowell for nearly five over left tackle. On second-and-5, Crowell has the first down after a tough run over right guard at the 31.


Marvin Lewis challenging the first down. Challenge overturns the first down, making it third-and-a-foot. John Greco fliches and it's third-and-5. Dieken thinks Hoyer wanted to get the Bengals to jump, but got his teammate.


Hoyer blitzed, throw to Gabriel incomplete but Iloka flagged for holding.


Crowell fumbles when his elbow hits the ground -- Niko Johnson recovers, but play is reviewed.










10:26 p.m.: Bengals need to show a pulse to keep the boobirds down.


Bengals split out OT Andrew Whitworth then run Hill up the middle for seven. Dalton on bubble screen to Sanu gets just two on nice tackle by Skrine. On third-and-1, Dalton tries to sneak and Jim Nantz on NFL Network says he's stopped short -- and he is.


Bengals ask for measurement. Ball short by two inches. Bengals will go for it at their 37. Hill dives over the middle for two yards and the first down.


At the 39, Dalton's floater is shockingly dropped by Gipson at the Browns 39. Hits him squarely in the stomach and falls to the turf. On second-and-10, Desmond Bryant sacks Dalton at the 33. Browns blitzed Kirksey as well. On third-and-16, Bryant sacks again, bursting through the middle of the line at the 25.


Huber's punt goes OB at the Browns 36.


















10:19 p.m.: Browns get the ball to start the second half. Nugent kickoff is a touchback.


Do the Bengals stack the box to slow the Browns run game? There's eight in the box on first down, and Iloka stuff West's sweep left for no gain. On second-and-10, Hoyer misses TE Jim Dray at the 25, a little too far toward the sideline. On third-and-10, trips right for Browns, Hoyer to Tate on a dumpoff for four and it's three-and-out.


Bengals clearly moved safeties toward the line of scrimmage to deny the Browns the early short yards. Lanning punt caught by Jones at the Bengals 24 (52 yard punt), returned five.






10:07 p.m.: Bud Shaw on the Browns' running game: "Terrance West has figured out the formula (for the most part). The Browns will give him carries if he simplifies his running style. Kyle Shanahan's zone blocking running game asks the backs to make one cut and go. West looked much quicker hitting the hole before falling into bad habits late in the first half.


"Isaiah Crowell still looks like the best back on the Browns' roster when he shows up in games. Crowell got some time (and a touchdown) after a deep handoff to Ben Tate went nowhere early in the second quarter.


10:04 p.m.: Browns only have 81 yards rushing in the half, but they're keeping the Bengals occupied and Hoyer is getting plenty of time to throw.




Halftime: Browns 17, Bengals 3


10:01 p.m.: Dalton hit by Kruger and floater to Burkhead is OB. With 57 seconds, Dalton rolls right and fires into the bench, missing Green by a lot at 43 at the Bengals sidelines. Bengals give up and draw to Burkhead gets seven. Browns happy to get to halftime, not calling timeout.


Huber has to punt, though ... his 70-yard punt sails into the end zone as the half ends.






9:57 p.m.: How aggressive are Browns in final two minutes? Tate on toss sweep for seven. On second-and-3, Hoyer to Austin gets a first down at the 44 at the Browns' bench.


With 1:31 left, Hoyer scrambles for two yards with no one open. On second-and-8, Hoyer looks for Barnidge, and ball deflected by Nelson but falls to the ground. On third-and-8 with 1:16 left, Barnidge can't quite pull it in at the Bengals 42.


With Dieken fearing the block, Lanning just gets it off to Brandon Tate at the 20, returned four to the 24.


Browns 17, Bengals 3, 2:00 left in second quarter


9:52 p.m.: Crowell for five on first down with a nice spurt. Bengals call timeout with 2:19 left. "Kinda surprised they would call timeout with Browns getting five," says Doug Dieken on the Browns' radiocast.


Hoyer hits Austin for a first down at the 31. We hit the two-minute warning.






