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.
Jonas going to be back for game 5?
Probably and that’s gonna be even worst with both him and Biyombo playing…
Cavs best line up is Lebron, Delly, RJ, Shump, and TT.
In other words, their best line up is Kyrie and Love on the bench.
I would replace Schump for Frye.
I agree with JRL, Shump’s defense has been totally absent so far this playoffs.
We are watching the game and we see how the Raptors continue to bump KLove constantly not letting him post up but then the Cavs just let DeRozan back down all the way down to the paint and shoot easily.
I mean really??
Shouldnt have been so complacent dropping game 3.
Although it sucks the Cavs lost, it could had been a 20+ pt loss the way they were playing in the first 3 quarters.
For the game back home, I say bring in Frye, Jefferson and Delly off the bench at the 7min mark in the first quarter and run this type of 4tb quarter offense.
That’s of course, if Love, Ky and JR are playing this way again. No need to get into a deep hole and then have to crawl your way out of it.
Regular season problems resurfaced. No trust in an offensive system until the fourth quarter. I’m a big Kyrie fan, but he didnt help the cause for the first three quarters.
zero confidence this team can win two more games….Raptors are super confident…have no fear and we are letting their two best players do whatever they want anytime they want
That no call on the Lowry steal was in all probability a four point play. Sad. So many bad calls tonight.
Worst defense I’ve ever seen from LeBron in the playoffs. DeRozan owned him.
You are right! They need to be more physical with him! He is just getting his shots way to easy.
I believe last year Cavs team could get key stops when they needed them but this year Cavs can’t get it done on that side of the floor.
Playing Irving 38 mins guaranteed some bad D. And as Nate said, LeBron was bad on Deroxan even when he wasn’t gassed. James can’t exert max effort on D playing 46 mins.
Casey whining about free throws worked. Raps shot 19 and we only shot 9.
I just hope we save ourselves the embarassment of being knocked out by these Craptors.
Also, I am now almost ready to give up on Love. I liked him as a player, he has a preety unique skillset, but man is he soft. I would be OK with a trade for a decent stretch 4. And that is not a hot take. He has time and time again shrunk when matched up against athletic defenders.
Love was something like 18/12 in the first two series but has sure shrunk in this one
This is what I was afraid of about playing the Raptors. Never know if some of their players could make The Leap.
Cavs let raptors two best players dictate game and do whatever they want….unreal…if not for Frye this would’ve been another 15 point loss
The Cavs have to be better defensively! Plain and simple! Can’t continue to let DeRozan score at will.
Well the fight was good, but we cannot give away entire halves and expect to win. Typical regular season Cavaliers.
Give it a rest people. Cavs lost by 6 to a team that had a backcourt go nova for two games. It’s not going happen again.
If Delly doesn’t air ball that wide open corner three Cavs probably win.
I’m going to ignore that predictably ridiculous and gratuitous second sentence and post this for the first sentence:
https://youtu.be/2eMkth8FWno?list=RD2eMkth8FWno&t=174
You telling people to “give it a rest” is rich. If Kyrie hadn’t played turnstile D for three quarters, Cavs probably win.
+1….I thought Cavs were guaranteed to win in 5 at worst? Oh, make or miss league…I forgot…
I’m guessing you said something similar after game 3. Cavs lost because they played horrifically bad in the 1st half. Maybe they’ll build some momentum for game 5 after playing well in the 2nd half, but my confidence in them is really low right now. I know they can win, but for the first time I’m worried they might not.
Cavs are soft, Kyrie and Kevin are soft
Cavs played decent defense for about 1 quarter total this game…Absurd…I just don’t get why they can’t play with high defensive energy for 4 quarters…
so was blatt the reason why this team crapped itself?
Toronto wins playing ISO ball. Cleveland loses playing team ball. Sucks.
Toronto won cause they were the better defensive team imo.
Yeah Love could had made a few shots in the first quarter and that would had been a better start to the game, but it all dealt with getting rebounds, getting blocks and stopping the points in the paint.
Shame on you Cleveland. This is why we cant have nice things…
What dO I have to say Tpm?
Cavs the blog is the best.
this is 2009 all over again…what happened after Game 2….Cavs not practice??
Hubris. See you again Friday, Toronto.
What? They just missed some wide open threes. Not hubris. Bad shooting.
Their defense was abysmal. Yes. Hubris.
Friggin lazy first half…Cavs going to have to do way more work than they should need to to get by this POS squad.
Indeed TT was fouled but i have zero faith in refs or the association. Means nothing. We played horrible in the first 3 quarters than turnstyle d in the last 4
Just horrible
TT should have left Biyombo to help on Lowrie. That’s the ballgame
He couldn’t…He was being held by Biyombo…
Thx. Missed that
Yeah bizmack was fouling him just no call
UGH. JR… Terrible D. WTF. Also, Raps getting every GD call. Or non call.
Lmao!! JR gives him his strong side to drive the ball!! Really! What a joke!!
Where is Cols? Guy was killing Biyombo and now the guy has single handidly changed the series. I doubt the Cavs win another game.
Haha really?
No way, defense, and rebounds, not the refs are to blame.
Kevin. If you think the Raptors are going to win this series you are on crack.
Refs have handed this game to the craptors. No calls went our way in the 4th.
Seriously…F’in matador defense?
unacceptable defense again
Gotta make him shoot the jumper there.
No help on Lowry???
Edit: Because Big Smack was holding TT.
Tristan tried to help but was held by Biyombo…No call…he would have been there to bother the shot if not for the hold though…
Why did they go away from the Lebron/Delly high pick and roll?
That delly airball was rough. Might’ve been the game.Cavs gotta get a stop and a score.
Frye really blew that box out on Biyombo there…
and thats the game right there, no good ball movement forced shots, not rebounding and fouling
This is horrible
Just inexcusably poor rebounding.
Kyrie blows up a possession but hits a ridiculous 3 at the end
https://vine.co/v/i9BQMO0BjrP
MFQ! HAHA
What an absolutely anemic and disgraceful performance
What is the plan on that Lebron post up? Move around and set screens guys!
That’s why Irving is always in down the stretch
Cavs stop going inside and stop scoring.
And start giving up offensive boards to the Raptors.
tough time for Frye to go cold…
Refs blow two calls in a row there.
Collapsing in the final minutes.
Good foul by Delly.
WTF Lowry hacked the sh1t out of Lebron on that strip…
It wasn’t even close to not a foul
He didn’t touch the ball..Just blasted Lebron’s arms….
https://vine.co/v/i9BxrXDWrKi
First to 100 wins…
We need to stop fouling, dang man
How is that not a foul on Lowry?
I don’t get why the Cavs defenders are letting DeRozan backed them down all the way to the paint that easy.
Delly just has to play 18-20 mins the balance of this series.
Finally a defensive stop! Geez
Lue should JR in for moronic, self deprecating Kyrie
Great D from Delly!
Yeah, Delly! Forces the Lowry travel.
Dang Delly!!!
Cavs going cold again at the most inopportune time…
‘These refs have no idea what a moving screen is…
Please let us win.
Both guys grabbed…how is that only a foul on Lebron?!
Kyrie comes in and they start losing. It’s uncanny with this guy
Why did he come back,the way we were playing? WTF