Recap: Thunder 102 , Cavs 95 (Or, Okay, Fear the Reaper)
2014-03-20
Overview:
After a hard-fought first quarter, the Cavs ultimately folded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who outscored the Cavs over the final three quarters of the game. Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists on 12-21 shooting from the field, and Dion Waiters led the Cavaliers with 30 points on 11-25 shooting from the field.
The Rundown:
The first quarter went about as well as one could possibly hope for the Cavaliers. It was no secret coming into this game that the Cavs weren’t going to be able to beat the Thunder based on talent, but they started off the game doing exactly what they needed to do — frustrating the Thunder offensively and outworking them on the glass. Hawes is a legitimate liability as a rim protector, but his ability to step out and stretch the defense gives the Cavaliers a dimension they desperately needed offensively, even if he couldn’t get his three-point shots to fall early in Thursday’s game.
Kevin Durant got Gee into early foul trouble, which was a blessing in disguise, because Lord Dellavedova was in full effect in the first quarter. He managed to frustrate Kevin Durant — Kevin Durant — when KD tried to isolate him 18 feet away from the basket, forcing Durant to settle for some tough jumpers that he couldn’t get to fall. Offensively, Dellavedova took advantage of the open 3 opportunities that come from offensive rebounds, showing a clean stroke and a lightning-quick trigger, and made the Thunder pay for sagging off of him. Thanks to hustle on the glass, Dellavedova, and some nice plays from Waiters, the Cavs actually held a 25-21 lead after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Kevin Durant got the Thunder into the flow of the game, and they started playing some of the most beautiful basketball I’ve seen from any team this season. Durant, who’s going to go down as one of the five best jump-shooters of all time when he retires, made all of one jumper before the first-half buzzer sounded, and he was punishing the Cavs offensively anyways.
I don’t get to watch Durant as much as I should as a basketball fan, but he seems to get so much better every time I see him play. He was getting himself into the game in so many more ways than he used to be able to — he was getting put-backs off of offensive rebounds, making gorgeous back-cuts for dunks, throwing down alley-oops, and immediately firing off a pass to an open teammate when he didn’t have the angle, even if that pass led to a hockey assist instead of a wide-open shot. Apparently this wasn’t typical, even for the Thunder — I always watch the opposing team’s broadcast feed to get as many points of view as I can, and they were raving about how the ball was moving better for the Thunder in the second quarter than it has all season. Oh, and then Durant finished the quarter with a filthy, filthy crossover to pull-up jumper to beat the buzzer. This dude is on another level right now.
Meanwhile, the Thunder were bearing down on the glass, the Cavs were getting stagnant offensively, and their energy advantage had evaporated. When the Thunder are playing like a well-oiled machine of death, having your energy advantage evaporate is not a good thing, and the Cavs went into the break down by 10.
At the start of the 3rd quarter, Durant decided to announce that he had found his jumper by calmly draining a 31-foot pull-up jumper. Until there were 6 minutes left to play in the 4th quarter, it was pretty much all downhill from there for the Cavs. They couldn’t get an offensive rebound to save their lives, Durant was either hitting jumpers or setting Ibaka up with easy 18-footers when the Cavs came to trap him, and Derek Fisher, who is 63 years old, was draining every three he looked at. Dion was making some nice plays to keep the Cavaliers in the game, but things were clearly getting out of hand, and the Cavs were down by 24 with 6 minutes to play.
That’s when a ray of hope came, in the form of (who else?) Matthew Dellavedova. He started initiating the offense, and brought the Cavs to within striking distance by dishing out four consecutive assists and draining a jumper. After a Waiters layup and free throws, as well as a free throw from TT, the Cavs somehow found themselves within five with 1:12 to play.
However, tonight’s miracles were reserved for the college set, and the Thunder got their bearings after a timeout, got a key offensive rebound, and rode a parade of Durant free throws to a relatively easy finish. Good fight, but the Cavaliers were hopelessly outmatched, especially without Deng and Irving.
Notes:
I counted four 3-second violations for Serge Ibaka on Thursday — two on the offensive end, and two on D. That’s a personal high for one player in a game I’ve watched.
