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In the NBA, a team’s starters and stars put that team in a position to have championship hopes, but it is their bench that will take that team from title pretender to title contender. While I admit that Cleveland’s bench-play has been suspect the latter part of this season due to their scoring inconsistency, the bench bunch has also had a meaningful hand in the Cavaliers’ 66-16 overall record and 39-2 record at home. After reviewing the season, I have compiled the top 10 bench moments of the 2008-2009 season. Keep in mind that I am not necessarily picking out the moments when a bench player scored a team high in points or recorded a high total of rebounds or assists. The moments and performances that make this list were either significant to the outcome of the game or the development of that Cavalier’s future.
10. First look at Darnell Jackson (Game 23) - With Big Z out due to an ankle injury, Mike Brown gave Darnell Jackson some significant minutes. Brown had praised Jackson's hard work in practice and thought he was ready to step up for the Cavs. Although Jackson did not light up the scoreboard, what he did show was his toughness and desire to never give up on plays. Jackson only recorded 1 point, but he snatched 8 rebounds, 5 of which were offensive. This performance was important because with Ben Wallace's durability in question, Darnell Jackson is the only big on the Cavs' roster that can match Wallace's toughness. If Jackson's jumper continues to improve (and it's already light years in front of Andy's and Ben's), he may very well be an important piece to the Cavs puzzle for a long while.
9. Bench Scores Big vs. Thunder (Game 15) - During a blowout of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Cavalier bench got major minutes. In fact, Lebron James only played 17 minutes in this game; the most minutes a starter played was 27 by Delonte West. The wine and gold's bench combined for 68 of Cleveland's 117 points scored in this game. The bench scoring rampage included a 14 point night from rookie J.J. Hickson. Hickson also contributed 6 rebounds and 4 BLOCKED SHOTS. The Cavaliers also got 15 points from Gibson, 13 points from Szczerbiak, and 11 points from Kinsey. The bench's performance did not win this game; the game had already been decided. However, it was good for the bench to feel like they were contributing, and the starters really enjoyed watching the bench guys put on a show. That is what makes this team fun to watch; they all root for each other, and that is not something you normally see in the NBA.
8. Gibson Shows Roster's Depth in Home Opener (Game 2) - The home opener at the Q was a game symbolic of the Cavaliers' season. The Cavaliers beat a sub .500 team by 17 points, and LeBron James got some rest. Daniel "Boobie" Gibson had a game high with 25 points and was 10-of-14 from the floor. It was not just the good scoring night for Gibson that made this a big bench moment; Gibson's performance showed that this season LeBron James didn't have to do it by himself. This season, the Cavaliers have depth on their roster, and Gibson showed that the 2nd game of the year. Gibson's strong shooting night included 4-of-6 from 3-point range. When Gibson is on, this Cavaliers team is very difficult to beat.
7. Tarence Kinsey's "Golden" (State) Moment (Game 41) - After playing only 73 "mop-up" minutes in the first 40 games (1.83 minutes per game) , Tarence Kinsey got 15 minutes of meaningful playing time in a game against the Warriors in Oakland. With Delonte West out due to injury and foul trouble lurking, Mike Brown needed a player capable of keeping up with Golden State's fast pace. Brown turned to Kinsey, and Brown wasn't disappointed. Kinsey scored 11 points including a hard fast-break dunk over Corey Maggette. The Cavaliers needed every one of Kinsey's 11 points to lay the groundwork for the most exciting play of the year. Without TK stepping up, Cleveland would have never been in the position for LeBron James to hit the buzzer beater that had Golden State in disbelief.
6. Joe Sparks "O" Against Blazers (Game 68) - The Cavaliers' offense was dead in the water; Cleveland started the 2nd quarter down 19 to 12 (thats right, only 12 points in the first quarter). Needing a spark, recent new addition Joe Smith got the scoring kick-started in the 2nd quarter. Joe "Mr. Professional" Smith went 4-of-4 from the floor in the 2nd quarter and scored 8 2nd quarter points. The Cavaliers finished the first half down 36 to 34, but without Joe Smith's 2nd quarter scoring, it could have been much worse. Joe finished the night 5-of-5 from the floor with 12 points and 2 blocked shots. The Cavs ended up taking this game in overtime, and Joe Smith is a big reason Cleveland got a 2nd chance in overtime to win this one.
5. Wally's World at the Wachovia Center (Game 79) - In a game that clinched the top-seed in the Eastern Conference for the Cavaliers, Wally Szczerbiak caught fire. Wally tossed in 18 points for the wine and gold including 4-of-4 from 3-point land. In the 4th quarter, the Pacers snuck back within 2 points of the Cavaliers; then, Wally sank a 3-pointer that put the Cavaliers up 79 to 74. The Pacers never got closer than 5 points after that dagger. The Cavaliers will need the long ball from Wally and all the bench guards to keep defenses honest in the playoffs so the floor can be spread for LBJ.
