Recap: Cavaliers 108, Bulls 94 (Or “Oh no, there goes Thibodeau. Go go Mozilla.”)
2015-01-20
“Mozilla”
With deep sunken eyes like a giant basset hound
Mozilla pulls all the rebounds down
Helpless Derrick Rose, in so much pain
Stays clear of the paint, cause it’s Moz’s domain
You put up a shot and he throws it back down
In St. Petersburg, he turns ladies frowns upside down
Oh no, they say he’s got to go go go Mozilla
Oh no, there goes Thibodeau go go Mozilla
Mozilla watches again and again
His highlight plays on ESPN
Mozilla!
The bellicose relationship between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls has been a one-sided war as our Cavaliers have won both games against the Bulls thus far. The first matchup was an overtime thriller, as women with low self-esteem (they are the only reason the bar industry works) prepared for Halloween night. Round two was over at halftime.
FIRST QUARTER
Timofey Mozgov scores the first points of the game on an oop from LeBron James. Kevin Love takes an unintentional head butt from Taj Gibson to the face on the other end and writhes in pain under the Bulls basket. A timeout isn’t called by Cavs assistant coach Tyronn Lue, and the Cavaliers play with only four players on offense (an anti-Ranadive strategy) and Mozilla scores on a layup anyway. Thompson subs in for for a shaken Love during a 20 second timeout. Within the first four minutes of the quarter, LeBron rings up three of his game-high six turnovers. Irving pulls the string on Austin Carr’s back to “get that weak stuff out of here” with a block from behind on a Gasol layup. Kyrie will probably never be an exceptional defender, but few point guards are, and he’s made leaps and bounds with his defensive effort. Kyrie finds Tristan Thompson on a buddy ball (RIP Saint Weirdo) alley-oop to put the Cavaliers up 13-8 with five minutes left in the quarter. Love and Thompson pull down four consecutive offensive rebounds on the next Cavs possession which ultimately ends with Love drawing a foul from Gibson and hitting both free throws. Kyrie draws a foul from Rose on the following possession and Rose’s spirited exchange with officials receives a technical. Irving drains all three free throws. Two minutes later, Irving skips a pass to Thompson for an uncontested dunk. Shawn Marion steals an errant Tony Snell pass, which leads to a LeBron James air ball from the wing. Kevin busts out a hustle bomb and saves the ball with a perfect pass to Marion for a running jumper. The Cavs hold the Bulls to 28% shooting in the quarter and jump out to a five point lead after one.24-19 Cavs
SECOND QUARTER
Love scores the Cavaliers first seven points to start the quarter. Even through his shooting struggles of the past few weeks, his pump fake trickery still gets his man in the air. Of Love’s 16 points for the game, 9 came off of freebies. Snell’s pass is intercepted by Mozgov and it leads to a LeBron layup. Defense leads to fun transition offense, fellas. Really. Mozilla rejects an Aaron Brooks layup. Unfortunately, Pau Gasol gathers the deflection and finds Brooks for a three. Midway through the quarter J.R. Smith drills a 24-footer off a James dime. The play gets sloppier than a divorcee at a happy hour, as neither team scores a field goal for the next three minutes. Thompson scores a layup on an Irving assist and draws a foul from Mirotic, but misses the free throw. Mozgov drills a jumper from the top of the key. His shooting range is much better than I anticipated. James scores on a driving layup and draws contact, and none as he misses the free throw. Irving scores on the Cavaliers final two possession of the quarter to push the lead to fifteen. On the final possession, Derrick Rose air balls a 21-foot step back jumper. The miss is a fitting metaphor for his half as he shot a pathetic 1/9 from the field.54-39 Cavs
THIRD QUARTER
Love opens the half with a three. He then misses a layup through contact, only to have Mozgov tip the miss in. Grant Hill states on the broadcast that Mozgov is the Cavaliers best center since Zydrunas Ilgauskas. He’s right. Then again, his competition is a broken down Shaq, Ryan Hollins, Semih Erden, and a not ready for prime time Tyler Zeller. A minute later, Smith drains another three, he’s feeling it tonight. Love tips in an Irving miss to push the Cavalier lead to 23. Time out Thibodeau. Maybe it’s just me, but Thibs looks he could have played a background cop in L.A. Confidential. It’s the hair. Rose responds from the time out to nail back to back threes. On the following Cavs possession, LeBron answers with a long two. Love draws another three free throw trip off of a pump fake. He hits the first two and misses the third. On the following possession he finds Mozgov under the basket with a quick touch pass. His passing ability is seriously underutilized in the half court offense. A Marion steal leads to a 26-foot Smith triple. Defense leads to offense. Wash and repeat. Jimmy Butler employs a vicious spin move on Marion for an uncontested dunk. He’s getting a max contract this summer in Chicago or elsewhere. Irving hits a three to put the Cavs up 25, their largest lead of the game. Irving’s block party isn’t over yet as he rejects an E’Twaun Moore layup. The quarter comes to a close, as Aaron Brooks hits a buzzer beater.84-62 Cavs
FOURTH QUARTER
LeBron draws a foul from Snell and hits both free throws to open the final frame. On the next possession, he hits a 13-foot fadeaway jumper. A Snell drunk, a pair of free throws from Nikola Mirotic and a Butler running bank shot cuts the Bulls deficit to 16, forcing Blatt to call a time out. The Bulls run continues and they cut the Cavs lead to 12 with a Butler three. The Cavaliers then go on a 9-0 run of their own off of another Smith three and a James midrange jumper. With three minutes remaining, Mozgov flexes his range muscles again and buries a 19-footer. If they actually ran Blatt’s offense, they could be a floor spacing symphony like Atlanta. If bacon and peanut butter weren’t so darn caloric, Elvis wouldn’t have died a bloated slob. Smith hits his sixth, and final, three with two minutes remaining. Zoo crew victory cigar time. Is that Brendan Haywood, Joe Harris and Mike Miller’s music? My gawd, what in a turnip truck on a rocky road are they doing on the court together? Haywood hits his first free throws of 2015 and all is well in the land of believe.FINAL: 108-94 Cavs
BOO
Not really too much to be upset about in this one. Not trying to rile up Cols too much, but LeBron was crazy sloppy with the ball again. He totaled six turnovers and half by my count were preventable …David Blatt cowered when Tony Snell hit him with a pass. I expect better reaction timing out of a former Ivy League collegiate player…Kevin Love’s struggles from the field continued as he shot 3/13 from the field. If his back is really that bad, give him a week off to get himself right.