Waiters had to work for his 30, but 30 points in the NBA is 30 points in the NBA, and he again showed strong flashes — he can score from anywhere on the court, and something good always happens when he uses that devastating first step going left. I think he can be a foundational piece for an NBA team. I just hope the right pieces come into place around him so it’s this NBA team.
Speaking of, who’s on everybody’s draft wish list, now that we’re in tournament time? Maybe this is a “Once bitten, twice shy” thing with Karasev (is he alive?), but even though McDermott is a tweener in the worst way, I can’t see a scenario in which I’d rather have Dario Saric or pay Deng 5x as much on knees with 200,000 more miles on them.
(Caveat: I am fairly terrible at draft predictions, to the point where this was the first article I ever wrote that got major attention. I probably wouldn’t have ended up getting this blog without it. The moral, as always: Fail Upwards.)
Jack’s been playing well lately, but boy was he awful on Thursday. So, so, many short-armed pull-ups in transition.
Yes, I’m in love with Matthew Dellavedova. Double-Double! Give him a Danny Ferry contract. 10 years guaranteed. Needless to say, the Tarence Kinsey Award Race is over for this season.
Forgettable game for Tristan Thompson, who did not seem to remember that Serge Ibaka is quite good at blocking shots.
Howabout we don’t trade Kyrie for Parker and just sign someone who can shoot the damn ball and have a full season without any BS Bynum distraction.
Maybe if a really close team like Minnesota wins it. But that’s less than a 1% chance. Possibly New Orleans. Maybe Detroit (wouldn’t that be something). But that’s about it. No one else is trading Parker or Embeid for a injury prone point guard at the end of his rookie deal even if you think he’ll be a top 5 pg someday.
I think we’d have to throw picks in with KI to get Parker. There is no way we get Parker+ for KI. The lakers are the only team I really could see trading for KI. They have the advantage of being the lakers and will be able to sign Klove in 2015 and be a contender. No one else is trading Parker for KI. Or Embeid. maybe wiggins.
I agree with you guys ” emotions ” a lot of times will allow you to say things you don’t really mean—-Anderson would be a solid fit—can’t wait for all the ideas/ chatter/suggestions leading up to draft day—should be interesting
@Greg Siesel he’s coming out. All kids say that after they lose, esp early. He will come out.
@jhill I agree and with Kyrie and Dion, Anderson makes so much sense.
Dude, Parker is dumb if he stays in college.
everyone hold your breath on parker—rumor has he may NOT come out this year—felt early exit ( defeat to mercer ) has left him feeling college career is incomplete—-stay tuned —from all the comments today this off season should be a very interesting one for all of us ” PRETEND G.M’S “
Kyle Anderson is really a less athletic LBJ. Mike Brown helped turn LBJ into the defensive force he is. I’d take an LBJ-lite with a late lotto pick.
@nate you think we could get more real assets aside from picks. I’d seriously trade kyrie for that (that’s why I will probably never be a gm). Perpetual 8th seed with a chance to maybe build chemistry and hit a lower seed to upset someone is better than this situation we are in now.
@david wood. I think we could find a team that would be willing to give us much more than asik and parsons. Maybe I am crazy but some stupid team would give up way to much for him. But dont get me wrong, the only way I want him traded is if we get a immediate impact player that is still young. No deng aged type.
I know some may think I’m crazy but I think Kyle Anderson is the best fit for the Cavs if this roster stays static. I think he is exactly what we need. And I think Brown can help him on D. I think he’s a taller MCW-type…
@underdog. Completely agree bout the forward position in MBs offense, or there lack of. I have said it before, I think the only way the younger players improve, is with a better coach/staff. But i dont see the physical nature that I want out of a power forward that isn’t supremely talented shooter . I cant stand when he gets blocked. I just want him to go up with authority and try to break the backboard everytime he gets the ball down low. only player I ever saw play better year after year in MBs tenures is LBJ. and even… Read more »
Parsons and Asik!?
