The 2011-2012 Cleveland Cavaliers looked like an entirely different team than the squad that was left in ruins following LeBron James’ infamous “Decision.” Rookie point guard Kyrie Irving, who the Cavaliers took first overall in the 2011 NBA Draft and who was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Tuesday, and fellow rookie forward Tristan Thompson added some spice and gave life to a team that desperately needed it. For a good portion of the season, the Cavaliers even looked like they might sneak into the playoffs.

But then, the dreaded injury bug reared its ugly head.

Center Anderson Varejao was lost for weeks longer than expected with a wrist injury and Irving had health issues of his own. The team felt the losses, falling from a potential playoff team to having the third-worst record in the league.

But might this have been a blessing in disguise? Instead of having a borderline-playoff team and a first-round pick in the mid-teens, the Cavs moved themselves way up in the draft and will have the opportunity to draft a game-changer for the second year in a row.

With the NBA Draft lottery, the Cavs have a 13.8 percent chance of obtaining the No. 1 overall pick, but also could move down. Either way, if they stay in the top six-to-seven picks (which is far more than likely), they can improve themselves vastly. Here is a look at some of their options.

The Potential Star: Bradley Beal – Shooting Guard – Florida
Beal is a player many folks have not heard of, but NBA scouts rave about. Standing at 6-foot-3, Beal is a deadeye shooter who will also defend and rebound. He is just 18 years old and would be a perfect backcourt mate for Irving to take some of the pressure off the star.

The Risk: Andre Drummond – Center – Connecticut
Drummond is one of the biggest question marks in the draft. Most scouts have him going in the top five, but he could slip due to questions about his motivation, motor and maturity. Still, Drummond is a force down low with amazing athletic ability.

If the Cavs were to roll the dice on Drummond, they could pair him down low with Varejao and would have a terrific rebounding force as well as a shot-blocking presence for years to come.

The Dream: Anthony Davis – Center – Kentucky
This kid is the real deal. Davis, who played the point throughout much of his high school career, hit a tremendous growth spurt in his final two years of high school that sent him from the range of 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-10. He has the shooting stroke and dribbling skills of a guard, but also the knack to be a solid big man. Davis led the nation in blocks at 4.7 per game and was on the best team in the nation.

Everybody is drooling over Davis, who is the consensus pick to go No. 1 overall. The Cavaliers would need some luck in the lottery, but to be able to pair him with Varejao down low would be a dream scenario for this franchise.

The Best Fit: Harrison Barnes – Small Forward – North Carolina
After a slow start to his college career, Barnes picked his game up as he decided to stay for his sophomore season when the NBA went into lockout mode last summer. Standing at 6-foot-8, Barnes is a pure scorer who can get his own shot and has the potential to be a 20+ points per game kind of guy.

Barnes would alleviate tons of pressure from Irving. It is almost certain that Barnes will be on the board when the Cavs draft. He would be a terrific fit on a squad that desperately needs a small forward.

On May 30, the Cavs will find out their Draft Lottery fate, but they also hold the 24th overall pick along with the 33rd and 34th overall picks and have a golden opportunity to improve further. But all eyes will be on their first choice, and they appear to be a lock to get another big piece to what Cleveland fans hope will soon be a championship puzzle.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kyrie Irving, the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, has continued the Cleveland Cavaliers’ tradition of accomplished point guards.

Butch Beard, the Cavs’ point guard in their second year (1971-72), made the Eastern Conference all-star team in that, his lone full season with the team. Beard was a solid player, but in those days, NBA All-Star Game rules stipulated that each team had to be represented by at least one player.

The Cavs’ tradition of point guard excellence truly began the next season, when future Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens began a two-year stay with the team. Wilkens was near the end of his playing career, but was still one of the league’s premier playmakers. Later, of course, from 1986-93, he coached some of the Cavaliers’ best teams.

Wilkens’ understudy as the Cavs’ point guard, former Ohio State star Jimmy Cleamons, guided the team to its first two playoff berths.

