INDEPENDENCE — He scored 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers defeated Detroit to win the 2007 Eastern Conference finals.
He became the first rookie to average double figures in scoring in the NBA Finals since Houston’s Sam Cassell in 1994.
He just earned game MVP honors over
All-Star Weekend.
And he’s not LeBron James.
Daniel “Boobie” Gibson is the young man who did all the above. He had 31 points, including 25 in the second half and 19 in the fourth period, as the Cavaliers eliminated the Pistons in Game 6 last season at Quicken Loans Arena, he averaged 10.8 points in the finals against San Antonio and he made 11
3-pointers in 20 attempts Friday night to earn MVP honors at the Rookie Challenge game.
“My expectation was just to go out there and have fun,” Gibson said Monday of his All-Star Weekend experience in New Orleans. “Once I got out there Friday night and started making shots, I knew there was a chance I could bring something home.”
Gibson, who will turn 22 on Feb. 27, nearly brought home the Three-Point Shootout title as well, finishing second to former Cavalier Jason Kapono on Saturday.
“Other than that, it was a perfect weekend,” the 6-foot-2, 194-pounder said.
Never short on confidence to begin with, Gibson is hoping his experience over the weekend will propel his game to another level when the Cavaliers get back in action tonight at The Q against Houston.
“It does give you confidence, and this game has a lot to do with confidence,” he said at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “This weekend will definitely take me in that direction. I’ll be out there playing with a lot of confidence. I’m ready to rock and roll.”
Gibson, who had been bothered by a strained right hamstring just before the All-Star break, is averaging 11.6 points this season and shooting a sizzling .467 from behind the arc (105-of-225), the eighth-best percentage in the league.
The University of Texas product began the season in the starting lineup, but has found a niche coming off the bench as Cleveland’s long-range bomber.
“It will do a lot for his confidence,” Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said of the second-year guard’s All-Star experience. “He’s a young guy still trying to find his way. Any time you have success on that kind of stage, it’s got to help you.”
The hope of the front office and coaching staff is that Gibson will become much more than a specialist. Already, he has started to show the ability to score off the dribble while becoming less of a defensive liability, but he’ll probably never be a point guard in the truest sense of the word.
That’s not a big issue in Cleveland, however, because James, the MVP of the NBA All-Star Game for the second time in three years, is in town.
“We represented Cleveland well,” said Gibson, whose biggest thrill in New Orleans was meeting former greats like Magic Johnson, Karl Malone and Julius Erving. “We brought home two MVPs.”

Trade bait

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, but at least one Cleveland player is hoping the team doesn’t make a move.
“I’m not looking for anybody to come in and save us,” guard Larry Hughes said. “We have a good team now.”
There’s a good chance the trade deadline will come and go without the Cavaliers doing anything, but a couple guys to keep an eye on are Seattle’s Delonte West, who is stuck behind Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour, and Portland’s Jarrett Jack. Both are point guards on teams who don’t want a ton in return, which could make them attractive to Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry.

Rockets’ red glare

The Rockets will come to town on fire, having won eight straight games. Houston, which is led by center Yao Ming (22.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game) and shooting guard Tracy McGrady (21.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists), has also won eight road games in a row. The team’s other starters are point guard Rafer Alston, power forward Luis Scola and small forward Shane Battier.

Tip-ins

Hughes has averaged 33.0 points over his last two games and 20.5 over his last eight. Hughes has also made eight 3-pointers (in 12 attempts) over his last two games, the highest two-game total of his career.
• James, who did not speak with the media following practice, has scored at least 20 points in 30 straight games, the longest streak in the NBA since Allen Iverson posted 33 in a row from March 26, 2006 through Jan. 2, 2007.
• Anderson Varejao, who has been out three weeks with a sprained ankle, has started doing some shooting drills, but he’s still several weeks away from playing. Sasha Pavlovic, who has a sprained mid-foot, is further away than that.
Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rickn@ohio.net.

TONIGHT

WHO: Cleveland vs. Houston
TIME: 7 o’clock
WHERE: The Q
TV/RADIO: FSN Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

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