Recap: Cleveland 104, Detroit 111 (Or layups, putbacks, lots and lots and lots of freethrows, and disappointment)
2013-04-10
This one was painful to watch. The Cavs and Pistons battled within a few points of each other for much of the game, and then with 5 minutes left, a free-throw contest broke out. Let’s get to it.
1st Quarter: The Cavs came out looking to get Tristan Thompson involved early in the post, which wasn’t a bad plan. TT scored and got to the line. He also finished some nice dimes from Livingston and Irving to finish the quarter with 11 points. Though it was effective, TT is sometimes ponderously slow at coming to a decision when he is surveying the offense in the post, and often, the offense stops. Making decisions more quickly should be a priority in the off season.
Ellington got going early, with 7 points in 8 minutes, by running for layups in transition and Kyrie got to the line.
Defensively, the Pistons put the Cavs in a lot of pick and roll and got a lot of point blank shots for Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. This was repeated throughout the game. Dribble penetration both in isolation and in the P/R led to bigs over-helping and easy layups after one or two passes for the Piston bigs. Drummond and Monroe have developed some really nice chemistry. They’re going to be a force for a long time, and Stuckey, Singler, and lousy Cavs defense did a nice job of setting ‘Dre and Greg up. I don’t know if Byron Scott is going to coach the Cavs next year, but he or whoever is coaching them has got to come up with a scheme to stop the pick and roll from eviscerating Cleveland. 24-28, Detroit.
2nd Quarter: Free Casspi! Omri executed a nice up and under from the mid post to score the first points of the quarter at 10:22. Will Bynum made a layup, and then the Dion Waiters show started. Playing his first game in three weeks, Dion came in to start the second, and swished a 19 footer out of a left elbow post-up. He followed that up with a face-up drive from the top of the key, which he used to feed Livingston under the basket. Then Waiters drove from the right wing to the left block for a sweet little reverse. After a Piston timeout, Dion drove from the left post for a 3 point play after Drummond made a very dumb goal tend. It was nice to have Frion back.
Cleveland pushed it out to a 9 point lead as Herculoids 2.0 (Dion, Shaun, Omri, KJ, and Marreese) dominated. Casspi was rebounding and running the floor well. Waiters was attacking and getting Kobe assists. Kevin Jones was all over the boards, and Speights Eurostepped into a layup, making Charlie Villueva look as mobile as Gheorghe Muresan.
Stuckey drained a 3, and after a timeout, Kyrie got back in and the Pistons promptly resumed scoring. First they lost Stuckey in transition for 3, then Bynum waltzed by Dion and set up Drummond for a dunk to cap an 8-0 run.
Cavs fans collectively let out an “ugh,” as Zeller pump faked and then traveled on the drive for the 3000th time this year for the year. Drummond punished him after the whistle with a swipe at the basketball, which hit ZPA in the jimmies, felling him.
After an anticlimactic end of the quarter, which characteristically had the Cavs outscored in the final thirty seconds, TT had 13 points and 8 boards and the Pistons were shooting 55%. 49-53, Detroit
3rd Quarter: Zeller gave up a Drummond putback dunk, Tyler Zeller canned a 20 footer, Monroe scored easily on TT, Zeller canned another 20 footer, and then allowed Drummond to flush another putback dunk. That was like watching tennis.
Kyrie bailed on a Brandon Knight a back door cut like he was playing a pickup game at the Y, which led to another putback. There is no one on the Cavs who could keep Drummond off the offensive boards. Adding someone with real size and weight in the offseason is going to be a priority for nights like this. I hear Marcin Gortat might be available.
Ellington was playing better defense earlier this season. He’s been routinely abused off the dribble over the last two games. This quarter it was by Stuckey. To make him feel not so bad, Kyrie decided to play equally bad defense on Brandon Knight.
Late in the quarter, Irving started to get aggressive: getting to the line, converting +1s . Then he posted up Knight and pork chopped him right in the collar bone, drawing an offensive foul. That wasn’t smart.
With 24 seconds left, Gee retook the lead. He pump faked at the wing drove and pulled up at the elbow for a bucket. This is the play that will keep Gee in the league. If he can pass up the wing 3, which he’s pretty bad at, and start hitting the 20 footer consistently, he will be better served. 75-74, Cleveland.
