Live Thread: Cavs @ Raptors (Game 4)
2016-05-23
Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer
The Cavs are in Toronto again looking to bounce back after a 15 point loss. In game three, the Raptors caught Cleveland snoozing. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love combined for just 16 points on 4-28 shooting. The team was out rebounded by 14 boards.
The Raptors morphed into prehistoric beasts. Bismack Biymobo was a T-Rex at the top of the rebounding food chain, without the short arms of course, sucking up 26 boards. DeMar DeRozan utilized his prehistoric game perfectly. He went 9-20 from mid-range.
In games one and two, the Cavs had 22 and 24 assists, respectively. In game three, the Cavs had just 15 assists. When the Raptors squeezed them, they froze up and quit playing the quick passing offense that helped them win ten straight in the playoffs.
Despite the Raptors scoring just 99 points, they posted an offensive rating of 114.2, and although they had just 15 assists, their offense was running well. The Cavs will find out the answer to this question tonight: Did the Raptors just make shots or is the offense they witnessed on Saturday something truly sustainable?
Cleveland will pull out the win tonight. In game three, they were sluggish, didn’t fight as hard as they needed to on defense until the second half, and let their offense stall out from too much isolation play. Tyronn Lue‘s film session for this game will be pretty simple. He will start by showing them clips of failed possessions at the rim because they forced shots (instead of passing).Then he will show them the wide open looks they had in games one and two from all over the floor because of their ball movement. Cleveland knows the way to win against Toronto, they’ve done it twice now. I’m picking the Cavs, 113-90.
The Cavs will be without Dahntay Jones. Jones is suspended for one game after hitting Bismack Biyombo in the groin. LeBron James is paying Jones’s $80 fine.
Jonas Valanciunas is a game time decision for the Raptors.
It’s more than shots not falling. Lue is not commanding this team well
We have trust issues, and we are beating ourselves
https://twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ/status/734921406887174144
Apparently we don’t believe in hard playoff fouls.
Passing to love right now is basically just wasting 10 seconds off the shot clock. Gets it, pump fakes, passes.
he is so intimidated out there…might as well play Frye and Jefferson or even James Jones
Agree. Get some stones Love or sit down.
These Cavs bad habits are more than a one game thing.
just embarrassing effort all around…lebron only one NOT intimidated to go to hoop..biyambo has 3 fouls..if we drive he is out of game…be aggressive CAVS!
Everything is off again tonight. The play most indicative of the constant mental mistakes we are making is when Delly got a double screen from Lebron and Frye, Frye rolled to the basket and Lebron popped for the open three, which he naturally missed. That is just one example out of many from a team that is playingdump basketball this first half. But, the deficit might have not been this big, if we made some of our wide open shots and they missed some of theirs.
If Cavs win this game, biggest win so far this playoffs
At least Bray didn’t get suspended… Thank god!!
Hi hope that gives the Thunder more juice to come out firing in the game 4
57-41 at the half. Cavs are 3-22 from deep for a shocking 14%.
We are 13-19 from 2 and still jacking up 22 3’s and making only 3, dont make no damn sense
Series could end up being a war after all since the raptors suddenly can hit open threes and since we can’t. Also the blow bys to the rim don’t help.
Getting outplayed again! Simply unacceptable!
Lebron need to go beast mode attacking the rim if the Cavs gonna win this 1, or if someone starts defending and hitting shots, just horrible
This offense… what else is there to say… shakin’ my head.
Mike Breen a voice of sanity on the Biyombo foul.
Basically a mid air slam into his body. Absolutely no verticality.
The defense is just terrible…No effort…Guys standing around…offensively they’re collapsing in the post and we’re missing our open threes…3-21 from three is just not gonna get it done…
27 and 30 points allowed in each quarter, impossible
Oh shot clock violation….. great.
Don’t like their body language after getting scored upon.
only Jumpshots , what the hell? what happened to pounding the paint in games 1 and 2… wow they settling and leaving Toronto dictate this game…
Please make a run guys.
Lue looking overwhelmed. Wanna see Moz to protect the rim.
Moz can’t be any worse. Can’t fathom why he isn’t getting a few minutes against BB. And Love now looks afraid to shoot. Great
If our offense is going to be LBJ from 20 feet and out, we may as well go back to Cleveland at halftime.
Irving terrible tonight. Not as bad as live who just let Lowry score point blank against him.
