Preseason Recap: Cleveland 98, Indiana 93 (or grinding out a preseason win)

In many ways, this was a perfect preseason victory. The starters and rotation guys played into the late third quarter and led 76-59 before fourth quarter scrub time erased that lead. Then the end-of-the-bench Cavs totally redeemed themselves and eked out an ugly victory. One thing I really like about this preseason is how well prepared and well-coached the last guys on the roster have been for the Cavs. David Blatt and his coaching staff are to be commended. Since this game celebrated all of Ohio by taking place at Cincinnati’s Xavier University, let’s hand out some Ohio themed player grades.

LeBron James: If there’s a way to coast to 26 points in 24 minutes, LeBron found a it. The economy in LeBron’s game is amazing right now. He worked himself into the post again and again like a hulkier 90s Michael Jordan. He scored with turnarounds, hooks, baseline spin moves, and yes, a Kareem-esque skyhook. LeBron was 9-12 from the floor 2-3 from three, and 6-7 from the charity stripe, and he made it look easy. After the game LBJ had a fantastic quote on forgiveness in response to a question about how he forgave Dan Gilbert. “There’s fine line between pride and progress. I’m not on the pride side. I’m on the progress side.” Grade: A comic sans lettered coffee mug that says, “the greatest basketball player in the world.”

Dion Waiters: Oy. Dion was straight gunning this game. Dion was 4-14 and seemed to be playing his own game outside of the set offense. Yes, he was +13 for the game, but his shot selection was maddening: a lovely collection of long twos early in the shot clock, combined with effective finishes in transition. Still, no turnovers, and lots of Kobe Assists (you know, where the rebound bounces to a teammate). Have to admit, I didn’t notice Dion much on defense, but Rodney Stuckey was 1-6 (though 8-9 from the line). So Dion must have been aggressive on that side of the floor. Grade: Dion is only allowed to eat sauerkraut balls until his shot selection improves. Also, he has to sit at the back of the plane…

Kevin Love was the victim of Dion’s chuckiness. Love went 1-6 from the field, and definitely did not get the ball in his “spots.” Love chipped in four rebounds in his 17 minutes but he seemed pretty checked out this game. And his defense? It was pretty lazy. The pick-and-roll defense in the first half was straight-up bad by everyone. The shows by the bigs were weak, Love included. Add the fact that Love seemed to care little about closing out to open shooters, too; this wasn’t Love’s best game. Grade: National chain pizza. You live in NE Ohio and you’re eating Papa John’s? You make me sick. Go to Little Italy or Luigi’s in Akron. Good defense and good pizza: worth the extra effort.

Brendan Haywood: Brendan started at center to check Roy Hibbert, and this was definitely Brendan’s best game in a Cavs uni. When he didn’t try to do too much on offense he was effective. Haywood notched three blocks and a steal in 19 minutes to go along with six points and five boards. Grade: Amish country biscuits smothered in gravy, cause that’s what Brendan’s ability to check big men for this team is right now: delicious gravy.

Matthew Dellavedova: Starting for Irving, Delly got routinely abused in the first half by George Hill. It’s hard to know whether to blame him, because Matt seemed to be routinely looking for help that wasn’t there, especially when Hill was coming off a screen. Hill got into the teeth of the defense with regularity until Delly finally locked down and took a charge from him in the late second. In the third quarter, the defense improved immensely. Tristan showed hard to help Delly, and the Cavs did a much better job of stopping dribble penetration. However, Delly’s offense was dare-I-say Steve Nashian this game. Delly is becoming a master of the one legged push shot: straight on, from the left, off the square, and always when the defender isn’t ready. He also added a quick no-gather finger roll off the wrong leg that was vintage Nash. He scored 14 and also threw in 2-4 shooting from three, four assists, a steal, and only one turnover. Grade: Brian Sipe bobble-head.

