Behind guard duo's performance, Cavs hammer Raptors

A quest for postseason fertility continues for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The lineup was clicking, doing all the right things as they stomped the Raptors 120-97 Saturday night. They led all the way, determined to get even for a loss earlier in the season to Toronto. Without rookie, Daniel Gibson who's expected to be out two weeks with a toe injury, the guard tandem of Lebron James and Larry Hughes delivered in the clutch. Finally Hughes had a breakout game as his scoring been inconsistent this year. Lebron put together 36-point performance while Hughes ended with 27 points on 11-for-17 shooting from the field.

Despite this offensive turnover for Cleveland most of the time it doesn't seem like the run any set plays and force Lebron to create off the dribble while his teammates watch from a self-isolated position. Also, I don't know why Coach Mike Brown gives Donyell Marshall more minutes off the bench than Drew Gooden. The starting forward only played 17 minutes against Toronto...why? This is understandable if he asks to come out of the game or is partially injured.

I think the inside game on the low post has got to become a bigger part of the Cavs' offense. The organization signs Gooden to new fat contract in the off-season yet hasn't worked to include him much in the overall offensive strategy. Ilgauskas continues to be almost non-existent in the paint. Cleveland is in dire need of his production. In order to get more points inside Donyell Marshall can't rely on the three so often. He might as well take advantage of mismatches and position himself near the glass for tip-ins.

Everyone knows that Lebron is the go-to-guy on the team. That will never change because of his ability to change the course of any game. With guys like Shannon Brown creating a spark off the bench as he did yesterday, scoring 14 points in 13 minutes it makes the night easier for Lebron James. To be 34-25 in March with really only one big-name superstar on the team...that's pretty darn good considering the constant efforts of role players like Anderson Varejao. They're only 4 games behind the Pistons for second place in the Central.