Live Thread: Cavs @ Nets
2022-04-08The Cavs have traversed eastward to the banks of the East River to take on the Brooklyn Nets in yet another “game of the year” for the hometown team. With a win tonight, the Cavs have a chance to lock up home court advantage for the play-in tournament. With a loss, the Cavs are in jeopardy of falling to the ninth seed at least. The stakes are so high that NBA Rookie of the Year candidate Evan Mobley is giving it a go. Also on the line for the Cavs is evening the season series at 2-2. This is another fantastic opportunity to build confidence heading into the postseason.
Obviously star power is on the side of the Nets tonight with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But they are not without their vulnerabilities, especially on the defensive side of the ball. They suck at rebounding (worst defensive rebound rate in the NBA) and are a subpar defensive team (ranked bottom 10 in the NBA in defensive efficiency) in general. If the Cavs are able to control the pace on offense and crash the glass, that will give them the best chance to win. On defense, the Cavs will need to create turnovers and rebound the basketball. This is not a team the Cavs want to give second chances to against a scrambling defense. The plan is simple but can the young Cavs execute, especially still missing Jarrett Allen.
Tip off is scheduled for 7:30PM ET and will be broadcasted live on Bally Sports Ohio/Great Lakes, Go Cavs!
recap up
with Atlanta’s loss tonight…the cavs just need to win and they get two shots right? I still don’t quite understand the play in rules.
yes
If Milwaukee wants to be #2 (and likely face the Nets in the first round) they won’t rest their starters against us on Sunday. If I were them, I’d rather get #3 and play Bulls or Raptors but I doubt they think that way.
i would guess Milwaukee is not scared of anybody. Drew Holiday and Giannis tend to cover kyrie and Durant super well. And the bucks likely win every other matchup in that series on offense. The only issue they might encounter is rebounding…but they are pretty much primed to rep the east in the finals again. I would guess they rest guys either way.
So does Cavs legend Andre Drummond get the JYD chain tonight?
I know the stats say they are about 15th in the league, but defensive rebounding has been an issue all year. Even with Mobley and Allen this team needs a backup center that is more of a space-eater type (a la Robin Lopez) that you can play in some matchups.
that’s why it’s better to go by defensive rebound rate, in which they rank bottom 10 in the NBA. The Cavs are a bad defensive rebounding team.
Yeah, good point. This team really seems to ball watch after the ball is released. Also, outside of Windler, the wings on this team are just poor rebounders across the board.
yup spot on Ryan
Cavs right now can’t beat the Nets or Hawks, and there’s no way out of the play-in without doing that. Tough way to end up, but still much to look forward to.
We haven’t played a game with all 3 of Mobley, Allen and Garland in like 2 months so how the hell would we know?
Definitely getting Allen back would change things. But I’m worried if it’s his first game it will be hard for him to play well.
You may be right. But the last time all 3 were fully healthy (meaning Garland’s back wasn’t acting up) was when we were still great. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.
More than anyone else. Mobley needs to spend the entire off-season in the weight room. Every single day. He had a fantastic rookie year but he had wayyy too many games against monster centers like Embiid, Drummond, Vucevic, Nurkic, etc where he just got man handled.
I am sorry but getting outscored 35-19 in the fourth when you were up by 5 is just unacceptable. I am sure part of it is they spend the whole game trying to erase a deficit, but still.
actually, it is not unusual for a team to be up by 5 and not wind up winning the game.
True. But It’s more the fact it felt like the game was then over by the 5 min mark of the 4th, so in a span of about 7 minutes, they lost the lead and were down by 13, which makes it almost feel like you were never really in the game as much as it looked like.
How’d Okoro do? 3 pts, 1 board, 1 assist in 28 minutes doesn’t seem to inspire confidence. Hope he was amazing on d.
How do u not hack a drummond? They’re just not smart enough yet.
Fair point…
Got absolutely torched in the 4 th. Bad on both ends .
Welp into the lottery we go. With the way we’ve been playing no way I see us winning one let alone two pressure packed playin games. Sucks. Doubt we can even get off LeVert man he is just not a winning ball player
They played hard, Durant is just too damn good and timely.
Garland, Mobley, Lauri, and Allen all need to spend the entire off-season in the weight room. Lock them in there every day with a strength coach and a nutritionist for 8 hours a day
The guy who torched them couldn’t bench 185 pounds…he’s doing just fine. Getting healthy and playing more together could make next season not a play-in experience.
Mobley isn’t a durant type player though. He isn’t a wing and never will be. Doesn’t have those kinds of skills or mobility. He needs to put on muscle to deal with larger bigs and so he doesn’t get pushed around,
I get all of what you are saying…but Mobley has been likened to Bosh or AD numerous enough times, and the comparison is fair in that Bosh or AD never “filled out” in the way you are suggesting. I don’t like the idea of Mobley or Allen sacrificing mobility and flexibility to add bulk they weren’t built to carry. I admit, three 7’ers shouldn’t get outrebounded any night, but without Allen, that became easier…and I hear my youth coach shouting that rebounding is a team effort. How does 6’4 Bruce Brown get ten boards? Irving had 6 and Garland had… Read more »
They both put on muscle. AD and bosh were both twigs when they came in.
They didn’t bulk up to a drummond like size, but you gotta put on muscle as a big.
Embiid did. Howard put on a ton and won the dunk contest. KG was a bean pole but he put on muscle. Doesn’t mean you have to be 285 pounds. But the kid and maybe Allen has to get stronger. They get pushed around inside by guys that have nba bodys. You don’t necessarily lose mobility with strength training if you do it right.
I hope you are right. I feel like Mobley is poised to make a huge leap from year one to year two. He has transcendent potential. With DG already an all-star, the future is bright.
Think of all the games where monsters like Giannis, Embiid, Vucevic, Drummond etc just destroyed us on the offensive glass. And just plowed through us in the paint. Maybe not as big of a deal for perimeter guys like Durant and Garland. But Mobley and JA especially need to get way stronger
This
Drummond has kind of killed them tonight…
yup, he def got his revenge
The season cannot end quickly enough or we’re not going to have any bodies left
I feel the same. A promising season got snakebit. I think I died a little when we lost Rubio, and the team was never the same.
wtf, DG might’ve gotten a concussion from that.
The officials were never gonna allow us to hang around in this one. Garland just hip checked in the head for no call.
Chicks dig the midrange…
LeChuck sucks.
Yeah I am done with him , ship him out
Game over. Season over.
need to hunt threes and we’re taking middies.
3 straight possessions of contested 2s
Nets hitting 3s. Cavs taking long 2s
C’mon Caris, how about some killer instinct?
Lauri, you just spilt my coffee
LM with no regard for human life.
The! Big! Finnish!
THE BIG FINNISH
LAURI MARKKANEN COAST TO COAST!
Lauri fakes KD out of his sneakers on that layup…
Lauri!!!
Welp, gotta clamp the D now
Please please please stop the turnovers. Not now.
Faaaahk