Live Thread: Cavs @ Heat
2016-03-19Welcome to Miami, Cavs fans. Everyone is available to play tonight for Cleveland, according to Coach Lue and the training staff. Chris Bosh remains absent, as does guard, Tyler Johnson.
In Bosh’s absence, the Heat have been playing lots of small ball, with Deng and Joe Johnson as dual combo forwards. Johnson has been particularly scorching as of late, scoring 17 a game, with 53%/52%/83% shooting splits over his last five.
Deng is no slouch either, averaging a whopping 19.6 and shooting 54%/38%/94% over his last five games. Add in the eight rebounds, and it’s clear, Deng may get paid this summer as a small ball four.
Fortunately, the increased scoring hasn’t resulted in wins for Miami, just going 2-3 over the last five, and giving up 112 points per game. Be prepared for fireworks tonight as these two offensive powerhouses who are defense averse square off.
The Spurs are awesome. The Warriors are awesome. The Cavs think they’re awesome.
Lol, love it.
LOLOLOL….. true story!
LOL….well said.
How do you scout intelligence? So much intelligence on both SAS and GS rosters.
You watch guys play instead of highlight packages. Definitely not difficult to figure out who makes their teammates better and who doesnt
Lol, not difficult? Then what is every other front office doing, if it’s not difficult?
It’s more than getting the right players. It’s having a system in place so you know what your needs are. Only a few teams a year know what they are looking for other than generational talents
Agree 100%, that is why I always harp on continuity, and why they need to stick with lue for at least a couple years. At the same time you need to identify guys that are willing and have the iq to run complex d and o systems. If you tried to plug guys like dion waiters into the spurs or gs system, doubt they would fit well not based on talent but on understanding of the team game. Maybe even true for some of the cavs players.
That’s the thing though…the Spurs would never go after Dion. Ever. They wait til guys like Dion are sick of losing (like Stephen Jackson, who is infinitely more talented than Dion), and THeN they bring them in, cuz by then they are willing to listen and play a role.
Fair point. They have the patience to wait though. That comes with stability and continuity.
Dunno but teams like sa and gs (sean livingston, walton as assisstant, bogut, andy, iggy) seem to end up with guys that fit right into systems. Also clearly cavs fans knew guys like livingston and walton were hyper high bball iq based on their time as herculoids.
Incredible. Tim Duncan has still never lost to Golden State Warriors at home in his career. Never.
On the second night of back-to-backs this season, the Cavs have done better than I would have guessed: 10-6 with a diff of +2.6.
Looks like LeBron was the only one to show up.
Not sure anyone showed on d. But yeah this has got to change.
He hit a few jumpers and made a lot of layups. He was the only thing. That worked and it was typically unassisted. Rest of the team looked unengaged except for jefferson
LeBron was awesome!
You didn’t actually see the game, did you?
Didn’t say he wasn’t, was killing on offense in what parts I saw. Saw most of the first which didn’t seem like anyone was playing too much d. Then I went out and didn’t see much until I got back for the end of third and 4th.
I was responding to Cols — apparently some confusion from the new comment system.
Ah, well looking at box score he was -23. But at same time was 13 of 20. Didn’t see second or much of 3rd but assuming the poor team d continued in most of second and 3rd based on plus minus. I won’t be re-watching that game though, so hopefully recap will shed some light. However, you do not get blown out even one guy is bad defensively. Think their schemes need some work. Obviously their rotations as well based on the first q. Rotations being dependent both on schemes, execution, and of course most of all effort.
Yeah, basically nobody played D except for a few minutes in the second quarter.
And the Heat won the boards, that other gauge of effort, 42-26; James had just 3 rebounds (and 3 assists and 3 turnovers).
So what if KD joins the Spurs next season?
If they can fit aldridge, they can fit KD. Think about a lineup of parker, green, leonard, kd, and aldridge. Would be insane defensively and offensively. Actually think he could fit better on spurs than warriors.
That would probably be the best move of his career.
Incredible game by the Spurs. Inspiring really.