The 1986-87 Cavaliers not only featured Wilkens as their new coach, but a brilliant rookie class that included that season’s backup point guard, Mark Price. He would become the first player in Cavs’ history to be named first-team all-NBA.

Terrell Brandon backed up Price for four seasons, before becoming an all-star in his own right. Later, Andre Miller would come along to run the Cleveland offense, though for bad teams. If the Cavs hadn’t traded Miller to the Los Angeles Clippers prior to the 2002-03 season, they wouldn’t have tied the Denver Nuggets for the NBA’s worst record, and thus been positioned to win the draft lottery and select LeBron James. Miller just completed his 13th NBA season, playing for, ironically, the Nuggets.

Younger fans may not know that one of the game’s all-time best point guards, Walt Frazier, was a Cavalier. When Cleamons left the Cavs for the New York Knicks following the 1976-77 season, the teams –according to NBA free agency rules of the day — had to agree on compensation for the Cavaliers. New York agreed to send Frazier to Cleveland. Frazier, though past his prime, played well in 51 games before a foot injury ended his first Cavaliers’ season. He played just 15 more games for the Cavs before they waived him early in the 1978-79 season.

Other point guards played some solid basketball for the Cavs over the years, such as Clarence “Footsie” Walker, John Bagley and Brevin Knight. Cleveland drafted future all-star Kevin Johnson in the first round of the 1987 draft, but Price dominated him in training camp matchups, and Johnson was sent later that season to the Phoenix Suns in a multi-player trade that brought all-star forward Larry Nance to Cleveland.

During James’ seven seasons with the Cavaliers (2003-10), he played with several point guards, though the offense ran through him. The best of them were Larry Hughes and Mo Williams. In another irony, Williams was the centerpiece of a Cavaliers trade with the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 24, 2011. As part of the transaction, the Cavs received, unconditionally, the Clippers’ 2011 first-round draft pick. That asset won Cleveland the draft lottery for the first pick, used, of course, to select Irving.

Who is the best point guard in Cleveland Cavaliers history?

Video: A brief biography of Lenny Wilkens NBA career:

Video: The final moments, including Jimmy Cleamons’ inbounds pass to Dick Snyder for the game-winning basket, in the Cavaliers’ 87-85 Game 7 win over the Washington Bullets in the 1976 Eastern Conference semifinals:

Video: Highlights from Mark Price’s career:

Video: Highlights from Terrell Brandon’s career, and an interview:

Video: Mo Williams scores 43 points during the Cavaliers’ 117-110 home win over the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 27, 2009:

Video: Kyrie Irving wins the MVP award for the Rising Stars Challenge game, part of the All-Star Weekend events on TNT:

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Welcome to today’s edition of Starting Blocks TV, hosted by Chuck Yarborough, who’s flying solo today as Branson Wright is off.

Now that the Cavaliers have the NBA’s reigning Rookie of the Year in Kyrie Irving, they will turn their attention to NBA Draft 2012. Assuming they don’t land the No. 1 pick – which will almost surely be Kentucky center Anthony Davis – which player do you think would be best for the Cavs to take and feature alongside Irving? That’s the question in today’s Starting Blocks poll.

Today’s guest on SBTV is Plain Dealer Cavs reporter Mary Schmitt Boyer, who has thoughts on that and other topics. She discusses what parts of the game Irving needs to work on heading into next season; and which teams she thinks has the best chance of knocking off LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the NBA playoffs.

SBTV returns Tuesday with Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff talking Browns and Tribe.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving will be named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Tuesday in a press conference in Independence.

From today’s story by Tom Reed on the award:

Irving was such an overwhelming favorite to win the award, voted on by select media members, he addressed the topic with local reporters two weeks ago.

“If I do get it, it will be a great accomplishment for the city of Cleveland, my teammates and myself,” Irving said. “I couldn’t have done it without them. The confidence they had in me allowed me to be myself and play my game.

“If I do win it, I’ll take it home and put it with the other trophies I have.”

Irving becomes just the second Cavs’ recipient of the NBA honor. LeBron James, who like Irving was a top overall pick, won the award in 2004. But unlike James, he did not enter the league with a $90 million Nike deal and predictions of a can’t-miss career.

