Cleveland Cavaliers Getting Inside

Despite having one of the best records in the NBA, it's possible the Cavaliers will get only one representative onto the NBA All-Star team.

LeBron James is a lock to be voted in by the fans. He leads all Eastern Conference forwards with 649,327 votes in voting that was announced on Thursday by the NBA.

Even though he's currently second in the balloting and has amassed 206,657 votes, Cavs center Shaquille O'Neal might not make the cut. The 15-time All-Star just isn't playing at an All-Star level. He's averaging just 10.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. The 7-foot-1, 325-pounder is nearing the end of his illustrious career. The Cavs hope he has enough left in his tank to lead them where they want to go this season. O'Neal, a three-time All-Star Game MVP, might be a spectator in the midseason classic this season.

The backup center spot might come down to either O'Neal or Atlanta's Al Horford if they pick strictly from the list of East centers. Might the coaches select Toronto's Chris Bosh, who is on the ballot as a forward, as the backup center?

The pickings are slim for guards on the East team. That's why the Cavs' Mo Williams has a slight chance to make the All-Star team for the second year in a row. He's a volume scorer who is averaging 17.1 points and 4.7 assists. Williams is also a deadly shooter from behind the three-point arc.

CAVALIERS 104, TRAIL BLAZERS 99: Cavaliers coach Mike Brown was so fired up after the game, his lip was quivering in his post-game press conference. He was still emotionally charged up about the Cavs' performance in the second half when they imposed their will on the Portland Trail Blazers.

What happened in the first half, though, is anyone's guess.

The Cavs (16-7) nipped the Blazers on Friday at Quicken Loans Arena.

"The will we showed in the second half is who we want to become," Brown said. "That has to be our identity for 48 minutes. We have to get to the point where that is who we are."

They outscored the Blazers (14-10) in the second half, 59-45. They also held them to 39 percent shooting after the intermission.

The Cavs have been going through their struggles as of late. They came into the game having lost the final two games of their just-completed road trip. They were headed to three in a row at halftime when they fell behind, 54-45, and looked lost in space.

Forward LeBron James had 14 of his game-high 33 points in the third. He added seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks. One of his rejections came on a Brandon Roy drive with 24 seconds left.

"It's still rolling," James said.

The Cavs got a major lift from forward Anderson Varejao, who came off the bench to fire in a season-high 22 points and grab 10 rebounds. He had 18 points in the second half on 9-of-12 field goals. In the fourth quarter, he erupted for 12 points.