LOVE IT!!! CLE better get that game tape pronto.
Best defense I have seen all season. I don’t buy that it was just an off shooting night. Spurs made it really hard on GS and prevented them from ever getting rolling. Wow. Just shows Pops prowess as he gets closer and closer to playoffs his teams get sharper and sharper. What I would give to have him as our coach. Thank you Spurs for taking the edge off tonight.
Totally agree…. defense ruled this game tonight.
I think it was a combo of defense and off shooting. Curry isn’t going to have many games like that no matter how you defend him. Might have been a different result if they had Iggy, no way to know.
I still think GS is a team of rythym shooters. Stop the rhythm, stop the team.
I believe all good shooting is based on rhythm… and Spurs disrupted that rhythm with proficiency.
I totally agree with you. It’s about taking them out of their rythm early.
Dunno he had about 0 airspace all night. Tough to make 35 footers out of rhythm. Agree with jmay to a point.
Not sure if Pop is cool and swagged enough to be boys with Lebron. Pop hasn’t played in the league, so Lebron would probably get him fired.
Probably right…
Spurs Won!! The NBA Universe heading towards some balance. Aldridge played great. They trapped Curry early. Please Cavs be obsessed with defense & watch this game,
I mean they did exactly what the Cavs did in the finals last year. They have more healthy bodies. They could do that for 6 games
Pretty much, think they switched even a bit more but same general blueprint. You know pop watched that series a ton in preparation for this year.
Definitely switched more… Saw LMA and Duncan on Curry and they forced him to drive the ball…. perfect game plan against Curry.
We switched Tristan onto curry a ton.
But that was about it. Spurs switched everyone tonight. Actually similar to how gs defends p and r and perimeter.
Except TT wouldn’t defend him close…. he kept guarding for the drive and Curry shot it right over him.
WOW… that’s why they brought LMA in… he KILLED Barnes and Green.
Yep, huge matchup advantage when he is on, though I don’t think he played that well the first game.
To be expected… I still think he’s on the ascent in terms of fitting in.
If KLove could do that to them but…..
LOL… that would require teammates to consistently pass it to him in the post… not like 3 times a game….
KLove has no chance against physicality of the Warriors. Matter of heart really.
This game will lower Curry’s % from 3 a little. But GS battled…Spurs had to play their asses off to win.
Only difference between delly cavs d last year and this game is that the spurs switched a bit more. Not a ton more but a bit more than we did.
Good. Now we can maybe play our remaining games with effort and get a run going. Hot sauce I’m not worried either
There is the defensive blueprint. Take note cavs. Only question is keeping the energy needed to scramble like that for 7 games.
Exactly, that is why you need to make it a habit from the regular like both of teams do.
GSW with 79 POINTS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! LOLOLOLOL
It was hilarious that the crowd chanted ‘air ball’ when Curry airballed a half courter at the first half buzzer.
WOW I have goosebumps.
Curry with a STUPID shot!!! LOL… he thinks he can make all of those 35 footers~
Yes, and so does everyone who has watched him this year
Think he makes about 46 percent of his 30 foot plus shots.
Don’t think this is the night for Curry to pull 4000 rabbits out of hats.
OK. I will say it — I am still not worried about Cavs.
I pray the front office is watching this GS/SA game. Can we go back to playing to our strengths?
And that is how you draw up and out of bounds to play. Insanely good.
LMA WITH THE SWISH!!!
Yeah, Braymond….you didn’t even touch him….lol…
Draymond, c’mon man. Obvious foul.
The basketball fan in me wishes these two teams could play in the finals. The cavs fan in me is beating himself in the head on why can’t Cavs play with this much heart.
Primadonnas…. funny how a rust belt city gets stuck with rooting for a bunch of ’em.
The best conceivable result is Spurs win in seven and Cavs have more rest before the finals. I honestly think we would win
Makeup call
I hate draymond gets those crap calls
LOL YUUUUPPP!!!
