Live Thread: Cavs vs. Heat
2021-03-16The last time these two teams met, Kevin Porter, Jr., broke the spell that Miami had over the Cavs (seven straight wins over Cleveland stretching back to spring 2018), splashing huge buckets down the stretch and leading the team to an overtime victory in front of a big downtown crowd.
It was a game which is worth a full rewind, coming as it did a week after the ouster of John Beilein as coach, and against a team that would go on to become Eastern Conference champions that year.
Tonight, J.B. Bickerstaff’s honeymoon with the team is (it’s surely fair to say at this point) over, KPJ is in Houston, the Cavs’ new acquisition from Detroit has been displaced by a new big man of the future, and Kevin Love is out.
#Cavs Kevin Love is OUT tonight.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) March 16, 2021
However, in spite of being in an 0-3 funk since having lost a tough game to Indiana just before the All-Star Break, these Cavs are still a better team, record-wise, than they were at this point last year. While it may be a long shot to get to the playoffs or the play-in, for incrementalists the Cavs’ “magic number” right now is six — which is the number of wins they need between now and the end of the season in order to surpass their performance in 2019-20.
(Should anyone need a reminder, last year the Cavs ended their truncated and bubble-exiled season 19-46, one game behind the struggling Atlanta Hawks.)
While it seems unlikely that they will right the ship against a sound Spoelstra-Reilly enterprise that has won nine of its ten last games, stranger things have happened in the NBA. And if the Cavs can scratch out more than nine points in the third quarter (see: New Orleans game) and avoid cratering again in the fourth (see: forthcoming Atlanta recap), they might give themselves a slightly better shot at an ugly win, if not recapturing the weirdly nostalgic days of a lost season — and lost talent — gone by.
Robinson standing on sideline when he stole that.
WTF is wrong with Jarrett Allen?
OMG Allen had it and then he didn’t.
good pass DG
Sexton gets a bounce.
They score again, you gotta take a timeout.
Ice has no confidence. He had a clear baseline against jimmy butler in the first half and refused to take it… and he drains a triple.
DID A “CLF “—–AGREE GIVE WINDL3R THE RUN TIME
“LE ” THON RESURFACE WOULD = T.A.N.K.I.N.G
https://twitter.com/oldseaminer/status/1371995193285705732
thanks for supporting the agenda LMFAOOO
WOULD LIKE TO SEE WINDL3R GET MORE OF A RUN —TRY TO GET HIM GOING AGAIN ———–WAS BEING SOMEWHAT SARCASTIC ABOUT GM’S CALLING KOBY FOR JAVALE TRADE// BUT REALLY A PERFORMANCE LIKE THIS CAN ONLY HELP HIS ///CAVS CHANCES OF A TRADE
If the Cavs trade JaVale and bring back Thon Maker = pure tank
If we wanted to go pure tank they would bring back dre too, and then run out a lineup of Nance, Thon, Allen, McGee, and Dre. I would pay money o see e hilarity of tha.
YEP HEAT ARE JUST TOO GOOD —-CAVS AT LEAST COMPETING—HEAT WILL BE IN THE THICK OF THINGS // MAKE A PLAYOFF RUN AND WITH SPOESTRA// BUTLER ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN
HATE TO SAY IT (HOPE WE ARE ALL WRONG ) BUT YEAH THERE IS SOME CONCERN WITH ICE——NOT LOOKING FOR ANY CHANGES IN HIS GAME THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON—-HOPING OFF SEASON WILL HELP HIM ALOT AND YES THE CAVS HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB OF HELPING TO DEVELOP THE KID
at least there’s effort tonight, unlike the last two games… just getting outexecuted by a good team.
Yes, agreed! Keeping it competitive really just needed a few of those 3s to fall and we’d be in it honestly
literally just shoot our average LMFAOOOO
Layoff put damn the whole team in a shooting slump. 3rd game in a row.
and Nance was gone a long time.
I haven’t been crazy pissed off. Miami literally varying looks on d like it was a playoff game. We’ve had some miscues on d but also some nice stops.
Miami on a mission, they blew it not trying to trade for Harden.
Disagree. That Dude is a cancer. They didn’t have the assets anyway.
DG with only 5 shot attempts after starting hot. 3 turnovers after 3 assists. Allen 4/5, only 5 shot attempts.
One of those tovs I will excuse because of really good lob d. The other two were bad. He needs to be way more aggressive.
yeah, Nance one too, but yeah… agreed, that was the implication.
2/18 on treys.
Dg 2/3. Everyone else 0/15.
Allen still off a bit but better on d tonight.
Damn allen. That was bad. Dunk that.
