Ricky Davis hears boos in return visit to Gund

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CLEVELAND -- Before Monday's game, Boston Celtics guard Ricky Davis said he expected some cheers and some boos for his first game back in Cleveland.
He was half right.
Davis was booed during warmups. He was booed when he checked in the game and he was booed when he entered the game. He was booed when he touched the ball and he was ... well, you get the idea.
"I knew it was gonna happen," said Cavaliers forward Ira Newble, who had eight points and seven rebounds off the bench. "The fans made it tough on him."
And the Cavs made it tough on the rest of the Celtics.
Cleveland's defense shut down the Celtics down the stretch, outscoring them 14-5 over the last eight minutes to pull away for a 97-89 victory that snapped a 13-game losing streak to Boston.
"With all the hype in the media about this game and this also being on national television, it was a big win for our guys," said forward Eric Williams, who was included in the six-player December trade that sent Davis to Boston. "It's always good for the fans, but at the same time we're all professional players.
"We're just trying to play basketball."
Controversy
Davis, who finished with 10 points and four turnovers, caused some controversy after the trade when he criticized the team, the city and the fans, calling Cleveland a "black hole."
He apologized about the fan comments when talking to reporters before Monday's game, saying "I want to apologize to the fans, they were always here during the bad times. They know I love them, and it was just hard times over here."
It didn't help.
"You gotta expect that," Newble said of the booing. "He said some harsh comments and people are going to remember that. He apologized later when he realized it was immature."
Does Monday's game add some closure?
"I hope so," said Williams.
LeBron James scored 24 points on just 9-of-25 shooting for the Cavaliers (20-32), who are now 2 1/2 games behind Boston for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
One of the reasons cited for the December trade was Davis' inability to play well alongside James. James, however, dismissed the rumors and called Davis "a good friend."
"I talked to him before the game and I wished him luck," James said. "The fans weren't too good to him [Monday], but you know he expected that."
Different directions
Cleveland has gone 14-15 since the trade and reached its preseason goal of winning 20 games before the All-Star break.
Boston, meanwhile, has been in a tailspin, especially after losing coach Jim O'Brien, who resigned because he didn't agree with the direction the front office was taking.
"Every game for us is important at this point," said Boston forward Paul Pierce, who had 32 points, seven rebounds and six assists. "We're hanging on by a fingernail to the eighth spot, so games like this, with Cleveland creeping up behind us, are important.
"We didn't take care of business tonight."
Williams had 16 points, Carlos Boozer had 12 and Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 19 points and a season-high 16 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
"We kept battling," Ilgauskas said. "Like we've usually done in the past, we came out on top in the fourth quarter."
The Cavs have just one game remaining before this weekend's All-Star Break -- they play New Jersey at home on Wednesday -- and they are starting to look like a good bet for a postseason berth.
Needless to say, they won't be satisfied with 20 wins.
"We'd like to get 15 to 20 more and make a little run in the playoffs," said James.
scalzo@vindy.com