Live Thread: Knicks @ Cavs, NBA Playoffs Game 5
2023-04-26Good evening CtB!
The Cavs welcome the New York Knicks to the shores of Lake Erie to stave off elimination from the 2023 NBA Playoffs and send this series back to New York and add pressure to the Knicks to close the series. The two main stories of the series has been the putrid offense and defensive rebounding of the Cavs to this point. The Cavs have shot the second fewest threes among playoff teams and have made only 31% of the attempts. Somehow the Knicks have been a worse three point shooting team, but make up for it with their hustle on the offensive glass.
The Cavs’ shooting stinks in general from the field because the Knicks are constantly packing the paint with all five defenders to prevent attempts at the rim. If the Cavs want to get to game six, they need to start bombing away from three… particularly Darius Garland, Caris LeVert, and Donovan Mitchell. That’s how they won game two, and that’s the only way to get the Knicks to stop collapsing to the paint on defense. Also in that game, Danny Green played 20 minutes. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff might want to think about riding him to space the floor.
Tip off is scheduled for 7:00PM Eastern time and will be broadcasted live on Bally Sports Ohio/Great Lakes as well nationally televised on NBATV, Go Cavs!
Drowning my sorrows, I came across this article:
https://basketball.realgm.com/analysis/269833/Cavs-Remain-More-Cute-Than-Contender-For-Now
It was written in late December. Oddly, some of the insights were indeed prescient. Most prescient: “Against [Mitchell’s] transformation, the Cavs are broadly unsettled.” Despite Altman’s JB mimicry, this team’s future is unsettled.
Liked the article.
this is a fair article and a good assessment! we just didn’t quite take it there yet.
want to play at a faster pace, get Mobley more involved in the offense and have DG take 8-10 3s a game. probably need a few more capable guards or SFs to do that. please get some
Kings D finally bit them. Looney absolutely brutalizing them on the boards, and Curry has gotten anything he wants. Of course Curry won this game, but seemed like Looney was rebounding every single miss the entire 2nd half. Too bad, fun Kings team. That Fox finger really had an impact on his handle, he had problems with his dribble every game since that injury.
Too bad and now I’ll be rooting for the Lakers to stomp the dubs
Me too… need the GSW to go down! they are a tough out cause they can make shots when the going gets tough.
me too. was rooting for the Lakers already: it will be an all time story if “older than dirt” LeBron can will a team to the finals.
Tough to get the defending champs in the 2nd round.. but Davis will have to be huge in this series to move past them.
As amazing as curry was on offense it really felt like looney had the biggest impact on the game of any player and was the reason they won…
The power of offensive rebounds.. which we all know too well sadly.
yup. Curry didn’t shoot particularly well on a % basis, but he got a LOT of opportunities
Its amazing how these last few months have killed all of this franchise’s momentum. We limped into the playoffs after the inexplicable decision to let Love walk away for nothing (these two things are somewhat related). Then we totally crap the bed in the playoffs. And then Kobe shows support for JB after a season where JB proved that he’s not a top-flight coach. Incredibly disappointing after such a promising start to the season. Do we need to root for the team to suck next year so that we finally rid ourselves of JB? This is basically what Koby is… Read more »
the definition of insanity is repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting a different result..
gabe vincent, a no-name undrafted fot MIA (a smart franchise), putting on a nice show under the spotlight (20 ppg in game 1).. why pay guys the max who don’t show up ??
that smart franchise paid Duncan Robinson a billion dollars to suck shit
they are still playing..
Love the vibes king https://twitter.com/NYPost_Lewis/status/1652770627915333632?s=20
CONGRATS TO KLOVE —-SHOWS WHAT GOOD COACHING AND TOUGHNESS CAN ACHIEVE
Exactly.
Happy for Love too but the outpouring here makes me think he scored 30 lol. He made 2 3’s had some sweet assists and grabbed some important rebounds. But he left with a 2 point lead in the 3rd and never checked back in (right?). So to me forcing the Knicks to shoot 20% from 3 and the horrid 12-20 FT was more the factor in the game.
He had a positive impact.That’s enough for me,on a team with nothing coming off the bench.
Certainly, all those stats are good stats. But I think a lot of people here are projecting Love onto the Cavs-NYK. Honestly the first 3 games of Cavs-Knicks would have gone similarly if you replaced Green with Love. Low usage for Love (because he’s been out of the rotation forever) G1, give him the 20m from Green as JB tries to correct but it was a blowout anyways in G2, Cavs fell way behind early and I don’t know if Love saves them subbing into G3. Where it gets interesting is G4, take Okoro’s/Green’s minutes in some order and Love… Read more »
Cavs went from 3rd in the NBA in defensive rebounding to 29th and the defensive rating got worse by 2 points per 100 the moment JB took Love out the rotation and got bought out.Trying to guess what would have happened is a fools errand, but damn sure the Cavs would rebounded better and played better defense.
I’m wondering if it could have made a difference in Game 1, which was the closest loss due to Donovan’s 38 pts, but in which all the young players – plus Levert (who I would not call young) – looked rattled and nervous. It’s not crazy to think that cutting (buying out, whatever) a guy who had been central to the positive vibe of a “young team” all of last year and continuing this year until recently, and who has always been a mainstay in the rotation until JB decided to shut him down, was unhelpful to their state of… Read more »
Green’s whole contribution to the series: 4 games; 10 minutes PG; 0.8 PPG; 1.8 RPG; .3 APG; .5 SPG; 1.8 fouls PG; 20% from the floor and 25% from 3… why was he even out there? Coaching and management need to answer that…
Speaking for me personally, it bothers me so much “not” based on some notion that Love would have been the best player on the floor in a playoff game – of course not – but bc: (1) he had more postseason experience, by far, than the HC and anyone else on the team including Donovan; (2) they cut him when they had the option, at no financial cost, to keep him and do their best to work out any behind the scenes issues and deal with his buyout request (they didn’t honor Kyrie’s trade request in 2016, for example; (3)… Read more »
Again,I can’t agree more.K love was not gonna win you the series……..but he probably would’ve helped.I have to question the judgement of the organization.
so we lose in 6 or 7. does that change anything? doesn’t for me
NOMAD bro.. so, what is the official explanation from korby on why KLove was let go ? has the front office said anything of substance ? my understanding was that cavs decided that they had a better chance of winning by developing wade and stevens.. who were never used or integrated into the rotations after his departure.. including in the playoff debacle..
