Jan 22, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics power forward Jared Sullinger (7) and small forward Paul Pierce (34) battle for a rebound against Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson (13) in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Without Kyrie Irving, a matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder would likely be a game to mark off on the calendar as a loss for the Wine & Gold. But with Irving, that changes everything. Sure the Cavaliers lost by 15 in the previous matchup with the Thunder, but this is a much different team. The rise of Tristan Thompson and the addition of Marresse Speights makes the Cavs a much more interesting team than they were in November 14^th. That being said, as the stats indicate, there still is a large gap between the West’s second best team and the East’s 13^th best squad.

Statistics

Advanced Statistics

Four Factors

Players to Watch:

Cavaliers – Thompson

1. Versus OKC: 8.0 rebounds per game

2. In wins: 11.6 rebounds per game

3. In losses: 8.6 rebounds per game

Thunder – Kevin Martin

1.  Versus CLE: 66.7 percent shooting from the field

2. Currently is shooting 5.6 percent above his career average from three

3. Currently shooting 3.7 percent above his career average from the free throw line

Key Matchup: Dion Waiters/CJ Miles versus Thabo Sefolosha/Kevin Martin

In the marquee matchup (Irving versus Russell l Westbrook), both players are going to get theirs. Kevin Durant, who will be guarded by Alonzo Gee, is also likely to get his. But the two-guard position could be up in the air – depending on which Waiters and Miles show up. If it is the good Cleveland duo, then we could see a stellar matchup on the wing. If not, the Thunder’s duo could make this a long night for the Cavs. This holds especially true if Miles does not get in his groove early and Waiters takes bad shots, as he is prone to do.

Jan 4, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) reacts during the second half against the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Curtis Wilson-USA TODAY Sports

For three quarters the Cavaliers dominated the Bobcats in Charlotte, and at one point had an 18-point lead over the ‘Cats. But for whatever reason, the Cavs lacked intensity down the stretch and saw that lead evaporate to the point where they fell behind by one with only 4:30 left in the game. However, Kyrie Irving led the team by capping off the game with his fourth game winner of his young career. Cleveland escaped with a 106-104 victory.  Irving led the Cavaliers with 33 points, including 16 in the final frame. Tristan Thompson added a season high 19 to go along with 13 rebounds, while new starter C.J. Miles added 18.  Ben Gordon led the Bobcats with 27 points, while Ramon Sessions added 20 off the bench. Gerald Henderson led Charlotte’s starters with 17 points.

The first quarter saw the Cavaliers get out to a hot start, and Miles, who scored 11 points in the quarter, led them. In fact, the two of the Cavaliers first three buckets were three pointers from Miles. As a whole, the Cavaliers benefited from Miles’s hot start and some luck in order to jump out to their first quarter lead. For example, Irving looked out of sync early on, and Thompson traveled the first two times he touched the ball on offense. For Charlotte, no one really stood out, but Michael Kidd-Gilchrist did score five points off the bench. The end of the quarter saw Irving steal a pass and throw an alley-oop to Alonzo Gee, who threw it down with authority. At the end of the first quarter, the Cavaliers led 29-23.

At the beginning of the second quarter, new signee Shaun Livingston was in at point guard, and he started off hot. On one possession he threw down a vicious two-handed dunk, and on the ensuing possession, stole a pass and threw an alley-oop to a slashing Dion Waiters. A few minutes later, Waiters, who looks very comfortable as the Cavs new sixth man, stole a pass and scored on the fast break. This quarter was also key in the sense that both Thompson and Tyler Zeller played with toughness and confidence inside. Zeller, in particular, made several good defensive plays and fought for almost every rebound. Near the end of the quarter, Irving got into his groove and scored on two straight possessions. Another Miles three, giving the Cavaliers a 62-48 lead at the half, capped off the quarter.

Jan 4, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson (13) shoots over Charlotte Bobcats power forward Tyrus Thomas (12) during the first half at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Curtis Wilson-USA TODAY Sports

In the third, the Cavaliers extended their lead to its peak of 20. Irving, in particular, really got hot in this period, and scored five points in the first four minutes. Zeller and Thompson continued their stellar play, and they both held down the paint against Charlotte’s attacks.  The Bobcats were only kept in the game by stellar play from Henderson, and solid three-point shooting. At the end of the quarter, the Cavaliers led 86-74, and appeared to be on their way to an easy victory over one of the NBA’s worst teams.

In the fourth quarter, the wheels almost completely came off.  Slowly but surely, the Cavaliers had their lead eroded by the Bobcats. Within the first three minutes, the Bobcats pulled within six. Led by the former Clevelander Sessions, the Bobcats picked up the pace and almost were able to change the whole course of the game. After Zeller made a bonehead pass that was stolen by Sessions, the Bobcats took a one-point lead with 4:30 to go. The Bobcats one-point lead was their first since a 6-5 lead in the first quarter. From there on, the game was back and forth, with Irving living up to his moniker of “Mr. Fourth Quarter” by carrying the Cavaliers down the stretch. And with one second left on the clock, Irving nailed a jumper off of a slick crossover, giving the Cavaliers their 106-104 win.

