Live Thread: Cavs vs. Hawks
2018-10-21
Seven teams remain without a win in this fledgling NBA season, and with both the Hawks and Cavs at 0-2, something’s got to give. Cleveland makes its home debut after giving up big second quarter runs to the Raptors and T-Wolves. The Hawks come in having given up 257 points to the Knicks and Grizzlies, with an average loss margin of 16.5.
Leading the Hawks have been Taurean Waller-Prince who has 25-5-5 and Trae Young who has led the team in minutes and posted 17-4-7 averages, while shooting a whopping seven treys per game. Sitting on his right hand and making him a driver is a key to stopping Trae who’s shooting 36% from three, but just 39% from two. The other key to beating the Hawks? Taking advantage of their turnovers. Atlanta’s coughed the ball up a whopping 43 times in two games.
Many think Atlanta’s the worst team in the league, but they have some dangerous players with Young, Prince, Cavalier irritant, Kent Bazemore, and Jeremy Lin.
In the injury department, it’s good news and bad news. The good news: Larry Nance is available to play after spraining his ankle late in preseason. The bad news: Sam Dekker is available to play after a head injury, Friday. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m happy that Dekker isn’t hurt seriously, but the less he plays the better for Cleveland.
For Atlanta, Peachtree Hoops reports that that John Collins, Dewaye Dedmon, Justin Anderson and Daniel Hamilton are out. Omari Spellman (ankle) was upgraded to questionable. Trae Young, Vince Carter, Tyler Dorsey and Alex Poythress are probable.
Kevin Love should have a good matchups tonight with Atlanta’s main line big men out, and we should see a good rookie duel between Young and Sexton. Keeping my fingers crossed that the Cavs come out hungry for their first win.
Be nice if Love could hit a three at some point…
Or challenge a layup.
Let’s not get crazy…
Hood keeping us in the game. What a mess.
Cavs switch everyone on D no matter what the personnel is, so annoying
Yes, we definitely do not have the players for that.
Hood heating up gets the Cavs back in it. I don’t know why they’re not punishing Young on D every play though.
This is embarrassing…
Kev just watched len lay that up instead of doubling.
Our top ten pick looks quite safe atm…
Seems like Trae doesn’t want Hawks to be the worst team in the league.
JRL—I HAVE COPYRIGHTS –HA-HA !!!
Young just punking the Cavs
JUST SAW THE BOX SCORE—MAKING YOUNG LOOK LIKE AN ALL STAR —-LONGANBARDIS DEFENSE AT IT’S BEST——FIRE THE GUY ALREADY !!!!———TREY ” STROKING THE NOODLE “
Are they quitting on Lue/Longabardi?
No. They wouldn’t have battled back from down 20 plus in both previous games if that was the case. Just bad scheming and problematic defensive personnel.
I didn’t know Kyrie changed his name to Trey Young. WTF?
Our closeouts are still so bad and we our usually so out of position to contest threes. The second is often schematic. The first is often personnel related. You can fix the second, but you can’t fix the first. Unfortunately, being out of position can be caused by personnel too. However, we do some things like doubling when we don’t need to that don’t help our personnel. We also have zero rim protection. Nance and TT will just never be guys that deter anyone. Love is probably the easiest big in the league,to score on inside. Zizic might help interior… Read more »
Hawks smell blood. They’re coming after them.
Rodney hits a seeing eye single to right.
Can’t help but think Longibardi being here has singlehandedly caused us to be a bottom 10 defense for two years. They simply look underprepared. They are trying for once too. Our personnel are bad defensively but they can’t be this bad.
@JOHN B – yes, automkaers will make what sells the most. I work in the auto industry and have seen it happening in the last 10-15 years.
(Pulling a Nomad lol).
It is unfortunate, because they did come out with some nice fuel efficient cars post 2009. They have done ok with cars like the focus hatchback in Europe. For a minute I thought hatchbacks would catch on here. Guess not. I have a Cruze, and I love it.
Unfortunately cars are following the American physique.
Ha nice.
60+ points to the Hawks in a half. Jeeezzzz..
Can’t blame the bench for this one. Love, Hill, Tristan, and Cedi all played that second quarter with their head up their butts. Sexton too, but he’s a rook. That’s expected.
Love is missing shots, especially in the paint, that he’d normally make. I wonder if he’s gassed being the no1 option now. Young blowing by Cedi was strange too. Cedi usually great about staying between his man and the bucket. Cavs look completely out of sorts.
Dunno if love is the issue this game. He has had some tough finishes. Cavs d is the issue imo. I mean hard to argue with 60 points in a half. Thru two games we are 15 in off efficiency and 28th in d efficiency which is about to get worse tonight.
That’s been my concern from the start – playing a whole game has been Love’s challenge in recent years. And that stat (last year?) showing how much more effective he was after 3 days of rest was instructive.