I think we’re all waiting on that story buck. Did Love leave social media? Did he leave a Thank You or any post to Cleveland? He’s done it before so I would have thought he’d reach out and give closure. Maybe it was just a handshake agreement between Koby and Love to not speak of the buyout.
https://twitter.com/kevinlove/status/1626998434866642944?s=20
Thanks, More to Come I guess.
Fedor asked Koby and Koby was pissed and shut the question down. If he as an ounce of self-reflection, he knows he screwed up.
grow up
https://twitter.com/MZavagno11/status/1652726285968486400?s=20
Why,because they’re better coached,able to look at a wider array of possibilities,consider “out of the box” ways to stop the Knicks.
Imagine that level applied to the offensive side as well.
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1652744347786309634?s=20
Glad for Love and the Heat. Infuriated with the a clown coach and Korby in Cleveland.
https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1652743675376541696?s=20
https://twitter.com/jespvagberg/status/1652744269226975233?s=20
JB you know negative ball
If the Cavs want to lean on youth and inexperience as reasons for playing so poorly in the playoffs this year, ok. But if that’s the rationale, then you can’t also defend letting go of a rotation player with 3 years of Finals starting experience—with your own team no less—right before it returns to the playoffs. Regardless of matchups with the Knicks or anyone, they could have used his experience with the postseason.
Can’t wait for JB to unveil the lesson plan for next semester!
Yeah Love is looking pretty damn playable against the Knicks. 9p, 5reb, 4 assists, 2-5 from 3 and +3 in a 5-pt game so far, in 16 minutes.
Status:watching Kevin Love be a difference maker for the Heat.
Love with 9 points and 5 rebounds, so far into the 3rd. Hmm I know a team that could’ve used his rebounding against the Knicks.
Shoutout to Mike Brown for going small to eliminate Looney’s effectiveness last game, JB should take note.
Looks like the Heat are doing the same to the Knicks in the fourth quarter, with Caleb Martin playing the “4.”
Or Butler, not sure how they’re matching defensively (just looking at who’s on court), not able to watch now.
The tv star spotting at Madison Square Garden is just about equally as insufferable as when they do it in LA. Go Heat.
agree
Heat starting Butler on Brunson…smart.
Nuggets offense showing out tonight.
Murray in god mode.
Suns also unsurprisingly were gassed in the 4th. They are asking too much of their starters. I doubt Gordon will scorch them again like that, but if Murray is going to have an explosive series, I think Nuggets will win fairly easily. But game two will give a clearer idea. Too many people were not taking an extremely good Nuggets team seriously going into this.
I thought Nuggs were the favourites back before Murray got injured. He’s back to his best and they will be hard to stop, given their bench is much more capable. Suns bench is similar to Cavs…
This garbage take that JB is a great culture builder irks me. He is literally just a bad coach who picks favorites and therefore doesnt hold everyone accountable with the same bar, and values juvenile bonding more highly than successful basketball. Of course a lot of the players like playing for him…once you’re in his circle of trust (ludicrous to have that reputation as a professional coach) you dont get your damn feet held to the fire when you screw up. Ask Kevin Love who builds culture better…JB or the freakin Heat. Fun culture and winning culture dont have to… Read more »
Trust is everything, obviously.
amen
https://twitter.com/SportsBoyTony/status/1652140262812971008?s=20
How refreshing that a first time playoff team and 4 seed had the idea they weren’t happy just getting there.
the kings are a 3 seed
and have 20 years of top couple draft choices
nevertheless, a valid point that the Kings came to play, and the Cavs didn’t.
yup, they are great. a little bit of styles make fights as the GSW frontcourt is atrocious and little, but they have absolutely been the best young team, since Memphis and Cleveland were butt.
LeBron looking like he is 23 again
Brian Windhorst on Giannis Antetokounmpo:
“I think it is unlikely that Giannis extends his contract this summer.”
– Giannis has a player option after 2024-2025 season.
The Jimmy Haslem affect!
Straight up physics.
How the Lakers came out tonight is what I expected from the Cavs.. but hop the hurt lasts and fuels them for next year to always come out with fire/urgency in each game.. especially the playoffs…
Go Lakers. Go Kings. I wish I could continue to watch the playoffs, but once my team is out I can’t watch other games. I cut my cable today. So no sports for a bit.
Gotta say I enjoy watching high-level games that are well contested. Sucks that our team aren’t there yet though. I also take joy in watching teams I don’t like being eliminated 😁
absolutely! the Griz have taken over the “top jerks in NBA” position, and it was a joy seeing them get blown out + eliminated by guys (almost) from the over 40 league!