4. Sasha’s Clutch Shooting Shades Suns (Game 64) - During a 3 road game in 4 night span, Sasha Pavlovic stepped up big in a comeback win against the Suns. After trailing most of the 3rd quarter, coach Mike Brown turned to Sasha Pavlovic. Sasha hit three 4th quarter 3-pointers including one that put the Cavs up 94 to 93, a lead they never let slip away. Sasha tallied 11 4th quarter points and helped lift the Cavs to victory in Phoenix. The next night, Sasha got the call to start for Delonte West. Although Sasha did not play that well the whole game, he hit 2 big 3-pointers in the 4th that helped eliminate a 12 point 4th quarter lead for the Kings and secure an overtime road victory for the Cavs.
3. Andy Wigs Out On Wig Night (Game 19) - On Anderson Varejao Wig Night, the "Wild Thing" put on a shooting clinic in the 2nd quarter. Andy shot 6-of-6 from the floor in the 2nd quarter, and the outstanding thing about the 6 shots was that only one of them was a dunk or lay-up. The other 5 shots were 17+ foot jumpers. In the first half alone, Varejao went 7-of-7 from the floor and scored 17 points on a night when LBJ only scored 11 points. The Cavaliers needed someone to step up, and Varejao delivered with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Although relying on jump shots from Varejao is not a tactic the Cavs want to use, this game alone showed that Andy did work hard on his J in the off-season, and the potential for him to be a good 15 foot jump shooter is there.
2. Boobie Fuels 4th Quarter Comeback vs. Pistons (Game 46) - The Cavaliers started the 4th quarter down by 8 points, and LeBron went to the bench for his normal rest. A quick start to the 4th quarter for the Pistons would have spelled disaster for the wine and gold, but a young Piston killer had something else in mind. Daniel "Boobie" Gibson scored the first 7 points of the 4th quarter and cut the lead to 1, and then MOmentum threw the hammer down on Detroit. Mo and Boobie combined to go on a 15-2 run over the Pistons to start the 4th, and Cleveland took home an important W at the Palace in Detroit.
1. Bench Bunch Falls Short of History But Can Hold Their Heads High (Game 82) - With the top seed in the NBA playoffs secured, Cleveland chose to rest LeBron James, Mo Williams, Zydrunas Illgauskas, and Joe Smith in the 2008-2009 regular season finale. Starters Delonte West and Anderson Varejao only played the first half. This is the only game that resulted in a loss on my Big Bench Moments Top 10, but this game might be the most important game for the Cavaliers' bench all season. The bench players played their hearts out and showed how bad the Cavs wanted to match the 1985-1986 Celtics' 40-1 home record. The Cavs fell short, but resting LBJ and Co. was the right call. This game may very well be the spark that gets this bench going. Daniel "Boobie" Gibson had one of the most spirited performances of the season dropping a regular season career-high 28 points on the 76ers, including a couple clutch 3-pointers, one of which that sent this game into overtime. Wally Szczerbiak had a monster game with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Darnell Jackson had 15 points and 8 rebounds (6 offensive), and Sasha Pavlovic tallied 20 points for the Cavs. The Cavs fell short of history, but the second loss in the Q may very well be what propels the Cavs bench to help Cleveland get that 16th win in the playoffs.
Honorable Mention
Wally’s 1st Quarter 3-balls Sting Hornets (Game 38) - Trying to avenge an early season loss to the Hornets, the Cavs hosted Chris Paul and company at the Q. Cleveland used 3 straight 3-balls from Wally in 2 minutes at the end of the first to open up an 11 point lead. Cleveland went on to win 92 to 78.
J.J. Hickson Puts It Back and Puts Them Down (Game 73) - During a blowout victory against the Dallas Mavericks, J.J. Hickson put together a couple clips for a highlight tape. First, Hickson had a powerful putback dunk off of a Tarence Kinsey miss, and then Hickson went down to the other end of the floor and erased Ryan Hollins' dunk attempt. This 30 second span showed exactly what the Cavaliers love about J.J. Hickson; he has talent dripping out of his fingertips. Hopefully, Hickson can keep progressing because he could be fun to watch for a long time if he continues to get better.
Joe's Ovation at the Q (Game 63) - One of the most satisfying moments of the Cavalier season is when Joe Smith made his home debut against the Miami Heat. Joe entered the game with 4 minutes and 22 seconds left in the 1st quarter and received a heartfelt standing ovation from the Cavalier fans. Joe Smith may very well be the piece of the puzzle that makes this picture perfect. Cleveland will need Joe especially if Wallace cannot stay healthy throughout the playoffs.
So, that's my top 10 bench moments of the Cavaliers' season. Keep in mind, I tried to use games that players came off the bench. Let's hope that the Cavaliers bench got some momentum from that last game performance and they will help lift Cleveland to an NBA championship. GO CAVS!
BURN ON!
-J.V.
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i'm happy you put the honorable mentions in there too.
awesome job.