9:50 p.m.: After touchback, Bengals start at 20. Dalton is 4-of-12 for 30 yards and an interception.


Desperate for some offense, Dalton rushed by Sheard and throws it into sideline. Holding call on Newhouse and it's first-and-20.


Dalton looks for former Nebraska RB Rex Burkhead, but well defended by Chris Kirksey. On second-and-20, Burkhead gets five with Karlos Dansby stuffing the middle with Phil Taylor. On third-and-15 at the 15, Dalton dumps to Burkhead for eight with Dansby and Williams covering. More boos from Bengals fans.


Leonhard catches good Huber punt at the Browns 17 and returns to 21 with 2:26 left.


Browns 17, Bengals 3, 3:59 left in second quarter


9:46 p.m.: Crowell in backfield, gets four on first down on pitch left. On second-and-6, DE Carlos Dunlap breaks through for a two-yard loss -- Dunlap injured when he tumbles to the ground.


On third-and-8, Hoyer to Gabriel has a first down at the 39 -- illegal contact on Bengals declined. Nice rolling catch by Gabriel.


Crowell gets five yards before hard hit by Reggie Nelson. Hoyer on reverse fake hits Gary Barnidge for 18 at the Bengals 37.


Crowell first-down run for five around left end. Browns look as crisp as Bengals look flat. Pitch up the middle to Crowell gets five more for a first down at the 28.


West in, spins for two yards. On second-and-8, Hoyer to Benjamin for seven on quick square out. Hoyer sneaks for a first down at the 17.


No huddle pace. Hoyer bootleg pass for Benjamin deflected by Adam Jones at back of end zone. Threat of run game gave Hoyer lots of time. On second-and-10, Ben Tate around left end for five yards. Good block by Barnidge.


On third-and-5, Crowell in. Browns call second timeout with 4:42 left with some confusion.


After quick sideline meeting, bubble screen to Gabriel well defensed by LB Emmanuel Lemur.


Cundiff FG attempt from 37 yards in the swirling winds splits the middle.






9:33 p.m.: Peerman in for Hill after fumble. Dalton on first down hits Gresham for eight on delay over the middle. Browns have seven in the box on second down, Sheard and Gipson break through to stop Peerman for three-yard loss. On third-on-5, Dalton hit by Paul Kruger and his looping throw to Sanu is knocked away by K'Waun Williams at the 45.






Leonhard fair catch of Huber punt at Browns 22 with 9:55 left in half.


Nothing like commercial breaks on every change of possession.


9:28 p.m.: Hoyer looks long for Benjamin, who can't quite hold on at the 21, knocked away by Reggie Nelson. West on second down gets seven. On third-and-3, Hoyer nearly picked as throw for Gabriel is too high and nearly caught by Nelson.


Lanning juggles snap, punt to Brandon Tate caught at 19, returned to 26 with 11:17 left in half.






9:23 p.m.: Browns have been much, much more physical than the Bengals so far.


Cundiff's kickoff returned by Adam Jones to 21. Late flag on Browns LB Eric Martin for taunting Bengals sideline. Ball moves to Bengals 36.


So far, Andy Dalton could use the help. His first-down pass complete to A.J. Green against Haden, who injures left arm when it's hit by Donte Whitner.


Hill has 15 yards up the middle, but the ball is stripped free on a hit by Tashaun Gipson and caught by Haden, tackled at the Browns 28.


Bengals couldn't possibly be sloppier.









Browns 14, Bengals 3, 12:57 left in second quarter


9:19 p.m.: As Leah Still is honored with a $1.3 million check to pediatric cancer research, both teams stand and applaud.


Back to football. Tate in backfield, gets nothing on first down. Tate just looks much slower to the hole than West. On second-and-10, Hoyer's play action works again, with a nice stretching catch by Travis Benjamin at the 20, carried to the 8.






Isaiah Crowell in, carries for six after an initial slip. On second-and-goal, Crowell over right guard is called a touchdown after a good 12 seconds elapse.