The Duke loss is instructive or illustrative, rather, that talented youth is always at risk of losing to more experienced but far less talented teams. 7 seniors on Mercer. This is partly why I have given the Cavs a bit of a pass this year. This team is still ridiculously young. Think about it…
@dale Dion actually wants it and I think he should get the looks. Sometimes , I think MB is hard on him because he knows Dion does get pissed but then he accepts the criticism and tries to work on it. I really want to the cavs to sign and trade kyrie to the rockets for a re-upped Asik and Parsons. We could throw in varejao to make the money work if needed.
Not making excuses for TT – because he does need to improve in ways, but again, our forwards are an afterthought in this offense. Which of TT, Deng, Bennett, and Gee have you been pleased with? They all underproduce – and all seem to have to force things to make any type of contribution.
Yeah, I’d take Jabari if he’s there. I don’t think we’ll get a shot at him. But I’m one of those “best athlete available” drafters. I despised Otto Porter and Alec Len just because they were a good fit. I haven’t settled on anybody yet.
Maybe Jabari Parker is more like Anthony Bennett than I thought…
Im glad to see that I am not the only 1 who thinks we need a better power forward. I truly could careless how good of a person he is I want a good basketball player. I know plenty of good people that I know that I don’t think should be the cavs starting power forward. Since I found site a month ago, a have been sayin they r too inconsistent. He is a part of that. As for kyrie. I think he’s more a robin, not a batman if u know what I mean. Dont know what to do… Read more »
I think Nate is on to something. TT looks like he needs to go to Pete Newell’s Big Man Camp. Which no longer exists. Seriously though, I have thought a lot about how TT needs to spend all summer with somebody like Kareem or The Dream or somebody. It’s not too late by any stretch…
The main issues with TT are 1) inconsistency, 2) he’s not improving as a basketball player. He has a lot of monster double-double games, but he has just as many games where he completely disappears based on size/length of his matchups. It’s impossible to ignore how wildly inconsistent he has been this year. As far as his growth goes, outside of free throw shooting, there hasn’t really been much improvement in any other phase of his game. If the Cavs end up in the top 10 of the draft as looks extremely likely, I think the Cavs need to consider… Read more »
Also, mgordon, I love TT, too. That’s what makes this so hard. I wish the Cavs had Z coaching him again.
Yeah, I get the Bennett/Parker comparisons, but Parker’s basketball IQ seems higher, and there’s a big difference between 16PPG in the Mountain West and 20PPG in the ACC. *shrug* Who’s your top pick?
@underdog i was thinking that about AB15 and Nate but since I don’t comment often I didnt want it to come across as trolling. Honestly, i am not disappointed in bennett as much as others. Partly because I accept that it was just fun/frustrating to watch the team this year. Also, seeing my 5 and 3 year olds watching the games and even turning AC’s “throw the hammer down” into a metaphor for their needing to go #2 made it worth it despite the outcome.
@nate regarding TT i think he would be excellent as a reserve on a contender who could hide his weakness. By all accounts, he is an extrodinary person. Quite vocal and a leader. However, you want your best athletes to be good at basketball and be your vocal leader. As strange as it may sound, I would not be upset if KI was traded to whoever chooses Parker with your deal stated above but modified to the team with the pick. As for the Simmons stuff, I don’t think he is off when he acknowledges the reality the cave should… Read more »
Nate –
“I have a propensity for falling in love with tweeners, but Jabari Parker just seems like the most natural scorer to come out of college ball in a long time.” Huh???
Isn’t Anthony Bennett a natural scoring tweener?
Wait . . . you baited me into writing that, didn’t you?
