Live Thread: Cavaliers at Pistons
2015-02-24
Thunder No More. Welcome to the Central Division.
After turbulent starts, the Cavaliers and Pistons have experienced similar turnarounds to their seasons. The post Josh Smith Detroit squad has gone 18-10 after a 5-23 start putting them in the race for the playoffs. The recent trades for Reggie Jackson and old favorite, Tayshaun Prince have further changed the face of the Piston lineup. Jackson was “crying tears of joy” after the trade. He apparently didn’t enjoy the Dion Waiters experience. Prince joins his third team of the season after providing surprisingly solid play both in Memphis and Boston. Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond have been huge since Smith’s departure freed up floor spacing. The Detroit starting bigmen each average a double-double in roughly 30 minutes per contest.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are obliterating teams since the famed bowling trip. The Wine and Gold have gone 15-2 with the current starting lineup healthy and intact. Over the last 25% of games, the Cavs are plus 13.27 according to Hollinger’s rankings. Matrix is out for two weeks with an injured hip, but Kendrick Perkins could make his Cavs debut. For the first time this season, the roster appears to be set. Sound off.
believe one of blatts true strengths as a coach is how he handles the media / actually controls them with his ” ivy league verbage ” and never really throws his players ” under the bus ” —-thought the MOZ more than held his own against Drummond—-good comeback win for cavs / in a playoff atmosphere / good confidence/ character builder performance —–THE “Q SHOULD BE ROCKIN THIS THURS “—MAKE SOME NOISE ALL YOU FANS IN THE LAND !!!
Agree on all points nomad… also thought Moz dominated Drummond for stretches and showed some good low post moves…
What I wouldn’t do to be there! My last live game was at the Richfield coliseum, damn I’m getting old!
HAHAHA… The first Cavs’ game I ever went to was @Richfield when I was little. Last game I went to was LBJ’s last season during his first tour in CLE vs. ATL…. it was on his birthday and Varejao hit an improbable game winner.
Need to make it to a game as well, Gregg!!!
Now I will wait for next year and get tickets when they travel to play trailblazers but it just isn’t the same as being in Cleveland. Thursday should be a good one to be at and game 5 in the finals!
HAHAHA… True that Gregg!!! Thanks, and I totally agree, just not the same being at the opponent’s home court.
Hope you get to one CLF!
and there goes rose again gottta feel for the guy
ROSE IS INJURED?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!! SURGERY ON MENISCUS???????
Yep, he is now out for the season. http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story/_/id/12378016/chicago-bulls-guard-derrick-rose-undergo-surgery-repair-torn-meniscus-table-uncertain
If he’s lucky, maybe it will be like when Ron Artest tore his meniscus and was back a few weeks after surgery… although that was a pretty small tear and with Rose’s knee history… it doesn’t seem likely…
Prayers out to him… hate to hear about knee injuries. Plus, wanted to face the Bulls’ best shot just as a fan of basketball.
Ditto, wanted full strength and no excuses and I just feel sorry for him as a competitor
WOW! Phelps just broke the news that Derrick Rose has a torn meniscus!
Sucks for the Bulls… sounds like it’s the same knee he’s had problems with… Wonder if he’s done for the year?
I feel bad for him…. knee injuries are the worst. He might be finished Brandon Roy style.
Wow what a disappointment for him and the whole league. He needs to be done and he is such a talent.
K Love giving the props to Delly and James the “Champ” Jones tonight!
He seems like a pretty humble player giving props after draining 8 3s
Love his demeanor, Gregg… he’s West Coast cool. Laid back, thoughtful dude.
Yeah I couldn’t agree more and it is not because I am in oregon now, just like his approach and his play. Ever since the injury game against 76 ers and the lakers on the road I have noticed so much more effort even tho he hasn’t always scored big numbers his presence is felt. Baffling his -+ is so off tonight after his play goes to,show you cant always trust that stat
Very true re: statistics… and he seems to epitomize what I think when I think of Eugene, OR.
Someone mentioned it before, his back must be messed up this season, but he’s looked better and better defensively, and he makes hustle plays that show his humble approach. Wasn’t a fan of his, but now that I’ve seen him play and hear him talk, I was dead wrong about him.
Interview with KLove now… I didn’t realize the nickname for James Jones was “Champ”
Gonna have to start using that more often! He also singled out Delly for a ton of praise…
HAHAHA… Quit reading my mind, EG! We gotta use that!
Sorry man! Just shotgunning it out there…
What’s funny, now I actually recall that Champ was Jones’ nickname he received while with the Heat.
Mavs win! Cavs just a game and a half back of Raps now…
Now we need Mo to give it to the Bulls tomorrow:)
Three losses in a row for,the raps and two with big leads in first half. Definatley feeling the pressure. I fear the lower seeds more than the raps and wizards and hawks
As crazy as that sounds, it’s not as crazy as one might think!
Kevin tied Kyrie for the most shots tonight… two more than LBJ…
About time and 0 turnovers!
