The Cavliers are still trying to create a line-up rotation that is suitable for them, but on the other hand, the Phoenix Suns have glued their line-up. They jumped out to a wonderful start without Shaq in the middle. Shockingly, the Cavs did not!Twenty-four hours after getting pounded by the Knicks the Suns are playing their 2nd game of a back-to-back road trip. Phoenix gets its first look at O'Neal in his new Cavalier uniform.
In the pass, Cleveland (12-5) was close to a deal for O'Neal near the league's February trade deadline but couldn't match terms with Phoenix (14-4), causing them to fall short of grabbing the legendary Center.
In the past off-season, the Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry acquired O'Neal for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic and a second-round draft pick, giving the team a strong inside presence and sending 2-time all-star center Ilgauskas to the bench.
Phoenix has blossomed without O'Neal. Shaq allegedly slowed down the Suns high-speed tempo. Now they are averaging an NBA-best 111.3 points and a ton of assist.
Shaq is averaging 11.1 points in 11-games with the Cavaliers. With Ilgauskas starting some games this season for an injured Shaq the Cavs averaged 102.0 points and went 5-1, with Shaq they are 7-4 and scoring 97.5 points per game!
This will be a pleasant environment for Cleveland. Big Z will break Danny Ferry's record of most games played. Ferry and Z are currently tied at 723-games.
The Suns have to contain Mo Williams if they want to win. He averaged 37-points against Phoenix last season in a 2-game sweep of the Suns. He also scored a career-high 44-points. When Mo drops over 20-points, the Cavs are 20-0 in the Quicken Loans Arena,
Let's see if Shaq can show the Suns that he is also better off without them!
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