Live Thread: Clippers @ Cavs
2024-01-29Good evening CtB!
The Cavs welcome the Los Angeles Clippers to the shores of Lake Erie for massive out of conference showdown between two of the hottest teams in the Association. The Clippers have taken off since acquiring James “Golden Turd” Harden, while the Cavs have thrived in spite of injuries to two of their young stars Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. Rumor has it that Evan Mobley will be back tonight, which is a welcome sight given the Tristan Thompson suspension. According to Coach JB Bickerstaff, DG’s return is imminent as well. It is now that we’ll find out if Coach Bickerstaff has learned anything by giving minutes to older role players such as Sam Merrill, Craig Porter, Jr., and Dean Wade, who’ve all made massive contributions to winning basketball over the recent 20 game stretch. Or will it be “business as usual” with Georges Niang, Isaac Okoro, and Caris LeVert, all of whom have been the weakest links so far this season yet also receiving the benefit of the doubt from JB. The margins are what differentiates the pedestrian coaches from the great ones, let’s see if JB has it in him.
Tip off is scheduled for 7:00PM Eastern time and will be broadcasted live on Bally Sports Ohio, Go Cavs!
Suck it Russ
Claw v Spida this stretch… great players making great plays…
Ughhhh damn JA misses the bunny
Was. So gorgeous
You gotta dunk that.
Claw finally looks back to full strength this season…
Less 3’s please.
Mitchell with strength
Over the limit already?
Tough game for Mobley so far
That call was shite.
Yup. But don’t want to blow a challenge yet. Let them play through the shit whistle. We executing really well against a TOUGH defense
Disagree. Winnable challenge that will buy you some leeway with refs.
Crowd starting to let him him have it. JB 100% should have challenged that.
Big shot Dean!
James Dean Wade
Challenge that JB! All ball…
The LA Golden Turds
No question…
A parade of FTs.
Clips + this officiating crew = charity hell
Okoro gotta learn do slow down the eurostep into a jump stop.
Cherry pickin Claw…
Oh hell, yes, Ice!
Despite going cold and getting jobbed by the refs. Cavs solid this stretch even though shots not falling.
Wow! Helluva pass from Ice!
Heaven Hook
Nice spin Mobes! Shoulda been and one…
Mitchell cooling off.
Two garbage whistles.
“Don’t you look at me when you hand me the ball!”
Softest call ever. Guess he got his feelings hurt.
Fucking garbage ass play. JBshpuld challenge to fuck these refs.
How is that a tech?
I hate that ump. He’s a xocky douche.
Bad decision Mann! You aint scoring there.
Clips are floopin ass fools.
Missed first half, but know this much…
Give ice his fucking flowers!
Ice auditioning for playing time tonight!
And some folks cannot see the value.
Of course, this is admittedly a high water mark type game. And he needs shooting around him. Any O you get is gravy.
But the D is pretty consistently excellent.
2nd chance points. Rebounding. So good.
Hell yeah Isaac
Dean’s confidence has seemed to improve so much this season.
Health and having the same role for multiple games in a row.
He’s is 1-5 tonight guys. I mean, I generally agree. But his D is what gets him PT.
I think there could be a legit Niang/Wade conundrum for JB when Mobley gets up to full speed. Niang for O, Wade for D..
The last 15 games starting lineup getting it done.
Impressed with how most Cavs players are handling the pressure. Shame about Niang.
Cavs need to close strong with Mobley on bench. This is the lineup they’ve been winning with.
I’d imagine that is what we will do. If the 2nd half rotations match the 1st.
Harden: 1-4, 4/3/5.
Allen’s offense is so much better than Mobley’s right now. It’s not even close.
This is make or miss right now
Nice. Okoro.
Less triples, more stuff to the basket.
Looks like maximum stagger for allem/mobley
Bad Niang rinugbr.
JFC Georges. That was ungraceful. Right after you took a flop foul and bricked a three.
Attaway Ice
Heaven Mobley!
So good to see him back.
Caris ice cold.
Finally.
nIce 3!
This lineup ain’t it.
Scored 5 straight right after I pushed send.
Ain’t that the way…
When Mitchell sits, we lack a real quality general/creator for the 2nd unit. DG is hurt. Rubio went back to Spain. Jerome is hurt. JB won’t play CBJ.
Caris tries and is OK, but once DG is back we’ll have one floor general/alpha out there at all times.
Caris hasn’t been it lately.
Lol? Harden with the “throw my off hand back and hit the opponent trailing me in the chest and get a foul on him” play.
LeChuck.
Gotta set better screens versus the lips They stay on u like gue.
Solid quarter. The issue now is gonna be shots. Mobley takes a lot of shots away from other guys.
Well, Mobley started & looks rusty. How could he not? Spida playing great. The last couple minutes could have been better. With them 0-7 from deep, it feels like we should be up more than 3.
Forgot they had Russ.
Come on, Caris.
Dunk from Heaven Mobley!
Niang stones Kawhi!
Let’s play someone else for reasons
Three bench players in before Merril seems not ideal, but they’re making it work
Oh my that pass.
Wade first off bench
Love it. JB took my notes
Good lord, that’s an offensive foul.
I love that Ice is getting a starter s whistle these days.
If he can get that all-defensive rep, the whistle follows. Like umpires used to give control pitchers another couple inches off the plate (Maddux).
If Ice can start getting a Tony Allen, PBev, Jrue whistle, it will help us out a lot.
Part of why he starts. Just to build that rep. He can’t be the player he needs to be if the refs don’t know who he is.
Nice eurostep Okoro.
I wish they’d start Merrill with Mobley back.
Especially versus Terrance Mann.
Had the same thought
Never change Chris. Rag on Okoro after he just shut off Dame’s water.
Talking about “massive contributions to winning basketball” while shitting on Okoro Niang and LeVert, the guys who won us the toughest games in the DG / Mobley absence (Dallas and Bucks) is just unfortunate.
But there are priors that need confirmed! JB is likely going to be a COTY finalist.
Sounds like a good debate. You should write an article comparing quality of opponent for net rating of these players… (Which is what epm, apm and DARKO do)
Tell us who’s really best.
Why? Priors not changing in the face of real world evidence: some people need to feel smart by hating on good results
Then you’re welcome to write that article I’ll publish.
Lmao
It’s basketball
And writing.
Thanks for getting LT, Chris! I hope Mobley is a token starter and then Wade comes in as the third big. (No. More. Niang. At. The. Four).Also, I appreciate the honesty it took to say that LeVert has been the Cavs’ 7th best bench player. (Though I’d still play him over Okoro and Niang). Hopefully the coming minutes crunch ups his game. The Cavs CANNOT play Merrill less than 20 minutes a night. When Garland returns, which is going to mean a minutes crunch.
Go Cavs!