Live Thread: Cavs at Wizards
2014-11-21
In a season where every game is becoming a test, this one really is a test. A loss tonight, and the Cavs drop below .500 and will have lost three straight: the narrative vultures really will be swirling. Meanwhile, the Wizards are 7-3 despite only having Bradley Beal back for one game. The Wiz are winning with defense. They rank 21st in pace adjusted offense, but eighth in pace adjusted defense. They are stout around the basket, and at limiting field goal attempts, but if there’s a spot they’re vulnerable from, it’s at the three point line, where they give up 38.6%, good for 25th in the league. This matchup has no shortage of storylines either: the rekindled rivalry from the mid aughts, Brendan Haywood returning to his long time stomping grounds (in the uniform of an enemy), and a Waiters/Beal off-season brouhaha. Remember? Bradley said, that he and John Wall are “definitely the best backcourt in the league.” Dion Waiters responded:
(And Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili just rolled their eyes). It should be a good one Cavs fans!
you all can stop arguing on this post. the recap is up. argue on that post.
Haha and now Dan LeBaTARD is blasting the Cavs. It’s nice that he understands that now is a perfect time for trolling…
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@LeBatardShow
Cavs looking a lot more like the Dwight-Kobe-Nash Lakers than the 2010 Heat
Dan Le Batard Show @LeBatardShow · 3h 3 hours ago
LeBron teaching the young Cavs tonight how to somehow lose by 13 to a team with 11 fourth-quarter points
I kind of feel like a more traditional style of play would benefit this team the most. Put the ball in the point guard’s hands at the beginning of each set. Dump it down to K Love in the post. Have your wing players make cuts and move the offense around the three point line. I understand LeBron is one of the best to play the game, but the only chemistry he has is with Andy, who has lost a step and drops half LeBron’s passes in traffic.
Yep I am definitely concerned. Not panicked but concerned. This team has too much talent to consistently make difficult baskets. What happened to all the passing from the Atlanta game? Did they fill some sort of passing quota? It seems like they try to play into Blatts system then it doesn’t work so they resort to hero ball. This team is very far from a championship squad. There are too many “me” guys on this roster. A team doesn’t win because they have a ton a talent… they win because they work together to enhance each others talent. I hope… Read more »
Well, that sucked. Gotta keep playing. I wish we would stop trying to have a passing/motion offense like the Heat and just play basketball. They look like they are thinking way too much out there.
Some afraid to make a mistake with Lebron out there sometimes so they look like they are holding back.
How about we try and play as good of defense as the Heat?
The biggest mystery to me is the isolation plays. It looks like Blatt is calling those by design? Or are the players just ignoring the sets??? Lots of LBJ and Kyrie just going 1 on 4. What happened to the ball movement offense? The other thing is that, when they do pass, LBJ and Kyrie go for lots of home run passes. I would like to see crisper, simpler passing. But, honestly, I really don’t know the sets or plays, so I realize I am just guessing. It just seems like we are not using the talent and “IQ” of… Read more »
I am going to positive and say that our defense was energized and mobile. Our offsense was worse than the Mike Brown era, though. I don’t understand the lack movement down the stretch. I understand the process but does that mean that we need to forgoe our greatest asset to try and get better? I have no idea what our identity is right now an that’s unnerving. Really unnerving. Again, on the positive side, Kyrie ain’t gonna miss so many good looks in the future, but they gotta give Love a chance to impose his offensive will with way better… Read more »
What the heck, Cavs. They need to get rid of Waiters.
Was he the one that shot 8/21? Oh that was Lebron.
team wasn’t energized and then couldn’t hit any shots they had their chances to really get back in this game and couldn’t hit anything…i think waiters hit one shot all game…love was no show…lebron barely did anything…bench was useless and defense didn’t pick up until it was too late…maybe team figures it out…but if you are one to panic what are the short term solutions….make a major trade….does brewer solve everything…a big man in middle? not sure if that fully helps team….they need to learn to trust one another not go to one-on-one match ups all the time….stop dribbling for… Read more »
Cols, can you tell us if you’re still hopeful?
Washington is no threat. They got lucky. Cavs don’t need to worry about the other games.
Paul Pierce is old. Ray Allen will destroy him after the all star break.
All star break!! I called it!!
Gortat knocked it out of bounds. Why was it a jump ball. Its like they don’t know they could go to replay.
I don’t understand how from game to game they forget that you have to pass the ball to win in the NBA…They’ve had some games where they have great ball movement but then follow it up with games like this…What happens in between games that they revert back to iso ball and over-dribbling?
How does this team with these players have only 75 points with 3 minutes left in any game, not just this one. I understand the defensive issues but good lord, there is nothing happening on offense. Especially now that Andy is out of the game and the other guys don’t have him to bail them out.
I think they had some nice open 3’s that bounced out. If a good 3-4 of those fell its a close game. Turnovers are brutal. Plus I think that love looks a step off. Credit the Wizards for denying love the low block position though
So AC says it’s on now after lbj is hacked? Why wasn’t it on in 1st quarter when wall and beal were pumping their fists at cavs after the Wizards out played them and mocked the cavs turnovers? AC stumbles through his thoughts way too much and just BS’s too much.
all we hear is don’t panic—-it’s a process ——but I see NO PROGRESS——GEORGE WOULD YOUR LAST NAME BE KARL —IF SO YOU ARE HIRED !!!—- I TRULY WANT THEM TO FIGURE IT OUT AND BE THE TEAM THAT WE ALL THOUGHT —-BUT THERE IS SOME CONCERN CREEPING IN !!!—–DION I AM SORRY TO SAY BUT WALL / BEAL ARE CORRECT
Look at the body language on these players…it is like they are just going through the motions…a monkey can figure out how to get Kevin Love more involved in the offense…or teach Kyrie Irving how to be what he was drafted as…A effing point guard…can you believe that this coach used to play the same exact position???He runs Lebron way too much so by the time he needs him…he make those “little” mistakes that wins or loses games…he plays young players at the most important times of the games(it’s too early in the season to try those types of idiotic… Read more »
i wish dan gilbert had thought of you as coach….you know everything…I’m truly amazed….never heard of you but clearly you would have this team on winning path….what could have been….instead of posting about same thing on a blog you would be on sideline coaching the Cavs to victory!