I don’t think they can ever be competitive in the eastern conference finals and definitely not get to the finals with Bickerstaff. Whether they could reach the eastern conference finals at all probably depends upon Mobley taking a massive leap. Even then I would be surprised if Bickerstaff didn’t get out coached in a series before the ecf. Simply I have seen nothing to indicate Bickerstaff is a guy that can out coach other equally talented teams in a playoff series. Good culture builder, but you need more than that to win in the playoffs even with a ton of… Read more »
Yeah, I just think on this exact same matchup next season in the playoffs, Knicks-Cavs, maybe give the Cavs some off season wing signing, but otherwise largely similar roster. I expect DG and Mobley to be better, too. Do I really expect a radically different outcome? Not really. Knicks looked like the significantly better team, even in game 5, when one would think there were lessons learned. Game 5 looked eerily similar to me to game 1, which looked eerily similar to games 3 and 4. They could have played a best of 15 series, and I think the Knicks… Read more »
which says what about the front office and “the trade” ?? also, wade and stevens played, respectively, 11 and 9 minutes in the series.. they are big, strong dudes who could have slowed the knicks down a bit (allen had 24 pts and 13 rebounds the last 3 games).. in the meantime neither osman or okoro were producing at all.. yes, growth is a possibility with mobley and okoro (the former more likely).. cavs can’t play a 7 man roster.. they will get blown out in every series.. so, cavs have front office (talent assessment) and coaching (tactical and player… Read more »
Exactly.
Just give him 30 years to try and figure it out.
Poole is just the definition of the player running around out there doing nothing. Every now and then he hits a bunch of his crappy jumpers and scores a lot of points, but generally a horrendous player.
I have to say I really like Monk on this Kings team. Never was really a fan before, but he’s a good fit for them.
Aren’t the Kings–and the Coach of the Year Mike Brown–shooting down the notion that” youth can’t win” in the NBA playoffs? Lots of reminders that JB made excuses for what could have been…
They also made shots… while we could barely score this entire NY series..
Cavs in the 5 games:
Win: 107
Losses:
97
79
93
95
Kings in the 6 games:
Wins:
126, 114, 118
Losses:
97 – 125 – 116
But it’s a huge deal for them to win the way they did on the road to extend their season.. go Kings!
they made shots and GSW is juuuuust a little less physical than the Knicks. they are grabbers and holders only
and steppers – cue Draymond..but understand what you mean.
Knicks didn’t exactly light it up, 101, 90, 99, 102, 106
Monk played like how Poole played last year. Poole was a big reason dubs won last year but pathetic so far this year.
Buhbye, Dray
Terrible, terrible foul by Sabonis. Gotta play smarter than that to beat the Warriors.
Go Kings!!!
KORBY is rowing on the river DENIAL stern-first with blinders and dark ray charles glasses on.. this was likely the pinnacle of the spda years.. spida needed to put a knife to the throat of the monkey on his back (re play-off choke artist).. guess what ? the monkey is laughing his little brown ass off (and throwing some poo to boot).. nasty uncle buck is back.. just cancelled my bally’s suscription.. i will be back when the front office is hustling for nickels in front of the casino..
bye!
does bye mean you are leaving CtB because of jerks like buck?
nah, he said he’ll be back when…so I’ll see him then.
Raoul bro.. i am just retiring from the bally’s subscription.. i enjoy reading the pearls you students of the game share with us casual fans.. plus, i always enjoy the interchanges with our mutual friend.. NOMAD bro.. my old nerves (my longstanding CLE sports PSTD condition) are fried.. this 4-1 sh$t show loss to the knicks highlights the front office problems.. the knicks and their fans must be laughing their asses off, as they avoided the hefty overpayment and ainge fleece job that cavs are now stuck with.. no firsts for 4 years… etc.. the front office should be striving… Read more »
we have first rounders in 2024, 2026, and 2028
Sorry to see you guys lose in 1st round. I was rooting for Cavs to win. I am also Donovan Mitchell believer. May be change the coach but this team needs a run for multiple years. Good luck next year!!
Thanks WarriorsFan…. gotta rock with the Kings tho!
Sure, if you want to lose this battle too 😀
you gotta admit the Warriors have become a LOT less likeable lately
lmao they are jerks
hey I picked the Warriors on the pod, don’t mean I’m not rooting against y’all!
thnx!
With all four of the core 4 playing poorly, we were always cooked. everything else here is cope – the only way we get better is if they all play better, which should come. improve the bench and keep cooking. and if it doesn’t work, and Mitchell leaves, so what? A bummer, but they you go into 2025-26 with an elite PG at 26 and an elite big at 25 plus whatever you get in a trade. There aren’t any non-injury scenarios where we are conveying a higher pick than 14 or so to Utah in the next six years.… Read more »
That’s a reasonable take, but for me that’s also the point where it becomes fair to question what the point was of trading for Donovan. If “just making the playoffs” was enough this year and it’s even ok not to be a title contender yet in 2024, couldn’t a starting 5 of Garland, Levert, and the Triple Towers and a bench of Love, Okoro, Cedi, Neto and second half Rubio managed that?
They really liked Lauri, but I think the opportunity of adding an elite scorer and extra ball handler to take pressure off of DG was too hard to pass up. DG was cooked by the end of the previous season. Fair to second guess it but I ultimately can’t blame them for rolling the dice on it. Donovan came up short but he’s still a heck of a player.
you know ball. the problem was ballhandling and shot creation. DM solved it. now, we have other problems that should be easier to solve.
