Cavaliers 2008-09 Schedule Notes

By Austin Kent
for HOOPSADDICT.com

Published: August 7, 2008

If all is well that ends well, then this particular Cavaliers camp is far from content. Enter early salvation. Just three months prior to the release of the NBA’s official 2008-09 schedule, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers fell at the hands of the eventual world champion Boston Celtics. Now news has come of redemption.

In just over two flips of the calendar from now, that same defeated club will have their shot at revenge. Gone are the days when qualifying for the playoffs alone was an adequate feat, over the course of the past three seasons this team has proven themselves to be so much more. With this raised expectation comes greater accountability, and with such; responsibility.

Consider, in addition to this, the ongoing development of James, the continued adaptation of mid-season acquisitions Ben Wallace and Wally Szczerbiak and the collective shoulder chip that remains from an NBA Finals loss against the San Antonio Spurs in 2007, and - in the Cleveland Cavaliers - one has an indisputably legitimate contender for the 2009 crown.

Championship dreams and growing aspiration aside, a lot can happen between now and June, here is what you need to know in order to take the most from a forthcoming Cavaliers season.

October 28 vs. Boston: Redemption Day. After being ousted by the Boston Celtics in a seven-game series last May, the taste in the mouths of Cavaliers fans has been an unpleasant one. When the ball tips off in Massachusetts just over two months from now, be sure to catch the Cavaliers as they hope to play ceremony spoilers when the defending victors are presented their championship rings.

November 19 @ Detroit: Combine the fact that these two teams (arguably the two next best in the Eastern Conference) will be competing against one another to dethrone the Boston Celtics with the fact that their already intense recent history makes basketball fans shudder and what do you get? One of the most intriguing match ups of the NBA season. Between the legendary Eastern Conference Finals Game Five of 2007; Ben Wallace’s return to the Motor City; and the similar quests that these two teams are on in an attempt to stay on top of the Eastern Conference - when any Cavs/Pistons match ups roll around, stay tuned.

December 10 @ PHI: Fresh blood. At least in the contender’s circle. With the summer acquisition of Elton Brand, the Philadelphia 76ers have taken that next step in becoming one of the Eastern Conference threats. With the emergence of an already impressive young Sixers team, a handful of teams in the East have to be wary of their conference positioning - Cleveland is one of those teams. If the Cavs are adamant in defending their position amongst the best, expect this game to get explosive. Oh, and they play again two days later in Cleveland.

December 21 @ OKC: It’s no secret that the Cavaliers got their first taste of Oklahoma several years ago when the New Orleans Hornets sought refuge there in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but in this holiday season match up against Kevin Durant and company, Cavs fans can get their own glimpse of the league’s most recent locale.

January 19 @ LAL: Call me a victim of the expectations of mass media all you want but any match up between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant demands your attention. Would somebody settle the debate already: just who is the best player in the NBA? Remember: the question is who is best, not most valuable, and the answer can be none other than either one of these two currently representing Team USA in Olympic basketball.

February 27 @ SAS: How one can not still be extremely frustrated with the results of the 2007 NBA Finals is beyond me. They split the pair of games last season, but I’m going step out on a limb and say that all has not yet been resolved between these two clubs.

March 19 vs. POR: Sure they will have played already in January, but on this spring evening the Cavaliers will play host to Greg Oden and the Portland Trailblazers. Fans of the former Ohio State big man have been waiting over a year to watch Oden’s professional debut and now they can. After being sidelined with an injury for his entire first season in the league, Oden is back stronger than ever. This late season game may very well have playoff implications for both teams involved.

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Cavaliers 2008-09 Schedule Notes

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