Obviously the Warriors guards won’t shoot this poorly every game, but it’s conceivable San Antonio could be them in a series
Their guards are playing poorly because Green, Leonard, Mills, and Ginobli shut them down!
They could, but it would be an upset, for sure. Especially since GS is almost certainly going to have home court, and they are so tough there.
No better team on the road in the playoffs than the spurs
Great point.
D has alot to do with. Spurs running them off the 3 line, occasionally giving up layups and o boards as a tradeoff.
Great defense there by SAS… Love seeing Green clank that 3!!!!
Aldridge, you gotta make those shots, brother. At least he got the boards.
Totally blew that easy layup… I just posted that was an INCREDIBLE pass by Diaw
Yep only way they win in 7 against the warriors is if aldridge punishes their small ball.
Agreed… He has been tonight… just can’t miss that crucial layup… it was such a nice play.
The Warriors and Spurs run their sets so exceptionally well and they pay attention to the details like position on defense and knowing when to cut and setting good screens on offense. They are just beatiful to watch.
What makes it it worst for the Cavs is that they will probably continue to play a lot of ISO’s and that will not help bring the right players to join the team.
Yes, they have a ton of motion in their basic sets, but the biggest difference is how well they use screens and how fast and tight they come off them as well as pin point passing. Execution like that is tough to beat.
This is such high level basketball. Makes Cavs look like a college team
Diaw is so ridiculously good. He’s not super consistent, but when he has a good game, he’s amazing.
He destroyed the Heat in 2014. It was beautiful. I’d say he’s very consistent in what he does. Very intelligent.
Totally agree… just a high IQ basketball guy.
AND that pass by Diaw was incredible… LMA should’ve finished that play.
Not sure he would be this good on another team though. Spurs pieces fit better than anyone but the warriors.
Yeah, he’s a perfect fit there, for sure.
What a steal by Diaw!!!! WHAT A PLAY BY DIAW!!!!
Jackson: “What a play by Varejao.” JVG: “That was a thing of beauty right there.”
Enough to make you cry lol
Balls, he can still pass.
Seriously, I feel like crying when I see them using Andy so well. Maybe better than he was ever used here.
Only consolation is Frye is actually as good as advertised.
Absolutely, think we did get better, but I hate, hate, hate, the fact that he went to gs.
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/711381072815067136
Yes I cried in my heart a little too. I have my vodoo Griffin doll nearby. (I’m joking)
This may be the game of the year.
Wow what a play by Andy
No kidding! great vision!!!
God, never thought I would say this but I think the gs d is actually underrated. They are probably the best defensive team in the league when they want to be.
they are the best anything when they want to be
Well seemed like they had slipped this year, but the spurs games have proved otherwise.
Yeah, and they have several guys out for this game, too. Not having Iggy is pretty huge.
And Ezeli
Damn forgot about iggy, and bogut, and ezeli, wtf
Cavs are pretenders.
Compare to the Spurs and Warriors definitely.
Compared to the Heat.
GS has cranked it up defensively….Spurs have had some bad possessions the last 2-3 minutes.
Spurs just now figuring out that diaw outweighs 4 Warriors players by himself. Post that big boy!!
No they posted him a bunch in the first q. But that last d sequence by the warriors resulting in the green 3 point block was ridiculous.
Gotcha. Yeah they are so good on d when they don’t have to hide curry
Blatt’s Cavs also got blown out. I thought we put this crap to bed with the podcast impressions game
We need to be ramping up for the playoffs and playing consistent now though.
I hated tonight’s crappy effort as much as anyone. Just confused when Blatt gets brought up.
Not sure people are harping on blatt as much as hoping, perhaps unrealistically, that lue could turn around this team in less than half a season.
This team isn’t even a fraction of where Blatt had them at this point last year. Crap? Crap is people failing to see how good of a coach Blatt was.
Never said he was bad. He just wasn’t better than Lue according to the numbers
According to which numbers though? The only ones that matter are playoff wins… and Blatt did it with a team that is theoretically not as good as this years’ team. Not saying Lue can’t do as well or better… but he’s hasn’t done anything yet.
