The road trip rolls on for the Cavaliers. After Wednesday night’s odd 108-101 loss to the Warriors, the Wine and Gold start their slow migration back east.Of course, not everything that happens on the road takes place on the hardwood. So, here are some basketball and non-basketball scenes from the road.
* The Cavaliers came into Wednesday’s game shorthanded with Tyler Zeller back in Cleveland and Anderson Varejao on the shelf. But they also had two guys – Kyrie Irving and C.J. Miles – suffering from a stomach virus.
Kyrie was definitely under the weather at shootaround on Wednesday morning and Miles was in pregame later that night. Golden State’s David Lee and Jarrett Jack were also feeling ill.
“It was the worst thing I’ve ever done – I’ve never really played under the weather like that,” Kyrie said after the game.“It was tough… I tried to get out there for my teammates and still compete. I was sluggish in the first quarter. I started to pick it up once I got warm but it just wasn’t enough tonight."
It was still pretty good. He still led everyone with 28 points to go with seven assists and is averaging 24.6 ppg through five.
* Clipper Darrel (pictured) is a boss, and he deserves all the credit he gets. For starters, he’s not a Johnny-come-lately. He’s been with the Clippers through thick and thin. And he’s an original in a city that is known for producing some original characters.
He dresses in a red-and-blue suit – one half on each side. He’s in a corner section, diagonal from the visitor’s bench. He leads cheers, but he also torments visitors at the free throw line.
My favorite Clipper Darrel story came back in 2009, when Delonte West was with the Cavaliers. With Delonte shooting the first of two free throws, Clipper Darrel broke out the old taunt: “U.G.L.Y. you ain’t got no alibi” – and Delonte started laughing at the stripe. Then the entire crowd laughed. The next free throw, Darryl did it again and Delonte patted the ball to the chant.
The Cavs won a 102-101 thriller. It was the last game of a west coast trip and everyone had a blast at the team hotel lounge afterward. Clipper Darrel showed up at the bar.
This year, he pulled the “U.G.L.Y” chant at Kyrie, but it didn’t take. He yelled at Tyler Zeller: “Hey, 4-0. Who are you?” Zeller proceeded to notch 15 points and 7 boards before leaving the game with a fractured cheek.
* (Fan-wise, closing in on Darrel is "The Clipper Stripper" -- a guy who busts off one Clippers t-shirt after another in rapid-fire succession, working the crowd into a frenzy, until he reaches his final t-shirt: a black one with "The Clipper Stripper" on it. I love L.A.!)
* Samardo Samuels is definitely changing his look. First he dropped a bunch of weight this offseason, and before Wednesday’s game with the Warriors, he broke out the NBA nerd glasses. I think he’s the first Cavalier to go with that look.)
Samuels did pretty well in his first start of the season, spelling Andy – who sat with a right knee contusion. (Varejao worked out on the floor before the game, but felt some soreness and couldn’t go.) Samardo – sans nerd specs – went 5-of-9 from the floor for 11 points, seven boards, two assists and a blocked shot.
* Watching the Election out in San Francisco was like watching a sporting event. In Ohio, I have to believe most bars and restaurants were split as states went to Romney or Obama. On Tuesday night out in San Francisco, the President was the Giants or Niners or Warriors. Mitt Romney was anybody else.
* The Cavaliers stayed within walking distance of Venice Beach when during the L.A. visit. Venice Beach is still very cool. (Is there a California beach that isn’t?) But it’s definitely commercialized.
I tried to take a photo of that guy that you see in every movie with a Venice Beach scene – he wears the long robe and roller blades playing a Fender. When I did, he stopped playing and put t-shirt in front of himself, wanting me to buy it for six clams.
I don’t blame the guy for trying to make a buck. But I needed those six bucks for two slices at Big Daddy Pizza.
* It’s not going to come as smoothly to Dion Waiters as it did on Monday night in L.A. (Wednesday’s performance proved it.) But it’s worth noting that a kid whose draft selection generated a lot of heat set an NBA record with his explosion against the Clippers.
Waiters, who was playing in just his fourth professional game on Monday, became the first player in NBA history to have seven or more three-pointers in one of his first six games.
The South Philly native talked about how far he’s come – and how far he has to go – at Wednesday’s shootaround. He said he’s in the best shape of his life – thanks to Camp Scott – and he’s learning a ton from Kyrie. And what Cavs fans have loved about his so far is his passion. The kid definitely wears his heart on his sleeve out there.
“I love the game,” he smiled. “I play with passion. I’m caught up in the game – that’s just me. I’m having fun. You only get to live once, and it don’t come around too often like this. So I’m just having fun. I’m playing the game I’ve always loved out there with my teammates.”