YAY
Grant Hill visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during his visit to Cleveland and got a swank bag. That could have been your bag Greg Anthony…Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer received a personalized Buckeyes #1 Cavs jersey and Cardale Jones received a fitting homecoming…Mozilla made a significant difference in the game on both sides of the court. He finished with 15 points, 15 rebounds and a pair of blocks. The two blocks undervalue how many shots he altered. He held renaissance Pau Gasol to 4/14 shooting and was largely responsible for Derrick Rose shooting 5/14, as the Cavaliers are now funneling their opponents driver towards Mozgov…LeBron James had his worst showing since returning from his rest sabbatical and still ended up with 26 points, 5 rebounds and four assists. That’s a career night for hundreds of guys in the league. He also played only 36 minutes tonight. More of this please…Kyrie Irving had 12 assists and just one turnover and was defensively engaged for most of the game…Kevin Love still put up 16 points and 12 rebounds. He saved a pair of sure Cavaliers turnovers from hitting a cameraman with hustle, and abused the Bulls with his pump fakes…J.R. Smith is the perfect replacement for Dion Waiters as the Cavaliers fourth scoring option. Tonight he was an efficient 7/11 from the field and a sizzling 6/9 from three. Once Shumpert returns to game speed, this team is going to be deep and dangerous…Cory’s crystal flask says that within two weeks the media monster will be back to fluffing the Cavs as a legit title contender.
Shout out to commenter Arch Stanton for the Blue Oyster Cult reference to Mozgov in the Live Thread. Lastly, and most importantly, a shout out to the reason for this annual basketballiday. Martin Luther King Jr. was as quality of an American as this chunk of dirt, clay and limestone has ever produced. His humility towards all mankind should be an inspiration for all of us to strive to be a better person when we wake up, than when we went to sleep the night before. Of the countless books I had as a child, the only one that traveled to California and back to Ohio with me was a pamphlet on King’s speeches. In closing, here’s an except from his speech Love Your Enemies.
Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a descending spiral, ultimately ending in destruction for all and everybody. Somebody must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe. And you do that by love.
Did anyone mention Mozgov’s clean, but hard foul on Gibson right after the Love head butt?
Anyone else very worried about Kevin Love’s back? Are we talking back spasms, or something else? Lingering back injuries for anyone can be devastating. For big men? Even more devastating. If the guy’s back has been hurting him all year, that definitely explains his poor defense. I know, he’s always been a poor defender, but THIS bad? Can’t even put his arms up? The guy’s back might be way worse than he’s letting on. The fact that he needed help to get off the bench against the Lakers is not a good sign. I’d sit the guy until he was… Read more »
No. I’m not worried. It’s been described as back spasms and he’s only missed a game from them. Don’t think his back has been hurting him all year. His history of not great defense explains his poor defense. He’s been exposed for just how bad this year because the Cavs (unlike the Wolves) are a team that needs to play defense to win a championship. If you go back and watch his previous years in Minny, he’s never really put his hands up that much on D. He needed help getting off the bench against the Lakers because he fell… Read more »
I think they were also talking about having made some defensive adjustments/tweaks on how they’re defending the PnR, so that could explain the better defense the past couple of games as well as the really shitty defense before, as much as the getting his arms up was a problem, I thought a lot of the defensive issues were coming from lack of communication/timing, and he might not have been getting his arms up because he was just so out of position from not having the communication/timing part down that by the time he rotated over, all was basically lost. I’ve… Read more »
I had back spasms a few years back. Getting out of a car brought me to tears — for two solid weeks. Not sure how these guys can lace their shoes, let alone play.
I used to get back spasms back when I was gym-ing 5 days a week and not the total pansy I am now. They can be crippling, but I also have some degenerative vertebrae in my lower back that exasperated the problem.
I’m still more worried about Love’s health than most.
Not that your concerns aren’t legit – none of us are Kevin Love and only he knows how his body feels, so your guess is as good as mine – but I have to admit I am not that concerned. I also feel like if he has lingering back issues he would have been crippled when he took that charge against the Lakers. Love is certainly far from immune to injury and he could be playing better, but I don’t think ongoing back problems are the cause.
Hey Nate, weird we were just talking about Dumas the other day…
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12199389/richard-dumas-ex-phoenix-suns-player-gets-three-years-probation-thefts
I’m wondering if Mozgov was able to fly around and do what he did last night because he knows what Blatt expects in his defenses? He’s played for Blatt before.
Maybe everybody ought to get on board with what Blatt wants – like Mozgov did last night.
If not, we can continue to intersperse Blatt’s offense with ISO-ball and see how things shake out on their own.
Did Kirilenko play for Blatt? Might be worth taking a flyer on if the Sixers cut him.
I don’t know if it’s significant or not, but as the game was nearing garbage time, LeBron put up a couple of turn around jumpers from the baseline. Maybe he was just playing around because he knew the game was decided, but maybe we’ll see LeBron try to add some low post work. A spin to the baseline is a great way to avoid any help defense. Just ask Hakeem.
I noticed this too. I’d rather see shots like this than the endless dribble into a long range two as the clock winds down.
And getting LeBron the ball in spots on the floor that defenses are not used to seeing is guaranteed to get some guys open looks as defenses scramble to adjust.
We absolutely destroyed in the dion trade. Should have gotten rid of him a long time ago but glad we held onto him long enough to be able to get this haul. Even his best games as a cav are so forgettable compared to not having to deal with his whining. Jr is so much smarter, let alone better. Dion had only just figured out how to spot up for a pass and it will be another three years before he has figured out how to make a spot up shot consistently.
I agree that they seem to have done well so far, but let’s give it a little more than 7 games before we say we destroyed anything. Dion has played well for OKC and the Knicks got some needed cap space as they tank away the season.
I am not basing my thoughts on the way jr has played. I just thought dion was a net minus in all facets of the game. He wasn’t even worth JR Smith straight up. I am waaaayyyy down on that guy’s value as a player. I hope he surprises me but his upside is so unlikely to find its way to the NBA that if we had gotten only an injured Shumpert and Shumpert never played again, it would still have been a Cavs victory as far as trades are concerned.
In case that’s not clear…I think Dion was to the Cavs as Josh Smith was to the Pistons. A talented wet blanket. I can’t believe we got anything at all for him because the Pistons didn’t get anything for Josh Smith. Addition by subtraction, etc. Dion was a cyst and couldn’t get over not getting the respect reserved for Irving. It caused way too many problems.
