Cavaliers coach Byron Scott and his players insisted they were focused on tonight's game against Boston at The Q and not worried Thursday's visit by LeBron James and the Miami Heat.
View full sizeCan Daniel Gibson and the Cavaliers keep Boston's dynamic Rajon Rondo under control for a second time this season?CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Notes and observations from the Cavs game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night at The Q:
Cavs starters: F Joey Graham, F J.J. Hickson, C Anderson Varejao, G Anthony Parker, G Mo Williams.
Celtics starters: F Paul Pierce, F Kevin Garnett, C Shaquille O'Neal, G Rajon Rondo, G Ray Allen.
Injuries: None for Cavs. Jermaine O'Neal (sore left knee), Kendrick Perkins (right knee surgery), Delonte West (broken right wrist) out for Celtics.
Inactives: Christian Eyenga, Manny Harris, Samardo Samuels for Cavs. O'Neal, Perkins, West for Celtics.
Officials: Dick Bavetta, Kevin Cutler, John Goble.
Two things to watch
1. How much will Rajon Rondo's sore hamstring and foot slow him down at all?
2. Can the Cavs stay focused on the moment and the Celtics after 24 hours worth of questions about LeBron James and the Miami Heat?
In spite of repeated tries by a larger than normal press corps for Tuesday's shootaround, Cavaliers coach Byron Scott and his players insisted they were focused on tonight's game and not worried Thursday's visit by LeBron James and the Miami Heat.
Although Cleveland native Jawad Williams did say he thought Cavs fans would remember what James had done here for seven seasons, most players barely entertained questions about the Heat with more than 48 hours to go before that game.
Mo Williams, for instance, talked about Boston no matter what question he was asked about Miami.
Daniel Gibson referred to James as ''one of my guys,'' but said of Thursday's game, "I'm going to approach it like another basketball game, just like I'm going to approach this game tonight. This is a great team we're looking forward to playing against. We've got to be ready to play tonight.
"Tonight we play the Eastern Conference champs, and Thursday we play Miami. It's just a matter of us continuing to try to improve what we want to do here, continue to get better as a ballclub if we want to be where we want to be at the end of the season.''