Cavs Gives Fans A Treat With Christmas Win In LA

In what was arguably the most anticipated game of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers held the reigning NBA Champion LA Lakers to under 90 points in a Christmas Day win at the Staples Center.

The nationally televised Marquee game, hyped the return of Shaquille O’Neal to a city in which he won three of his four NBA titles, and showcased the extraordinary basketball talents of Back-to-Back MVP winners Lebron James (2008-2009 winner) and Kobe Bryant (2007-2008 winner), as well as their latest Nike Puppet commercials.

“Celebrity Row” was filled with Courtside Attendees, which included: Rapper Snoop Dogg, Andy Garcia, Danny DeVito, and Sylvester Stallone. However Avid Lakers fans Jack Nicholson and Dyan Cannon were noticeably absent.

Both MVP’s delivered stellar performances and Cavs fans were not disappointed. In the Finals-caliber match, fans were treated to lots of steals, lots of slam dunks, and lots of player intensity. The Lakers received four of the five technical fouls that were handed out. Center Lamar Odom was tossed out of the game (after receiving his second) with only a few minutes remaining to play. Also, Ron Artest fouled out, late in the game.

Although Kobe scored 35 points, had 9 rebounds and 8 assists, it wasn’t enough in the 102-87 loss to the Cavaliers. Angry Lakers fans publicly expressed their displeasure for the game (and the officiating), as they lost their composure, booed and threw water bottles and Foam Fingers onto the court. Being the team leader that he is, especially in hostile territory, Lebron signaled for his teammates to gather around him and could be heard through the airwaves saying this: “Play the game and everything will take care of itself.”

Everything took care of itself, indeed, as the Cavs were poised and they outplayed the Lakers on both ends of the court. Lebron scored 26 pts, had 4 rebounds, and 9 assists. Mo Williams scored 28 pts, had 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. Shaq added 11 pts and 7 rebounds. Coming off the bench, Delonte West scored 7pts, had 2 rebounds and 4 assists. And Jamario Moon had another impressive game, adding 13 pts.(off the bench) and getting 1 rebound.

---------------