Without being accused of being a Dion apologist (I don’t think he was the cancer you seem to think he was), he’s actually put up some good numbers with OKC. If you throw out the first dud game (which I would also do with JR), he’s averaging 30 minutes, 17ppg on 51% shooting, nearly 50% from three with 3 boards, 2 assists and 2.5 steals. While it was increasingly obvious he didn’t quite fit on the Cavs because he was not a spot up shooter, saying that he was not worth JR straight up is silly. He’s a better player… Read more »
He had stretches of that kind of production with the cavs. As you said, we’ll see. He was absolutely not untalented. But he absolutely was a cancer. Perhaps it was only kyrie that rubbed him the wrong way but his comments about “I actually touch the ball” reek of bad attitude
Yeah, I think that Kyrie being his age might have been a big problem for him…I don’t think he’s so delusional as to think he’s better than KD or Russ, so I’d guess that some of the attitude/not being willing to take the role assigned issues will be solved by that. He might have been a cancer here, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be useful/not a cancer in a different situation. See, Smith, J.R., so far at least.
His comments “I actually touch the ball” just reinforce how bad of a fit he was here. On this team Kyrie and Lebron on going to handle the ball. Dion was not going to be the focal point – Dion had a problem with that. To me it would appear Dion was not willing to do what was asked of him. Whether that be focusing on Defense/Passing and getting spots when he could “touch the ball”. Given that attitude – I am glad he is gone.
Maybe it’s anecdotal but in games in which both Waiters and Lebron played in this year they went 17-11, which isn’t terrible by any means. But yeah, he was always a little too erratic for my taste (he went 1-9 with three points tonight, for example).
enjoying all the media attention on the bulls problems /negativity —for once — and not on the cavs —hope it stays this way !!
Yeah, between Doc signing up his son, Bulls looking lost, OKC in serious danger of missing the playoffs . . . there’s plenty for the media to chew on without the nth expose on the Cavs. Which won’t keep Windy from writing a series of articles comparing those teams to the Cavs, just to keep his Cavs angle going.
I’m going to repeat what I said when the NY trade happened: I’d trade JR for Dion straight up. Small sample size so far, but it’s clear already that JR is a massively better shooter, and has much higher basketball IQ. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands (or throws a fit when it isn’t enough) doesn’t shoot long range 2s, and has a reputation for excelling off the bench as a 6th man (doesn’t need to start). The fact that we got Shumpert, a promising supposedly good at defense guard who is seen as a starter, plus a… Read more »
I agree about getting Love healthy but even tho his shots didn’t fall last night his contributions were there in a way that wasn’t there in the past. His defense was much improved, a few hustle plays (saving the James air ball ) and nice assists. Liked his play more last night than if he just went 20 and 10 with no paint presence. He got 4 fouls that is huge for him. Go Cavs
JR is a huge huge upgrade over Dion.
No, Love is not becoming a problem. He had a pretty good game last night despite not shooting well from the outside. If Love was not here we’d be going crazy trying to figure out how to get a big man that can rebound, pass, and score.
Hated J.R. Smith trade when it happened, but I forgot how good he can be when he’s in a good mind set. The situation in NY was clearly toxic, and getting out was great for him. I’m super excited about how well he’s been playing. Honestly, if they keep winning, I’m not sure I change up the rotation much for Shump when he comes back.
That’s an interesting question. On one hand JR is the most perfect bench scorer ever created and they can use Shump’s defense. On the other hand this team is killing people with the starting lineup as is.
J.R. is doing most of his damage as a catch and shoot guy. I say keep him in the starting lineup for at least a week after Shump comes back. There is finally a rotation right now. Let’s see how Shump fits in before throwing out what is working.
I agree with Ben. J.R. looks like a great fit for the starting unit. I think Shump should finish games as a part of a strong (er) defense while our “stars” go to work on the offensive end.
I still wouldn’t have traded Dion for JR straight up. Sample size is small, and while I like what JR has done, Dion has been pretty effective for OKC as well. Love is not a problem. If anything, he’s shown tremendous effort and improvement despite his hurting back in the last two games he played. Those fixated on his shooting woes should re-watch the game last night. He went to the line for 10 FT. TWICE he went when he got fouled on terrific ball fakes beyond the arc. Many of the shots he missed were because he got fouled.… Read more »
I’m hoping Love has bottomed out, and moving forward, he’s going to become more valuable. His defensive effort is moving in the right direction. Much of that is the addition of Moz, and it’s not like he always makes good defensive plays, but it is just a bit better.
When his back gets better, his shooting will improve, and some of these 13-17 point nights will become 20-24 point nights.
JR is much much better than Dion. It’s not really close. Love is fine.
Pretty much agree with Cols (for a change!). Who would have thought most of us would like JR better than Dion? Let’s hope JR continues to keep his head on straight (to use old coach talk).
For this team at this time, yes he is. That doesn’t mean I would have traded Dion straight up for JR. Dion for JR, Shumpert and a pick, yes that is a good value deal. But it’s still early yet.
Agree with EG. Shump hasn’t played yet and is an RFA. JR has been great but he may regress to the mean and he is six years older and more expensive than Dion. Pick obviously came in handy. So far, it all looks good for the Cavs and it is difficult for me to see a scenario where we regret making this trade. But the reason why that is the case is because we got JR plus Shump and a pick. There are plenty of scenarios where I can see us regretting this trade if it’s Dion for JR straight… Read more »
From a pure talent standpoint (not including salary), I can’t argue with JR+Shump+a pick for Dion. That’s a pretty good deal. It was one of those trades that was good for all three teams. I’m thrilled Dion is doing so well in OKC, though I do wish he’d stop complaining about his Cleveland time.
I still see the trade as we’ll give you Shumpert if you take JR, too.
Dion went to OKC for a #1 pick.
The guy that went from OKC to NY was cut.
It really wasn’t a 3 way trade.
And yes, it appears us getting Shumpert for taking JR was a great deal for the Cavs.
But… I can see this situation going south next year when Dion’s up for an extension, just like the Reggie Jackson situation.
A LeBron isolation play is a pretty great play most of the time, BTW. When he’s isolated on a inferior player (most of them are inferior to LeBron), that’s a pretty high percentage play.
Yessir. Just because the Heat and Spurs made the pretty ball-movement offense popular recently doesn’t mean there is no place for ISO in bball – especially coming from LeBron (and especially in the post). The great ones just know how to #getbuckets.
If you’re going to have someone play ISO, it helps that he’s probably the best ISO player in the NBA. ISO will ALWAYS be a part of LBJ’s game, because he’s really good at it. Yes, it would be nice not to have as many possessions of dribbling out the clock from the top of the key and then launching a long contested two, but until he starts missing a ton of these, he’ll still take them.
LeBron in the post is fine. LeBron driving and dishing or scoring in the paint is great (though at the moment when he dishes it’s likely to be a turnover).
