In a week where both Boston and Miami come to Cleveland, what do the Cavaliers focus on? Themselves, of course.
View full sizeRamon Sessions and the rest of the Cavaliers know keeping a close check on Boston's brilliant Rajon Rondo will go a long way toward gaining a second victory over the Celtics on Tuesday.INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Here's a Cavaliers riddle: If one of the most hated rivals in the league comes to town in the same week that features the return of the most hated player in all the land, what in the world is a Cleveland player to focus on?
"It's easy," point guard Mo Williams said Monday. "I got Rondo tomorrow. That should be enough said."
It's a bit of a trick question, of course. When the Celtics arrive Tuesday with the Eastern Conference's best record at 12-4, Williams and his cohorts will focus on running the aging Boston squad -- and slowing Rajon Rondo and his 14.2 assists per game -- in the same manner that they did in their surprising season-opening victory.
When the Miami Heat play its first game in Cleveland on Thursday with a certain Player Who Left making his first return since "The Decision," they will focus on keeping defensive rotations crisp and locking in on the offensively explosive stars that headline the team.
Call this the toughest week of the Cavaliers schedule, as two highly emotional games come within three days.
The Cavaliers would rather have this be the week they truly find themselves and reveal their identity to all, as the NBA spotlight focuses on Cleveland for one week. Coach Byron Scott began the week by showing the team recent video highlights focused on an improved defense. Currently, the Cavaliers are 15th in the NBA in points allowed, at 99.6.
The best defense the Cavaliers hope to employ against Boston, however, is their fast-paced offense. That's what they did in a 95-87 victory in the opener.
"We ran, we ran, we ran," said Williams, who missed that game with a groin injury. "That was a new-look team at the time, and they didn't know what to expect. I expect to see a better, more prepared Boston. [But] we've had time to get games under our belt, and I feel like we'll be better from the first game, also."
The Cavaliers are finally entirely healthy and beginning to come together as a team, Scott said. Though they've won just two of the last six games, there has been a noticeable improvement in defensive rotation and offensive movement.
"It's just time, just time together on the floor," Williams said. "Being whole, everybody being healthy and one, and having an opportunity to practice together."
So revealing what the Cavaliers believe is a team finally coming together will be the first challenge. The first opportunity will come against Boston.
"We know in order to be a great team and a team that's continuing to get better, those are the type of teams that you want to be and the type of teams you want to beat," guard Daniel Gibson said.
Fine with fine: Scott reacted evenly to the $35,000 fine levied Sunday by the NBA for his comments criticizing officiating in Friday's loss at Orlando.
"It is what it is," Scott shrugged. "Friday after the game, I forgot all about it."
The trickier part for Scott is figuring out how to pay the largest fine he's ever been assessed.
"I don't know if they take it out in increments or in one big lump," he said. "But they're gonna get it. It's not as if I can say, 'Mr. [David] Stern, I'll send you a check,' and then wait 4-5 months."
At his neck: Gibson was one Cavalier honest enough to admit that he already has a plan for how he's going to approach LeBron James' return to Cleveland on Thursday. Though the two are friends and James has sent encouraging messages to Gibson about his improved play this season, Gibson said he is a competitor on the court.
"When we get out there on the court, I'm going at his neck," Gibson said. "When we're off the court, we say our hi's and our goodbye's."
Dribbles: Williams said he was still getting over his Alabama's football loss Saturday to Auburn. "They still got me on suicide watch," he said. ... SportsBusiness Daily/SportsBusiness Journal released results from its sixth annual reader survey Monday. The Cavaliers were part of the second-biggest sports business story of the year: James announcing where he'll play this season on TV. "The Decision" earned 20.71 percent of votes from readers for the top story, narrowly losing out to South Africa hosting the World Cup, which earned 21.85 percent of votes.