Live Thread: Cavs vs. Magic
2015-11-23
The Magic travel to the chilly shores of Lake Erie tonight to take on the Cavs. Cleveland will have to contend without Mo Wiliams, who has been ruled out , while Delly is nursing a sore leg. Matt will reportedly “gut it out.” Timofey Mozgov is expected to be out for up to two weeks with shoulder strain, and Tristan Thompson will start in his place.
Orlando is at full strength. Look for Victor Oladipo to improve tonight after a lackluster couple of games following his return from the NBA’s concussion protocol. At 6-7, Orlando is no slouch, and with depth at the wing and the guard spots, they seem like the type of team that could give the Cavs trouble, given Cleveland’s current injury woes. Frenchman Evan Fournier has been tearing it up so far this year, scoring an eye opening 19.5 points per game in 38 minutes a night with shooting splits of 45%/38%/80%. (Warning, DO NOT image search Fournier). Orlando features five double digit scorers in their starting lineup: Nik Vucevic, Tobias Harris, Fournier, Oladipo, and Elfrid Payton, with Aaron Gordon playing the sixth man roll.
Key to beating the Magic will be outscoring their bench and limiting their transition and inside looks. Orlando has been running as many as 12 players in a game, so managing pace and controlling the ball will be paramount. Their bench features Channing Frye, Shabazz Napier, Jason Smith, Dewayne Dedmon, and rookie “Super” Mario Hezonja. These guys thrive off turnovers and easy baskets, but can struggle to score in the half court.
With fairly weak defenders at the power forward spot, if Kevin Love can get it going inside, he should have a decided advantage. Go Cavs.
Jefferson. SICK.
Give me that ol’ Bron-Andy magic.
Vintage LBJ/Andy action.
Cunningham can hit that shot, he’ll stick.
I hope so… really like the kid and his effort…
Fred just called Andy “that Brazilian wideout”. Amazing
Glad to see the King get one to the Ninja that time…
Whelp. Too good Cavs.
LeBron is a man among boys.
Ninja joins the 3 party!
The Ninja can’t seem to buy a foul tonight…
Bron dismisses MDN on the outside in favor of a Kareem move… I’ll take it!
Hearing about the prices for beer in Ohio is depressing lol. Try $8 draft night in DC…and that’s the discounted price
LeBron just trying to hit his scoring nut now.
Kinda surprised LBJ is still in this game…
DELLY ONLY AT + 15—BENCH HIM OR TRADE HIM RIGHT COLS—C-OLS YOU STILL THERE / SOBER ?
TO Cols defense. He is saying very complimentary things tonight on Delly on the other blog. He probably will do the same here later
Shump. Nuff said.
Love that the defense is still playing hard.
They turned the effort up big time, it was very noticeable.
Cavs had zero turnovers in the third quarter…
Delly at only +15 tonight (low number by far this evening for the starters…in reference to article earlier today. Yet he is having arguably his best game of the season. What does that mean for +/- as a stat?
That, like all stats, it is flawed and only a piece of information that can be useful depending on how its veiwed.
It means he played some minutes with the bench tonight, which needless to say is struggling.
Keep in mind he is dividing his line-ups with everyone tonight. So is Lebron. SO many players out
KEV’S BEST GAME AS A CAV !!
Wow. How’d cunningham not get a foul there?
So Shabazz Napier plays for the Magic. Huh. That was a funny joke that LBJ pulled on Riley.
K-Love having a field day out here
It would be fantastic to have Delly, TT, Lebron and Kevin all in double-doubles tonight.
It would be fantastic if they could all sit the entire fourth.
So many bananas! So many tailpipes!
I just realized that Banana in Tailpipe can be abbreviated: BIT. Perfect.
Vucevic needs an anti-banana disguise.
Love hasn’t even take a shot this quarter yet.
Lebron plus shooters actually making threes means lots of threading the needle opportunities
This would be a good time to step on their throats now.. To conserve Lebron’s minutes
Cavs have 9 AST in this quarter, imagine a game where we can get like 35-40 AST a game
SICK pass.
I’m afraid we have too much firepower. Probably means no LeBron 30 point game
Sucks
But not really.
JR really fighting like hell on defense, u see da contest on da shot just now ?.. love it
He was a good oon-ball defender last year too. People foget because he was so good on offense. But his on-ball defense is really good when he wants it to be.
I agree, especially in the playoffs, just always great to see the effort out there from him and everyone in general.
Whoa whoa.. “So good on offense” slow down man
No forgetting about love plz!
Cavs turning up the intensity on D…
Finally. When they put a whole game together with this defensive intensity they will destroy someone. They will hold a team below 60.
Keep it rolling. Starters night off in the 4th!