Irving’s rookie season was a success, and he gives the Cavs a building block for the future.

But with NBA Draft 2012 arriving next month, which player should the Cavaliers look to in the draft if they don’t land the No. 1 pick – who almost assuredly will be Kentucky center Anthony Davis?

That’s our question in today’s Starting Blocks poll: Which player other than Davis would be the best fit for the Cavs to star alongside Irving?

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The NBA draft lottery isn’t quite four weeks away, and the draft is less than two months from now.

The re-building Cleveland Cavaliers, who finished the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season with a 21-45 record, will be among the teams in the spotlight for both events.

Plain Dealer Cavaliers beat writer Tom Reed wrote about the team’s draft standing last Friday:

The club has two first-round picks and the lowest they will select after factoring in the May 30th lottery is sixth overall. They also own the 24th pick from the Lakers. In the second round, they have selections Nos. 33 and 34.

It’s a strong mathematical improbability that the Cavaliers would drop to sixth in the draft order. The Cavs’ positioning for both of their first-round picks was aided somewhat last Friday, as Plain Dealer reporter Mary Schmitt Boyer wrote that a couple tiebreakers went the Cavs’ way:

They won two tiebreakers that will improve their position in the upcoming NBA lottery on May 30 and draft on June 28.

In the first drawing, Cleveland (21-45) won a tiebreaker with New Orleans (21-45) and now ranks third, with 138 chances out of 1,000, for the No. 1 pick in the NBA lottery. New Orleans, now fourth, will have 137 chances. Even if three teams behind them move up in the lottery, the Cavs will pick no worse than sixth.

The Cavs won the lottery last spring and used the No. 1 pick to select Kyrie Irving, the likely Rookie of the Year.

In the second drawing, the Los Angeles Lakers (41-25) won a tiebreaker with the Memphis Grizzlies (41-25) and now have the No. 24 pick in the NBA draft, a pick that was sent to the Cavs in the trade for Ramon Sessions.

As the draft approaches — especially after the lottery is conducted and the playoffs end – we will see more and more mock drafts.

Most mock drafts to date project the lottery teams’ draft order based on how many ping pong balls they’ll have working for them at the lottery.

For instance, mynbadraft.com has the Cavs picking third, and selecting Florida’s freshman shooting guard, Bradley Beal.

Included in the mynbadraft.com draft profile for Beal:

He possesses nearly unlimited range and is dependable from the free throw line. Since his junior year in high school, scouts have compared Beal’s shooting ability to that of Ray Allen. His shooting prowess especially showed itself in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, where he shot 8-19 from three point land in four tournament games.

Two other key elements that set him apart from the average division one shooting guard are his unselfishness and intense work ethic. Beal is a natural basketball player–he does not take many forced shots, attacks the rim when the opportunity presents itself, and makes smart decisions on passes. Also, Beal devotes significant time to making his game better–even in high school, he would come before school to shoot and would stay after practice to work on his shooting most days of the week, proving that he has known the value of working hard since a young age.

Mynbadraft.com has the Cavs using their second first-rounder, at No. 24 overall, to pick Syracuse center Fab Melo.

More NBA mock drafts:

Cavaliers select Bradley Beal at No. 3 and a man in the middle at 24. (WalterFootball.com)

Bradley Beal and a forward for the Cavaliers in the first round. (nba-draft.com)

In the first round, the Cavaliers draft a small forward and a swingman. (DraftExpress.com) 

Not one, but two big men picked by the Cavs in the first round. (NBADraft.net)

Even though the Cavs need more outside shooting and players who can create their own shots, a center and a power forward go to Cleveland in the first round. (NBA Draft Room)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. –

Tony Allen’s defensive accomplishments now include the Grizzlies’ franchise record for steals in a game, a performance that helped Memphis get its fifth straight win.       

Allen scored 13 points and snagged a franchise-best eight steals Monday night as the Grizzlies pulled away at the end for a 109-101 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.      

“I was alert and felt good in the passing lanes,” Allen said.        