Except ball handlng and shot creation is something Levert is pretty good at too. Obviously he’s nowhere close to Garland or Donovan as a scorer, and he’s not as sublimely gifted a passer as Garland. But he excels at getting to the basket and fueling the drive and kick gane and was doing so even in this playoff series when líttle else was going well. So, arguably, the problem was solved already. I was in favor of the trade at the time, I’m just saying it had to be about more then just patching a hole in the team’s skill… Read more »
LeVert was a big question mark this summer though. he’s not bad, agree, but basically every podcast this summer was about whether Sexton could take a load
A big question mark for fans and media, yes, but for the FO? By all accounts back then, Altman had had his eye on Levert for a long time and it was not a coincidence that’s who they went after when Rubio got hurt. So whatever he saw in Levert, I assume he still had faith in him just like he’d had in Markannen when he made the trade with Chicago. For me the issue is, if the priority is building long term, then you want to get the most out of Mobley as an offensively skilled player and that’s… Read more »
thanks for being a voice of sanity. it has been in short supply around here lately.
i mean, “making the playoffs for the first time since LeBron left” was the expressly stated goal in September.
the Triple Towers team is probably a six seed or a seven seed depending on when BKN falls apart in this alternate reality. Sexton being cheeks this year gives one real pause though.
yes
If the goal is to just make the playoffs, and you’re potentially losing Mitchell after 2/3 years, then it was a bad trade, and Korby should be held accountable. Unless Korby can flip Mitchell for multiple picks and players, which is unlikely.
why…would you not be able to flip a 28/29 year old, all-NBA guard for multiple picks and players? that seems pretty likely to me! even D’Angelo Russell went for a high-level starter and two picks
Point is you’re not gonna recoup what you lost. Especially if the team trading for him know he’s a rental. Diminished value.
we lost a good player who was a misfit for us after being a journeyman for years and a bunch of low first rounders and pick swaps that won’t convey. We will get decent value: we won’t get as much stuff but we should get 2 quality starters, which is frankly more than we gave up (miss me with Sexton and Ochai, they stink rn, Sexton especially)
if DAR is worth Wiggins and a 1 from a lottery team, then that’s what we should be shooting for with the DM trade. A high end starter, a high end prospect and a (2027 or 2029) pick. that’s probably all you need in 2026 and it replenishes the cupboard well enough
Hey Arch. Are you calling Koby Korby? If so, why? is this from “playground bully 101” training?
Let Em Know. The summer of Korby!
why you trolling us? you got nothing intelligent to say?
Raoul, ask yourself who is trolling who? I think you’ll come to the conclusion it’s likely Korby. Let Em Know!
you right. in fact, I don’t think ANYONE on the Cavs played well, or maybe even played so-so.
We had the horses to get to round 2 until we dumped Love. We dont have the captain we need and it now appears we wont next year either. JB’s seat wont get hot because we will win during the regular season, and by the time we get beaten in round one again or worse sneak into round 2 to get smashed it’ll be too late to retain mitchell. Koby likely has this one chance to extend the cavs championship window with mitchell…as far as i can tell he is punting and praying. That doesnt win titles.
No accountability from the front office.
Just reading the summation of Korby’s interview and I agree totally.It’s an abdication of responsibility to willfully ignore the issues that were exposed.As Scotch mentioned, they have enough to get into the playoffs but they’re going nowhere unless Mobley goes total fireball ballistic.If you’re not willing to take a hard look at what you’ve got you’re in for a bumpy ride.
there’s literally no chance you get the “hard look” that you seem to want in an April press conference, and there is literally no value in stating the obvious re: exposures. it is arrogant to think the FO is blind. they made a choice for the three or more years Mitchell is here. die’s cast.
The die is certainly cast.I agree with that.To be clear I’m glad they made the playoffs and we’re not watching a team slog through the last quarter of a season with no hope.I’ve seen plenty of that.haha!!!I don’t know if the FO is blind.They don’t fill me with bubbly enthusiasm.
we underperformed and lost! no happy vibes or bubbly anything to be had
Tell that to Korby!
again, what do you think is the right thing here? for the GM to be like “yeah, we’re dogshit” and commit seppuku? if there’s something you think he should do, specifically at a press conference after a disappointing loss, point out what another GM has done that’s close. I understand venting b/c we got thumped and scapegoat hunting, but everyone on the team and in the org underperformed, which has been acknowledged. the monday morning QB stuff is tired and played
I’ve been calling for JB to get fired since December, so no scapegoat hunting from me. Korby running the PR playbook. All is good. You get a participation trophy. You get a participation trophy. Let Em Know!
again, what do you want him to do? shit all over the guys he drafted? cut them? +7 wins and a jump of 3 spots in the conference is in fact a good year!
Taking accountability would be a good first step.
bro, what does that mean in terms of concrete actions? you just babbling cliches
Didn’t I tell you they needed a better coach? That seems pretty concrete to me. Or we can run it back. Let Em Know!
Korby will happy with 52 wins next season.
After years and years of 19 win seasons, I will be happy with 52 wins too.
yuuuuuuup. hate having watching draft prospects be the highlight of the season
We should throw a parade and hand out participation trophies when they get 52 wins!
If you can only enjoy watching the Cavs if they’re championship bound, brother I got bad news for you.
No didn’t think they were championship bound, but I had higher expectations than getting stomped in the first round. Even if it was a tightly contested 7 game series that they lost, I would feel better about the direction.
I thought it would have been more competitive if I’m being honest, but I said all season if they couldn’t add a couple shooters that they were going to be in for a rude awakening come playoffs. So, while disappointed, I always thought a first round exit was a real possibility. I thought it would take a couple monster games from Donovan to get them to the second, and he couldn’t deliver. It’s a bummer, but I’m not losing sleep over it.
YOU had them. the team didn’t and knew there was more work to do and messaged that the whole year. you talked yourself into something else, and got big dreams.
in fairness, i think our players and coach and GM did the same thing. oh well, try again next year
The team accelerated the timeline with the Mitchell trade, whether you want to admit it or not. Let Em Know!
they accelerated the timeline and had a great year. wish they would have been more physical in those 5 games and made shots, but it happens
They accelerated the timeline then shifted to first gear. Let Em Know!
Fire Korby!