LeBron pounding the rock on the perimeter while killing the shot clock and bringing the offense to a halt for several possessions in a row is not so fine. That’s happened in the third quarter of the past two games.
Two games that they won handily. I’ll take the occasional bad shot by LeBron because he makes a lot of bad shots.
Two games they won handily despite those stretches. When LeBron went to the bench in the third quarter against the Clippers, the Cavs went on 10-3 run to close the quarter and get back in the game.
They’re better when he doesn’t do that. They’ll need to be better to beat good teams in the playoffs. Why not try to get better?
Exactly. I spent 10 minutes explaining this to an NBA novice last night. “A post-up is a type of isolation, but not every isolation is a post-up.” Basically, when you’re in “the post” you’re much closer to the basket and it’s a position you achieve without the ball. Because you are closer to the basket, your propensity for scoring is higher, and when you are double teamed, you have much more effective passing angles to your teammates. When you are 22 feet from the basket, it is so much easier for the defense play passing lanes, wall off the paint,… Read more »
Check out our record when LeBron was out. That’s pretty much all we need to know about him making his team and teammates better.
*yawn* Yes, LeBron is good. Yes he could be better. What’s the point of writing anything if all you’re ever going to say is, “they’re good.” “He’s good.” “This is good.” and tell everyone else how wrong they are all the time because they want to express a non-binary nuanced opinion that isn’t “he’s the greatest player in the world” blah blah blah. If everyone talked that way, it would make for some damned boring discussion.
ISO dribbling that stops the ball between the key and half court line just allows the other team to set up and can tend to disengage your teammates. The result is the Cav’s equivalent of the infamous Brown’s third down pass–the one that goes 5 yards when 7 was needed. Attached symptom: guys standing around looking like they’re waiting for a bus. In other words, stagnant offense has been the bête noire of this team for years. This team doesn’t require Spursian elegance or the Hawks full-spectrum approach. They just need to get down the floor rapidly and precisely leverage… Read more »
Anyway, not trying to be a jerk. Sorry if I was.
You’ve hit it. Cols is mentally entrenched at this point, and is loath to concede any critiques of LeBron. He even sugar coats his admission that LeBron takes some bad shots with “he makes a lot of them”. However, LeBron converts FAR MORE of his good shot attempts, just like every basketball player ever. What we want is for LeBron to weed out some of those bad shots. However, it’s not all on him, and saying I’d like to see improvement isn’t strictly a criticism of LeBron. Just watch the rest of the team on those end of possession disasters.… Read more »
The thing is if LeBron doesn’t want to be as heavily relied upon like he was during the last Finals in Miami vs SA, he has to buy into team ball. But when he goes ISO/stanky leg, he’s not helping the team in the long run. Then when it does turn into LeBron playing 1 on 5 in the finals or conference finals and he complains about needing more help after they lose, he has no one to blame but himself. But of course he won’t be accountable because that’s just who he is… An egomaniac!
You realize that the Heat were either first or 2nd in passes per possession? And that the Heat employed LeBron James? They coined the term space and pace offense?
There’s nothing wrong with iso-play. Blatt himself stated earlier in the season that with two of the best iso-players in the game (LeBron and Kyrie) his motion offense would be scaled back in order for them to thrive. Two things bug me though: 1) When they set up an entire 24 second play with a pre-meditated “I’m holding this for 20 seconds and then pulling up for a shot irrespective of the defense” 2) Players not moving when LeBron starts holding the ball meaning that even if he wanted to bail out of a failing iso-play he has no-one free.… Read more »
Also, no one seems to know when LeBron’s going to go “iso mode” and no one seems to know where to go or what to do. Half the time he waves people away… I guess the team needs to have a practice session: what to do when LeBron decides he’s randomly going to dribble around at the wing for 20 seconds…
Maybe someone can write a how-to book. A sort of “ISO For Dummies” if you will. Maybe Scott Raab can make that his next book… “The Whore of ISO”
I would LOVE to see some real stats on this. What I’ve seen from LeBron this year has been awful – especially in these situations where he holds the ball for >10 seconds or so. (Or heck, even 5 seconds)
And I’ll add that he’s done this 3-4 times per game. I’d guesstimate he’s making these at a 20% clip. That is, once every 2 games he’s been making one of these ill-advised 3s or long twos. I bet that he hits his non-ISO long balls at a 45% clip. Most of the time they’re bricking. LeBron is not better at ISO ball than his normal team game. He’s better posting up, driving and kicking, or driving and trying to score. But he’s literally been standing on the perimeter and throwing up a brick! We will not win important games… Read more »
It’s high percentage if the defense has been properly stretched. It’s not stretched if he is doing it damn near every play. If he can find a pick and roll partner like Andy, that alone will make his attacks higher percentage, because the defense won’t know who to guard. A couple of well designed cuts, backscreens, etc, get the defense to guess what his intention is. Doing 1 on 4 multiple plays in a row with an obvious attempt to score and draw a foul doesn’t really get the job done. Pitchers and boxers know you have to set up… Read more »
Its sad to see Windy continue his descent into a gossip columnist. Stuff like the following quote is just maddening. It was Windy himself that invented the narrative that LBJ and Blatt were “completely dysfunctional.” Now he wants us to believe that “the figure point” from LBJ to Blatt at the end of the Clippers game has solved all of the problems, and that all of the teammates watched it and responded to it. Seriously, its like reading a gossip column. Windy – stop speculating on unverified relationship drama and start analyzing basketball like you did back in the day.… Read more »
I agree Windy’s stuff has been borderline ridiculous. But at the same time, why hasn’t LeBron come out himself and say that it’s all 100% ridiculous? Maybe he doesn’t want to give any recognition to the borderline ridiculous Windy article(s), but still. Just a thought.
Yeah he continues to just say I don’t pay attention to any of the media, which is great, but it could end it. However wins will end it too!
LBJ has been through the lowest of the low with the media. And especially with Windhorst, who was dead wrong every step of the way about his departure from Miami.
I think his “I don’t listen to the media” mantra is partially aimed at Windhorst and ESPN, who routinely build hyperbolic narratives around James. He truly can’t be bothered with it anymore.
And, to be clear, there may be some tension with LBJ and Blatt. But the almost slapstick way in which ESPN spins such things into the script of a bad South American soap opera is unreal.
I think media talking heads saying that LeBron should come out and offer affirmative support for Blatt is enough to get him NOT to do it. He just seems done with the circus. He’s okay with doing those end-of-game and halftime interviews where he gives bland answers to questions, but I think his goal is to NEVER offer any real insight into what he or anyone inside the Cavs organization are thinking. When he says things like, ‘What other coach do we have?”, I think it’s just a mental slip, or maybe irritation with the question bubbling up, and he… Read more »
Hundred percent agree with this. He’s one of my favorite basketball writers, and he’s basically ESPN’s Hedda Hopper at this point.