4th Quarter: Herculoids 2.0 started the quarter, and the Pistons countered with Monroe, Bynum, Singler, Jerebko, and Middleton. I don’t think there was a minute of this game that the Pistons didn’t have Monroe or Drummond in the game.
Cavs had a hard time getting into their offense, and didn’t score for the first two minutes. They finally forced the ball into Livingston against Bynum in the post and got to the line. After trading buckets, Casspi cast off the chains that had been holding him to the bench and rose up for 3! Waiters attacked, and finger rolled for 2! I love the new Herculoids. Then, St. Weirdo killed the buzz with a 26 foot heat chuck with 13 seconds left on the clock.
Dick Bavetta really put the kibosh on the festivities when one of his liver spots covered his eyes and he called Waiters for a travel when his right foot was nailed to the floor. Waiters was lucky he didn’t get a tech from Great Grandpa B.
Livingston continued the game trend of terrible perimeter defense as he allowed Bynum who is 7 inches shorter and 3 years younger than him to shoot over him for an easy two. Then he let Bynum do it to him from 26 feet. To make him feel better, Kyrie subbed in and allowed Bynum to do it to him, too with some putrid pick and roll defense (see pic to the right). Timeout. Cavs, down 4.
The most boring Crunch Time ever: Waiters: nastily attacked the rack with a left handed finish off the square. I missed you, Dion. And then Hack-a-Dre started. Drummond split the first pair and Ohmygod, Kyrie followed it up with a ridiculous weaving dribble drive through four Pistons to score with a spinning finish.
After another Drummond split, TT scored with a right hand hook on the left block to tie the game!
And that was as exciting as it got for the next 2 minutes as the Cavs kept fouling Drummond and the Pistons couldn’t keep from fouling Kyrie. And Kyrie couldn’t stop turning it over. Aside from a nifty Canadian Dynamite layup, it was an aesthetic nightmare. The funniest part of the stretch was when Bynum drained a three before the Cavs could foul Drummond, in yet another brain fart by the Cavs perimeter defense.
With 28 seconds, the game was tied, and then Monroe scored on a lefty hook that touched every part of the rim before it fell in. Kyrie missed an iso-three, coming about 2 inches short, and it still had a chance to rattle in. Then Tristan Thompson fouled Drummond without the ball. So the Pistons got two technical free throws and the ball. Well, that wasn’t smart. After four freethrows, the Pistons were up 4 with 17 left. And the Pistons fouled Kyrie!? Ugh. The game would not end. Kyrie split. The Cavs down 3. Another foul. Cavs down five. Kyrie turned it over to seal the game. Oy.
Conclusions: Tristan Thompson’s dribble -> jump stop -> pivot footwork has gotten really good. He creates space with it incredibly well: jump stopping into or by his defender, then clearing space with his lower body and/or shoulders, then reverse pivoting into a hook shot. He and the Cavs development staff really ought to be commended. His 19 and 8 were efficient and much needed. Conversely his defense was stymied by the Cavs difficulties guarding the pick and roll. The bigs seem to have no idea what the guards are doing and the whole thing breaks down consistently.
Herculoids 2.0 were great. They went teen deep, and until the Will Bynum fourth quarter explosion, they killed the Pistons bench. They gathered 37 points and 26 boards. Jones, Speights, Casspi, Livingston, and Waiters were a pleasure to watch.
Irving was good on offense, though sloppy with the ball. The 5 turnovers hurt, especially the late ones. But 27, 9 dimes, and 12-13 at the line is a line maybe 5 people in the league can post. Unfortunately the -14 and -16 he and Ellington posted in +/- was a fully accurate representation of how badly they defended.
The decision to go hack-a-Dre smacked of desperation, and ultimately backfired when TT got so in the habit of doing it, he fouled off the ball in the final two minutes: a big no-no. Tough to know whether to blame Byron or Thompson there.