Korby…
https://twitter.com/ChrisFedor/status/1651989842115297281?s=20
To sum it up JB is not going anywhere, at least that’s what I read from it. They will look to improve shooting and spacing. Probably more tweaking than bigger changes.
Not a shock. I’m not happy with JB but perhaps it will work out “if” the FO pushes him to revamp his 2-big, slow pace approach—including possibly by trading the second big if it will bring back a legit 3 or stretch 4. At least then we’d find out for certain if the personnel usage limited JB’s offensive options or if he simply is not able to guide a playoff level offensive approach.
They’re whole organizational approach appears to be stability w/ coaching and the front office. My concern is that if they don’t make a run in the playoffs next year (like conference finals or finals), then they’ll likely lose Mitchell. They’ll have to trade him because they can’t risk losing him for nothing the following off-season. And I don’t see JB growing into that coach in the next 12 months. I hope I’m wrong but I feel like I’ve been correct about JB this far. 0-2 in play-in games. 1-4 in playoff games in Cleveland. 1-4 in playoff games in Houston.… Read more »
Yeah I’m with you on JB, personally. When I hear “51 wins” it reminds me of what Cavs fans called the Brad Stevens Celtics during the LeBron II era: “try hards.” I want the team to aspire to more than that. Can’t conflate regular-season schedule wins with post-season competition.
JB (well liked, good chemistry or not) is not the guy to get to the next level.I want them to aspire to more than that too.
if mitchell leaves or asks for a trade, it’s fine. we have a long window with DG and EM: on your main point, stability is good imo. the lack of stability and being reactive got us, in no particular order, fat Shaq, Antwan Jamison, Larry Hughes, Rodney Hood, Jae Crowder, Larry Nance, 2018 Jordan Clarkson, and various other piles of mid.
I don’t think it’s reactive to getting a more qualified coach. They messed up the KLove situation, whether they want to admit it or not, JB mismanaged the bench all year, and is too slow to react with adjustments in the playoffs or flat out doesn’t know what to run with. I don’t know how they can stick with a guy whose been subpar his entire career, and just hope he gets better.
K Love stunk for months and the last time he didn’t feel properly appreciated he was a jackass on and off court. And he damn near cost Miami Game 5 with his slow feet on defense trapping (his sixth foul put MIL up 4 at the end of regulation, and it was a damn miracle Miami got to OT). every player except Okoro and LeVert played badly relative to the regular season. I’m not really defending JB, as he made mistakes and firing the coach is probably the lowest risk “DO SOMETHING” move available, but I don’t really think he… Read more »
right. and one might ask, what is the motivation for the BS that the JB haters have been spamming CtB with all year?
What is the motivation of the JB apologists?
nobody is apologizing for JB. just calling out the bullshit that you spam CtB with.
Confuse what you can of the ending… and revise your despise so impending.
He stunk for one month and the rest of the stats show him a plus player on the court, until BickerSTIFF glued him to the pine for the foreseeable future.
he talked all that cash shit about being an important mentor and leading by example until his minutes were (quite reasonably!) cut. i love Kevin Love as a person and thought he had some value last year, but not at all surprised they moved on. and sooner is probably better than later for a young team with a memory of that bullshit he pulled in Toronto. no one looks good here.
as to whether it’s good or bad, let’s see if he keeps Robinson off the glass this next series. if not, hmmmm…
hey Arch: get a life
Can’t I live while I’m young?
The theory that Love was not a problem does not agree Love’s own admission that he was the reason Beirlein quit.
What is the motivation of the KLove haters?
not playing stinky corpses
Like Dean Wade?
you are the hater. nobody hates KLove.
If you fake moves, don’t fix your mouth to word it.
Korby: Feeling paid of first round loss. Both disappointed in results and excited about the future. Accomplished a lot this year. Doesn’t change how we feel about this group. Incredibly proud of players and coaching staff.
We didn’t play our best. But a lot of it is unknown. First time there.
Internal growth is going to happen.
No sweeping changes.
In terms of Kevin… we are happy for Kevin and we look forward to retire him in the roster. Decision made for the right reason for both parties. We won’t go down that rabbit hole.
JB has done a phenomenal job. Can’t fluke into 51 wins. Extremely happy with JB. He will reflect to get better.
Players love playing for JB
Player development a big focus
Big off-season for us
Caris incredible for us. We’d be fortunate to have him back.
We don’t take the regular season lightly.
Need more shooting. More physicality price. But won’t overreact and make sweeping changes to a roster that won 51 wins.
More spacing potentially.
Character of group is incredible.
Diversity of offense is upside w/ Mobley.
Have to have patience
Have to have a set back and this is the set back.
If you can add a player through MLE – that is substantial
Have amble amounts of 2nd round picks to use to improve roster
Have to rely on core 4 to be really good w/ regards to question about depth
Need to figure out how to get more spacing
Have to sacrifice defense for offense – 2 bigs vs 4 out
Have to get better at focus level in response to Knicks physicality
Gonna use off-season to get more laser focused
They are signing laser focused in the off-season
So proud of players to get 51 wins
Getting to the playoffs is out the door. Now it’s how you win rounds in the playoffs.
Expectation to exceed this year
Mobley investing in a home gym this off-season
Constantly bringing up 51 wins
End /
Hmmm, I really hope that (leaning on the 51 wins) was just to save face and put a positive tone on things today and not because Koby really believes that means a whole lot when your team goes down HARD in the first round despite being fairly healthy. (Some nagging injuries like every team, but no one completely unavailable).
He also leaned on youth and inexperience but said that he expects them to do better next year
Oh really? So he’s suggesting the team may not use 2 bigs as much next season? (Love it, if so!)