Who cares what Windbag says anymore… In the words of the late/great Al Davis… “Just win baby!”
Great MLK quote. What was true then is still true now. Very fitting for the times…
Dion Waiters on what it’s like playing for OKC, takes a shot at the Cavs. Hilarious.
“Listen,” he said, “they actually give me the ball. Like, I touch the ball. Like, I actually you know touch the ball.”
Sunday is gonna be fun!
Yeah, can’t wait for that game. I predict Kyrie goes off for 50
Funny if you read/watch what JR said, it’s basically the same thing. He shot the intro 0’fer out of fear his teammates would come down on him for shooting too much. Lebron told him to chill and just do his thing. Glad it seems to be working out (at the moment) for both clubs.
I can’t wait for the first time Dion shouts “AND ONE!” on his return visit to the Q. Should be around the 5 minute mark of the first when he checks in and tries to bulldoze his way straight into Mozilla…
He touched it enough tonight to go 1-9 from the field, 0 assists, 0 rebounds for 3 pts in 26 minutes of very selfish “pass me the ball” basketball. What is the over/under on OKC games played before Dion starts pouting?
Yeah LeBron’s laziness can be maddening… I don’t know if he’s pouting because Blatt is the coach, if he’s still hurt or if he’s pacing himself. I just hate his post game interviews where he preaches how they should play, despite showing them on the court. He’s gotta be my least favorite Cavalier right now. Sure, he’s the best player in the game (or close to it)… well maybe not this year. I get the sense that LeBron doesn’t want to be here half the time. And that may not just include Cleveland, but the NBA. He’s got too many… Read more »
This. Leb doesn’t have the same passion as I remember
This is what I’m talking about. The Cavs win big, LeBron has a pretty good game yet I come here and read stuff like this. It’s maddening and needs to stop. Appreciate that LeBron ia here. Without him we don’t have Love, we don’t have Mosgov and we are reading about how Irving is unhappy he signed long term to be with a sucky team. LeBron is pacing himself. He doesn’t need to go all out every game, especially one where the team is winning by a ton. And he still had 25 points, a bunch of rebound and assists… Read more »
I don’t think the issue is so much with LeBron’s play or what he’s brought to Cle basketball-wise, moreso what seems to be his lack of focus and dedication.
You can see why through the way he acts that some people are led to say things like LeBron is their “least favorite Cavalier right now”. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that (I don’t have his jersey for nothing!), but I understand the sentiment.
I don’t. Without LeBron this team is stuck in the lottery for a 5th straight year. People complaining are overlooking most of the good things he’s doing.
Well Bron is here, no one is disputing that. but if he came back to Cleveland and was able to recreate the atmosphere of the 07-09 Cavs but never win a title, I would be happier than if they threepeat and each year feels the same as this one now has, aka why so serious?.
i like to root for the players and storylines; it’s just about capturing that magical, fun feeling.
Totally agree Cols!!!
It’s not going to stop until LeBron stops doing things that would get him benched in high school. Yes he’s good. Yes he can be better. If you don’t like what you’re reading, don’t read it. Saying “It needs to stop” is silly. Heterogeneous opinions are what make this place great. I think you would be my least favorite dictator.
No coach is high school would bench his best player because of a few lapses during the regular season. If Blatt were to bench LeBron this team would probably lose quite a few games. It’s dumb and counterproductive to blame your best player who also happens to be one of the best players in the NBA for losses while he was injured. He comes back and suddenly we are winnning and looking good.
There are plenty of coaches who would bench a player for consistently playing selfish basketball.
What Lebron is doing is not selfish. He’s the guy that should be playing iso and scoring and taking shots. The idea is to score. it doesn’t matter if that scoring is done by LBJ midrange, LBJ three, LBJ dunk, or 17 passes and a layup.
Cols, this is just silly. Even for LeBron, not all shots are created equal. Shot selection suffers along with everything else on offense when he goes into iso mode on the perimeter and burns up the shot clock.
I love that sentiment, Nate!
Cols as dictator: “You WILL be HAPPY and POSITIVE or you WILL be DISCIPLINED!”
I’ve never said I don’t want him on the team. What are you worried he’s gonna read my comments and decide to leave the Cavs? If I had that much power I’d quit my day job.
Cols, why does it need to stop? (Emphasis on the word: ‘need.’)
You know what needs to stop? Cols telling everyone how to feel about everything.
I’m all in favor of pacing. And in realizing that none of this really matter until the playoffs. But that doesn’t excuse the ISO plays and sloppy passes. That part’s mental. I’m OK with avoiding contact and avoiding injury in the regular season… it’s much easier to turn on the physical game. But the mental game should have been there all along. It’s not easy to start playing smart when it matters, and it doesn’t take any more energy to play smart. I’m just annoyed at LeBron playing dumb basketball.
I agree with some of your points yet disagree with others.
No, I don’t think so. I think you both are being way too negative about the Cavs. It’s a process. Relax.
These statements are OUTRAGEOUS! Jason should be BANNED for such a CONTROVERSIAL take!!!
The NERVE of some people! Thinking they can just say nothing like that!
Loved this game! Mozgov looked incredible to me. Not superstar esque, but incredible in the sense that we now have a 7’1 center who can SHOOT the ball. I really didn’t realize he could burn teams who leave him open a few feet inside the 3 pt line. Also, his height and energy really carried this team defensively. He’s like Z, except quicker and more athletic. The tip in/put backs are great, too. I really, REALLY like this pickup so far. Definitely worth two (likely) mid-to-late first rounders IMO. There was still way too much iso LeBron ball, but a… Read more »
Also… JR Swish! If moving to a “contender” (I put that word in parentheses right now) lights a fire under his butt and he return to 2012-2013 JR Smith form, we will be that much more dangerous.
Thanks for the shout out Corey! Love how you replaced Tokyo with Thibodeau.
Now I can’t get that damn song outta my head!
Moe does a good Godzilla https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTRiwwPtUxU
Kevin had a fine floor game even though his jumper is still off. He and Moz communicated far more efficiently on the defensive end. He made some nice ball challenges around the rim. All the Cavs bigs including LeBron were far more aggressive in the paint. Each guy picked up four fouls. For this team right now, that is a great sign. Moz has done a fantastic job in defending PnR. He is so big that he can drop and still challenge. His ability to use “verticality” is humorously contagious. I have seen more of that from other guys since… Read more »
Though to be clear, when I applaud LeBron’s first half on the defensive end, I am referring to the effort. As Nate pointed out, there are many occasions when his gambling was destructive for the wrong team. Still, compared to the jogging LeBron, I prefer a gamble.