His final steal came with 37 seconds left and the Grizzlies holding a 104-99 lead. It helped the Grizzlies continue their march down the stretch with their 13th win in 16 games.   

“That’s crazy,” Memphis forward Marreese Speights said of Allen’s accomplishment. “But that’s what he does. He plays defense. He’s probably one of the best defenders in the league.” 

Speights had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Marc Gasol also scored 17 points to lead Memphis. Rudy Gay scored 15 points, O.J. Mayo had 14, and Mike Conley added 12 as the Grizzlies won their 10th straight at home.         

Gay and Mayo led a rally that allowed Memphis to finally put the game away in the closing minutes. The Grizzlies pulled one-half game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for fourth place in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers hold the tiebreaker between the two teams.

Rookie Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting, Antawn Jamison scored 17 points and Tristan Thompson finished with 12. Manny Harris added 11 points, including nine in the fourth quarter as Cleveland lost its second straight and fifth in its last six. 

“I think our guys are continuously competing at a very high level,” Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. “I’m very satisfied with how hard we’re playing.”      

The score was tied at 98 – the 12th tie of the game – when Thompson hit two free throws for the Cavaliers with 3:27 left. However, Cleveland struggled from the free throw line after that, Thompson and Irving hitting only one of their last six combined. 

“We really competed for 48 minutes, and it’s just that type of game where the two rookies go 1 of 6 from the free throw line,” Irving said. “It just happens.”     

The Cavaliers used 3-point shooting to build a 10-point lead early in the second quarter before the Grizzlies, who appeared lethargic in the early going, put together a 14-0 run behind the reserves.       

That helped Memphis take a 55-52 lead into halftime as Speights had 15 points and Allen 10 – with at least three of Allen’s field goals coming on dunks when Memphis turned up the defensive intensity.

“I believe that defense came from Tony,” Conley said. “We had a good group of guys going there, and they played with a sense of urgency, especially defensively. We got in transition and made some easy buckets and kind go jump-started us in spurts when we weren’t playing well.”

Irving started off strong, scoring 13 of his 19 first-half points in the opening quarter. He was 7 for 10 from the field, including 2 for 4 on 3-pointers in the first two periods. Jamison added 12 for the Cavaliers, who settled into 45-percent shooting in the half.        

“I was just taking what the defense gave me,” Irving said. “Making simple basketball plays and feeding off my teammates. It’s kind of what I do every single games. (The first) was one of the best quarters we’ve had throughout the season.”     

Irving continued to score in the third with help from Jamison. Despite Allen having three steals in the period, the Cavaliers led 78-77 heading to the fourth quarter.

The final period started with a handful of lead changes before Memphis created some space behind Mayo and Gay. Harris was able to pull Cleveland back into the game with all nine of his points in the period during the first eight minutes.

NOTES: Grizzlies G Lester Hudson played 13 games for Clevelandon two 10-day contracts, averaging 12.7 points. … Cavs F Luke Walton coached at the University of Memphis during the lockout. …Memphis reserve F Quincy Pondexter left the game in the second quarter with a left knee injury. Team said an MRI is scheduled for Tuesday. … The Cavaliers topped 100 points inMemphisfor the seventh straight time.

Cavs fall to Memphis

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 4:07 AM EDT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Marreese Speights had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Marc Gasol also scored 17 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-101 Monday night for their fifth straight win.

Rudy Gay scored 15 points, O.J. Mayo had 14, Tony Allen added 13 points and a franchise-record eight steals and Mike Conley had 12 for the Grizzlies, who won their 10th straight at home. Gay and Mayo led a rally that allowed Memphis to finally put the game away in the closing minutes.

The Grizzlies pulled one-half game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for fourth place in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers hold the tiebreaker between the two teams.

Rookie Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting, Antawn Jamison scored 17 points and Tristan Thompson finished with 12. Manny Harris added 11 points, including nine in the fourth quarter as Cleveland lost its second straight and fifth in its last six.