That was a ridiculously good pass by Nance and Allen blew it cause he wasn’t ready.
WOW, can’t get the pass to Allen, when they do, he’s out of rhythm.
Nance with an amazing pass Allen missed the bunny
Oh boy. That pass looked like it was in slow mo from dg.
Jimmy Butler with an MVP play.
WOW, Sexton bricks a wide open 3. 0 for 3 so far.
Olynick was there. Didn’t contest but i have a feeling it affects Sexton’s rhythm when a guy is there.
Argh. Sexton. 5 point miss.
DG not a smart pass.
When Sexton hesitates on p and r everything bogs.
Isaac Okoro is starting to worry me. I don’t think the way they’ve handled him is working.
extremely agree… his college tape showed he’s most effective driving and finishing, and creating for others with the pass. We’ve made him a jump shooter.
He should never have been starting. Nor likely playing more than 20 mpg. Simply wasn’t ready on o.
Yikes me too. What is he doing on offense? Occasional cut but mostly just catches it and passes it right away. Doesn’t seem To be developing much
AT LEAST ALLEN LOOKS MORE FOCUSED // ENERGIZED TONIGHT —-THAT IS A GOOD SIGN
Nobody running the floor on D.
WOW, Sexton and Okoro just got bullied physically in back to back sequences.
that rebound over Sexton was downright disrespectful, he ended up on the floor. opposing broadcasters always mention how small the Cavs guards are
You gotta throw an elbow there to earn some respect.
LMFAOOOOOOO Nate’s answer to all of basketball’s problems!!!
Allen cleaning stuff up.
nice aggressive take DG got the foul
Damn allen!
WOW, two wide open 3s, missed them both.
ALLEN CLEAN UP ON THE CHAOS LMFAOOOOO
Nice deflection DG,
Cavs having trouble with the multiple defensive looks thrown their way
totally agree, no one flashed to the high post, forced DG to ISO.
Miami throwing everything including the kitchen sink
Good experience
awful turnover DG, tighten it up
WHAT A FINISH WADE!!!!!!!!!!!!! GREAT PASS ALLEN
Nice pass/finish Allen to Wade!
Nice idea by dg off the trap, but good lob d.
Mcgee with huge hustle. Would be nice if nance starts making corner treys again.
This officiating is horse pucky.
Nice up and under by cedi. Couldn’t finish but got the second.
GM’S CALLING KOBY TO MAKE TRADE FOR JAVALE AS WE ARE WATCHING THE GAME : -)
MCGEE HUSTLE!!!!!!!!!
Javale working hard for a trade!
That’s tough by mcgee. A foul but sort of accidental and unavoidable .
CEDI FINISH!!! way to stick with it!
what a pass Nance, weakside.
It almost looked like nance got pulled. Now THAT was a flop.
Cavs getting jobbed by these officials. 4 point swing for miami there.
Cook caught sleeping on defense…. why is he in there??
JB should’ve tried to challenge that, don’t get the tech.
Nice help d by both nance and guys to cover the passing lane out of it.
Jesus. That call was GARBAGE.
that was such a bullshit call on Nance.
HEY TEAM DEFENSE?!!!
LNJ PERFECT PLAYER TO HAVE IN THE MIDDLE VS // ZONE
EVEN MAN ZONE ATTACK WITH AN ODD MAN FRONT // OFFENSE……………ODD MAN ZONE ATTACK WITH EVEN MAN FRONT—-LOOK MIDDLE// THEN PASS OPPPOSITE SIDE // CUTTERS
THANKS COACH!
Miami guessing larry not going to actually exploit middle. Larry makes them pay. Zone pretty weak in middle. Nowhere anywhere near.
I like the way the Cavs ran that P/R at the wing instead of up top to minimize help ability. Worked because Sexton Came off it hard and forced the help.
Anything to vary sexton looks when he has the ball. High p and r too easy to cover with him usually.
HEY CEDI STEAL!!!
There you, go, Larry. Sexton McGee next time down. Cedi steals and slams!
Nance pretty much needs to be on the floor at all times when dg is not.
Cook in. This should be interesting.
For Windler???? that’s stupid I don’t care LMFAOOO
Sexton not ready to shoot the 3, drives into traffic to take a tough shot.
Great touch pass Nance to break the zone down.
Adebayo hitting the shot Larry refuses to take. He’s gotta be more aggressive on O.
Sexton high p and r is just so predictable
Sexton wide open just missed, but McGee hustle??!!!
Good hustle, javale.
DG, Nance, and Cedi generating great ball movement. Keep them together.
Soon as I say that, Cedi throws it away LMFAOOO
he is hyperactive tonight