Interesting read on LeBron. I saw him as one of the laziest Cavs when it came to getting around screens. He seemed a step slow to me for much of the night.
As for the “greatest center since Z debate,” you’re right. People are forgetting Andy’s abbreviated 2012 campaign that saw him post averages of 14.1 points and 11.6 rebounds with a ridiculous 23.2% rebound rate.
Andy was incredible that year. Scott basically had him play as a second pg too. He would get the ball up top and pretend he was Lebron and it was the cavs best play that year.
Totally. Andy in the high post was Bill Walton-esque.
I’ll have a six of what Nate is drinking pls.!!
I just always saw Andy as a PF, forced to play center. That and you can’t count on him being in the lineup in May, not that it really mattered the past few years.
agreed. AV could never really deal with big 7 footers, or even just big strong, athletic 6-10 guys. He would get banged around and flop quite a bit. Andy, is ideally a soft 4. He can pass, rebound and has great hands. Just should not of been playing the 5 all this time. And it has been a long time. So glad to have a guy in Mozgov who can actually play center at both ends.
I guess my standards for Bron have been greatly lowered. After the previous complete lack of effort on every possible off ball situation, I was impressed by his activity.
You’re right, though. His off ball screen defense was laughably bad. It is true the Cavs were very lucky in the first quarter that the bulls couldn’t hit a shot.
Even when LeBron runs around trying to make steals, it signals to the rest of the team to try hard. It is no small thing.
And therein lies why people forget about Andy. “Andy’s abbreviated 2012 campaign…” He’s had a lot of “abbreviated campaigns” and when a guy is as injury prone as Andy, you tend to focus more on that than the good stuff. That said, until recently, I don’t remember Andy being able to swish a 19-footer from the top of the key, or elevating as high as Moz does for a board. Mozilla’s rebounding rate may not approach what Andy did in 2012, but only because he’s got to share them with another top 10 rebounder in Love, one of the best… Read more »
My favorite play of the game was in the second half when Love received a pass for a wide open 3, but through the action, Mozgov won position in the low post. Love went up like he was going to shoot the open 3 and as the defender closed, he fired a bullet down low to Mozgov for an easy bucket. Nothing exciting, but it shows that 1) Kevin Love should have the offense run through him more often because he is a great passer for a big, and 2) Mozgov is going to add another dimension to this offense… Read more »
+ 1 million on this! This might have been in my top three Cavs plays of this year.
I think I like it so much because it’s one of those elements to our offense that few, if any, other teams in the NBA can executive that well. Kevin Love, one of the best shooting bigs in the NBA + great passer opening things up for our athletic 7 footer to get an easy bunny basket because guys are looking to rebound instead of protect a 2 footer from Mozgov.
Pretty sweet.
I agree with most of your points, including Lebron’s first half defensive effort. In fact, I think in general his on-ball D was fantastic; off the ball he still tends to just stand around.
I do agree that in total, Varejao > Mozgov….but Mozgov brings a size/toughness that Varejao can’t match. Mozgov really made Gosol uncomforable in the post. Varejao wouldn’t have been able to do that.
Back that train up. Andy has consistently owned both Gasol bros in the post both in the NBA and internationally. He lacks Moz’s size, but not his toughness. Moz was great in this game and I love what he has brought to the team. Andy has been criminally underrated his entire career. His injury history over the last several seasons shouldn’t erase his contributions over the last decade.
I hope Moz and Andy play together next season.
A front line of Moz, Andy, Love/TT would get every rebound ever…
You beat me to the rebuttal, Ben. Andy in his prime, made up for his lack of pure size by being cat quick defensively, and using his feet to maneuver. That quickness seemed lacking defensively this year…
Andy’s footwork is astonishing. He’s like a 6’9″ cat.
I love your observations but none more than “The Bowling Trip” part. Of course it’s probably a bit soon to say definitively, but I said as soon as it happened that that trip may be what saved the Cavs’ season. Remember that moment the rest of the year.
Ben:”It’s not the win or loss that truly troubles most of the posters on the blog. It is the “how”. If the Cavs play smart ball, build an identity and show potential for a deep playoff run, they can lose and still not be killed by the blog.” Great phrase. My own simplistic sense is that the Cavs do much better the harder they play. When they play super hard–with intensity and velocity–their “athleticism and pace” trumps loosey-goosey handles, and messy defense. To me, this is the Cavs 3.0 identity. It can’t overcome bad shooting, but, it can overcome too… Read more »
A few things about that game stood out to me. Yes, the Cavs played well, and the defense really got rolling downhill (especially Mozzy), but the Bulls missed a ridiculous amount of shots and point blank layups, even with no defense. It’s a make or miss league, and the Bulls missed. A lot. Frankly, the Cavs are still giving up way too many corner threes. If the Bulls had the patience to set up these plays they could have kept up with the Cavs. Bulls were 8-16 from three. Mozgov was epic, and this was the kind of rebounding dominance… Read more »
LeBron’s defense was really frustrating. At one point during the Bulls run late 3rd/early 4th (I forget which), where they hit two wide open threes, LeBron never made it past half court. The Bulls had time to pass it twice, too.
Really annoying. But hey, we beat a very good team.
The Cavs were winning big. Players don’t need to go all out every minute of every game until the Finals. Of course in the regular season when the team is up a ton they are going to slack a bit.
I agree Cols, but at the same time the Cavs need to start making strides in terms of identity. Yes, the game was in the bag – but once again, going back to LeBron’s words since preseason, this team needs to learn how to win. There will not be a single time this season that I’ll be OK with the leader of our team giving half effort on defense. It isn’t acceptable. (It is acceptable because this is the NBA, but I think LeBron needs to go about a month playing 100% on defense all the time to get everyone… Read more »
This isn’t to argue your point, in fact I agree.
But keeping in mind what you said, think how ridiculous it was that MJ’s Bulls went 72-10. Totally relevant, I know, but it’s just something you made me think of that I wanted to compare LeBron’s career to the GOAT. Leb is an all-time great but no one’s ever touching MJ.
I mean, winning 72 in today’s NBA in unfathomable. (Although the Warriors look like they wanna take their best stab at it.)
Yeah. Michael Jordan was a rare talent with a rare drive and focus and a great team. He also got to play before crazy defensive schemes and there was a lot more one on one type of plays.
I don’t expect anyone to ever replicate what the Bulls team did.
