The Pre-Re: Recap of the Cavaliers 107-80 Preseason Win Over Maccabi Tel Aviv

Even after the months of build-up, it was still surreal. There was a Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game played at Quicken Loans Arena that featured LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving leading the wine and gold. Once the ball got tipped, NBA basketball followed, if the preseason version of it. But the introductions took on an air of unreality, showing off all the pieces the Cavs accumulated over the summer finally together in the flesh (or, cousin to the flesh, the grainy internet stream) playing against people other than themselves. It was just the first step down a long road, one littered with broken glass, land mines, bear traps, chewed gum and the chance that Derrick Rose could always develop an outside shot, but, at least for now, it was a first step that was all spring. What this team eventually becomes won’t be realized for some time now, but there were glimpses in this 107-80 exhibition win over head coach David Blatt’s former team, Maccabi Tel Aviv, that exciting basketball lies ahead.

First off, the introduction sequence is incredible. Echoing the new hint of Cleveland skyline on the Cavs home court, the video introduction showed each of the team’s players posing with the city skyline projected on them, True Detectice-opening-credits style. Once the ball was tipped, though, Cavs fans got a taste — not a full meal, but a taste — of what this team could look like this season.

As the teams tipped off, it soon became clear that Maccabi was the more practiced team. This was the 2013 Euroleague champion’s ninth game (having gone 6-2 in the previous eight) and it showed. Tel Aviv moved the ball with a crispness that Cavs fans hope to see from their team, as they were essentially running Blatt’s system. Maccabi moved the ball, as Mr. Cavalier, Austin Carr, loves to point out “with the pass, not the dribble” and shot the ball effectively early on.

But the Cavs, while showing some of the porousness on D that many have feared, showed what they could accomplish on the offensive end. Their first points came from a loooooong LeBron three pointer. Love followed that up with  jump hook in the lane. Then, two possessions later, Irving scored a twisting keeper on the fast break. Tristan Thompson cleaned up a Dion Waiters just-miss at the rim and then, moments later, Waiters hit a corner three, which meant that all five of Cleveland’s starters scored in the first six minutes of the game.

The flow of the game is about what you’d expect. It stayed close early, with the more cohesive Tel Aviv team exploiting the Cavs’ long discussed weakness at the rim. Then, early in the third period, Irving and Waiters exploded, the first in the early part of the period and the later in the later, to put the Cavs up comfortably enough to empty the benches.

Here’s how they looked, specifically:

James looked like he was continuing to rest his reportedly sore back. His 12 points came on 4-11 shooting mostly from the outside. He also didn’t play in the second half. James seemed more interested in feeding Tristan Thompson (and, hence, increasing Thompson’s eventual contract) than in attacking the rim himself. Still, it’s LeBron and he’s wearing a Cavs uni. Still weird…

Irving was clearly still riding the wave of his FIBA experience. He was the most game-shaped Cav and, while he  still wasn’t sterling on the defensive end, he hawked the ball, got some steals and shot the ball in mid-season form. In the third, Irving took over the game, as the Cavs ballooned their lead to more comfortable levels, before passing the hot hand to his backcourt mate when Waiters started feeling it. The two combined to score 31 points for the game. Having so many players capable of going on mini-runs like that is one of the things that makes this Cavs team just plain scary.

Love looked quick and he can easily pass the length of the court with his outlet passes. He’s clearly always looking for the home run pass and, while his first couple were off target, he hit Thompson with a beautiful nearly-full-court pass in the third for an easy dunk. Love struggled from the floor, finishing just 2-6, but pulled in 11 rebounds.

This Cavs team, while soft at the rim, as advertised, will have no problem destroying opponents on the boards. They finished with a 64-36 rebounding edge over the scrappy Tel Aviv team. Which brings us to…

Thompson, who started at center and seemed very compatible with the first unit. He challenged shots at the rim, not always succeeding, but succeeding more effectively than he has in a very long time. He also is fast and athletic enough to be leading many of the fast breaks the Cavs hope to exploit this season. While he still got a couple of shots blocked at the rim, this was, by far, the best version of Thompson I can remember seeing in the last couple of years.

And Waiters was… well, Waiters. He stalled the team’s attempt at consistent ball movement early on by keeping the ball, dribbling a few time and then launching a long two. But then he dominated the second half of the third quarter by hitting open threes and driving to the rim with authority. He is probably the Cavs player that still has to refashion his game somewhat to fit with its current superstar lineup, but he proved tonight that his performance is still one of the keys to the team’s overall success.

Now, the Cavs travel to Brazil to face the Heat. There will absolutely be growing pains with this club, but their first game out showed that even the growing pains should be less painful than the basketball we’ve been watching the last four years.