Live Thread: Cavs @ Pacers
2023-02-05Good evening CtB!
The Cavs have ventured to the Crossroads of America to take on the Indiana Pacers in a tough Central Division tilt. The Cavs are looking to win back to back games for the first time in a month, as well as finally show some improvement on the road. The Pacers are looking to bounce back after a brutal stretch without their star guard Tyrese Haliburton. If the Cavs have any designs on winning this game, they better be ready to bring it on defense or else they could easily get embarrassed as they did in late December giving up 135 in that loss. But the Cavs are clearly the superior team, they need to show that they can take care of business when it’s necessary against an inferior opponent (Pacers 25th in the NBA in net rating).
What do the Pacers want to do? On offense, they love to run (fourth fastest pace team in the NBA) and move the ball extremely well. The Cavs will need to get in passing lanes and force turnovers, as the Pacers are a very turnover prone team. On defense, the Pacers are terrible defensive rebounding team, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley will need to impact the game by crashing the glass to get cheap buckets on offense.
Caris LeVert is out with injury and Kevin Love is out of the rotation currently. Slop starved fans should keep their head on a swivel as the first big drop has happened with the Kyrie Irving trade to the Mavs. Will the Cavs get involved? Stay tuned…
Tip off is scheduled for 5:00PM Eastern time and will be broadcasted live on Bally Sports Ohio/Great Lakes, Go Cavs!
4 straight scores for Indy including 3 triples.
Cavs are playing way to loose on defense, terrible breakdowns.
Welcome to ICE island
MOBLEY GETS THE GOALTENDING!!!
Tower City blowing two straight 3s to Turner
Our starting frontcourt is 14-17 from the field.
Up 23. Keep the peddle down & make the 4th quarter garbage time.
WHAT A FINISH JA GREAT PASS DG!!!!
Finally exploiting the small ball with big ball!
Also glad the Irving trade is with a west team… hopefully Nets drops and we can move up in the standings and get home court advantage.
OKORO STEAL AND FINISH!!!!!!!!
WHAT A PASS MITCHELL, WHAT A CUT DG
strong finish Spida!
2x
20 assists on 24 field goals.. would have loved to watch this game, but have a family gathering right now .. let’s get a solid road win against a division rival.
Nice finish to the quarter. Mitchell started to make some shots at the end, there. But given our road record, I am loving +16 at half.
Not counting chickens, though. We do have a game tomorrow. Winning the 3rd quarter and getting some rest for the 8 guys who have played would be a nice cherry on top.
With the way Pacers chuck threes, I’m not counting chickens or anything else. But if the Cavs continue to play smart, they should be fine. Just don’t get jumpshot happy.
Haven’t been able to watch yet, but looks like there was a Cavalanche in the 2nd quarter. I hate the 5 pm starts.
CLOSE THAT QUARTER.
Really nice half, especially closing out the 2nd. Fun to watch.
Helluva close
SPIDA DAGGER LETS GOOOOOOO
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE WADE ON HIELD!!!
DG TO ALLEN EASY MONEY!
MITCHELL BUYS A BUCKET!
nice drive and kick Okoro!
dumb foul Mobley, just challenge the shot.
Not a big fan of triples in transition.
MOBLEY DRIVE AND FINISH
CEDI EASY MONEY, Okoro needs to screen that weak side defender though to buy him even more time.
Nice sequence fron Heild to stop a potential Cavalanche. Block & a triple. Still up 6.
JB on his Thib’s bit yet again with a nearly full roster… #FREENETO
OKORO JOHNNY ON THE SPOT!
We are small here with Osman & Okoro at forward. Wade resting & Kev out of rotation. No Stevens yet either.
Not complaining, but making the observation.
Mitchell off the schnide (spelling?) after getting a 2nd chance after an Okoro Oboard. After a DG triple.
Another great half from Garland.
OKORO DEFENSE AND O-BOARD!!! MITCHELL EASY MONEY CARLISLE RAGE TIMEOUT!
