Recap: Cavaliers 111, Bucks 108 (or, The Paper Whisperer)
2014-12-03
The Cavs played a tough game against the Bucks last night and went to bed feeling lucky. They somehow pulled out a victory after giving up 19 turnovers for 21 points during their trot with the Deer. Kevin Love owned the first quarter scoring 17 points, but it was LeBron James’ ten assists and Kyrie Irving’s 28 points on 10-15 shooting that allowed the team to grab this win. The Bucks were led by Brandon Knight who did a great job of getting into the paint to grab 27 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in 37 minutes. Jabari Parker played a crucial role too scoring 22 points on 11-15 heaves. Time to examine how the Bucks gave this game away.
First Quarter: The game opened in familiar fashion with Love getting a touch on the left side. He didn’t convert it though. The first few minutes were very sloppy, and no team could finish. The first actual basket came off of a Giannis Antetokounmpo dunk two minutes in. Fortunately, that didn’t set the tone for the quarter. The Cavs drove to the hoop early in the shot clock, passed efficiently to get Love 17 points, and played reasonable defense to hold the Bucks to 40.7% shooting. The Bucks couldn’t buy a shot, but Larry Sanders bought Irving’s handles on one play against Anderson Varejao and shattered all of Brazil’s pride with some dribbling. The Cavs ended the quarter up, 30-23.
Second Quarter: The Cavs changed their game plan and weren’t pushing the tempo as much; there was lots of ball movement that didn’t result in anything pretty. Andy opened up the quarter trying to write a novel about the lost art of the short mid-range jumper. He took three of them, but only made one while the Bucks knocked two threes down to start a 17-8 run lasting until the six minute mark. After that, Jabari Parker went on a jog scoring eight straight points for the Deer on a combination of dunks and layups sponsored by poor defensive rotations. The Cavs managed to turn it over six times during the quarter, but a King sized And-1 and a Love tip in with no time left had them down by just two at the half, 54-52.
Third Quarter: Love, once again, got the first shot of the action and missed it. The Cavs tried to iso-ball their way to dominance early on as LBJ and Kyrie both made step back jumpers, but that plan didn’t slow the Bucks. Knight hit two three pointers to pull the Bucks during a 16-4 run that included two dunks and an and-1. The defensive switches could be labeled terrible, but that’s too generous since no rotating was even being done. The King’s Men even added to the effectiveness of the Bucks by turning it over five times in two minutes at one point. The out of town folks were up by as much as eleven.
Mike Miller came in during the last 30 seconds of this run and promptly earned a new title, The Paper Whisperer. Right after the half, Cavs assistant coach Jim Boylan told Allie Clifton the Cavs were a Paper Tiger, since the league isn’t afraid of them yet. The good old Miller changed that; he injected a hardening solution into the Paper Tiger when he canned a three in transition that set the team off. It was his first shot/playing time in three games I must add. Kyrie then strolled down the court to grab an and-1. Then LeBron got sent to the line and Kyrie followed that up with another two points. The Cavs scored 9 points in less than a minute, and they went on to finish the quarter tied with the Bucks at 79.
Fourth Quarter: The Bucks turned it over on three of their last five possessions in the third quarter and three of their first seven possessions in the fourth quarter, so that kept the score tight. The Cavs tried to move the ball more instead of pushing the tempo, but it didn’t work out. There was way too much dribbling early on. This stopped after a bit and LeBron and Kyrie started to do individual work, while the Bucks passed it around to get easy shots. The game’s momentum fell into the Cavs lap when the Paper Whisperer met the Greek Freak at the rim for a block at the 4:26 mark. Here’s the proof. The team landed on the same page after reacting to the rejection. Shortly after that, the Cavs sealed the game when James found Tristan Thompson for an alley-oop and an easy layup that made Sanders get called for a technical foul rooted in frustration. The Good Guys sank the technical shot with 1:44 left and went up big, 103-95. The Bucks couldn’t get within two again and fouled the rest of the way. LeBron clutched it up to make 8-10 freebies in the final minute.
Thoughts:
1. The turnover flu found the team again. The Wine & Gold turned it over 19 times this game. That’s not a recipe for success.
2. Kyrie played wonderful defense when navigating pick and rolls. Brandon Knight found himself in the lane a ton, but he’s a crafty dribbler and has a great first step that makes him tough to cover.
3. Speaking of first steps, the Greek Freak has a huge one. He can just move at a moderate pace and cut to the rim with ease because his first step seems to be a foot longer than any other players’ on the floor. He has all of the length!
4. Kevin Love is just not rotating at all on defense now. He stood still on the floor several times when it came time for him to recover to his screening man. He also has a new move to contribute to his defensive ineffectiveness. He will over help and act like his arms are stuck at his waist.
5. The Bucks kept getting frisky on the offensive boards. They would tip the ball away or really make the Cavs fight for it. This often resulted in easy shots for the Bucks, since the Cavs wouldn’t close out on shooters in favor of boxing out. This was a poor strategy.