The score was tied at 98 — the 12th tie of the game — when Thompson hit two a pair of free throws for the Cavaliers with 3:27 left. However, Memphis closed the game on an 11-3 run as Cleveland struggled from the free throw line down the stretch.

The Cavaliers used 3-point shooting to build a 10-point lead early in the second quarter before the Grizzlies, who appeared lethargic in the early going, put together a 14-0 run behind its reserves.

That helped Memphis take a 55-52 lead into halftime as Speights had 15 points and Allen 10 — with at least three of Allen’s field goals coming on dunks when Memphis turned up the defensive intensity.

Cleveland started out using accurate shooting by

Irving started off strong, scoring 13 of his 19 first-half points in the opening quarter. He was 7 for 10 from the field, including 2 for 4 on 3-pointers in the first two periods. Jamison added 12 for the Cavaliers, who settled into 45 percent shooting in the half.

Irving continued to score in the third with help from Jamison. Despite Allen having three steals in the period, the Cavaliers led 78-77 heading to the fourth quarter.

The final period started with a handful of lead changes before Memphis created some space behind Mayo and Gay. Harris was able to pull Cleveland back into the game with all nine of his points in the period during the first eight minutes.

NOTES: Grizzlies G Lester Hudson played 13 games for Cleveland on two 10-day contracts, averaging 12.7 points. … Cavs F Luke Walton coached at the University of Memphis during the lockout. … Memphis reserve F Quincy Pondexter left the game in the second quarter with a left knee injury. Team said an MRI is scheduled for Tuesday. … The Cavaliers topped 100 points in Memphis for the seventh straight time.

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Marreese Speights had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Marc Gasol also scored 17 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-101 Monday night for their fifth straight win.

Rudy Gay scored 15 points, O.J. Mayo had 14, Tony Allen added 13 points and a franchise-record eight steals and Mike Conley had 12 for the Grizzlies, who won their 10th straight at home. Gay and Mayo led a rally that allowed Memphis to finally put the game away in the closing minutes.

The Grizzlies pulled one-half game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for fourth place in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers hold the tiebreaker between the two teams.

Rookie Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting, Antawn Jamison scored 17 points and Tristan Thompson finished with 12. Manny Harris added 11 points, including nine in the fourth quarter as Cleveland lost its second straight and fifth in its last six.

The score was tied at 98 — the 12th tie of the game — when Thompson hit two a pair of free throws for the Cavaliers with 3:27 left. However, Memphis closed the game on an 11-3 run as Cleveland struggled from the free throw line down the stretch.

The Cavaliers used 3-point shooting to build a 10-point lead early in the second quarter before the Grizzlies, who appeared lethargic in the early going, put together a 14-0 run behind its reserves.

That helped Memphis take a 55-52 lead into halftime as Speights had 15 points and Allen 10 — with at least three of Allen’s field goals coming on dunks when Memphis turned up the defensive intensity.

Cleveland started out using accurate shooting by
Irving started off strong, scoring 13 of his 19 first-half points in the opening quarter. He was 7 for 10 from the field, including 2 for 4 on 3-pointers in the first two periods. Jamison added 12 for the Cavaliers, who settled into 45 percent shooting in the half.

Irving continued to score in the third with help from Jamison. Despite Allen having three steals in the period, the Cavaliers led 78-77 heading to the fourth quarter.

The final period started with a handful of lead changes before Memphis created some space behind Mayo and Gay. Harris was able to pull Cleveland back into the game with all nine of his points in the period during the first eight minutes.

NOTES: Grizzlies G Lester Hudson played 13 games for Cleveland on two 10-day contracts, averaging 12.7 points. … Cavs F Luke Walton coached at the University of Memphis during the lockout. … Memphis reserve F Quincy Pondexter left the game in the second quarter with a left knee injury. Team said an MRI is scheduled for Tuesday. … The Cavaliers topped 100 points in Memphis for the seventh straight time.

MEMPHIS, Tenn.
– Marreese Speights had 17 points and 10 rebounds, Marc Gasol also scored 17 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-101 Monday night for their fifth straight win.

