Links To The Present: October 28, 2010

“More people tuned in to watch the Cavs’ first game without LeBron James than any other season opener with him.” [Akron Beacon Journal]

“But this team is going to fight and they are going to give maximum effort. The fans are going to love much about this team. The fans who packed The Q last night were outstanding down the stretch.” [Andrew @ WFNY]

“Scott is remarkably open and friendly, and I can say the same about every last one of the players. They act more like our peers than big-time athletes, and that alone makes them worth rooting for.  Of course, there are certainly bigger reasons to embrace this group. The biggest being that this is your town — and this is your team.” [Sam Amico]

“It paid off, just like Scott’s been preaching it would. Six Cavaliers ended up scoring in double figures; that Varejao may have been his team’s MVP but wasn’t one of them says a lot about the total team effort it was. Daniel Gibson, who scored all 16 of his points in the second half, iced it with late free throws and addressed the crowd afterward as confetti fell from the rafters. During the celebration, a fan mugged for the television cameras with a sign that read “Just like the playoffs, LBJ’s not here.”” [Zac Jackson]

“No, we got some work done. Hard work is a habit just like losing, just like laziness. I want us to get into the habit of every single day that we’re going to work.” [Byron Scott]

“I find these doomsday predictions to be incredibly unrealistic. In order for something like 12 wins to be true, LeBron James’ slice of the Cavaliers’ pie last season would have to have been worth 50 wins! LeBron James is a future Hall of Famer, but does anyone really think his presence alone is worth 50 wins? If so, why don’t we just pencil the Heat in to go 82-0 right now?” [Neil Paine – BBallRef]

Anderson Varejao had 10 board in 32 minutes.  Boobie had 8 assists in 27 minutes.  Those are impressive per minute stats.  Know what else is impressive?  Jermaine Oneal had 6 fouls and 3 turnovers in TWELVE MINUTES.  [Box Score]  Also, if you click on BBref’s “Advanced Box Score” you will see that Anderson Varejao was the ADVANCED BOX SCORE MVP of the night.

“Wednesday’s 95-87 win over the Celtics was one of the best regular season victories of the last three or four years. It was beyond a playoff atmosphere. Actually, there have been playoff crowds over the past couple years that weren’t that amped. The last time I can remember enjoying a regular season home game at The Q was a January 22 game against Washington.  The Cavaliers had just made the huge deal for Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith and Ben Wallace. It was a snowy Friday night and none of the new Cavaliers had taken their physicals. Cleveland had only eight players – including two NBDL call-ups – and rallied to beat Washington, 90-89.  I realize that game doesn’t mean everything. But this year, every game means something.” [Joe Gabriele]

You’re in our prayers, Joe.  We miss you.

“You have to understand,” said Boston’s Paul Pierce, “this team is hungry. Everybody is against them and everybody is writing them off.” [Paul Pierce talking about Cleveland]

A few people have alluded that the shot clock could have been at 1.9.  But the shot clock expires as soon as it shows zero.  There is no 0.9 hidden in the 0 of the shot clock.  Either way, AP probably got the shot clock up in 1 second, and the Jazz timekeepers gave about 5 total extra seconds to Utah during the last minute of the Sundiata Gaines game.  It happens.

“On it is a silhouette of the city’s skyline. Sponsored by Sherwin-Williams, a Cleveland company that has been here almost a century and a half, the new banner is a reminder of when Clevelanders defined themselves by the things they produced, instead of letting fickle sports celebrities set the limits of their self-esteem.” [Bill Livingston]

I love JJ Hickson interviews for some reason.