Giving up way too many points to this team…doesn’t help when you let Trae Young clown you from three…
He also has finished inside against us a depressing number of times compared to normal.
Yeesh. We are making Young look like an all star. Our d is so bad. Cedi with some out of control plays on offense and some ill advised fouls on d. Could be a tough year win loss wise.
Well that escalated quickly…
Longabardi needs to be fired during halftime.
Yep. We don’t have very good defensive personnel, but I don’t think we should be this inept.
one of the worst played quarters I’ve ever seen. If the Cavs don’t right the ship here, they are in big trouble.
Ughh
Just so many dumb plays this quarter.
Nice pass, Collin.
I do not understand the Cavs’ offense. They just don’t seem to have any plan. Why are they passing to sexton inside against len?
Hill should know better.
nice finish, kev.
Cavs just playing so dumb right now.
Just take the damned shot, guys! you have wide open threes and you’re passing them up for bad twos!
Argh. Why go coast to coast, Kev? That’s not your game. Come on. Hit youngbull in the corner.
I was sure he was going to pass it to Sexton there…
God our 2nd quarter play is awful.
It looks like you could rub off Young’s mustache with a baby wipe.
Some good two man action between Cedi and Love. Young having an ok game.
Great game so far. I know it’s the Hawks but still.
Awesome pass and finish, Love to Cedi…
There was a Kia commercial that said SUV no less than 6 times. Blah, SUVs are minivans.
Oh no no. I have had an SUV for the last 7 years and recently went to a minivan, the difference in space/usage when carrying two kids is night and day. I always made fun of minivan dads but I’m one of them now, and proud lol.
Totally fair. And you point out exactly my point. The SUV is/was sort of marketed to men initially and I feel like it carried on that marketability into becoming a family vehicle. It is a family vehicle, but a less practical family vehicle. To call it otherwise is disingenuous. Unless you have a true blue land rover, no one I know with an SUV less than 12-15 years old takes it off road. Actually none of my friends that had landrovers took them off road. The whole SUV phenomenon was always marketing.
I also sort of hate the fact that the big three barely make cars anymore, despite having some very good success with them post 2008-2009. Guess they make what the US market dictates.
Good call. Prince totally pushed him in mid-air.
Sam Dekker’s shot just makes me cringe
Did a nice job of digging out that rebound and getting it up to Nance.
To be fair he has made a three and a 18 footer after being run off the line.
NANCE! with a SWEET catch and finish! We missed you, Larry!
Clarkson on fire tonight! Stroke looking good on that last 3
Clarkson on fire to start
Clarkson can shoot right now. I’ll give him that.
That Larry Charge was Clarkson’s fault. Just nash it.
Jesus. Whsat bad D by dekker on young.
Dekker with a three. Clarkson gives nance the ball at the wrong time.
I would trade Hoof to the Lakers…
Hood is just bad right now. Can’t make much.
Right now?
Sexton settling for those long twos..
Clarkson with a garbage shot that scores.
Ugh. Fred. Please do not call a Sam Dekker dunk an “upper dekker”
Perfect nickname.
Getting ‘hoodie’ Clarkson again…
Love with another td.
Way too light for Ingram.
Star system…
Wouldn’t call Ingram a star yet and I don’t think anyone else would either. Maybe being on LBJ’ team affects that though.
Suspensions are ranked by star level: Paul got the lowest.
Those should all have been doubled, imo.
He also wasn’t the one that threw the first punch. Somebody hits you with a sucker punch I won’t blame a guy for swinging back.
Bench getting blitzed again. Losing guys on the free throw line again.
Three point.
Man the Hawks are going to be so bad this year. I predict 20 or fewer wins.
Yeah, no way they get to 20 IMO…
That pull up was the shot sexton missed late Friday. Bet he practiced that one.
This Hawks team is a mess…
Designed back cuts for love. Nice.
Nice pass! Cedi to love for a low altitude oop
x2!
Hood with another bad mid ranger.
Hoof annoying me so far. Not sure what he does well.
Hoof should be his nickname.
Typo for the win!
Good start.
Young would drive me nuts taking those ridiculously long threes early in the clock. You ain’t Steph, bro, and even he rarely takes those.
Carter at 4. Love should feast if he has anything left.
Nance will play, per FSO.
Btw. Saw the ctb tweet making fun of Lonzo’s airball last night. He hit 4/8 threes in 5/10 shooting for 14 pts, 6 rebs, and 4 assists. He shoots like that and Rondo won’t get much playing time going forward.
Vince carter is with the hawks hahaha
And yet he had a better had a better BPM with Sac last year than 13 cavs players did. Carter -1.1.
JR (-1.7), Green (-1.9), Crowder (-1.8), TT (-2.5), Wade (-1.4), Calderon (-1.9), Cedi( -2.9), Clarkson (-3.1), Frye (-1.3), Hood (-2.7), IT (-5.8), Rose (-7.7), and Shump (-4.0). Not even counting Holland and Perrantes.