Kyrie interview now… I think this was an important game for his mental toughness…
Mavs up by 9 with 50 seconds left…
Amazing game. We lose this game before the break, they are on a mission! Love Love more and more every game. Great d early on some nasty big men and 8 3’s. Glad Blatt let the media have it and hopefully any doubters on here, he is helping us way more than wiggins would have! Go cavs
Love played some great D on Monroe… he struggled offensively tonight.
Perk interview right now…. He says he was surprised to get in for the two minutes he did since he doesn’t really know the plays yet… He sounds like he’s thrilled to be here though… Doesn’t look so tough when he smiles…
I really loved that Royce Young article on Perkins…. made me very excited about the addition.
Yeah I had no idea how much I would like this additon. Jr has made me want to be more open minded and now Perkins. Two guys I wanted to write off as thugs and now….
Guys Bill Simmons and Colin Cowherd praising the Cavs in the same week….
It’s the end of the world as we know it…
They want to jump,mom the train before it,looks too obvious! We know better, Go cavs
Woops, on the train.
HAHAHAHA that’s the truth Gregg! Especially after that hit piece against Kyrie and Love Simmons wrote.
I can see the headline now… Cowherd and Simmons Jump Mom the Train…
HAHAHAHAHA….. Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Auto correct gets it right sometimes:)
Dallas now pulling away from Toronto… Things are getting closer in the EC!
They’re starting to feel the pressure from the Cavs!
Very unselfish team. Lebron okay with 19 points in a win. They just want to win. I might be enjoying the unselfishness as much as anything.
Don’t look now… but Raps are losing to the Mavs…
#MovinOnUpOnTheEastSide
Basketball IQ, fit, leadership, winning mentality, and camraderie on this team are off the charts. I think that’s what Griff was looking for. I think that’s the type of team he wanted to put together.
Yeah he has to be executive of the year and i think mostly bc his midseason trades saved our season.
It is pretty amazing when you think about it that LBJ passed Iverson for #22 on the all time scoring list one night… and then passes Pippen on the all time assist for forwards on the next night… And he just turned 30… Ridiculous!
Blatt giving it to the media a little for not asking about Kevin… says they only ask when he has a bad game… Good for you DB!
Thought the same exact thing!!! AHAHAHAHA!
Blatt sticking up for K Love!!!! Chastising the media for only bringing him up when he struggles. Gave props to Jonesy as well!
first the long all star break then two cakewalks in washington and ny. this felt like the thoroughbred finally getting up and stretching its muscles, getting a real workout in
Anyone just watch Dion just blow that layup? …CLASSIC!
Missed it. Waiting for Blatt interview.
Great minds think alike U-Dog!
Great minds . . . but just a smidgeon below the “Genius” level.
I wish what you said weren’t true…. but it is!!! AHAHAHA!
Dang it…sorry I missed it. Was watching Cavs post-game.
Did see him brick that 3 though!
Yeah if he could finish he would unlock his potential. His greatest strength is his first step and ability to split doubles to get to the hoop. Unfortunately, he doesn’t finish when he gets there, and more unfortunately, i am not sure finishing around the rim is something that players in their third year and beyond get noticeably better at. I do not have stats, just based on my perception, but that may be flawed. Would be interested to see if anyone else has noticed this or the opposite.
I agree… I think he just falls in love with the jumper too much. Doesn’t want to take the contact down low.
Good win. Defense in the second half was championship caliber. Offense got a little sloppy at times with a few too many turnovers, but they showed a lot of grit. Agree with believeland, excellent experience for this team. Also i am impressed with detroit. They are a different team than earlier this year. Jackson played an excellent game. I think he could really break out in detroit. Drummond really gobbled up def bounds, and it was noticeable how thompson struggled to get position on the off glass. If Drummond ever gets a post up game and learns how to shoot… Read more »
the warriors is the perfect follow-up to this character building win
Yes, they can’t play d like they did in the first half against the warriors or they’ll get torched by the half. They must come out with their A+++ game and intensity to compete with that team. It will be a very interesting test of how far they have come, and how far they may need to go. We will see. After tonight’s second half defense, i am hopeful.
Wiz lost again… Dallas hanging tough with Raps…
Coach showed a lot of confidence in Delly leaving him in a game like this. Struggling to hit, I’d have thought Blatt would bring in a scorer or shooter. But he went with Delly. Mr. Intangible.
I guess I’ve been waiting for a guy on this team that could make others around him better. Even Dion was good when Delly was on the floor with him.
Agreed…. Same with Jones as well. Great to see a 9 man rotation, soon to be 10 with Perk.
I’m glad the Pistons are good again, and its SVG at the helm. Two old LeBron nemeses (sp? or is a nemesis by definition singular, unique?) fused into one, DragonBall Z style makes for an interesting new foil. Time for Bron to go Super Saiyan
The Cavs towel wrapping game has to be among the league’s best.