Rudy Gay scored 15 points, O.J. Mayo had 14, Tony Allen added 13 points and a franchise-record eight steals and Mike Conley had 12 for the Grizzlies, who won their 10th straight at home. Gay and Mayo led a rally that allowed Memphis to finally put the game away in the closing minutes.

The Grizzlies pulled one-half game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for fourth place in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers hold the tiebreaker between the two teams.

Rookie Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting, Antawn Jamison scored 17 points and Tristan Thompson finished with 12. Manny Harris added 11 points, including nine in the fourth quarter as Cleveland lost its second straight and fifth in its last six.

The score was tied at 98 — the 12th tie of the game — when Thompson hit two a pair of free throws for the Cavaliers with 3:27 left. However, Memphis closed the game on an 11-3 run as Cleveland struggled from the free throw line down the stretch.

The Cavaliers used 3-point shooting to build a 10-point lead early in the second quarter before the Grizzlies, who appeared lethargic in the early going, put together a 14-0 run behind its reserves.

That helped Memphis take a 55-52 lead into halftime as Speights had 15 points and Allen 10 — with at least three of Allen’s field goals coming on dunks when Memphis turned up the defensive intensity.

Cleveland started out using accurate shooting by

Irving started off strong, scoring 13 of his 19 first-half points in the opening quarter. He was 7 for 10 from the field, including 2 for 4 on 3-pointers in the first two periods. Jamison added 12 for the Cavaliers, who settled into 45 percent shooting in the half.

Irving continued to score in the third with help from Jamison. Despite Allen having three steals in the period, the Cavaliers led 78-77 heading to the fourth quarter.

The final period started with a handful of lead changes before Memphis created some space behind Mayo and Gay. Harris was able to pull Cleveland back into the game with all nine of his points in the period during the first eight minutes.

NOTES: Grizzlies G Lester Hudson played 13 games for Cleveland on two 10-day contracts, averaging 12.7 points. … Cavs F Luke Walton coached at the University of Memphis during the lockout. … Memphis reserve F Quincy Pondexter left the game in the second quarter with a left knee injury. Team said an MRI is scheduled for Tuesday. … The Cavaliers topped 100 points in Memphis for the seventh straight time.

SAN ANTONIO — Even when losing by 16 points, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott congratulated his players for giving a good effort. As another dreary season enters its final week, it’s all the Cavaliers have left to cling to.

“I just congratulated the guys,” Scott said. “Obviously, we want to win games, but just on how hard they’ve been playing, not taking anything for granted, not looking at the schedule, not looking at the fact you’ve got three games left in the next four nights. Just taking one game at a time and doing the first thing on the board every night, which is compete.”

The Cavs lost to the Spurs 114-98 Sunday on a night both teams inched closer toward their destinies. The Spurs need just one more victory to clinch home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, thanks to the Thunder’s loss to the Lakers on Sunday, while the Cavs are creeping closer to their date with the lottery.

Victories by both Golden State and Sacramento on Sunday helped negate any of the “damage” done by the Cavaliers’ victory over the New York Knicks on Friday.

The Cavs still have the league’s fifth-worst record, percentage points ahead of the Kings, but the two teams are again tied in the wins column, which is all that matters when teams are racing to pile up losses.

The Spurs rested Tim Duncan on Sunday in preparation for the playoffs, which was at least a small reason the Cavaliers were able to keep the game competitive. After losing at home to the Spurs by 35 at the beginning of the month, they were within 11 at the start of the fourth quarter on Sunday.

“Tonight we actually competed,” said Tristan Thompson, who had nine points and nine rebounds. “Last time we played the Spurs, they kicked our butt.”

The game got away from the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter when they went four minutes without a basket. They trailed 89-77 on a jumper from Samardo Samuels with 8:50 left, but they missed their next four shots and had a turnover as the Spurs extended the lead to 102-82.

Manu Ginobili scored 20 points in 22 minutes off the bench and Stephen Jackson scored 13 points in the fourth quarter as a pair of noted Cavs killers did it again. Behind those two, the Spurs’ bench outscored the starters 62-52.