While the Cavaliers were able to get their eighth win of the season, there was a lot to not to like in this game. In the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers were outscored 30-20, and that fallout almost cost them a game that was so close to being in the bag. Also, it was odd to see Livingston in for Waiters down the stretch, and it took away one of the Cavaliers best offensive threats when they may have needed it most. Lastly, there were too many stupid decisions and plays made by youngsters, whether it was Thompson’s travels, Zeller’s passes or Gee’s offensive foul in the tailend of the fourth quarter.

All in all, though, a win is a win. Irving did what he does best in carrying the Cavs down the stretch, and the win takes them out of the cellar in the Eastern Conference. Also, with Anderson Varejao still out, it was good to see Thompson and Zeller step up and hold down the front line for the majority of the night. It may not have been pretty, but at least the Cavaliers can return home with another “W” on their ledger.

The Cavs next play Saturday night against the Houston Rockets at 7:30 PM at Quicken Loans Arena.

Dec 11, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers power forward Antawn Jamison (4) in the fourth quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY SportsKyrie

On his first play back from injury, Kyrie Irving channeled his inner Uncle Drew and nailed a smooth mid-range jumper, causing the Cleveland crowd to erupt. Irving never leveled off from there, finishing with 28 points and 11 assists in leading Cleveland to a 100-94 win at Quicken Loans Arena. C.J. Miles had the best game of his young Cavalier career, matching Irving with 28 points, while Anderson Varejao added 20 points and nine rebounds. Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles with a game high 42 points, while Dwight Howard chipped in 19 points and 20 rebounds.

The first quarter between Los Angeles was a fun quarter. Both teams had their moments on offense, but Cleveland seemed to have the edge through out. On defense the Cavaliers out hustled the Lakers, causing (7) turnovers that led to easy transition points. Varejao had the play of the quarter, throwing a vicious dunk down on Lakers forward Jordan Hill. For the quarter, the Cavs were paced by (insert name) with (#) points, while Bryant, who had 12 in the quarter, led the Lakers. At the end of the quarter, the Cavaliers led 29-23. The second quarter started off much slower than the first. In the first four minutes, only six total points were scored. When six minutes had passed, only 14 points had been scored in total. Largely, though, that was due to Irving and Bryant both sitting out to start the quarter. For Cleveland, Irving helped pick up the pace instantly. Replacing Jeremy Pargo, Irving increased the tempo, drove the lane and he hit several shots, including a smooth bank shot from the left wing. Irving also worked in sync with Varejao, setting up the big man on several occasions.  C.J. Miles also had a big quarter for Cleveland, scoring 10 of his 28 points in that period. The story of this period was the Cavaliers defense, as through two quarters, the Wine and Gold had forced 13 turnovers. At the half, the Cavaliers led 54-39.

The third quarter started off a lot like the second. Through four and half minutes, the Cleveland Cavs had only scored three points, while the Lakers had scored six. After a Cavaliers timeout, the Lakers went on a run to pull within seven.  However, the Cavaliers quickly put that to rest – scoring five straight to pull ahead by 12. On a whole, the third quarter was ugly for Cleveland. They committed seven turnovers in the period, and only made five of 22 shots. At the end of the quarter, after a Kyrie Irving three, the Cavaliers lead was cut down to six.

The start of the fourth was fast paced. Both teams traded baskets, and after three minutes, the Cavaliers still lead by six. With 7:11 left in the quarter, Kyrie channeled Uncle Drew and scored a lay up that also got him to the line. The converted three-point play, followed by a Howard miss, gave the Cavs an energy boost, as they held onto a five-point league. Down the stretch, the teams contributed to trade baskets until Metta World Peace bricked a three with a little over a minute to go. On the ensuing possession, off an Irving assist, Varejao hit a jumper from the elbow to give the Cavs a seven-point lead with 48.7 seconds to go. After some clutch free throw shooting and solid defense, the Cavaliers held on to win the game.

At the end of this game, it was clear how much better Irving makes the Cavaliers. Going against Kobe’s Lakers is never an easy task, and without him, it is hard to see how they would have won that game. His decision making, scoring ability, and leadership are irreplaceable assets for Cleveland, and will be fun to see how good Cleveland can be with him healthy.

On the downside, Dion Waiters is still out with injury, and key reserve Daniel “Boobie” Gibson left tonight’s game with a hyperextended elbow. When the Cavaliers can get everyone healthy, it will be interesting to see how good they can be.

The Cavaliers next take the floor Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers at home. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m., and the game will air live on FSN Ohio and WTAM 1100.