He didn’t want to go down the Love rabbit hole
Haha, I was saying if you are interpreting his “2 big versus 4 out” comment to mean we’ll see more of the latter next year, then I “love” that change in organizational philosophy. Pun not intended! 🤣
I mean he says he wants more spacing – and understands that it means sacrificing defense. I don’t think it means much unless they trade one of core 4 they’re not getting anything externally IMO.
MLE probably gets you somebody like Max Strus or one of the BKN or LAC wings. nothing major, but probably a guy. and I think Wade will get his shot back and be a serviceable 3/4
Pain. Disappointed in what happened in playoffs but excited for future.
Korby is speaking to the media at 11 today.
I am tipping he will speak, but say nothing.
Yep pretty much. “We are proud of our players and coaching staff” … “they will continue to grow and get better after this experience” … “we will look for opportunities to improve this roster in the off-season” …
And from the readout here that’s completely accurate.
you mean Koby?
Nope Korby. #LetEmKnow
grow up
Totally wild year and playoffs in the NBA. What to do when your team craps out? Usually I go with the theory I learned in Jimmy’s Irish Bar in Peoria: root for whatever team is furthest from salt water. Much as I hate the Lakers, this year I might be rooting for LeBron. It would be astounding if a team that had to claw its way up to 10th place on the last day of the season made a playoff run, led by the oldest guy in the league. Of course I also hate the Knicks, but I gotta give… Read more »
Yes I was hoping the Kings would knock off Golden State and put a run together, but if they don’t make it (and the Fox injury would seem to hurt their chances), I will be rooting for the Lakers. Partly bc it would be amazing if LeBron can make another Finals run and partly bc I can’t get enough of watching Austin Reeves, he is a baller. In the East, have to roll with the Heat. Heat-Knicks is “Finals” level interesting now with all the subplots, and Jimmy Butler is at the beginning of what could one of the great… Read more »
NBA has more parity right now than any year I can remember. It’s possible the Cavs overachieved in the regular season and were exposed. Over the last two years they always seemed on a different level when Cedi/Love were canning 3s.
Also, the difference in play style and officiating between the regular season and post season is almost shocking. Not sure how much you learn about a team from the reg season.
Sorry it ended this way CtB brethren
me too.
LeBron has always said that younger players aren’t tough enough for the playoffs, and also don’t get the calls. Right as usual.
Spot on.
https://twitter.com/NickWilsonSays/status/1651398650520563712?s=20
WTF? are they showing “no rings” or “fourth place”?
Probably 4th seed,. This picture would have been more appropriate when they cliched 4th seed.. not after being ousted 4-1 with home court..
agree. why would they celebrate fourth seed when they stunk up the gym?
That was a joke by the Tweeter–Okoro played and would not be in a sweatsuit…as poorly as they played, it’s a bit disingenuous to troll with an old photo, especially if you profess to be a fan of these guys. It’s not like they suddenly didn’t want to win or mailed their performances in.
The big tell is the jerseys which were white in G5 at home. Being bored I did look back. The Cavs beat the Pacers on Apr 2 with red unis for their 49th win but since NYK won that day too they had 46 wins. Both teams with 3 left. The Cavs wore black, white, and white the last 3 regular season games. In playoff game 1 vs NYK, they wore white. So I have no idea why or when that was taken but it doesn’t line up with the Tweet above.
SWEETCIE. SO TRUE AS A HIGH SCHOOL COACH FOR 30 YEARS I COULD ACCEPT LOSING TO A BETTER TEAM BUT IT KILLED ME TO LOSE TO A TEAM THAT OUT HUSTLED US REBO// 50-50 BALLS —PROPER. CLOSE OUTS —-TALKING//COMMUNICATING ON DEFENSE—— THE KNICKS SET THE TONE —- THE CAVS FAILED TO RESPOND—- THEIR BODY LANGUAGE SAID IT ALL OR BETTER SAID —-THEIR BODY LANGUAGE DIDNT SAY IT AT ALL HOPE // THEY NEED TO LEARN FROM THIS
https://twitter.com/realdcunningham/status/1651615451414142976?s=46&t=3CgPJwKAJlqT1W_jOF1c5Q
Feels like it from the fans too.. thats why we are so upset.. if they fought tooth and nails and lost a real hard fought battle”.. we would be sad but respect it atleast.
Yeah probably but it’s a lame statement.
if we lost this series it was always gonna be a riot.
The Knicks outhustled us in this series with: Rebounds, 2nd chance points, living in the paint..I mean damn.. they shot 28% from 3 in this series and won 4-1 in today’s NBA. Knicks in the series: +36 in 2nd chance points (91 vs 55) – 18.1 2nd chance pts per game +23 on fast breaks (78-55) / 15.6 pts per game +16 points in the paint (felt like more) +25 more field goal attempts +29 on the offensive glass / + 41 on the boards overall Out of the Cavs 70 turnovers – 50 were steals by the Knicks Knicks… Read more »
I AM NOT GOING TO “ REHASH “ THE TRADE DURING THE SEASON EE WERE ALL — ME INCLUDED —- WHEN SPIDA WAS DOING FANTASTIC THINGS——SINGING THE PRAISE OF THE TRADE —-EVEN WITH LAURI HAVING THE SEASON HE HAD ——LET S “ ROLL IT OUT “ 1 MORE YEAR AND SEE WHAT IT BRINGS—-IT IS CONCERNING THAT WE ARE “ HANDCUFFED “ BY DRAFT OR FREE AGENCY TO REALLY IMPROVE—WHILE ALL THE OTHER TEAMS WILL GET BETTER —-WATCH OUT FOR THE PACERS AND MAGIC NEXT YEAR THEY COULD SURPASS US
AGREED RAOUL BUT HE WAS NEVER GOING TO HAVE THE ROLE WITH THE CAVS THAT HE HAS WITH THE JAZZ ——-DUE TO DG//
MOBES BEING HIGH DRAFT PICKS AND THE CONTRACT GIVEN TO JA THEY WERE GOING TO BE PUT IN A POSITION—- GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED BEFORE LAURI JUST SO THE CAVS COULD “ SAVE FACE “
all year long the Cavs were searching for decent outside shooting. Lauri should have been a featured player.
