. The important thing is not the speed of the recovery but that Michaels

CLEVELAND -- Their playoff chase, which somehow lasted longer that it probably should have, is officially over. The Cavaliers came up short. On a night when they finally put it all together, their hopes crumbled. Dion Waiters scored 22 points and the Cavs played one of their best games this season, routing the Detroit Pistons 122-100 on Wednesday before being eliminated from the playoff race. Tyler Zeller scored 18 and rookie Matthew Dellavedova had 14 points and 12 assists for Cleveland, which had its slim playoff hopes ended when Atlanta defeated Boston 105-97. "Its an empty feeling now that your chances are done," said All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who has missed the post-season in each of his three years in the NBA. "You think about things you could have done, you should have done. Its inevitable, especially as big a competitor as I am. Its definitely going to be on my mind. "You always want to compete for something as special as the playoffs, but our chances were snapped tonight. Its disappointing." As the Hawks were rallying to take down the Celtics, the Cavs played with passion and purpose -- two things missing too often earlier this season. Spencer Hawes added 15 points for the Cavs, who led by 32 at half and rolled to one of their best all-around performances in what has been an otherwise disappointing season. Cleveland set a team record with 26 assists in the first half and finished with a season-high 41. But the Cavs will watch the playoffs, and spend the months ahead thinking about games they let slip away, losses that came back to haunt them. "We put ourselves in this hole," said coach Mike Brown, who returned for a second stint with the club after being fired in 2010. "I wish we could have a couple of those games back from early on. I cant fault anybody but ourselves." Brandon Jennings scored 17 after missing his first 10 shots for the Pistons, who played their second game in a row without forward Josh Smith, sidelined with knee tendinitis. Jonas Jerebko added 17 points for Detroit, which was coming off a surprising win in Atlanta. "They outplayed us and outworked us," Pistons interim coach John Loyer said of the Cavs. "We were embarrassed in the first half. This is an unforgiving league, and they didnt care that we beat Atlanta last night." Clevelands unexpected blowout win capped a turbulent few days. Earlier this week, Irving got into a public spat with Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon, an embarrassing squabble between two of the citys biggest sports stars. Irving had told Gordon "to mind his own business" about commenting on his supposed rift with Waiters. Following practice on Monday, Irving and Waiters presented a united front and said they worked through any differences and were only focused on winning. Maybe the backcourt mates patching up their differences rubbed off on the rest of the Cavs, as Brown spent most of the game sitting as opposed to standing and yelling. The Cavs had 14 assists on 14 field goals in the first quarter, which ended with them up 31-18. They were nearly as efficient in the second quarter, outscoring the Pistons 38-19 on the way to a 69-37 halftime lead. "This is the way we want to play most of the time," said Brown, who tied Bill Fitch for the second-most wins in franchise history. "It felt pretty good." Following the game, Atlantas game was on the locker room TV as Irving waited to speak with reporters. The season didnt go as planned, but theres nothing more he can do. "As a man and as a competitor, youve got to suck it up," he said. "This is my third year. Obviously, things didnt go in a perfect way. But theres no perfect season. For me, its just about continuing to grow and finish the season strong." NOTES: Brown and Fitch have 304 wins, 12 behind Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens. ... Irving is "proud" of friend and former high school teammate Derrick Gordon for coming "out" as the first openly gay player in Division I. "Hes a strong person. I think the way he did it is a true test of his character and its big time," Irving said. "Im happy for him." Irving said he would not have any issue with a gay teammate. "To see guys in sports coming out now is part of life," he said. "Im not a judgmental guy, not one bit. But Im proud of Derrick and Im proud of Jason Collins. Its a big step for everybody and every generation." ... Detroit has come to Cleveland with a different coach in each of its past three visits: Lawrence Frank last year, Maurice Cheeks earlier this season and now Loyer. Jerseys NFL Wholesale . Sopoaga hit the upright with his first shot at goal from 15 metres. He then kicked nine goals in succession -- two conversions and seven penalties -- before being replaced in the 62nd minute, three points short of the Highlanders record for most points in a match. Jerseys NFL Authentic China . Hes just beginning to get similar results. The right-hander struggled after winning the honour in 2008 and 2009, but a retooling of his game has begun to pay off and has the San Francisco Giants thinking about the Lincecum of old. http://www.jerseysnflwholesalenike.com/ . It was a day that saw England slump off a World Cup field once again battered and bruised. This time there was no red card to wonder about, no goalkeeping error or individual mistake. They were thoroughly beaten by something they have nothing of – genuine world class ability. Jerseys China Sale . Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist as the Kings stretched their streak to seven wins in a row with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. Jerseys Cheap . - Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors will coach the Western Conference in the All-Star Game on Feb.FRANKFURT, Germany -- Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is still in the process of waking up from an induced coma following a skiing accident more than six weeks ago, his manager said Thursday. The Bild newspaper reported Wednesday -- without citing any sources -- that Schumacher had developed pneumonia, but Sabine Kehms emailed statement Thursday made no mention of that. "As often in such situations no day is like the next," Kehm said, adding that Schumachers family does not wish to disclose medical details in order to protect Schumachers privacy. "We will continue to communicate any decisive new information on Michaels health state. We are aware that the wake-up phase can take a long time. "The family continues to strongly believe in Michaels recovery. ... The important thing is not the speed of the recovery but that Michaels healing process progresses in a continuous and ccontrolled way," Kehm said.dddddddddddd Schumachers doctors started waking up the German driver one month after his crash in the French resort of Meribel. The 45-year-old Schumacher suffered serious head injuries Dec. 29 when he fell and hit the right side of his head on a rock. The German has been treated in the Grenoble University Hospital since then. His condition has stabilized following surgery after initially being described as critical. Experts have said it will likely be months before Schumachers prognosis becomes clear -- and that lasting brain damage is a possibility. Schumacher earned universal acclaim for his uncommon and sometimes ruthless driving talent, which led to a record 91 race wins. He retired from Formula One in 2012 after garnering an unmatched seven world titles. His accident happened on a family vacation in the Alps as Schumacher was skiing with his 14-year-old son. ' ' '