Thank god Turner has to sit
3 on Turner.
nICE! Okoro 3!
ICE
Turner starting to get a lot of O-boards. Two trips in a row.
Pacers are playing with 1 big all game and are +3 in the offensive glass and +10 on FTAs.
We need more aggression on offense.
WOW, DG blew that bunny
What’s the deal with Levert?
Hamstring
Hamstring.
WHAT A FINISH DG, LEFT HAND
WADE SAVES THE DAY
Wade 3, we needed that.
this offense stinks, get the switch and post up Mobley
That was ugly. 2 points in the last 5 minutes.
A pleasure to see the Rubifro again…
RUBIO TO ALLEN
good defense by Cedi, Hield just ridiculous shot.
In typical Cavs fashion, we fail to score for the last 1:47 of the quarter.
0 Pts from Mitchell. Up 2.
stinky end to the quarter, ricky blown layup and Mitchell misses a decent look at 3.
Also we need to quit with the and-1s. But aside from fouls & TOs, we are playing well.
When LeVert can play, Mitchell may need to sit for a couple & see if he can get that groin right.
RUBIO DIME, RAGE TIMEOUT CARSISLE
Did WE call that TO?
Ricky being Ricky
CEDI DIME
Mitchell still looks like crap & we have 5-6 TOs this quarter, and Mobes has 2 fouls.
But a 5 point lead despite that.
WADE DEFENSE
Ricky is majestic.
RUBIO CROSS COURT TO CEDI!
Cedi and Wade’s production is going to skyrocket with Rubio pulling the strings
DWADE PURE
JB finally goes small 6 minutes into the game.
PASSING LANE DEFLECTION = FASTBREAK POINTS!
And terrible defense on the back end of that play SMFH
Cavs always struggle in Indiana, got to break the jinx
Indiana has no pretense of guarding Mobley or Okoro on the perimeter.
Spida stinks to start.
JA offensive rebound! could’ve hit on a post up
Cavs sleepwalking to start,
I knew we had our share of injuries, but that graph is shocking.
Kyrie since leaving Bron:
2017/18 Celtics. 55-27. 2nd in East. Lost in ECF to Cavs (4-3). Irving played 60 games and missed all of the POs. Team went to it’s 2nd straight ECF without him. 53-29 the year prior.
2018/19 Celtics. 49-33. 4th in East. Lost in ECSF to Bucks (4-1). Irving plays 67 games and all 9 PO games.
2019/20 Nets. 35-37. 7th in East. Lost in ECRD1 to Toronto (4-0). Irving plays 20 games, none in the POs. Allen, LeVert, & Shump on that team.
2020/21 Nets. 48-24, 2nd in East. Lost ECF to Milwaukee (4-3). Durant’s toe. Irving plays 54 games. 9 of 12 in the POs (missed last 3 vs Bucks).
2021/22 Nets. 44-38, 7th in East. Won Play-In game vs Cavs. Swept by Celtics in Rd 1. Irving plays 29 games & all 4 in the POs.
5 seasons. 5 playoffs. He missed 2. Played in 3.
3 with Kyrie: 2 series wins (1st round), 3 losses.
2 without Kyrie: 2 series wins (1 ECSF), 2 losses.
Cavs have missed 2nd most games from player injury this season, still 2nd best net rating in the NBA… wait until they’re healthy! https://twitter.com/InStreetClothes/status/1620505211801583617?s=20&t=3Cg9JqDoS5Dmt8FJQuAcUQ
Rubio was built in. Windler has not played. And we only carried 14 to deal with it (effectively 12 all year).
Way to set the table Chris. If Mitchell is still limited (groin), this is gonna be tough.
Gonna need DG to be big and whomever Turner is not guarding to dominate inside.
https://twitter.com/alex_kirshner/status/1622326476828803072?s=42&t=BYvRs7uk414TDu8VfHGhyw