Alonzo Gee returned after missing three games with a sprained ankle to score 10 points off the bench, Antawn Jamison had a game-high 21 points and Kyrie Irving had 19. Irving turned it over four times, but had three assists and showed more aggression at getting to the basket. Irving has played three games now since missing a couple of weeks with a sprained right shoulder, and with each game he looks more like the player who led the team for the first three months of the season.

“Especially the way my legs feel, I feel pretty good,” Irving said. “It felt like I was back in the beginning of the season.”

Five of the Cavs’ final six games are against teams headed to the playoffs. They’re 1-2 in the first three with Memphis upcoming tonight. But they have competed and given a much better effort in every game since falling behind to Detroit by 50 points last week, which is why Scott is encouraged entering the offseason.

“We’ve got guys with great character, got a lot of heart and a lot of pride,” Scott said. “When this is all said and done, it gives you a lot of encouragement because you have a lot to build on. We want to end the season continuing to play that hard because it really gives us a lot of fuel going into next season.”

———

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Like every other team in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the final stretch of the regular season. After April 26, the team heads to the golf course while the top eight from each conference begin the battle for a championship. The closest thing to a big win for the Cavaliers this season is if their ping-pong balls yield the top pick in the NBA Draft.

The smartest thing for the Cavaliers to do is lose their final three games to the Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Wizards, and Chicago Bulls. Personally I would rather see the team compete in the remaining games to finish the season on a high note, but what do I know? I just like to see a good basketball game where my favorite team wins on occasion.

Memphis comes into the game battling for the No. 4 position in the Western Conference, which will enable them to have home court advantage. Cleveland is trying to avoid the embarrassment of another blowout loss. Perhaps the Cavaliers have it in them to steal a victory or maybe it is ping-pong balls they are ultimately after.

The matchup:

The Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedExForum located in Memphis, Tenn. on Monday, April 23, 2012 at 8 p.m. EDT.

The standings:

Cleveland comes into the game having lost their last game and with a 21-42 record. They are 10-21 on the road and have won three of their last 10 games.

Memphis enters the matchup having won their last four games and with a 39-25 record. They are 24-7 on their home court and have won eight of their last 10 games.

The season series:

This is the first meeting between the two teams this season.

Where to watch:

The game can be watched live nationwide with NBA League Pass or–

In Cleveland: FSOH, NBATV

In Memphis: SSO-MEM, NBATV

The season statistic leaders:

Cleveland: Kyrie Irving- 18.7 points per game, Kyrie Irving- 5.6 assists per game, Tristan Thompson- 6.3 rebounds per game.

Memphis: Rudy Gay- 19.0 points per game, Mike Conley- 6.6 assists per game, Marc Gasol- 9.0 rebounds per game.

Injuries to note:

Cleveland: Anderson Varejao (broken right wrist), Daniel Gibson (foot surgery), Semih Erden (sprained right ankle), Alonzo Gee (left ankle sprain).

Memphis: Darrell Arthur (torn Achilles).

More Cleveland Cavaliers Commentary from Paul Rados:

Fan Preview: Can the Cleveland Cavaliers avoid another embarrassing loss against New York?

Cleveland Cavaliers must win against 76ers after embarrassing loss to Detroit: Fan Preview

Cleveland Cavaliers embarrass themselves in 116-77 loss to Detroit: A fan’s reaction

Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons play for pride: Fan Preview

Fan Preview: Can the Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the struggling Magic?

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is an avid Cleveland Cavaliers fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook.

Manu Ginobili scored 20 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to their seventh straight victory, 114-98 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

San Antonio (47-16) moved 1 1/2 games ahead of Oklahoma City, which lost to the Lakers earlier Sunday, in the race for the best record in the Western Conference. A victory over Portland on Monday would secure the top spot in the West for the Spurs, who own the tiebreaker over the Thunder.

Cleveland (21-42) lost for the fourth time in its last five games despite the Spurs giving Tim Duncan the night off. With the playoffs right around the corner, the 35-year-old Duncan was the only active Spur not to play.

