Photo: Tony Dejak/AP

If you wonder why LeBron tends to settle for jumpers at the end of games, even at the disgust of Cavalier fans (myself included) at times, tonight is a prime example. LeBron drove, got contact from Luol Deng and Joakim Noah, but he lost the ball with no foul call and the Cavaliers dropped a very winnable game in front of a home crowd that has now seen them lose twice in four games, as much as they lost at home all of last year. Here's a summary of some of the team's causes for concern.

Whirlwind start for Wild Thing: Anderson Varejao got more than his fair share of open looks in the early going as the Bulls defense keyed in on James and O'Neal. This isn't surprising, and even when Andy is successful, it's not going to stop the opportunities for #17. Wild Thing was 4-for-5 shooting for 7 points, his only miss a reverse dunk that went wrong. He also added 7 boards in an incredibly active first quarter.

Photo: Joshua Gunter/Plain Dealer

The Cleveland Cavaliers needed a quarter to get up for the Washington Wizards and found themselves down 31 to 17 at the end of the first quarter. Cleveland had no answer for Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas and could not seem to make a shot to gain any momentum. The second quarter brought the defense out of Mike Brown's Cavaliers and started the scoring surge from Shaquille O'Neal. The Cavs outscored the Wizards 22 to 11 in the last 6 minutes of the 2nd quarter to pull within 4 points of the Wizards at the half. Cleveland continued to shoot the ball well in the 2nd half, and the Cavaliers sent the Wizards home from the Q with a 102 to 90 loss.

Hot and Cold - The Cavalier and Wizard offenses were polar opposites in the 1st quarter. The Cavaliers played the role of cold, and the Wizards were the hot ones. The Wizards shot 55% from the floor on 11 of 20 shooting, and the Cavs went 33% from the floor on 8 of 24 shooting. The Wizards also went to the line 10 times in the first quarter making 7 of their free throws while the Cavs were 1 of 3 from the line in the 1st.

Butler and Arenas Carve Up the Cavs D -Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas combined for 23 1st quarter points. The Cavaliers had a hard time adjusting to the high screens of the Wizards, and Washington found themselves with many wide open shots to start this game.

No Hustle - The Wizards needed no extra motivation to show the Cavaliers they were ready to play. Washington came out of the gate firing and Cleveland seemed like they were still hitting the snooze button. The Wizards out-rebounded The Cavs 15 to 10 in the 1st quarter and also got to the free throw line 7 more times than the Cavs. Cleveland was a step slow on the defensive and seemed like they were in danger of letting this one get out of control. The Cavs were not doing the little things like boxing out or going after 50/50 balls.

Photo: Tracy Boulian/Cleveland.com

Browns fans watched yet another miserable game in this Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bears. The Bears used turnovers and field goals to build a 16-0 first half lead and never looked back. Cleveland's defense showed that they have not given up on this team; however, you must score to win, and the Browns are flat out bad at doing that. The end of the game brought another change at quarterback as Derek Anderson continued to struggle, and Brady Quinn was reinserted at QB for the last series of the game.

3 and Out - Five possessions into this game, I wondered if there would be any 1st downs come the end of the first quarter. The first five drives between the Browns and the Bears all resulted in 3 plays and a punt. The Bears finally broke that streak when they took their 3rd possession down to the Browns' 19 yard line and successfully kicked a 37-yard field goal. The Browns were not satisfied with ending their offensive woes, however, as their first six drives ended in 4 plays or less. The first 3 drives were 3 and out; the next drive was a 1st play interception from Derek Anderson, and the 5th drive was a 4th play fumble between Anderson and Lewis. The fumbled possession was then followed by another 3 and out.

