[Lor20]

9? yup....9

Cavaliers-Mavericks Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Feb 06 2011 2:32PM
The Cleveland Cavaliers' historic losing streak has seemed like a nightmare for players and fans, and the club could have a tough time ending the slide in a road matchup with the hottest team in the NBA.
Having set a single-season league record with 24 consecutive losses, Cleveland tries to avoid surpassing the franchise's own all-time league mark Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks, winners of eight straight.
The Cavaliers (8-43) fell 111-105 to Portland on Saturday, giving them 34 defeats in 35 games. Cleveland hasn't won since Dec. 18.
The Cavs have lost 14 times by double digits during the slide, getting outscored 108.7-94.4 in that stretch.
"It feels like a bad dream," guard Daniel Gibson said.
A 25th straight defeat would surpass the overall NBA record, set by the Cavs from March 19-Nov. 5, 1982.
Antawn Jamison scored 17 points against the Trail Blazers and has been one of the few bright spots for Cleveland, averaging 20.7 points during the woeful streak.
"I couldn't care less about the record," coach Byron Scott said. "I care about our guys progressing and getting better. That's my biggest focus and hopefully they feel the same way."
There has been almost no progress since Cleveland opened 7-9. Dallas defeated the Cavs 104-95 on Jan. 2 despite playing without Dirk Nowitzki, overcoming Jamison's 35 points and 10 rebounds and Ramon Sessions' 19 points, 12 assists and seven boards.
With its star forward now recovered from the knee injury that kept him out, Dallas (35-15) has regained its early season form, and it moved into second place in the Western Conference with a 101-92 victory over Charlotte on Saturday. Nowitzki had 25 points and has averaged 27.7 while shooting 59.2 percent over the last three victories.
However, Nowitzki is averaging 20.7 points against the Cavs, his second-lowest mark against any team. He averages 20.6 versus Portland.
Tyson Chandler grabbed 15 rebounds for the second straight game Saturday and is averaging 16.1 points and 11.3 rebounds during the winning streak.
"He's been big. He's our emotional leader, our vocal leader," point guard Jason Kidd said of Chandler. "He's a guy who can run the floor, finish above the rim, block shots and rebound. He's been a big part of our success."
Shawn Marion led Dallas with 22 points Jan. 2 while DeShawn Stevenson added 21.
That victory was Dallas' second in a row in the series - both without Nowitzki - after LeBron James helped Cleveland take the previous four. The Mavericks have won eight of 10 matchups in Dallas.