NBA Power Rankings: Cavaliers Not Respected At .500

The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a respectable 4-4 start tot he 2011-12 NBA season, but they're record is a bit deceiving according to the experts. SB Nation NBA writer Tom Ziller released his first NBA Power Rankings of the season on Monday, and he does not think too highly of the Cavs. Through two weeks of the season Ziller has Cleveland sitting at No. 23 out of 30 teams:

23.	Cleveland Cavaliers	4-4	W: CHA, MIN; L: TOR, PR	Fear The Sword
An unusually decent record early in the season against abnormally bad competition? Where have I seen this before? Oh yes, the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers! The 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers who finished with the league's second worst record!, I mean.

Cleveland is in the midst of a seven game road trip, and their most recent game was a listless offensive effort on Sunday night in a loss to Portland on the west coast.

For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

Cavaliers Vs. Trailblazers Final Score: Cleveland Falls In Portland 98-78

Cleveland's third game of a seven game road trip did not go as smoothly as Saturday night's win over Minnesota in Minneapolis. The Cavaliers were rather listless in a 98-78 loss at the Portland Trailblazers. Tristan Thompson and Omri Casspi each had 10 points to reach double figures for the Cavs.

Kyrie Irving had 21 points, but the Cavs did very little else offensively as they shot worse than 37% from the field. They were an even more dismal 3 of 24 from 3-point range for 12.5%. Irving added four assists and four rebounds for a solid all-around game, but 24 turnovers for Cleveland made for a sloppy game with little offensive flow.

LaMarcus Aldridge, who had 28 points, and Wesley Matthews, who had 24 points, almost combined to outscored Cleveland by themselves. Gerald Wallace added another 16 points for Portland. Raymond Felton's seven assists also regulated Portland's offense, as Cleveland fell further behind Chicago and Indiana in the Central Division.

For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

Cavaliers Vs. Trailblazers Score Update: Cleveland Trails 42-35 At Halftime

The Cleveland Cavaliers are on their longest road trip of the season, and it is not going well tonight at the Rose Garden against the Portland Trailblazers. Portland leads the Cavs 42-35 at halftime after a very poor offensive effort to begin the game for Cleveland.

Cleveland is only shooting 31.7% in the first half as Tristan Thompson with eight points has been the most consistent threat. Portland 18-17 after one quarter, but the Blazers responded with a 24-18 second quarter to push the lead out to seven. Antawn Jamison has also been held scoreless so far.

Portland has not had as many struggles with Wesley Matthews leading the way with 12 points. Gerald Wallace and LaMarcus Aldridge have also been effective so far. Marcus Camby has been the catalyst for Portland with six assists, as the Trailblazers are sharing the basketball on a completely different level than Cleveland is at the moment.

For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

Cavaliers Vs. Trail Blazers: Cleveland's 7-Game Road Trip Continues Through Portland

For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.