After starting the month with en encouraging game against Memphis, TT has been awful. I still don’t think he has reached his potential. With better free throw shooting and reinforcing the outside shot he has show at times, he should be a 15 and 10 guy, which is perfectly fine if you have 3 guards filling it up. The only problem is his defense. It would be interesting to see wht TT would generate trade wise. I want to draft aaron gordon and ask philly if we can swap AB for nerlens so we will have a frontcourt resembling blake… Read more »
After starting the month with en encouraging game against Memphis, TT has been awful. I still don’t think he has reached his potential. With better free throw shooting and reinforcing the outside shot he has show at times, he should be a 15 and 10 guy, which is perfectly fine if you have 3 guards filling it up. The only problem is his defense. It would be interesting to see wht TT would generate trade wise. I want to draft aaron gordon and ask philly if we can swap AB for nerlens so we will have a frontcourt resembling blake… Read more »
Dion needs to come back next year with improved free throw shooting technique. The way great scorers in this league do it is with great scoring ability, but also the ability to get to the line and knock down freebies. Taking 25 shots to get 30 shots looks a less impressive than getting 36 on 25 shots. I’d either like a long solid shooting 3 or aaron gordon. The three guard lineup doesnt work when its all guys who are 6’4. I’ve also watched a lot of pac-12 this year and gordon reminds me a lot of blake griffin in… Read more »
thank you grover–it is inexcusable for brown not to be giving karasev any minutes right now—the playoff hunt is over ( someone please inform brown of this ) you can’t evaluate talent on just practice time only—THEY NEED REAL/ QUALITY GAME MINUTES—DION SHOWING SOME GROWTH—IF HE CAN LEARN/ GET BETTER IN THE OFF SEASON AT FINISHING AT THE BASKET/ FOUL SHOOTING HE COULD ADD 6-8 PTS A GAME MORE
Also, it’s official. The Cavs have a starting power forward problem.
I have a propensity for falling in love with tweeners, but Jabari Parker just seems like the most natural scorer to come out of college ball in a long time, maybe since Steph Curry, or even KD… My dream scenario is the NBA conspires to give the Lakers a top 3 pick, and then Kyrie goes to L.A. for Jabari Parker, Jordan Hill, Jordan Farmar and two future first rounders.
Draft talk, It really depends where we are drafting. We could be high enough to get Marcus Smart or Aaron Gordon (and trade TT for something) or a little lower and we could get McDermott or Stauskas. If we are around 12 and get ‘stuck’ with Stauskas I’d be ecstatic. He is exactly what the team needs and will grow into almost assuredly a Danny Green clone except Nik is so much better as a college player than Danny was. Stauskas is my dark horse and who in hoping we get either trading up or picking lower than most would… Read more »
So, I mentioned Dion showing some “leadership growth” in my previous comment. Well, here’s from Lloyd’s blog a bit ago: “7. Dion Waiters was waiting for Mike Brown in his office after the coach finished with his postgame press conference Thursday. The two chatted with the door closed for a few minutes. No idea what the meeting was about, but Waiters took responsibility for the Cavs’ inability to rebound affectively. You’d think that would fall on the center who failed to grab a rebound during his first 25 minutes on the floor, but Waiters took the blame after grabbing two… Read more »
Your Durant article was one of the best pieces I’ve read on a prospect in any sport. Maybe I’ll have my logic class read it to see if anyone can tell me why its so completely wrong; if its because of the reasoning or the premises. Could be either really depends if they think your statement about White Gonzaga players beating him to the spot means he’s necessarily not quick is an argument your making (which a is my take) or if you assumed his lack of quickness and merely pointed it out with imagery (making it a false premise).… Read more »
10 minutes that Edward got should’ve gone to Sergey. Coach Brown you have a guarantee contract that gives you millions , why don’t you play Sergey? This guy run a national team and was successful , can’t you get him some minutes for God sake.
It was a good game in a way and as usual we lost, we should get ready for next year and see what we have in our first rounders. That is just my opinion. Go Cavs.
Man, too bad Mike Brown has lost this team, eh, Bill Simmons. Sorry, Nate, tonight proves Simkons has jumped the shark. He had a decent run… I think you over-rated Delly’s impact a tiny bit (and he can make some really inexcusable TO’s) but he played really well tonight and importantly, hit some shots. Zeller played well tonight after being under-whelming the last few games prior. Gee was fairly awful except for about two minutes late in the 4th. Dion played pretty great. He leaves it all on the court. He’s showing some real leadership growth. This team is playing… Read more »
Waiters: 41 min, +1 (+/-)
Delly: 33 min, +8
Jack: 34 min, -19
Wow.
At this point in the Cavs season, if someone knows why Karasev isn’t getting 15-20 of Jack’s minutes every night, please enlighten me. Cause I’m at a complete loss.