Will someone please tell Varejao to stop taking jumpshots…
That’s just part of the problem…too many jump shots and to little ball movement and inside shots…who is running these plays???exactly my point…these players are not on the same page
I know it’s early in the season…these players have to get to know each other game better…things are so new to all of them…coaches included,but if I had to give David Blatt an early evaluation(which may be totally unfair)he’d get a resounding failing grade…he has not given these players enough for them to be exactly what they are…an average team of underachievers…even his players that are “Superstars” are all on a different page…for that I blame the “coach” and I use that word with much sarcasm…This guy just flat out can’t coach…he does not have these players mentally prepared to… Read more »
I think I’m watching a different game than Fred and AC.
Tonight this is a mike brown coached offense that is also for some reason 100% entirely Anderson Varajao focused with the occasional 3 point shot with 20 seconds to go on the clock.
Omg just as i posted that, the last 3 plays have all been run thru anderson. I love the guy he’s cutting, hes picking and rolling, he’s screening and taking WAY TOOK MANY JUMPERS on a team with a bunch of idiotic superstars who’ve apparently given up on this night.
Wonder if kyrie will tell LBJ to talk over this game in the 4th.
Kevin Love just having an awful game. Awful.
You know you are in a dark spot when you think, “Maybe its a GOOD thing we aren’t yet committed to Love for the long-term?”
I would like to announce that I will never argue Waiters is as good as Beal again.
check the Toronto vs bucks score ( Toronto being the team we face tomorrow night ) Toronto is up by 45 pts —-it is not going to get any easier for the cavs !!
wow —-hate to be a pessimist but the miller chiller days should be over( friend or no friend of LeBron’s ) go get some young athletic player who can give you decent bench minutes —–wash went on 10 -0 run at end of 1st qtr when we decided to go one on one and they decided to play team ball / again back to zero chemistry —1 step forward 5 steps in reverse —what did we have 13 t.o’s 1st half —not going to win too many games this way—the last time LeBron was in Cleveland what was the longest… Read more »
team is sleepwalking and showing no effort at all…wizards playing extremely hard and want to beat this team bad….see how 2nd half goes
Oy. This game is awful. Trade Kevin.
Post of the night!
They definitely need a rim protector. Seraphim beast-mode!
Well, this looks like it’s going south fast. Have a good night guys!
You’re gonna miss a great comeback. Especially when they sign ray allen at halftime and he rains 3’s down for 24 minutes in the second half. You know, because he’s a champion and knows how to win.
Seriously though, I think they show up in the 2nd half. They had that comeback on Boston last friday too right?
Absolutely ugly. Its like they went to the park and picked up a dozen guys and asked them if they wanted to come play in an nba game.
back to looking like they have zero chemistry again.
Meanwhile… ZERO points off of the bench for Cavs
An example of how the players look to Lebron- now Kyrie has clearly learned the lazy, no-look bounce pass to Varejao that results in turnovers. He’s done it twice in the last 90 seconds.
they don’t get any other action than that dumb play
Very predictable. Can’t imagine that’s what Blatt drew up. At least hoping that’s the case…
It’s actually a good play. Lebron just wants to do it with flair. He should watch Boris Diaw for pointers in how to make a crisp interior pass.
Sooo much dribbling. Don’t these guys practice passing? And why does it seem like Andy fumbles every PnR pass? Is it him or is he just consistently getting bad passes?
Guess now it’s the Kyrie ISO show. Smdh
SICK handle from Kyrie on that last shot
Bron with 10 shots. Rest of Cavs with 10 shots. 4 assists and 6 turnovers. Just not the way to win.
Jesus. What was that lineup? Mike Miller is DONE. Just a horrific sequence by him.
Agree. NO MORE MIKE CHILLER!!!
Nate is right. Cavs just don’t know how to finish quarters strong. Bad rotations. Bad ISO habits. Seemingly ZERO playcalling. Blatt needs to get on these guys about how to finish quarters.
TT ISO with 5 seconds on the clock is not a recipe for success…
Wow what an awful final minutes.
Waaaaay too much ISO from Bron
Gotta love Gortat’s mohawk. Just makes him look crazy
Beal looking to prove he’s one half of the best backcourt in NBA
Brendan Haywood sighting
Wall taking it right at Kyrie that time
Nice recovery on the Alley oop
Seems like a sloppy start to this game
WHAT WAS THAT?!?!?!?!
WHAT AN INSANE PLAY!
Will be watching to see if Wiz goes to Gortat early and often. And whether or not Cavs can stop him. Going to predict a close one with Cavs pulling it out 107-103.
Should be a scrappy game.
I’m going with Cavs 104-100. Predicting a big game for Beal.
Wizards are 7-3 but they’ve had a cupcake schedule so far.
I think LBJ is going to go off and get 32-12-8
Cavs have blown a ton of favorable transition opportunities this year