6. All of the help defense tonight was too much at times, and that also gave the Bucks easy shots when they could find the man whose defender was trying to burn a hole into the paint.
7. The Cavs only made six of 21 threes. Love made three of those in the first quarter. Someone on the team needs to step up and hit some shots soon because three point shooting is becoming a major issue.
8. The King chucked it tonight. He was 6-15. He did get to the free throw line 21 times, but only made 14 of them. He was off. At times, he looked angry and seemed to be done trying to get the Cavs back in the game. Kyrie, on the other hand, seemed to be focused the whole game and didn’t show any signs of bad body language.
LBJ didn’t want to pass it to Kyrie in the third and fourth quarters. Was Kyrie’s positivity why?
LeBron also just watched a ton of possessions from the basketball court. I understand he is examining what’s going on, but he has to be a player coach, not just a coach. That doesn’t work well if you have a man to guard or a play to run.
9. Is it just me or does the Cavs offense look a lot better when it runs pick and rolls or whips a pass to an open shooter or cutter early in the shot clock? When the Cavs pass it around, it looks ineffective. A shot doesn’t seem to show up and then a desperation heave results. David Blatt also needs to train the team to take a corner shot as soon as the ball is passed there. Otherwise, teams will trap the heck out of you if you hesitate. That happened a few times tonight. You also can’t drop a pass coming to you in the corner like Shawn Marion does. You get jumped on for that too.
10. Poor Dion Waiters had just one assist and no points on one shot tonight. He looked like he was trying really hard to play team ball, since he passed it whenever he got it or would drive to the middle and kick it out. He looked miserable and ineffective playing this style. Blatt needs to give Waiters full control of the second unit and unleash the beast already.
11. At times, this game felt like the Cavs were down by twenty, but it was never really that out of hand. It was very sloppy, and the offense looked so ineffective for long stretches that it made the Bucks defense look really stifling. The Deer will be good in the next few years, but for now they are going to rely on playing hard and catching teams on their off nights. That will still get them a ton of wins though. The Cavs fought back and really earned a game they didn’t deserve. That’s a good sign for any team looking to win a title.
12. Mike Miller won the game. His one assist and lone block came at times the Cavs were struggling. Both of his threes were momentum changers too. Hopefully, the Paper Whisperer shows up in more games.
Does anyone else think grabbing Sanders and Marshall (very pass-happy PG) would be a great trade for Haywood, Waiters and Memphis 1st? We would get a pass-friendly option on the second unit, along with a strong interior defender who only needs 6-8 shots a game to be effective as a main catalyst for the starters? First lineup: Irving, Miller, LeBron, Love and Sanders. Bench/2nd Unit: Marshall, Delly/Harris, Jones/Marion, Thompson and Andy as our 2nd rotation? First rotation would shore up the interior defense with Sanders, without dropping offensive production. He can also run like the wind which would help the… Read more »
Sanders would be a cancer on a “fragile” team. Nate has said this before but Haywood’s “sweet” kicker doesn’t happen until after the season. I’d also wait on the Memphis pick, right now it is in the absolute depths of its value with Memphis in 1st place overall.
EvilGenius
Games played does not equal age in the NBA. Players suck as they get older not because of the number of games, but because as you get older your body can’t do the things it used to do.
It has nothing to do with the amount of games. Lebron isn’t a old player because he played a lot of games. He’s 30 years old. He will be fine.
A body is not like a car where you only have so many miles on an engine.
Everyone starts to lose athelticism as they near 40. But number of games played has nothing to do with it.
If number of games has nothing to do with it, minutes played per game would have less to do with it. These guys should just suck it up and play 48 minutes every night. Minutes played definitely does not equal age in the NBA. You need to quit panicking about how old your car is because its not like a human body and wear and tear on an engine has nothing to do with minutes you drive a car on your way to work each day before you turn 30. (I really hope that last part made sense to you… Read more »
Obviously, you’ve never played sports Cols. Wear and tear on a body is absolutely relevant. But keep telling yourself otherwise if it makes you feel better.
It’s relevant as far as injuries go. You may get injured because you are playing so much. But playing more games doesn’t prematurely age your body so that you are less explosive. Biology and time ages your body, not games played.
Wear and tear from games played affects the knees, the back, the ankles. Pretty much everything you need for explosiveness.
But don’t take my word for it. Look at LBJ’s quotes for reference. He’s already publicly said he’d like to play less games and less minutes. I bet if you asked him, he’d agree with me.
