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.
Cavs the blog is the best.
Lebron will need to shut Derozan down.
InstaCap is almost up. What a brutal game. There are two silver linings. That LeBron/Delly/RJ set was completely unstoppable. Also, Cols has to comment: “There is a 100% chance Cavs: the Blog is the best Cavs coverage around” on the next 99 posts. I guess we’re going to find out if he’s a man of his word.
How is your and Cols’ ends of the bargain even? You have to wear a t-shirt for five minutes and he has to do something for repeatedly for the next 7 or 8 months?
Hah. Sssssshhhhhhhhhh.
Hey he agreed to it!!!!!!!!!
and Cols, you have to say:
There is a 100% chance Cavs: the Blog is the best Cavs coverage around. Or at least “There’s a 100% chance CtB is the best.” I need the 100% in there for this to count.
This is insane. Should be a suspension
https://vine.co/v/i9uuEJWalPb
Why? What did he do?
Step out on the court and clapping in front of Kyrie in the middle of a shot? How is that legal for a coach?
He stepped out on the court to call time out, the refs could not hear him.
And no one cares about the clapping, the whole arena is trying to distract Kyrie.
Huh? Did you see the first half of the clip?
I do wonder if this antic by Casey can be reviewed post game?
Yeah that’s a coach who can’t keep his head. Not ok and should definitely be reviewed by the league. Hey may get fined again
Punk ass move. If a player did it, I’d say whatever (as long as they stayed off the court, which Casey was unable to do), but for a coach, he should get fined big.
This team might get by Raptors in 7. But god help us against either OKC or Warriors. Not when West has home field AND Love and Irving are awful on D and as millions have said here, they are wussies.
And Delly can’t hit a shot.
Cavs would have home court against OKC.
Yes, if DeRozan and Westbrook do this to the Cavs, I’m terrified of Westbrook/Durant or Curry/Whoever.
Exactly the Cavs need to be more aggressive on defense against them. Use their fouls against them.
I believe DeRozan is obviously watching on film that he can get every shot he wants without almost any resistance.
When LeBron jumps to contest the shot is way too late.
https://twitter.com/BillSimmons/status/734941968896122880
Wonder if Lue was still calm in the huddles though? Playing James 46 minutes, not giving Delly enough minutes during most games and being totally stubborn about not trying Moz to stop dribble drives are all head scratchers.
Not sure what the Cavs can do defensively because raps were making crazy shots and any physical play was called a foul. We had no answer this GM. We’ll get em next game
Kyle Lowry’s shots that quarter were difficult but DeRozan was having it way to easy if you ask me.
The fact that it took till the fourth for Lue to run some plays to get the Raps to stop overplaying the three point line was… problematic.
Wonder what the Vegas odds were that this 2-0 series would become 2-2. If DeRozan and Lowry are hitting us for 67 wonder what Westbrook/Durant would score. Assuming we both make the Finals.
The defensive presence of Biyombo in the paint is in the Cavs’ heads.
Good point. Maybe you are right.
I will give Kyrie a pass right now since he is still extremely you (he will learn) but KLove and TT are completely choking right now.
Some say the playoffs expose players weaknesses and right now both players have been totally missing when they are needed the most.
Just seems like a terrible series for TT…Love too, last two games, anyway
Yes Mike but at this point if I was Griffin I’m asking myself how much are we paying this guy (TT)?
And the same would apply to Kevin Love if he doesn’t show up next game.