Cavs come close, then fall

The Plain Dealer

NEWARK, N.J.

As the final buzzer sounded and his 3-point attempt hit the back of the rim and fell away, Daniel Gibson collapsed along the sideline and sat with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands for a couple of minutes.

Teammates approached to make sure he was all right, then stood back, not knowing what to say.

Monday night was the Cavaliers’ best shot at a victory in weeks, and they let it slip through their hands, tying a team mark for futility.

The 103-101 loss to the New Jersey Nets was the Cavs’ 17th straight, their 27th in 28 games overall and the 21st straight on the road, tying the team mark set from Jan. 13-April 14, 2003. The odds are high that they’ll set a new mark Tuesday night in Boston.

This was the site of their last road win — a 93-91 decision on Nov. 9 — and they know what lies ahead: home game against Denver, road games at Orlando and Miami to close out the month.

So for all the brave talk of trying to get better and taking one game at a time, the players knew exactly what was at stake and what might happen if they didn’t take advantage of this opportunity.

‘That shot carried a lot of weight,’ Gibson admitted as his team fell to a league-worst 8-36. ‘I thought it was good.’

Asked what his thoughts were as he sat on the court at the end of the game, he forced a little smile and said, ‘If that shot goes, a lot of things are different.

“My teammates might have a smile on their face. The fans back home can put a smile on their faces.’

It was their most complete game in weeks, even if it came against the 13-32 Nets. Coming on the heels of Saturday’s loss at Chicago, where the Cavs cut a 20-point deficit to two before fading, it shows progress.

But, just as against the Bulls, the offense folded down the stretch, in spite of 26 points from Antawn Jamison and 19 from Gibson.