Andre Drummond is a beast. At 6’10”, 270 pounds, and an enormous 7’6″ wing span, suffice it to say, at least 5 teams whiffed by not drafting him. He dunked everything tonight, and the rotations and over-helping by the Cavs big men helped he and Monroe immensely. What is really impressive about Drummond is how well he moves without the ball, and how good his hands are. He cuts, seals, and runs the floor incredibly well for his size and wingspan. And he catches everything that comes at him. There was a time about three years ago when he and Shabazz Muhammed were in high school and considered the most cant miss prospects of the 2013 draft. In the summer of 2011, the CtB comment board was abuzz with visions of Drummond playing along side Andy and Tristan. Drummond changed his eligibility to enter college a year earlier, and his struggles at UConn were well documented, and because of that and his awful free throw shooting (which has improved immensely), his stock fell significantly. I wasn’t a believer till tonight, but I’ve not seen a young big man with a chance to be this dominant since Andrew Bynum started putting it together. In light of that, I’m reconsidering my stance on Shabazz Muhammad. He might just be as good as everyone thought he was in high school, and like Drummond was trapped in a crappy college situation. Will teams pass on him the way they did on Drummond, and regret it later? I like Dion Waiters an awful lot, but it’s tough not to feel some buyer’s remorse after this one. I hope the Cavs got it right, and get it right this summer.
We need Noel, healthy Oden, and Josh Smith. We’re dead last in blocked shots, SMH.
@everyone with Drummond buyers remorse Drummond was the biggest question mark going into the draft in recent memory. His size and workouts were amazing but his production (10 & 7), lack of physicality, free throw shooting, and motor screamed stay away. The lack of fit with Tristan (someone mentioned it earlier) was probably the deciding factor for going with Dion. Drummond looks spectacular at times, but remember he’s been brought along slowly, he has Monroe share the big man duties, he’s missed a somewhere in the 20 game range, and he’s only played more than 30 minutes in 4 games… Read more »
I didn’t suggest that the Cavs were the only dumb ones, or even that the Cavs were dumb. But there is a lot of Drummond-bashing that looks more and more ridiculous as the days go by. It’s ok to admit that some teams, including the Cavs, would have a much brighter future with him. It doesn’t mean Waiters was a bad pick or that Waiters will suck. You can harp on the FTs, it is a concern. But I will gladly take my chances on the 19 year old with the 22 PER. And in the NBA, you need all-stars.… Read more »
I was a big advocate of taking Drummond @ 4. I would have been happy with Cleveland taking the risk, and I was not pleased in the minutes following the Waiters selection.
Waiters has grown a lot on me, and still has a ways to go to justify the #4 overall pick. But, many teams passed on Drummond, so even if he ends up being great, I won’t be upset at our front office for not taking him.
The Cavs weren’t the only team who passed on Drummond. It wasn’t an accident that he fell to 9. Coming into this season they already had a really raw front court project who couldn’t hit free throws. I wouldn’t want two guys like at the same time. I was all for them trading up to get that second top 10 pick and grabbing Drummond. I wanted more of a sure thing at four. If the Cavs do get the Lakers pick I’m totally down with them taking the highest ceiling player available at 16 be it Gobert, Saric or Austin.… Read more »
You may think UConn big men get overrated, but Drummond was in a very different situation. He played with a couple overrated guards who refused to pass the ball. Playing with a halfway decent PG who can get him the ball, and all of a sudden he looks good. It doesn’t need to be said, but just to make sure, the Cavs have one of those. Irving would have made Drummond look even better here. Despite the environment in college (don’t forget to add in the issues with Calhoun), Drummond looked very good for an 18 year old. 18 still… Read more »
@ Gordon
Totally agree. That jump in spots could be huge. If the Cavs get Porter with their pick, having the Lakers pick (would most likely be 16-18) would give them the chance to draft a center who could provide defense, like Dieng, Adams, Gobert. A definite need, IMO. Perhaps the Lakers pick could be packaged with other picks to move up.
Tom and I discussed the lack of smart play down the stretch in the podcast I just posted. And sure enough, minutes later, the Cavs showed why Byron is probably the worst end-of-game coach in the NBA at the moment.
@ Cody – I am really, really hoping the Lakers can pull it off. That difference of 12-14 spots is huge. It could be the difference between a great roll player and a fringe NBA player. Or, it could be ammunition to trade up to ensure we get Noel/Porter.