ALMOST 24 HRS LATER AND EVEN ……………” MORE FRIGGIN BEER ” CAN’T EASE THE PAIN———-MANY GOOD POSTS HERE AT CTB—–I AM GOING TO GO ” BACK IN THE FUTURE ‘ DID JB F$CK UP WHEN WE HAD LAURI NOT REALLY GIVING HIM THE CHANCE TO SHOWCASE HIS POTENTIAL ALL STAR SKILLS—-IN MY OPINION HE WAS 4TH OR 5TH IN THE PECKING ORDER BEHIND DG/ JA/ MOBES / SEXTOM WHILE HE WAS STILL HEALTHY AND POSSIBLY BEHIND KLOVE —–HE WAS GOING TO BE ” LIMITED TO 12 –15 SHOTS // GAME WHEREAS IN UTAH HE IS ‘THE MAN ” GETTING HIS… Read more »
if you can remember a year back, Lauri took a huge step up from his role with the Bulls. He also was great in the two playoff games, and was ticketed for a featured role this year.
During the game: This was my first live NBA basketball game.. so I’m not sure how it goes.. but during those timeouts… I looked at the NY bench and Tom was already on his clipboard talking to the team… while half or almost 75% of the timeout the Cavs coaches were huddled under the basket talking and then would come over to the team… in the meantime the team would just wait quietly for the most part… I honestly wanted to see more talking between players while waiting .. just some emotion/energy.. especially since we were down from the get… Read more »
Hey CTB, I made a lot of sacrifices to fly and come to see the Cavs play at home in Game 5 for possibly their last game of the season and this wasn’t the Cavs I expected.. My thoughts: First off.. really wanted us to get out of the first round.. especially once the Nets got dismantled, we had a great chance to sneak to 3rd/4th to get home court and we did.. big accomplishment after scrapping last year and failed.I didn’t expect us to win a championship.. but with the Bucks getting kicked out as well.. It would have… Read more »
The lowest we ever got it down to 7 (1 min left in the game), 6 (8 min left in the game ), and 9 multiple times… and every time we did, NY would go on a run after and bring it back to double digits… momentum killed (Momentum is real) Got it to 9 in the 3rd – followed by a 9-0 where we turned the ball over 2 times and missed all our shots – momentum killed Got it back to 10 to almost close the 3rd quarter – Brunson scores on a 2 pt shot – up 12… Read more »
Honestly.. the Cavs didn’t give the crowd much continued/extended times to really get into it.. especially being down double digits from the first 6-8 minutes of the game.. Few times we were hyped were: 1. Ice defense on Brunson.. ball went out of bounds and they still scored the next possession – killed the energy (1st Q) 2. When ice, Cedi scored a few in a row in the first to get us down to 5 (1st Q) 3. When we got it to 6 in the 4th.. What we got instead – which led to frustration (atleast from me): · frustration noises from fans every… Read more »
Knicks this game: – They had 19 made field goals in the restricted area (on 30 attempts (63%)) – 30/85 (35%) of their attempts were in the restricted area.. not even counting the paint.. – They got in the paint with ease for easy looks while we’re fighting to score. – 10 more field goal attempts for NY – 20 (7/11) fastbreak points (12 pts advantage) – sucked the life out of the arena – we only had 8 – Knicks biggest lead: 18 – 2nd Chance Points: Knicks 20 (8/15) – while we only had 3 (1/4) If the Knicks were shooting lights out let’s say hitting contested… Read more »
The lack of anger or fight after being called out as “shook” is hard to stomach.I remember making a note of this tendency months ago after one of their losses to someone they should have beat.I remember saying they’d get their faces pushed in in the playoffs ,but even I couldn’t imagine such a complete rollover.
Thanks for the posts. I kind of sensed how it was probably going to go in the first 4 minutes of the game. It was basically a replay of every other game aside from game 2, where DG hit a bunch of shots. The main question I have after watching this series is how the hell did the Knicks not sweep? You could probably make an argument that the Knicks had the best five players in the series. Game two DG went off, yeah, but I think there must have been a bit of a Knicks letdown after taking game… Read more »
Good morning,and happy “Kevin Love Appreciation Day “.
😂
15 points, 12 rebounds and a +13 in a closeout win versus the Bucks… he’s in a better place right now…
Kevin Love decision in hindsight now looking like a historic blunder, up there with taking Bennett 1st, losing Boozer, Antwan Jamison, and all the other ones I’ve forgotten. The 3 guys who were supposed to be taking up the slack – Wade, Green, and Lamar – didn’t play at all and we gave up a zillion rebounds and hurt the bench psyche. Seems like defensive rebounding is an underrated skill, at least by the staff. Kevin is great at the holds, positions, and tracking the ball that makes it work. The Cavs blew it in their evaluation, thinking that Green… Read more »
I wonder if the Cavs hand was forced with Kev more than we know – we know he wanted out, but maybe there was more stink to it. To take Green in his place and never play him, betting on Wade….doesn’t really make sense.
It reminds me of the Boozer fiasco most of all. Agree with Simmo that there was probably a lot more going on behind closed doors with that one—maybe Love and JB just couidn’t coexist anymore.