Rob Ryan Packed the Defense a Sack Lunch - Rob Ryan had the defense ready to go today, and if Cleveland had anything close to a capable offense, they would have been in this game. Ryan was scheming all game; Cleveland used blitz packages vigorously and had Jay Cutler and the Bears offense scratching their heads for most of the first three quarters. The Browns' D was bringing constant pressure on Jay Cutler and were forcing him to make quick decisions. Cleveland finished with 4 sacks, 7 QB hits, 4 tackles for a loss, and 4 pass deflections. If the defense can use this game as a stepping stone and actually show some progress after the bye week, that could be the first progression I see out of this new regime. Do not let the 30-6 score fool you; the defense played well and the score could have been much worse if the Browns D did not hold the Bears to three early feild goals. Plus, the defense was on the field 15 more minutes than the Bears D.

Photo: Jon Fobes/Cleveland.com

No one wanted to say it, but everyone was feeling it. The Cavaliers were clearly missing something in their first couple of games, but tonight the Cavaliers became whole again when they welcomed Delonte West back into the rotation. The impact was immediate, and the Cavaliers used a strong shooting night combined with a determined defensive effort to score the eleven point victory over an improved Charlotte Bobcats squad, that has still never won in Quicken Loans Arena.

Early success for the Diesel: Project "Feed O'Neal" continues and makes a few strides each game. In this contest, Shaq made 3-of-4 shots for a quick six points against the the favorable matchup on the skinnier Tyson Chandler. Although Shaq finished with just 8 points on 3-of-7 shooting, he had 5 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, and played solid interior defense. More importantly, he looked much more comfortable in the offensive flow, and while the mission to count on him as a reliable scoring option continues, the progress is slowly coming.

Hot Sauce in his Bag: The much-anticipated beginning to Delonte West's season came with 4:22 in the first quarter. West checked in for Anthony Parker, and he received a standing ovation from the Q faithful. West immediately brought perimeter defensive intensity and offensive movement and spacing. In his 24 minutes, Delonte provided a little bit of everything in his opening act: 5-of-7 shooting for 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and hard-nosed defense. He did most of his damage in the late third quarter through the late fourth quarter in a stretch of 11 minutes where he scored all 13 of his points and seemed to find his stroke, getting into that mode that Cavaliers fans fondly remember. When he's feeling it, Delonte becomes a second player on this team that can create his own offense consistently.

Photo: ESPN.com

On Halloween in the 'Shoe, Buckeyes fans were rewarded with a number of "treats" offensively and defensively thanks to a couple of "tricks" against the Aggies of New Mexico State. The Ohio State offense racked up 559 yards while the Buckeye defense held the Aggies to a measly 62 yards on the day. New Mexico State was no match for the talent of Ohio State as Jim Tressel pulled out many of the starters after halftime as the Buckeyes held a four-score lead. I had the pleasure of watching the game from the north stands of the stadium. Here are my thoughts on today's resounding victory:

No Candy for the First Quarter

The first quarter ended scoreless despite Ohio State gaining solid yardage on offense. Tressel tested Pryor's arm several times in the first quarter by letting the Buckeye quarterback throw deep passes to his receivers. These first quarter passes resulted in no "treats" for the Buckeyes as Pryor and his Crew were unable to punch the ball into the endzone.

(On a side note, the second quarter started off with a quick Buckeye rushing touchdown by Terrelle Pryor. Kirk spun the 'Roulette Wheel' and lost horribly as he chose to sit in the south endzone while conceding his ticket in the north stands to a friend. Pryor's rushing TD was the first of six Buckeye touchdowns on the day, all of which were accomplished in the north endzone of the stadium.)

Photo: AP/Jim Mone

In desperate need of a win, the Cavaliers faced a sight for sore eyes in the Minnesota Timberwolves. Cleveland used 48 percent shooting, including 56 percent shooting from three point range, and key contributions from their bench to grab a key road victory and calm some of the nervousness surrounding the team's early struggles.

You're hot and they're cold: The Cavaliers made themselves at home early on in the Target Center when they came out firing a scorching 9-for-15 in the first 8 minutes. Meanwhile, the T-Wolves shot just 3-for-13 in that stretch. The only person who had a good first quarter for Minnesota was rookie PG Johnny Flynn, who blew by Mo Williams on a couple of occasions for 7 first quarter points. Other than that, the Wolves shot just 7-of-21 in the first, while the Cavs raced out to a 52 percent mark (12-of-23). LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 11 first quarter points as the Cavaliers took a seven point lead.