Dellly actually looking like a good player tonight. About freaking time.
You mean about time you recognized it lol
I mean he was averaging 6 and 5 as a starting point guard which sucks.
But tonight he’s scoring and assisting mroe. It’s not my perception as much as his play. Don’t tout players like all-stars when they don’t pay well,.
You’re cute cols. Like a dog that keeps trying to play with a cat that keeps clawing its nose. Just happy to keep barking the same bad ideas.
What was your perception on KLove’s play when he’s stringing games of 12 & 9 last year?? Or when Lebron coasting at games??
JR joining the club with da 3. Lebrob with da nifty pass wow
Cavs just raining threes!!
Delly knocking them down in the Q tonight!
All Delly, all the time!
this place is so much more fun to talk ball than can fanatic forums lol. But man JR just turned his game around outta nowhere
What? You thought Smith was going to suck al year after coming over and wrecking teh East to the tune of 34-3 last year?!!?!?!
Of Course Smith was going to get going.
I didn’t have any doubts he wouldn’t but its just awesome he did it so quick
would be great to have Delly and Lebron to have 10+ AST in this game, delly at 9 and lebron at 8
Delly going for double double tonight. Really serious about that MVP..
Cavs are too good for the NBA. Even this depleted team
Hey Dekky made a three
Are you drinking Cols?
Maybe. I’m off work for 14 days1111111111111111111111111
AFter tomorrow. But early cheer is always good.
LOL…
Delly hitting his 3’s this game, love it
About time. He was getting dangerously close to the break even point of should not shoo them.
I’d really like for Lebron to remember how to shoot free throws.
Bad free throw LeBron is back after a couple really good games from the stripe. 1-5 tonight.
Yummy JR SMITHis asldjkfggggdddd
No way. He took an extra step.
Bron might need to go granny shots from here on out from the line…
NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE
He’ll get it together. He’s always been clutch in the playoffs
1-5 tonight though… yuck…
Honestly think his elbow could be sore from that fall, know mine would be
Time for Lebron to make his own run..
LeBron with the “old man at the Y” basket.
SCrew halftime.
Missed almost everything the first half..
Great half by Love. He’s best so far. Orlando’s gonna be looking to slow him down next but I know the coaching staff will adjust. Bron will take more scoring I guess.
Again were on pace on a high 20-s assist numbers..
Anyway… MDN has the excuse of inexperience for inconsistency… JFJ on the other hand is not only the main reason Andrew Nicholson has resembled Jack Nicholson in The Shining, but also can’t hit open threes tonight…
I hope LeBron goes off in the 2nd half. It’d be fun for him and Love to have 30+
Bron only needs 12 more points to pass Reggie Miller…
Too much danger ninja tonight.
When your team is starting your 3rd PG and the normal backup shooting guard is also injured, that’s what you get.
And yet Joe Harris still rides the pine. That guy must have no confidence.
Because Joe Harris sucks
On this… I agree with Cols wholeheartedly…
Could be worse, it could’ve been Joe Harris.
By the way, technically speaking, you should have said “Too much much danger ninja tonight”. Could be misconstrued. :)
I don’t mind him learning on the job in a game like this though… will only be of more use for the future…
Yeah, there’s no problem at all with it.
If it results in 2 useful minutes in the Finals, it will have been worth it.
I kinda like TT starting. Wouldn’t mind Moz coming off the bench – his offense is more useful from the bench.
From McMenimen:
“With that last assist, LeBron joined The Big O as the only two players in NBA history to rank in the top 25 all-time in points and assists. ”
Pretty awesome
Yep. Dude is still the best.
He could quite conceivably end up top 5 in both. Which is astounding.
In fact, also could end up top 5 in steals.
Loving LeBron and Love this year so much. If we had Love in the Finals we win in 5. He would just make GSW unable to play small ball.
Both teams shooting equal to or better from three and than from the line.
27 by the half, I am thinking a double nickel is on the cards. Maybe Kyrie & K Love can get a coin pressed.
Nicholson career average 6 ppg. Tonight he has 15 and is on fire from 3. He’s hot but K Love is hotter.
KLove had himself a GAME in the first half!
KLOVE with 27 of the Cavs 59 points. We need to defend now, Magic is shooting 55% with 7 steals. When we defend and protect the ball we’ll blow them out
Really Lebron? Kid can jump but dang…
What a half by K Love. wow.
Good job by the Cavs of getting him the ball
LBJ with 8 assists! Delly with 6 assists! Nice…
Nicholson going scrub-Fuego on us.
Forget scrub-fuego… he’s gone scrub-atomic…
If Nicholson shoots this way at the Q, maybe Cavs should use the BHTE to trade for him… (sarcasm)