Reminds me of Boozer in the sense there was a superficial explanation in real-time or right afterward about what the franchise was trying to do, but it was still a reckless move and the explanation makes less and less sense the more you think about it.
the key Boozer fiasco fact is that he lied to “a blind man” (the owner) to make it happen.
Oh, I think Boozer and his agent are detestable. On the other hand if they’d kept their word the team probably would have lost draft picks eventually as happened to the T-Wolves over a similar arrangement with Joe Smith. They had the option to just do nothing, and Boozer would remain under contract. They were just trying to save some money on his second contract. Reckless.
Many of us are struggling to coexist with JB right now…
Jiri Welsch trade
I’m sick of hearing from bickerstaff and players about “hurting” Wtf are you hurt about. That you stink and showed no competitive desire. That a team with less playoff experience than you basically cleaned you clock. That for the 3 games in row you got outrebounded almost 2 to 1. Hurting from what? You made no adjustments. NONE. That of all 16 playoff teams you were the worst performance. Go ahead keep JB “I am the worst head coach”bickerstaff for next year and see what happens. We gave up like 5 first round picks and markeninson and sexton for Mitchell… Read more »
BickerSTIFF is just happy the learned a lesson.
I know ….he acts like that is some great takeaway. unbelievable.
The real “hurting” is that there is no takeaway other than what you mentioned.
CAN SEE CAVS GIVING IT 1 MORE YEAR WITH SPIDA —- IF THINGS DONT WORK OUT BOTH SIDES WILL AGREE TO // SUPPORT TRADE OPTIONS— BAD PART WE WONT GET BACK AS MUCH AS WE GAVE UP ——— THOUGHT — OPINIONS
My thoughts are Cavs never get back as much at they give up.
Team’s performance was particularly uninspiring. Had this been a tightly contested 7 game series that the team lost, we would all be feeling slightly more comfortable. Everyone including those in the organisation are now rather uneasy because (in retrospect) this was a significant mismatch that was not truly anticipated.
Yeah, 4th seed versus 5th. Those can be the best series in the first round. As you say, if we lose in seven or even six in a hard fought series, that’s in line with my expectations. Our core four will grow next year, we find a wing and a backup big, everything is good. Now everything is in question. Core four?
Also Coach?
Jason Lloyd on the radio saying next year could be Mitchell’s last year 😂 what a 💩 show!
As a player, or a Cav? If next season is a bust, I would expect him to move on.
Cav
Signed through next season, player option for the season after that, which he was probably going to decline no matter what happened this year and next year. You always take these gambles when you trade for guys. I doubt Lloyd has any intel here, most likely pure speculation.
His player option isn’t until 25-26, so they technically have control for 2 more years. But if they flame out again next year, I see them trading him to recoup some value.
I think we should’nt have got Mitchell. We should have let Garland cook this year. Team could’ve kept growing. Mitchell provides us very little in the playoffs. And is a liability on the defensive end. His weak side d is especially noticeable. In the playoffs – Him paired with Garland reminded me of Sexland :(
Not sure about the overall choice to get him, but this series’ defensive effort did remind us of that Sexland pairing.
The defense wasn’t the problem in the playoffs. They basically held the Knicks to an approx average of 100 points. The problem was shooting.
agree with Arch. Also, anyone who compares Mitchell with Sexton has been dosed.
https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1651437701239824385?s=20
The thing that makes me the most mad about this series isn’t that they lost, it’s that they didn’t even look like the same team. You could probably watch any game during the regular season win or lose and it wouldn’t have resembled this. There was no flow to the offense. Everything was slow and took 10-15 seconds to set up unless they were in panic mode. Spacing was terrible. Every drive in the paint was packed with defenders. Any miss was getting rebounded and then in a lot of cases kicked out quick for a fast break or something… Read more »
Truth. It was humiliating and the organisation now has to sit down and look at everything very honestly and closely if they genuinely want to improve.
But here’s some balance: The Bucks also left the race today.
Agreed pretty much all around, Nick. I struggled most with the eye test that the Cavs could not find an exploitable matchup in this series. No fifty-win team should have that problem in the first round. Your assessment of JB’s coaching weaknesses is just. He clung to the truism that youth is not served in the playoffs and teams must learn from it…but what is his excuse? The Cavs had no answer for seemingly anything the Knicks did, and commentators in a few games mentioned the Knicks’ leads should have been bigger, based on the eye test and the Cavs’… Read more »
Maybe we can win the mid-season tournament 😂😂😂😂😂
The Cavs were getting beat up all night and got 15 FT’s. The Knicks got 29. Did I read that right?
The cavs didn’t have enough gravity to pull 3 of the 5 knicks out of the paint on d…and so ran into a wall that didn’t need to foul them when they got into the paint. We played really good defense until it came time to clean the defensive glass. Robinson got 11 offensive boards. That’s more than any cavalier had total boards. They got 6 other offensive boards outside of that. We lost this series on the glass. We shot a better percentage for the series and lost badly.
Probably because all that Bickerstiff does is yell at the refs. All game. All season.
The Jimmy Haslem affect!
lol does it work that fast?!
Kevin Love getting to round 2 on the 8 seed while we get shredded by Thibs the bridge troll is just about as much irony as I can take for one night.
Then steph curry double dribbled on two straight possessions without a call AND got fouled on both possessions for free throws. I hate tonight
Yeah I’m checking out of sports for 9 months
Can’t believe the Bucks choked. I think the Heat are going to the finals.
Wow Grayson Allen no awareness at all. Huge choke.
No good excuse for that. He was facing the hoop and should have seen the clock.
They should have called a timeout with their season on the line.
Game of attrition.
I know how the Bucks fans feel right now…
Giannis misses. Costly.
JIMMY EFFING BUTLER!!!!
jimmy fouled the crap out of Pat but that was still wild