Stephen Jackson scored 17 points for the Spurs, DeJuan Blair added 15 points and seven rebounds, and Danny Green had 14 points. Antawn Jamison led Cleveland with 21 points, Kyrie Irving had 19, and Manny Harris added 14.

Besides limiting Duncan’s minutes this season, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has given his star forward six nights off to rest. Thanks to another easy victory, their other veterans didn’t play too much.

Ginobili and Tony Parker each played just 22 minutes. The Spurs entered the game having won four straight games by at least 21 points. During that span, Ginobili has played 30 or more minutes only one time, and Parker has done so just twice.

Parker had six points and nine assists for the Spurs, who swept the season series. San Antonio won at Cleveland 125-90 on April 3 in a performance that left Cavaliers coach Byron Scott wondering if his team had already thrown in the towel. Since then, the team has impressed Scott with its attitude despite going only 4-8.

“I think we’ve responded very well,” Scott said before the game. “We’ve been very competitive. The guys have been playing extremely hard the last week and a half of the season. It was pretty much after that game . ever since then, we’ve battled pretty hard”

The Spurs led only 52-44 at halftime behind 11 points from Green, but the starting forward left the game in the second quarter after a flagrant foul by Harris. Green was hit in the left eye by Harris while going up for a layup with 5:35 left in the second quarter. Green stayed on the ground for several minutes before getting up to hit one of two free throws. He then left for the locker room for the rest of the quarter before returning for the second half.

Matt Bonner was the only Spurs player to play and not score in the first half. San Antonio led by as many as 16 points in the second quarter before Cleveland went on a 12-2 run late in the quarter to narrow the deficit.

After Cleveland cut it to 91-81 early in the final quarter, San Antonio went on an 11-1 run to put away the game.

Notes: Spurs F Boris Diaw started for Duncan and had six points on 3-of-7 shooting. . Scott ranked third-lowest in a poll of players when asked which coach they would most like to play for, finishing ahead of Orlando’s Stan Van Gundy and last-place Scott Skiles of Milwaukee. “The thing I know about both those guys is they’re pretty demanding guys,” Scott said. “So if that’s the case, and I’m put in that category as being a very demanding coach, I don’t mind that. You’ve got a lot of guys that want you to kiss their butts. I’m not doing that. That ain’t happening. And I’m not going to tell them all the time what they want to hear.” Popovich ranked third-highest.

The Cleveland Cavaliers assigned Luke Harangody back to the Canton Charge on Sunday and the former Notre Dame star is expected to play in tonight’s NBA Development League playoff game at Springfield, Mass.

It’s been a whirlwind three days for Harangody, who went for 16 points and nine rebounds in the Charge’s Game 1 win against Springfield on Friday night in Canton.

The Cavaliers then recalled him for their game Saturday night in Washington D.C. since they were shorthanded on the front line. Not only did he play, he registered his first career NBA start in place of Antawn Jamison and posted a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds in 37 minutes in leading the Cavs to a 98-89 win against the Wizards.

“He was the MVP tonight,” Cavaliers Head Coach Byron Scott told the Cleveland Plain Dealer after Saturday’s game. “For him to play in a D-League game (Friday) and then to come here and start for us was really great. You really have to give him a lot of credit. He was definitely ready to play.”

Now the 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward finds himself traveling back to the Charge for tonight’s Game 2 in the best-of-three first-round series. Tip is set for 7. Game 3, if necessary, is Monday, also at Springfield’s MassMutual Center, starting at 7.

Harangody is the Charge’s leading scorer and rebounder. He averaged 19.4 points and 12.6 rebounds while shooting 41.3 percent from 3-point range in 16 regular season games with Canton. This is his third assignment to the Charge this year, which is the maximum. If the Cavaliers recall him again, he cannot be assigned again to Canton this season.

Harangody’s size and strength will be needed against Springfield’s big front line of 7-footer Jeff Foote and 6-9 Dennis Horner.

The Charge will be without shooting guard Josh Akognon tonight. Akognon suffered a right calf strain during Friday’s win and did not make the trip to Springfield.