Yes, that really happened

The Cavaliers did actually beat the Los Angeles Lakers last night. I didn't actually watch it -- I rarely watch the Cavs anymore, partly because I'm so much busier than I used to be, and partly because watching the Cavs rarely brings me any pleasure -- but I saw the highlights on ESPN this morning, and there are enough witness accounts to corroborate the story that I feel comfortable going with it. (In case you're wondering, the last Cavs game I actually watched was the one in which they beat the Clippers to break their losing streak. I didn't watch the whole thing, but saw about the last three-eighths of it.)

Our boys went into the game with an NBA-worst 9-46 record. Not only that, they had lost 39 of their last 41 games, a stretch during which they set an NBA record by losing 26 straight. One of those was an embarrassingly terrible 55-point loss to the Lakers in L.A. The Lakers came in on a two-game losing streak, but please compare that number to the one affixed to Cleveland's earlier skid. They were 38-18 coming in. They're the two-time defending champions. They have Kobe Bryant, not to mention Pau Gasol and a bunch of other players that would beat any Cavalier in a game of one-on-one. No way they lose to this bunch.

It's been said many times, but it bears repeating: That, my friends, is why they play the games.

I will note, for those who care about such things, that the Cavaliers have gone 2-0 at home against Los Angeles-based teams this year. Hey, you've got to look for positives where you can find them.

That was HUGE!

Check out those Cleveland Cavaliers! After completing a sweep of the season series against the defending champion Lakers last night, the Cavs are 33-11, just percentage points behind the 32-10 Lakers for the NBA's best record. And the Cavs have an easier schedule going forward, with just 16 remaining away games and 22 at the Q. The Lakers have 25 road dates left, 15 at home. And if they should finish with the same record and meet in the Finals, the Cavaliers have just taken the tie-breaker for home-court advantage.

And it bears mention that the Cavaliers won this game without Mo Williams, their second-leading scorer and an All-Star last year. If they can beat the full-strength Lakers without their second-best player, there's no reason to think these Cavs can't be NBA champions. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I'm darned excited about this team.

Fumbles at the Forum, er, Staples Center

That was a satisfying win over the Lakers, despite the comedy of errors in the closing seconds. For those who missed it, after L.A.'s Ronny Turiaf hit a layup with 13 seconds left to put the Lakers within 96-95, Larry Hughes took the ball on the end line to try to inbound it to someone who could hit foul shots. Boobie Gibson's good at that, so he figured he'd get it to Boobie. But Boobie, trying to make a move that would let him elude Kobe Bryant just enough to get the ball, slipped and fell, and barely got a hand on the ball. Luke Walton picked it up and tossed it to Kobe under the hoop. With the other three Cavs down the floor, Kobe had only Hughes to beat for a layup, but Larry managed to get a hand on it. It went off the rim and bounced back to Bryant, who knocked bodies with Boobie and fell down himself. Hughes picked it up and got a quick time-out, after which LeBron got the ball and hit his free throws with nine seconds left. Bryant and Walton tossed the ball back and forth to each other for nine seconds, neither able to get off a three without a hand in his face. Walton probably should have taken the shot; he got the ball with about two seconds left, and LeBron scrambling over to him. It wouldn't have been wide open, but he's got to take that shot. Instead, he wussed and sent it back to Kobe, but it was too late for him to get a shot off. He did throw up a prayer after the buzzer went off, but it didn't go in anyway.

Of course, this win was not without its price. Anderson Varejao hurt his ankle in the third quarter. X-rays were negative, but he's got an MRI scheduled. We'll see how that turns out. Maybe he won't be out long. Fingers crossed. When Z fouled out with about four minutes left, it sure would have been nice to have Andy come in for him.

How about that rain delay in the first quarter? It looked like the roof was leaking, but it turned out that some roofers had left their soaking-wet clothes on a catwalk over the court, and that's where the water was coming from. I guess that's what happens when you make roofers work on a Sunday.