So, what were the good points about the Cavs game tonight?
No one got injured
Ok, there is that. I’ve got nothing else.
This is the sport I love. Man, two amazing teams.
Pop being Pop… keeping Duncan out of the rotation intentionally to make his team deal with the missing piece.
However, with bogut and ezeli not playing, not sure duncan is optimal against warrior small ball, especially the death lineup.
Duncan always helps especially defensively. And a big part of the Spurs’ ability to stay in this game is going big against the small ball GSW lineup.
Part of problem is with that is warriors defend postups better than about any team in history. His rebounding would certainly help though. TT would fit perfectly on the spurs against this team.
But yeah i hope pop is just saving duncan and schemes.
Refs alone will make it highly unlikely anyone beats the warriors this year. Tough when they get away with twice as much as the team they play against. Note pop’s reaction to Kawhi’s 3rd foul. Rarely see pop get that animated. Shows how ridiculous the refs are for the warrior. Not only do you have to climb the warriors everest, you have to do while essentially being a sherpa and dragging the refs baggage with you.
That was an awful call. Kawhi literally barely touched him, it was just a good play.
I third that notion… what stupid call by the ref.
WOW… Spurs just played ridiculous defense on one possession and GSW still scored on some garbage. This game is intense!!!
Zero room for error against warriors and their ref guardians.
Aint that the truth… some questionable calls going against the Spurs.
Always will be against a team that is the nbas new marketing giant. Played their way into that favoritism though.
I’m sure Cols will enjoy the Sunday podcast.
SOMEWHERE BOTH DAVID BLATT AND PAT RILEY ARE SMILING / DRINKING SOME WINE AND FEELING GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES —–Jb225—hope you are right about cavs making it to the finals ( hope you are wrong about that outcome ) just don’t share the same confidence
Would love to hear Blatt speak frankly about this team. Won’t happen until he’s retired, if ever.
With no back to back situation in the playoffs the Cavs veterans should perform better and we all know that the Cavs will prepare for their opponent better than they tonight.
With this said if starting KLove at the 5 was Lue’s strategy then he totally blew it.
I believe what will happen with the Cavs is that they will get to the finals again and get destroyed by the Warriors or Spurs. The Heat are the only team that I really believe that can challenge the Cavs not the Raptors. The Raptors will choke like they have done the last 2 years.
To compete against the Warriors and Spurs the Cavs need to play with the right energy and share the ball like they do.
I’m glad I missed this one. Won’t bother watching either. At some point they need to figure out rotations and improve the defense, which probably won’t happen until they blow it up again during the offseason. Dan Gilbert can spent all the money he wants, but he still runs a dysfunctional organization.
A.C. SAYING SAME THING I MENTIONED EARLIER—TEAMS DO NOT FEAR THE CAVS ANYMORE ——THAT IS HUGE FOR THE OTHER TEAMS—BAD NEWS FOR THE CAVS—THE EASTERN CONFERENCE IN MY OPINION IS WIDE OPEN
Idk It seems more teams are getting better while the Cavs are unraveling on the defensive side. I know Mozzy is frustrating but he is still an intregral part of the Cavs (good) defense . Certain teams you have to use him. Heat is one of them.
I will add this is a different Heat team since their trades.
Joe Johnson helped them a ton. That richardson kid looks great too.
WOW… Leonard really can hit the 3 now. LOVE seeing Curry jack up garbage!!!!
The thing is, if you just look at the box score you would think “Oh, no wonder the Cavs lost so big, they rested a lot of guys.” Then you realize that the guys they started were the ones who couldn’t keep their shorts up tonight…
WOW… Spurs SHUT CURRY DOWN in the 1st half.
Yep. As I said, cavs need to be watching this game, at least 1st half. Spurs gave maximum effort in first half. Will that be enough in second considering Warriors can turn it up defensively? We will see.
It’s the Spurs’ ability to switch seamlessly on defense. Flawless rotations and hedges.