AND photobomb game as well!!! See James Jones right there???
That was awesome! James Freaking Photo Bomb!
Coach Boylan said they’ve been making it a focus lately, even hanging up opposing team wrap percentages on the wipeboard
Campy on how Cavs won:
“We took away their inside game. We took away their mid range game. And we took away their long game.”
So that’s how you do it! (But I’ll bet to erase all three phases it’s more complex than we’d know.)
Campy paintin them pictures with those words again
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Word.
Gonna need their shooting touch back for GSW on Thursday though…
Even with the late flurry, the Pistons only scored 31 points in the second half — exactly half of their first-half total.
There are so many ways we can win now. So many players to plug in if others are off. There’s no match up we can’t make.
That was a great win
KLove kept them in it and Kyrie and LBJ took over in fourth. Great play by Delly and James Jones off the bench, and great D from TT and Shump in the second half too…
Loved how TT and Shump rebounded from poor starts. So did Kyrie.
Tremendous win, real character building win right there
Went out in the second half and instead of striving to play well – they played to WIN!
In the other game OKC ripped off a 25-6 run and totally blew a close game open. That Kanter pickup is looking pretty good right about now.
Defense was amazing in the second half. Great win!
That was a fun game.
Great battle!!! Fought thru adversity… came out victorious. K Love with the player of the game!
What a terrific second half effort!
He MADE ONE! He MADE ONE! Drummond!
Jackson is too inside himself. He’s scoring or passing. He’s not making on the fly decisions.
No more scoring and my prediction comes true!
Oh well………..
You also said – hold Detroit under 100. That wasn’t looking too good at halftime. But you know your stuff!
Looks like you were right though… Cavs are gonna cover, and the under was the winner.
Gotta hand it to Reggie… he doesn’t give up. He should do a lot better on Pistons then OKC…
KYRIE SERVING!!!!!!
Kyrie Irving – the Barry Sanders of the NBA!
I like it! Good comparison.
Drummond needs to call Rick berry tomorrow morning.
Rainbow brick free throws by Drummond… How NOT to shoot free throws…
This ref really has a thing for Kyrie’s arm… smh…
Refs trying to cover the spread!!!!
They can’t cover if they’re giving Drummond the shots.
This team is looking like the 2012 Heat . . . just too many weapons to be beatable unless the other team plays great AND the Cavs play bad. Thank god, finally.
Pistons with 22% shooting in the second half…
pistons get some shooting, they are going to be tough
Where they gonna get it from though?
haha yeah, i guess its kind of like saying hey if they get some good basketball players they will be a good basketball team
I think they are tough now, the Cavs are just better.
Yeah they are. Its good for basketball when the Pistons are relevant, I think.
did moz foul out?
No, Blatt just rode the small lineup because they were hot.
I see. TT was getting swallowed up in the 1st half, so I was surprised. Worked out though
TT definitely showed some heart and resolve there. He did look bad in the 1st half.
I mention it when it fails so I’ll mention it when it works: Lebron hoisting a three after dribbling for ten minutes drives me crazy, even though he made it.
Agreed. Not a good shot. I’ll await the wrath of Cols.
Kyrie coming to life down the stretch to help seal the deal.
Sorry pope. You’re on a kyrie mix tape now
That was spectacular!
WICKED SICK STEP BACK TRIPLE FOLLOWED BY BUDDY BALL DAGGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Detroit goes from 60%+ 3 pt shooting to 36%!!!
That was a fortunate shot there…
Finally called Jackson for something.
The nut shot!!!!!
LBJ HYPNOTIZES THE DEFENSE>>>>> DRAINS 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice travel Reggie… no call by refs…smh…
How did they miss that?
KYRIE UNAFRAID!!!! DROVE IT LIKE A TRUCK!
THERE’S the KYRIE we know and LOVE!
I love that Iman is still getting shots up. Dedication to his role.
Only given up 16 points so far in the second half. NICE!
LeBron with 9 turnovers. He’s gotta knock it off, man.
I can’t believe we’re only up eight.
Should be enough with 3 1/2 minutes left.
Thompson – block. Delly – save. Two guys everybody wanted to write off at one point or another.
EG & CLF beating me to the quote tonight. My game is off.
No, We just have your back U-DOG!!!!!
Delly with the save!!! RUDY RUDY RUDY!!!! AND AN OFFENSIVE REBOUND>>> HE CAN”T BE STOPPED!!!!
GREAT block by TT and GREAT hustle by Delly!
Pistons are shooting themselves in the foot. They should make TT try and stop their bigs.
Great foul by Delly right there
They made shots they shouldn’t have in the first half and now are missing everything in the second…
Kyrie may have to finish this game on the bench
I stand corrected, Kyrie has played a much better second half. wonderful play there
DELLY FRONTING MONROE – DENIES POST ENTRY
That was awesome and Love even commented on that in his post interview
I am so confused by the Pistons lineups. Why not Monroe and Drummond together right now? Those two have killed us.