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Cavs set unwanted record for futility

(AFP)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — When it comes to losing, the Cleveland Cavaliers are now in a class by themselves.

The Cavaliers lost their 24th straight NBA contest on Saturday, falling 111-105 to the Portland Trail Blazers to break the league record for a single-season losing streak.
The 1995-96 Vancouver Grizzlies and the 1997-98 Denver Nuggets both posted 23-game losing streaks in a single season -- a dubious record the Cavs had matched on Friday when they lost at Memphis.

With their 24th straight defeat, the Cavaliers also equalled their own NBA record for overall defeats in a row -- which they set in a period spanning the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons.

"It feels like a bad dream," said Cleveland guard Daniel Gibson.

The Cavaliers, who have been reeling since the departure of NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James as a free agent last July, gave themselves a chance to overcome a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, but once again they couldn't make the plays they needed.

Antawn Jamison scored 17 to lead the Cavs, who haven't won a game since they beat New York in over-time on December 18. Their next chance comes on Monday in Dallas.

Wesley Matthews scored 31 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 for Portland.

Portland guard Andre Miller, a former Cavalier, admitted the Trail Blazers didn't want to be the team on which Cleveland turned the tables.

"There's pressure playing against every team, but, of course, there's added pressure with them struggling the way they are," Miller said.


"You don't want to be the top headline: 'Streak ends to Portland Trail Blazers.' Guys took a little pride in that."

The Cavaliers have had precious little to find pride in during a season in which they have fallen to 8-42.

It's a drastic turnaround for a team that, with James, won more than 60 games the past two seasons.

"We have to figure out how to win these games," said Gibson, who scored 12 and had nine assists. "We just have to keep trying until we do. It's not a matter of if, but when.

"We have to continue to play the way we're playing and things are going to change for us."

When might that be?

"The next game, hopefully," Gibson said. "That's the way you have to approach it."

As if the Cavaliers didn't have enough troubles, forward Jamario Moon was in a minor road accident on the way to the game. He banged his knee, but was otherwise unhurt.

Prior to the contest, the Cavaliers announced that Brazilian center Anderson Varejao will have surgery on February 12 to repair a torn tendon in his ankle. He suffered the season-ending injury in a non-contact running drill in training on January 6.

Amid all the setbacks and struggles of the season, coach Byron Scott insisted the record is not his big concern.

"I couldn't care less about the record," Scott said. "I care about our guys progressing and getting better. That's my biggest focus and hopefully they feel the same way."
 
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.

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