Tristan Thompson continued his relentless board work, picking up nine in 26 minutes including two offensive rebounds he had no business getting. As I said earlier, he was a big part of the defensive improvement in the third, and it showed in TT’s +13 plus/minus. But TT still hasn’t figured out how to seal a guy on one side and finish with the opposite hand. He blew an easy one in the third when he sealed his man on his left side, and instead of converting an easy flip with his right hand, tried a two handed dunk, which got swatted from behind. Grade: Tyrone Hill all-star jersey.

Shawn Marion: The old man seemed deathly afraid of trying to score, and at least twice passed out of easy shot attempts when he should have just put the ball up. Both times didn’t end well. Marion went 1-5 from the field, added three boards, and was -11 in his 18 minutes. He was also a part of the defensive mess of the first half and was a part of allowing Chris Copeland to go off in the third for the Pacers. Marion kept inexplicably leaving Copeland, even though he was red-hot from three. Grade: Great Lakes Holy Moses. There’s a reason you can’t find it in the store any more.

Lou Amundson cannot play a lick of offense, but it didn’t stop him from affecting this game. Sweet Lou was everywhere during the fourth quarter when the Cavs were scrapping for a win. Amundson was +6 and had 5 boards and an enormous block in 12 minutes of playing time. He paired with Alex Kirk to provide the most ineffective offensive big-man duo in NBA history, but their hustle and smart play helped the Cavs win. Grade: Joe Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good.”

Alex Kirk: I’m telling you, he’s making this team. First, the dude sets really good screens: gets wide, stays stationary, and will set them anywhere on the court. Second, he can hit an open 15 footer. Third, his defense is solid, especially for a rookie. Fourth, he’s the gingeriest ginger in the NBA since Matt Bonner. The NBA needs him. Kirk provided the game’s funniest moment when he got an outlet pass with two Pacers trailing him. I quipped, “this should be entertaining,” as Kirk steamrolled to the hoop in sloooooowwwww-mooooshhhhunnnn as the Pacers caught up to him and he missed his shot. Still, Kirk got his miss back and hooked it in. That’s heart, Cavs fans. Grade: Game worn Reds Jersey.

Joe Harris: The honeymoon is over. Harris is increasingly looking like a one dimensional player. Harris was a part of the painful late game lineup that had one offensive ability: shooting jump shots. The Harris, A.J. Price, Chris Crawford, Kirk, Amundson grouping was not something I ever want to watch again. Harris continued to throw up threes early in the shot clock, even though the Cavs were nursing a five point lead in the last five minutes. Harris was 1-5 and a game low -8 for the game. He did hit a very big three as a part of that lineup, and hit the free throws to push the lead up to three in the closing seconds, but his defense and ability to do more than shoot is becoming suspect. Grade: A copy of The Gold Clipper, Canton’s premiere coupon book.

A.J. Price is trying his damnedest to make this roster. Price hit 13-foot pullup to put the Cavs up one with 40 seconds and scored 14 points and added four rebounds in 21 minutes, and frankly, the Cavs would have lost this one if not for Price’s ability as a scoring threat late in the game. He’s been crucial in three straight late game situations for Cleveland. At 28, he appears to be a qualified reserve guard who keeps his head and can score in pressure situations. Grade: Stouffer’s Mac and Cheese: a solid backup dinner option (especially with Sriracha).

David Blatt has really impressed me in the last three games. When the players at the end of the bench come in and execute the game plan on offense and defense just as well or better than the starters (despite the difference in talent levels), it really says something about how smart and well coached those players are. The Cavs third teamers beat Indiana’s second teamers tonight (after blowing a 13 point lead to start the fourth) by out-executing them late in the game. They beat Milwaukee’s first teamers Tuesday. Blatt made the adjustments to the pick-and-roll defense in the second half, and made sure his guys covered Indy’s leading scorer this game (WNBA MVP Chris Copeland) on Indiana’s final possession. What resulted was a poorly conceived Damjan Rudez (0-6 for the game) three and a Cavs win. Grade: Desktop replica of the Moses Cleaveland statue.