o standing and yelling. The Cavs had 14 assists on 14 field go

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. New Orleans Pelicans Jerseys . - Tiger Woods only made it through 10 holes Thursday — this time because of the weather, not his back. Jrue Holiday Pelicans Jersey . Former San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds made his longshot request of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit upheld Bonds conviction in September. http://www.shoppelicansonline.com/Authen...elicans-Jersey/. - Mike Magee converted two penalty kicks in a 10-minute span of the first half and the Chicago Fire beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday. Anthony Davis Pelicans Jersey . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Duck Calling With several marquee centres available via trade and expected to be available via free agency, the Anaheim Ducks could be primed to be big players in the coming days. ETwaun Moore Jersey . "Youre not really spending time to sit back and analyze what your competitions doing and things like that," Anthopoulos said. "Youre so focused on what were trying to get done." Ultimately, while the landscape around them changed with trades both major and minor, the Blue Jays did nothing before Thursdays non-waiver deadline.Toronto Maple Leafs centre Dave Bolland knows he could be traded by the NHLs March 5 trade deadline, but he isnt stressing over the possibility. "Whatever happens, happens," Bolland told TSNs Mark Masters on Monday. "If its staying here, its staying here. Thats my goal." Bolland was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks prior to this season for 51st and 117th overall picks in the 2013 NHL draft, as well as a fourth round pick in this years draft. Bolland, who is in the final year of a three-year contract, said hes not currently concerned with the status of his contract.dddddddddddd "Contract will come. I could care less about the contract right now," Bolland added. The 27-year-old has not played since suffering a severed ankle tendon against the Vancouver Canucks in early November. However, Bolland is nearing a return and has been practicing in full with the Maple Leafs. In 15 games with the Leafs this season, Bolland has six goals and four assists. ' ' '