Habits in the regular season are hard to break.
http://mbworld.org/forums/attachments/e-class-w210/143009d1225841534-child-window-locks-broken-switch.jpg
Raptors in scramble mode, Kyrie finds LeBron at the rim
https://vine.co/v/i9Bm05QntvJ
Take Irving out please
Irving hits a long two
https://vine.co/v/i9BmrOIrwLE
Well this is turning into a good old fashioned butt whooping so far.
Every time I feel like getting angry, I think of how Dan Gilbert must feel. I mean, there’s no where to go from here if this team doesn’t win.
Make or miss league, guyz…Cavs in 7…./s
Raps are 22-37 at 56% at home, cant have that and expect to win
We need to get this lead down to 10 or even 5 if we are lucky
Cavs need to score before this gets ugly, Lowry hitting every 3, got more 3’s than the Cavs…
Pro tip: Stop allowing open looks for Lowry from 3 tonight.
Cavs generally don’t limit 3 point attempts well…one of the reasons they are not a great defensive team, short spurts notwithstanding.
Yep, had problems against detroit and atlanta just couldn’t hit open shots.
Lowry/DeRozan: 21 points on 9-of-15 FG, 3-of-4 3P. Raptors bench outscoring Cleveland’s 16-4. Toronto by 13 with 4:33 left in the 1st half
I cannot believe we let this team back in the series.
Kyrie getting owned by Lowry. It cannot hurt to,play Moz for rim protection for a few minutes to see.
He is owning Shump on switches too
I feel I could score on Kyrie.
Another LeBron jumper. But Raptors lead by 13.
https://vine.co/v/i9B7XPgJ17I
no ball movement and no defense, not going win like that on the road..
Doesn’t Kyrie feel embarassed when he watches tape of his defense? Doesn’t anybody call him out?
Agreed.
Time for some Moz.
Lebron needs to take over. NOW.
Lowry is playing like an all-star again.
Flypaper kyrie
Trying to temper criticism given how badly GS played last night (and how good OKC played), but we look like different players in the same jerseys.
On screen: Raptors can’t miss
On audio: Draymond Green’s non-suspension
Toronto is playing Hawks defense, but the Cavs can’t shoot so far tonight.
This just in, 15% on threes isn’t good.
Cavs 10-13 from 2’s..now why arent they shooting more or driving more than jacking up 19 3’s while making only 3
We need to weather the storm now. Go into the half with a manageable deficit. Lebron needs to initiate the pick n roll if Biyombo is guarding, not podt up or take 20 footers.
And so far this series. Delly hasnt made a really great impact. He needs to hound Lowry and bring back his games 1 & 2 nightmares.
Kyrie’s worse, IMO.
Another jumper from LeBron. Not what they want to build the offense around.
https://vine.co/v/i9BWbDApw3A
Probably shouldn’t have assumed Cavs would waltz to the finals. Right now everything going Toronto’s way.
42 points allowed with 5:40 left in the first half.
Where is Cols and his irrational confidence when you need him?
Rocking back and forth in a corner, mumbling stuff to himself about make or miss league.
Make. Or. Miss league. Cavs missing. Raps making.
You are right but most of the Cavs shots have been well contested but can’t say the same about the Raptors FG’s attempts.
same as in Game 3, Cavs are giving them too much space to shoot while we are shooting contested shots. I dont feel Cavs are making the Raps feel them on defense, just hounding them
Most of the time the Cavs are getting fouled when they drive the ball.
Not many jumpers falling for the Cavs. Here’s one from LeBron:
https://vine.co/v/i9Bamiazq7Q
Kyrie playing like a pile of crap
Two awful kyrie tos in a row.
The other guys need to step up. Kyrie is scoring but he’s also turning the ball ang going too much iso. We need others to step up and offset his current inefficiency
Let Delly PG
Delly doubled finds TT
https://vine.co/v/i9Bzigj1WwH
Damn it Irving!! 2 Freakin TO’s
Kyrie telegraphed that pass all the way up the court.
Hopefully this team’s three shooting doesn’t turn out to be as streaky as it looks right now.
Sh*t cmon guys. Play tight D!
Kyrie beats Lowry, no help at the rim this time
https://vine.co/v/i9BBjuwXMXb
I don’t like the feel of this game. It will take a superhuman effort from Lebron to win this one.