I’m always surprised that Tristan gets away with that hop/pivot. The refs are really really picky about it, and we’re seeing him use it more and more. Glad he seems to have it down because he uses it pretty effectively.
@ Gordon
Also, we could catch a break in that Houston may not have anything to play for on the final game.
GS has a one game lead on Houston for the 6th seed, but Houston wins the tiebreaker. GS next three games are OKC, LA, and SA. Houston plays Memphis, Sac, Phoenix. If Houston has a one game lead over GS on the final day, they lock up #6, regardless of what happens. Of course, I’m looking pretty far ahead here.
Dion was a welcomed sight. Though he made 11 points; he was a little rusty at 5-12 for field goals and 0-2 on 3’s. He’ll get better. Scott already said he’ll probably start next game. Thanks TOm explaining what happen with TT fouling Drummond. That was a head scratcher. Nate, I can’t explain this but I just have a gut feeling this kid is going to be PHENOMENAL next year and we’ll see Cavs made right choice. God next year , I hope Zeller gets some damn muscle and finds something mean within himself.
Memphis currently has the 4th seed over the Clippers. That helps us. Both teams will be trying hard to get/keep that position.
I”m with Josh in the last thread. If this team is healthy next year, regardless of the bench, as long as it doesn’t suck completely, they are going to the playoffs.
Gordon
I’m being cautiously optimistic on the Lakers. Right now, Parker and Ginobili are out for SA. I have a feeling that Greg Pop. isn’t overly concerned with getting that #1 seed.
LA plays GS on Friday, but GS plays tonight, so maybe the Lakers catch a break there.
Keeping fingers crossed…
The biggest takeaway in this game, for me, was that the Cavs had 38 seconds (not 28) and the ball, down 2 points. They chose not to call timeout, and instead of getting a two for one, Kyrie lazily walked the ball up the court, wasted 14 seconds before launching his patented slow-walk contested 3 from 3 feet behind the line. It forced the Cavs to have to foul. Since the refs didn’t see the initial TT foul on Drummond, TT kept on bear hugging him long after he had given up the ball, and it turned into 2 shots… Read more »
Cory – don’t count your (our) chickens too soon. The Lakers need to finish a full game ahead of Utah for that playoff spot, since Utah holds the tiebreaker. Utah has 3 games remaining vs. Minnesota, @ Minnesota, and @ Memphis. That is 2-1 at worst. Luckily, Memphis is within 1 game of Denver for the 4th seed, I believe. LA has 3 games remaining vs. Golden State, vs. San Antonio, and vs. Houston. Three home games which is great. San Antonio might rest players – but they are battling OKC for the top seed. Houston is 1 back of… Read more »
To the TT foul on Drummond that ultimately iced the game: It was very stupid for TT to foul, but the refs completely blew the call. When Drummond got the rebound, TT immediately fouled – obvious to everyone within 30 feet of a TV and everyone in the arena. Unfortunately, the ref decided he didn’t want to call it, for whatever reason. Thompson, out of despair and a “what the h3ll is going on ref?” reaction, continued to foul Drummond as if to say “this is exactly what I did when he had the ball, ref”. Unfortunately, TT was more… Read more »
Disappointment in the game maybe but the outcome was what was needed. Detroit was only 2 games up on the Cavs. Hate to root for loses, but we needed this one.
Good to see TT beasting.
Drummond was the scariest player on the board. Taking him was too big of a risk at #4. Plus Waiters looks great.
Pairing Drummond with Thompson would have been a major risk. UCONN had a history of making mediocre big men look better than they are. Drummond looked terrible there. Still happy with Waiters. Drumming Zeller isn’t exactly a badge of honor. Playing hack-a-ndre didn’t work, but they did it for a reason. I’m excited to see the development for all of the Cavs young core next year but Tristan is the one I’m most anxious for. He still thinks too much on offense. If/when he relies on instinct rather than thought, he’ll have taken another step. Kyrie has 13 turnovers in… Read more »
And I approved of the Hack-a-Drummond. That last foul is all on Tristan. You expect a player to know the rules. The fact that it might have become a habit is still his problem. He needs to know. That’s all him.
Yea, hopefully at some point this off-season Kyrie decides defense is important and starts playing it. Nothing can be done about Zeller though. He just gets bullied over and over.