But on a car, wear and tear affects the brakes and lights and motor. And if you drive it daily, the mileage adds up and it can only go so far before it breaks down. That why if you drive it 100,000 miles in one year or over 10 years, it will break down. A human body can play 365 game in one year and it won’t cause wear and tear or affect them at all. A player will be as explosive in game 365 as they will be in game 1. A cyborg on the other hand will wear… Read more »
You are of course right. LBJ > cyborg. I surrender. Well played Rick. LOL
Lebron is clearly aging but those getting worried about because of the Cavs play of late should relax. Like David (Wood) said some of it is Lebron trying to help the club or analyze what is going on. When he “decides” to assert himself he is usually able to take over. But he’s smart enough to know he can’t do it every night 40+ minutes a night through a playoff series like he did in Cleveland in the past. At least Dion is trying to play team ball. I think if he sticks with it, it will eventually pan out.… Read more »
If that were true, Cols….then in the NFL, why do running backs declne in their late 20s, while linemen can remain elite until their mid-30s? You are ignoring reality. To quote Indiana Jones, “It’s not the age, baby….it’s the mileage”. Look all over the NBA….players who came straight out of high school to play heavy NBA minutes burn out before players who went to college. Kevin Garnett peaked statistically at age 30, in 2007; he hasn’t averaged 20 points or 10 rebounds since. Kobe Bryant hasn’t played a full season in five years (age 32). Jermaine O’Neal has been declining… Read more »
“David: Is it just me or does the Cavs offense look a lot better when it runs pick and rolls or whips a pass to an open shooter or cutter early in the shot clock? When the Cavs pass it around, it looks ineffective. A shot doesn’t seem to show up and then a desperation heave results. David Blatt also needs to train the team to take a corner shot as soon as the ball is passed there.” Yes and yes. Me too. Both teams slopped around; it was ugly. Still, finished ’em off too. Mr. Love is an enigma… Read more »
This was a decent grind it out kind of win. Count me among those who is not yet a believer in the Bucks though. I think the combination of additions of Kidd (a good coach with something to prove to the rest of the league after the debacle in Brooklyn) and Parker (arguably the runaway ROY winner) with a relatively weak schedule to start the season, has resulted in the Bucks being able to surprise some people. They’re a decent young team with a lot of length and athleticism and hustle. Maybe they scrap their way to an 8th seed… Read more »
The offense really looks better when they take the first good shot they get instead of trying to emulate the Heat and get a great shot by passing a ton. When they pass too much they end up screwing up more often than not.
The bench could use Ray Allen.
They could also use Dr. J, Bill Russell, Scottie Pippen and a whole slew of over the hill, has been superstars. Now wouldn’t that make up one heck of a bench! And we get that rim protector we crave. But you know, just because a player was good once doesnt make it a good idea, especially if all he is now is a one trick pony, in a role that we already have filled with 3 other one trick ponies.
And saying it over and over again on this site will never magically make it a good idea.
Oh noes. That post I just made probably makes me another panicked fan who doesnt understand that Ray Allen will fix everything and put this team on their god given path to total domination. His defense and shot blocking skills are everything this team could use, all rolled up in one 40 year old player.
Lucky for us, hes resting now so he can be ready to put all those skills to use in 4 months.
The day Cols panics will be the day Ray Allen retires
Nah. But we could definitely use him for the bench.
Thought the refs really bailed us out as well. Lbj got a couple star calls, sanders stuffed Marion at the rim but was whistled, and ilyasova should have got the charge call when lebron bulldozed him.
Milwaukee may be the most athletic team we have seen yet.
When is the real lebron coming back?
As always thanks to CTB for great coverage!
This is the real LeBron. He’s 12 years in and weeks away from being 30. He spent the summer losing weight in an effort to extend his playing career by being lighter on his knees and back. Unfortunately, it looks like he spent virtually zero time this summer working on his game to adjust to his new body type. So weirdly, even though he’s in better shape health wise, he’s not truly in basketball shape. People thought he might be injured earlier in the year, and he very well might still be bothered by the bad back. But he’s shown… Read more »
Leb isn’t that old. He will be fine. You will see the chase down block. You will see some of his best basketball. Please stop pretending he’s an over the hill guy. 30 is not that old for a basketball player with no real injuries in his past.
Where did I say he was over the hill? Honestly Cols, you have zero objectivity when it comes to this team. I believe I referenced the fact that LBJ was EC POW. Every player deals with age and wear and tear. They change their game to fit their skill level as they get older. Even Jordan did that. He’ll still be a 27-7-7 guy for a few years to come. He just won’t be the force of nature he was in his 20s. This is not a bad thing because what he may lose in athletic ability, he will gain… Read more »
Sweet. My point is that you are acting like Leb is an old player when he isn’t. Worrying about Leb is dumb. He’s still great and will still be great.
There you go again, mis-using words like “panic” and “worry.” I don’t worry about LeBron. I worry about things like my kids’ safety, health care, global economics. I don’t worry about basketball players. The simple fact is that, while LBJ is not old, he IS an old-er player. Sometimes people forget he’s been in the league since he was 18. That’s 12 years. Plus the fact that he’s played enough playoff games to equal another two and a half years of games. So roughly 14 seasons of wear and tear. Mike Miller has 14 years in. Shawn Marion has 15.… Read more »