Their schemes are why the cavs need to take note. Actually they have played curry very similar to the cavs last year in the finals. However, the spurs were scrambling in the first half and still gave up a fair share of layups and dunks. However, I will take layups over 3 pt shooting all day against the warriors.
SAS holding GSW to their lowest point total in the 1st half all season.
AND WITH LEBRON’S STRONG EMBRACE WITH WHITESIDE AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE HEAT —LET THE ” WINDY RUMOR MILL ” BEGIN OF LEBRON’S RETURN TO SOUTH BEACH
0-3 and a DNP
Based on their record without LBJ versus ours they are a better team than the cavs without LBJ based on measurable objective metrics. His brand would seriously take a hit though. That isn’t a sarcastic statement. It might be enough by itself to prevent him going anywhere, especially Miami.
Welp… Dougie Collins wants to see CLE-MIA 2nd round…. he might get his wish!!!
Maybe the Cavs were just trying to help them become the 3 seed tonight. Prefer not to see them.
Well that’ll work unless they lose the 1 seed…. LOL
This Can’t happen in the playoffs!! That’s next month!! Sure like to have an experienced playoff coach. You have to know what to do in these situations and adjust quickly. Very quickly.
Lol! But the coach is boys with Lebron, don’t you know that’s what matters.
Now they’re galvanized, spiritually connected, and handle prosperity!!! /SSSSSSSSS
One game like this in the playoffs and it can turn the whole tied of a series…
Cavs looking for their defense…
http://appalachianmagazine.org/sites/default/files/stories/sanitary-landfill3.jpg
ABC halftime about to show CLE lowlights!!! Let’s see what the Coach has to say!
Tell us because I’m going to throw popcorn at his face.
that the Cavs are the second most expensive joke in NBA history
I expect we will STILL see smiles on the Cavs team. I have the game muted but I can’t imagine AC is happy…
That many BIGS, Mosgov should have been in their earlier. Love & TT just don’t have that size. Lue just let the game get away forcing players out of their roles. NO MORE LOVE AT THE 5!! Just stop this nonsense.
WATCHING THE CAVS PLAY LIKE THIS—-NO HEART—NO DEFENSE—IS KILLING A.C. ( AND ALL OF US ) RIGHT NOW !!!—-AGREED ( I AM SURE MR POSITIVE COLS WOULD DISAGREE ) NOT SURE WE BEAT ANY TEAM IN THE EAST IN A SERIES RIGHT NOW —–THE OTHER TEAMS DO NOT FEAR US ANYMORE AND THE CAVS ARE AWARE OF THIS ALSO—–REALLY THINK THE PLAYERS ARE TOTALLY AWARE THAT MAYBE ( EVEN WITH LEBRON ) WE ARE NOT AS GOOD AS ADVERTISED / PROJECTED —-HURTS LIKE HELL TO SAY THAT BUT LIKE THEY SAY ” THE TRUTH HURTS ‘
If the Cavs are ever interested in learning anything about playing with heart this season, they should watch the tape of the Spurs from the first half tonight.
Delly is the heart of the team.
Btw the cavs should watch at least the first half of the warriors spurs to learn the best possible schemes against gs. Never seen curry defended as well this year.
LOLOLOLOL…. Cols… I miss your irrelevant rantings about how the Spurs can’t win. Entertain us!!!
JOh it’ll be Delly’s fault.
Where is Cols? Everything is still awesome right?
Cols is always mysteriously absent from game threads in games like this. It’s hard to explain.
I figured this would be a mail it in game, so I didn’t even watch. Been watching the tourny, and now the Spurs game.
I’ve had it on mute. Been watching Game of Thrones. Cleveland and the Starks have a lot in common…
Raps about to overtake us. I’m very concerned Cavs have completely lost their defensive power. Watching the Spurs right now. We use to be that good. Our defense coach stinks. I don’t get it. Maybe Blatt was the defense guru after all. Griff didn’t know this?? I’m stumped at what I’m seeing in the coaching & what use to be a defense. What are you doing, Lue? Yeah I’m ranting