Photo: AP/Nathan Denette

Schedule makers didn't do the Cavaliers any favors, but right now, they're not doing themselves any favors either. The Cavaliers on their first back-to-back came out with very little energy, and never recovered from the second quarter surge of the Raptors that pushed their lead to as much as 20. The pressure and panic ratchets up a notch now as the Cavaliers are 0-2 with glaring negatives outweighing the positives in the early going.

Bargnani Blitzkrieg: For everyone wondering why on earth Toronto selected Andrea Bargnani with the number one overall pick back in 2007, tonight is Exhibit A. The 7-foot Italian was feeling it from all over in the Air Canada Centre. He hit several jumpshots, and then when the Cavaliers changed defenders, he used his size advantage inside to get a couple of cheap buckets. In all, Bargnani scored 28 on a super-efficient 11-of-15 shooting and added five rebounds. Most of the damage he inflicted came in the first half with 21 of his 28 coming in the first two quarters. Bargnani is a poor rebounder and defender, but if he can display an offensive arsenal like tonight, then he'll be successful in the league and in Toronto's system.

Photo: AP/Mark Duncan

Tonight's Cavaliers-Celtics matchup was tagged as the first glance at two new-look teams. However, the Cavaliers, now equipped with Shaquille O'Neal, Anthony Parker, and Jamario Moon, and the Celtics, with new additions Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels, put on a show that had a feel very much like the battles of the past two years. Although one key difference was that the home team did not come out on top as the Cavaliers lost to Boston for the first time in the Q since December 2004, and the home team lost for the first time in the two's last 16 meetings (including playoffs).

Fast out of the gate: In typical Q-style fashion from last season, the Cavaliers didn't waste any time in jumping all over Boston as they hit 6-of-7 field goals to start the game and take a 13-2 lead. During this stretch, the Cavaliers offensive movement was excellent since everyone was getting their hands on the ball. Shaquille O'Neal got three low-post buckets in 1-on-1 situations with Kendrick Perkins, and the Cavaliers got out and ran a little bit, beating Boston down the court on several occasions. Cleveland also forced multiple Boston turnovers by getting their hands in the passing lanes, especially Anthony Parker. In the first quarter, the Cavaliers shot 12-for-23 (52 percent), and 9 of those 12 baskets were assisted. The Cavaliers led by as much as 14 points in the first quarter.

Photo: Joshua Gunter/Cleveland.com

Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea: No, I'm not making a plug for Pepto-Bismol, nor am I outlining the symptoms of the swine flu. I'm listing what I'm sure most Browns fans either experienced or would rather experience than watching today's game, a forgettable 31-3 beatdown at the hands of the Green Bay Packers in Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Injury issues: No one missed today's game due to the flu that ravaged the team earlier this week, but it sure looked like it still had an effect on the team. Tight ends Robert Royal and Steve Heiden missed their second straight games due to injury, and Phil Dawson missed yet another game as well. Greg Estandia and Billy Cundiff filled in once again respectively. Eric Wright also started after flipping his car earlier in the week. He seemed a bit off all day as one would expect.

Photo: AP

Mark Shapiro set a deadline, and not only did he meet it, but he left a couple weeks to spare. Shapiro, sped up by another team's wishes, named former Nationals skipper Manny Acta the 40th manager of the Cleveland Indians Sunday.

Acta, 40, had a record of 158-252 in his two and a half seasons in Washington from 2007 to July 2009. He was let go on July 13th after a 26-61 start to the '09 campaign. The Nationals' records his first two years were 73-89 and 59-102 respectively. To be fair, however, the Nationals have not had a winning record since 2003, when they went 83-79 as the Montreal Expos, and they certainly don't look to be headed that way anytime in the next season or two.