No team plays as fluidly as those Bulls teams. Michael was the most important part come playoff time, but phil Jackson deserves far more credit for that season than MJ. That isn’t a stat you can use to compare Lebron and Michael. Lebron took an inferior team to incredible heights in terms of regular season records and want get credit for it. You can’t give it to MJ either
No. Phil Jackson does not deserve more credit than Jordan. Without Jordan they never won a title.
Phil Jax vs. MJ is a chicken or egg argument. All I know is you have to be dialed in every second of every night to lose only 10 times in an 82 game season, especially with the way teams were gunning after the Bulls. It’s one of the most impressive sports records ever.
Agree on LBJ’s Defense. If he can get back to his elite defensive level, this team could really take off.
But, even with his D, there are lots of good things happening here. When Shump comes back we can have a 9 man rotation that is legitimately good.
Kyrie – Delly
Shump – Smith
LBJ – Marion
Love – TT
Moz – TT
He just has to get his defense near average, forget elite. Right now he’s the worst defender on the team (outside of the cripples James Jones and Mike Miller) and this team has Irving and Love on it.
Very true. But imagine if he was old LBJ on D. This team could become nasty.
He will be come playoff time. No need to worry about that. LBJ knows how to win in the playoffs.
I would argue that Love is still the worst defender on this team though last night Love actually played good defense. Watching the game, part of me wondered if Blatt brought in Mozgov to give KL a “code red” in an effort to get him to try on defense. If that’s the case, they need to give one to Lebron too. Team plays defense for zero quarters = probably a loss/maybe a blowout loss Team plays defense for one quarter = narrow victory Team plays defense for two quarters = win Team plays defense for three + quarters = blowout… Read more »
He’s not a worse defender than Mike Miller… And he DID look pretty solid against Gibson last night.
I guess I meant of player that play significant minutes
Sounds like they will be adding another PG to that mix as well. Maybe Sessions or Ridenhour…
I agree to a point with the Cavs D/Bulls shooting. Bulls missed a lot of open jumpers and shots at the rim early on, but the Cavs DID actually contest a LOT more shots than they have in other recent games. I only noticed one wide open three after the first quarter. Agree with you on both the new guys. It was terrific to see both Moz and JR excel in their respective positions and contribute in such an integral way. Griffin’s moves are paying some nice dividends already, and the key piece in the Knicks trade hasn’t even taken… Read more »
Don’t quite get the need for a point. With Delly, LeBron, Kyrie, and Shump, the team has four guys who can play point guard. I think I’d rather see another defensive utility player, preferably a 3 and D guy. Mbah A Moute would be good Marion insurance.
I’m with you, but that’s the rumor du jour that the Cavs are supposedly looking for someone else to help with the PG duties…
Agree about J.R. Smith. It is not unheard of for an excellent player who has sabotaged his own career by being a knuckle head to finally grow up and be really good. Look at how many Bill Belichek has found. Maybe the Cavs struck gold this time! You would figure being on a team with LeBron would help.
Having a chance to win a championship rather than playing for a bottom feeder might be enough to motivate some folks into playing team basketball and taking care of oneself well enough to be able to play well. But I’m super impressed with his catch and shoot ability and quick release. He’s been – recently – the best catch and shoot / spread the ball player the cavs have picked up in a long time. And that includes Wally, Donyell Marshall; and all the other guys we’ve brought in in the LeBron era to spread the floor. Given that we’ve… Read more »
Donyell was tougher than you may remember. I watched a hardwood classic Cavs vs. Wizards playoff game (cavs closeout game 6) from 2007 and Donyell had close to 30 and was nailing it from 3. Playing good defense as well.
I don’t get it. The Cavs look so much better when they run offensive sets. I don’t get the point of having ANY possessions where Lebron just dribbles for 20 seconds and throws up a random shot. I’d love to see stats on his efficiency and effectiveness after holding or dribbling the ball for >10 seconds. Or his stats on his efficiency when playing ISO offense. He may be better at ISO offense than most, and while I don’t have the stats to back it up – it’s just seemed to be horrendously inefficient lately. We might as well turn… Read more »
I would imagine some ugly numbers would come from Lebron ISO analysis. Lebron was hitting on 55% plus the last few years in Miami – mostly because their transition game was lethal, and he was getting many opportunities in transition. His ISO, hold the ball, jab step 4 times, then hoist is bad for him, and bad for the team.
Hey Cory- Really enjoyed the writeup, there were great bits of humor and insight- only there were a couple things that made me really uncomfortable and I thought I should let you know: “as women with low self-esteem (they are the only reason the bar industry works) prepared for Halloween night.” and “The play gets sloppier than a divorcee at a happy hour” They are throwaway jokes with a casual misogyny that I don’t think you mean, and that I think make them less funny as well. The second one I probably only noticed because of the first, as divorcee… Read more »
I can’t tell if you are serious or not? But your rational is also wrong. Men with low self-esteem would just pick up a bottle of liquor and drink at home if there weren’t women with low self-esteem that frequent bars.
If this really made you uncomfortable makes me think that you have some deep seeded insecurity that you may want talk to someone about. Adults shouldn’t get uncomfortable because someone makes a joke that includes an observation about the roles the different genders play in society.
If Harlem was made uncomfortable by the statement then there is no right or wrong rationale – people don’t control how they feel. I think it was a harmless throwaway joke but yeah I also agree with Harlem about the way that first statement comes off, I did a double-take when I first read it too.
As an editor, it struck me too, but it reflects Cory’s noirish persona. The statement is an example “casual misogyny,” but it’s also true. The bar industry runs on “casual misogyny.”
I don’t have low self-esteem.
It was a sexist joke. period.
