Moon’s big night shows Cavs’ depth

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Jamario Moon has been showing off his nifty dance steps during Cavaliers games all season.

Moon used his moves Monday to slide into Cleveland coach Mike Brown’s rotation during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference playoffs — and he might stay awhile.

Moon made all three of his 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter on Monday and finished with 12 points in Cleveland’s 112-102 win over the Chicago Bulls.

He played so well, Brown couldn’t get him out of the game; Moon played the entire fourth quarter, grabbed a couple of late rebounds and came up with a big block on 6-foot-11 Joakim Noah.

“J-Moon was excellent. He’s probably the main reason we won,” LeBron James said. “He knocked down big shot after big shot.”

Brown gave his team the day off Tuesday after evening the series. Game 3 is Thursday in Chicago.

Moon was a forgotten man during the end of the regular season, playing a total of 40 minutes over 11 games from mid-March to early April. It wasn’t until Cleveland clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs that Brown finally went back to him.

He started a pair of games and averaged 14 points over the last four as the Cavaliers rested starters and killed time until the playoffs began. Moon played sparingly in Game 1 against the Bulls, but took advantage of open looks in Game 2 to knock down four 3-pointers.

“After that second one, it felt like I was throwing it in the ocean,” Moon said. “It was all about being confident and being ready to shoot the basketball. My teammates kept believing in me and I kept believing in my shot and knocking them down.”

Brown prides himself on the Cavaliers’ flexibility and ability to play different styles. He briefly sent Antawn Jamison to the scorer’s table to check in during the fourth quarter Monday, but was so pleased with how the reserves were playing, he pulled Jamison back.