Replay clearly shows the ball over the line. Crowell's fifth TD run of the season.





Browns 7, Bengals 3, end of first quarter


9:13 p.m.: West for two on first down. Second-down pass to Travis Benjamin on good play action for 17 yards over the middle to the Bengals 40.


West around left end for four. WR Rodney Smith enters game for Browns. On second-and-6, West -- running hard -- powers over left guard for a first down at the 30.


Quarter ends.










9:10 p.m.: An ineffective Dalton gets another chance.


Jet sweep by WR James Wright gets 13 on first down. Standard run by Hill for two. Dalton on second down hits Hill for six, but Bengals OT Marshall Newhouse called for holding Jabaal Sheard.


On second-and-18, Dalton tries a WR screen to Sanu, but it's well covered and Dalton fires it into the feet of Paul Kruger. On third-and-18, he finds Hill underneath for just six.


Huber punt bounces OB at the Browns' 41. Browns need to take more advantage of the Bengals' sluggish start.


9:04 p.m.: Marlon Moore returns four-yards deep and breaks up the middle for a 63-yard return, but Craig Robertson is flagged for holding at the 30 (questionable) and Browns start at their 12.


First down pass from Hoyer to Taylor Gabriel, who spins out of Adam Jones tackle for 18 yards. Geno Adkins storms through untouched and sacks Hoyer before he can get ball to Terrance West. Loss of four.






On second-and-14, pass to Miles Austin broken up by S George Iloka. On third down, Hoyer to Austin gets nine on the catch and four more on the run -- one short of the first down.


Spencer Lanning punt is fair caught by Brandon Tate at the Bengals 23. 4:07 left in quarter.


Browns 7, Bengals 3, 6:18 left in first quarter


8:56 p.m.: Best possible start for the Browns. How do the Bengals respond?


After a touchback (and a commercial or three), Hill gets another carry and eight yards up a gaping hole in the middle of the Browns' defense. Cedric Peerman gives Hill a blow and gets the first down at the 31, with Hill returning.


Dalton's first completion to Green good for about five on a juggling catch. On second-and-5, Hill around right end for three, with Robertson pulling him down on a nice chasedown. On third-and-2, Hill is swallowed up by Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard for a two-yard loss. Browns really good on short yardage plays.


Former Brown Greg Little flagged for a head butt and punter Kevin Huber blasts one caught by Jim Leonhard at the 15, who fumbles at the 32 by Shawn Williams.


Can't anyone here handle punt returns?


With a reprieve, Dalton goes play action to Mohamed Sanu and it's broken up by Buster Skrine -- wind looked to grab that one at the goal line. On second-and-10, Dalton misses Gresham badly and boos are heard. On third-and-10, Dalton to Little is incomplete at the 14 -- ball is high.


With the winds whipping, Bengals ignore a 50-yard Mike Nugent field goal attempt, and Browns call timeout with 7:22 left. Can the Browns wriggle out of the turnover?


Bengals still going for it. Dalton looks for Sanu at the 10, and Skrine is called for interference -- he was tugging on Sanu's left arm.


Ball placed at the 19, and Hill's cutback on first down gets nothing, Billy Winn holding the edge. On second-and-10, Dalton has his throw for Sanu in the left corner of the end zone is blown out of bounds. Bengals then penalized five yards for too many men in the huddle.






On third-and-15 from the 24, Dalton scrambles and throws the ball away a good three yards OVER the line of scrimmage. Flag is slow to arrive, but eventually Bengals hit for the penalty.






Nugent in for 43-yard field goal is good.





Browns 7, Bengals 0, 10:40 left in first quarter


8:38 p.m.: Terrance West over left guard for three. West again on second down reads the zone stretch well for six more. On third-and-1, Browns go two TEs and fullback Kiero Small and West gets a first and goal after initially colliding with Joe Thomas at the 11, moving the ball to the 5.