Thanks for sticking up for what you believe in. I have extensive bar experience ranging from a dingy dive bar in Youngstown, Ohio to Canon Drive in Beverly Hills. The faces may change, but the characters are always the same. The low self-esteem part is 100% accurate. If anything it’s a harmless observation of how our jacked up societal expectations cause that need for acceptance in woman in the first place. I could easily write 10k words on it. Trying to keep it PG, but recently divorced people tend to hit it pretty hard. It’s like a dog thats been… Read more »
While I can appreciate the sensitivity of readers of this Blog, I don’t think it’s fair to excoriate Cory for his choice of metaphor. I’ve read exponentially worse things with regard to misogyny on plenty of other sites, and I expect most of the rest of you have as well. We are all adults here (physically anyway), so let’s be adults and recognize the lack of malice and intent behind Cory’s words. I’m sure we’ve all written things that sounded good in our head, but has a less than desired effect on the page. Like Austin, TX, I appeal to… Read more »
Just thought I would add, as a woman, I thought it was funny and didn’t think twice about it…
Hey- Didn’t mean to excoriate him! (Though I will say that using “better than average for the interwebs” as your standard for “not offensive or misogynistic”/”things I want to read on one of my favorite sites” probably isn’t the best choice…we can do better than that). But yeah, I totally recognize the lack of malice, I just wanted to let him know that reading it made me a bit uncomfortable, and I guess I was also thinking that if I were a first time reader of the site/Cory, I might well have been more turned off by it than I… Read more »
While I respect your views, Harlem, I would have thought you’d have taken more issue with Rodney Mac’s response than mine. I was simply coming to Cory’s defense on what he wrote given that it wasn’t (at least in my opinion) horribly misogynistic and was at worst a mildly inappropriate jest. I’m not claiming you have any “deep seeded insecurities” and you have just as much right to voice your distaste for what Cory wrote, as Cory did to write it in the first place. In retrospect, the term “excoriate” was probably an overexaggeration on my part (maybe I just… Read more »
Yeah. I did, I just didn’t feel that his was worth responding to, I appreciated yours as one that was reasonable and considered and I felt a response wouldn’t devolve into a shouting match, which really wasn’t my aim. I appreciate your views and dislike of censorship (though distaste from other citizens is distinct from government censorship). I think that a lot of my issue was that it was done casually, in some ways that bugs me more…I don’t think Cory is a misogynist or whatever, that’s why I wanted to point it out, not for some censorship or other… Read more »
Agree with Harlem Cavalier.
Telling that joke makes it appear that you have bought into some Psycho-Babble crap about esteem. There is no scientific definition of esteem, it cannot be measured, and who is the expert on the bar industry?
I’d add that there are plenty of places where bars & pubs thrive, (say England for example), where it’s not as typical to see any women in the pub, and it’s not really about a hookup scene, it’s a place where people congregate to watch football, talk and discuss politics, etc. In the US during the 1800s, the tavern culture was alive and well, though this most certainly did not revolve around promiscuous women. So – I’d suggest that this is flat out wrong as well.
Thanks for bringing this up in the comments, Harlem. I reacted the same way (and agree that it was unnecessary in a fine write up). And even if Nate is right that casual misogyny drives the bar industry, I fail to see how casual misogyny can make a sports discussion any better; there’s too much of that already.
One of my favorite recaps of all time, Cory. To go from Mozilla (the greatest nickname ever), to Love Your Enemies takes some chops, my friend.
Second that. Mozilla, awesome. Sloppy divorcee has been used before but fits like a glove here.
I’ve definitely used sloppy and happy hour multiple times. It was late and I was running out of steam.
Posted like a true veteran of the Kibitz Room ;)
Really enjoyed the recap as well Cory. If you’re gonna take ONE book with you wherever you travel, Love Your Enemies is a terrific choice. Certainly better than Oh The Places You’ll Go, or An Idiot’s Guide To Investing. Personally, I’m never without my well worn copies of Machiavelli’s The Prince, Sun Tzu’s Art Of War and Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret…
Thanks guy. I’ve had that pamphlet since I was nine or so. My classmate’s father worked at the post office and he brought them in for everyone. It’s probably the only thing I’ve kept from my childhood. Art of War is one of my favs too. Gave it away sadly. Should have held onto that one.
Yeah this was awesome. Great work, Cory.
Not going to overreact to a 3 game win streak, 2 of the games vs contenders even, but let’s see what the haters have to say now. Blatt still getting fired by the ASG? A whole roster of D Leaguers coming on board?
Come on. Overreacting is what sports blogs are all about, right? If we didn’t have this forum to vent and gush, we’d be a nation of really pent-up, frustrated people. Or at least even more so…
Cavs improve to 21-12 with LBJ, 6-3 against top 4 in East. Add Shump to the mix, and the team should be able to find a nice rhythm.
That is a pretty telling stat
That should be 6-4, Cavs vs Atl1-2, Tor 2-1, Wash 1-1,Chi 2-0
it is nice to see other teams ( other than the cavs ) THE BULLS going thru some dysfunctional / not united times –will see if / how they pull out of it–MOZZILLA ALREADY ESTABLISHING HIMSELF AS A POTENTIAL ” CULT HERO ” WITH THE LOCAL FANS —keep it up timo—-can’t wait to get Shumpert and his athleticism on the court–will take this team ( hopefully ) to another level–it is amazing how LeBron can have a ” stink up game ” and still produce stats that a lot of players would kill for / because of who he is… Read more »
For sure. Between LA sports talk radio last week and DRose’s depressed post game comments, it puts a lot into perspective. Hard to remember sometimes just how up and down a season can be for players and fans. Great to be back on an upswing
As I’ve said. This team cannot be beaten by anyone in the east in a playoff series. Nate should’ve done this recap. It would have done him well to bask in the glory that is this cavs team.
One game in mid-January against an injured Bulls team proves nothing about what this team can or cannot do come playoff time. You are correct that the Cavs ceiling is higher than any other team in the East, however. Even with the Bulls injuries, this was a solid win.
Very interested to see the Cavs play the Hawks again. Their ball movement is downright Spursian at this point.
There it is. One game vs a (insert flawed contender) means nothing, but every Cavs loss means massive changes need to happen by tomorrow. Not picking on Jim specifically but that’s the sentiment from the negative posters here.
No. One loss isn’t a big deal. Six in a row meant massive changes needed to happen, and changes did happen. And now the Cavs are winning.
Try not to read things into a post that are not there. I never said anything about “massive” changes after a single loss.
My point is that its a long season. It will have its ups and downs. The same people panicing a week or so ago that are now proclaiming the Cavs as eastern conference favorites based on the recent small sample size should simply slow their roll.
Of course in fairness, Cols has always stated that the Cavs would win the East.
Yeah, I don’t think it’s the same people. Cols has only ever been super positive on the Cavs chances.
It looked like the Cavs ran a little offense in between the ISO’s . . . and it looked good to me.
Agree, it seemed like Blatt ran some wrinkles on the offense as well as the defense last night.
I’m wondering if Mozgov was able to fly around and do what he did because he knows what Blatt expects in his defenses?
Maybe everybody ought to get on board with what Blatt wants like Mozgov did last
Maybe we should get more Russians on this team. Who else was good from the Russian National team, or for that matter Tel-Aviv Maccabbi…
sergey karasev…
The pieces definitely fit better after the trades. Ideally, they go a run over the second half and it builds confidence and trust with the coaching staff. If this roster actually ran Blatt’s offense, they would eviscerate teams.
sharing the basketball, playing defense hmmm what a novel concept. too many turnovers these guys are too good but all in all better