West cuts over left guard for two yard. In comes Ben Tate in the pistol with Hoyer. Tate carries into the end zone up the middle behind Nick McDonald for the touchdown. Bengals offside, declined.










8:35 p.m.: No surprise, Bengals test the Browns' run defense right away, with Jeremy Hill getting six yards on first down, two more on second. On third-and-2, it's Hill over the right side for a first down at the 31.


Andy Dalton's first throw to A.J. Green sails over his head at the 34, with Christian Kirksey and Joe Haden covering well. On second down, Bengals are confused lining up and call timeout at 13:27 left -- Green, Mohamed Sanu and Jermaine Gresham wandering across the line.


Dalton's throw to Gresham is too far in front and picked off by Craig Robertson at the 35 and returned to the Cincinnati 18.










8:30 p.m.: Billy Cundiff's kickoff is a touchback and we're underway.






8:26 p.m.: Browns choose tails, win the coin flip, defer and will go on defense to start the game.






8:19 p.m.: For a "showdown," there seem to be plenty of seats still unfilled at Paul Brown Stadium just five minutes before kickoff.


8:15 p.m.: OK, so the NFL Network wants to make sure the West Coast gets some primetime football during these Thursday broadcasts -- but hasn't kickoff seemed like it's taken a year to get to today?


If these late starts were so great, how come the Super Bowl always manages to get underway shortly after 6 p.m. Eastern?


8:09 p.m.: The other main storyline on NFL Network's broadcast tonight -- the first game that Leah Still, the daughter of Bengals defensive end Devon Still, gets to see her father play in person after extended treatment for leukemia.






8:05 p.m.: Deion Sanders says Browns fans should "put their hands together" for Brian Hoyer, because he's winning. Kurt Warner says he's eager to see Hoyer play.


Some serious love/curiosity going on.






8:02 p.m.: Browns pregame radio having lots of fun with Ian Rapoport's statement on NFL Network that some in Berea are "antsy" to see Johnny Manziel on the field. They conveniently downplay the end of Rapoport's "report" -- "if the Browns don't do well in the next three weeks."


Well, duh. At 5-6 with losses to the Bengals, Texans (at home) and at a struggling Falcons, contention would be pretty much over. Which is the most likely scenario for Manziel to get substantial playing time -- or start.


7:57 p.m.: With gusty winds, you have to triumph over the elements, right Rich Eisen?










7:51 p.m.: The inactive news brings bad tidings for the strapped Browns' offense, with WR Andrew Hawkins (hip, knee) ineligible tonight, along with concussed TE Jordan Cameron. Other Browns inactives are DB Johnson Bademosi, DB Pierre Desir, RB Glenn Winston, DB Robert Nelson and OL Vinston Painter.


Jim Dray will start at TE, and former Vikings WR Rodney Smith, who at 6-5 doesn't fit the mold of smurfs Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel, should get some playing time.






The Bengals’ inactives are CB Leon Hall, LB Rey Maualuga, LB Vontaze Burfict, OT Andre Smith, WR Dane Sanzenbacher, DE Will Clarke and RB Giovani Bernard.






7:50 p.m.: How is this game -- and more importantly, the Browns -- being interpreted before kickoff?


You have the bubbly enthusiasm of NFL Network's Rich Eisen, who sees a stunning success story as the possible result of a Cleveland win tonight, which is calls "more than possible, more than plausible."


"If they get to 6-3, after a mini-bye, the Browns would get Ryan Mallett's first start with the Texans -- in (the Browns') home stadium. They could be 7-3 ... and get Josh Gordon back in the lineup," Eisen said to pregame partners Kurt Warner and Steve Mariucci (who were less sunny in their projections).


Then there is ProFootballTalk's Jon Ritchie, who wonders how the Browns can threaten the conference's best teams without injured center Alex Mack.


(Backup) Nick McDonald has ... been ... terrible," Ritchie said today. "I've always wondered what would happen when a zone stretch attack -- which requires athletic, mobile linemen -- has an unathletic lineman.


"Well ... voila!"





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