Recap: Cavs 114, Hornets 103 (or, the new guy is pretty good)

The Cleveland Cavaliers returned to action last night to take on the  Charlotte Hornets in a game that may have meant a bit more than one might realize at first glance. Not only would a win against Michael Jordan’s team get the Cavaliers on the winning path after a rough loss to the Detroit Pistons, it would also avenge a February loss that was LeBron James’ first to the Hornets in his last 22 games against them. Both the Cavaliers and the Hornets were without their top perimeter defenders in Iman Shumpert and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, respectively, and were trying to work new pieces into their rotation, but one had LeBron James and Kyrie Irving and the other did not.

First Quarter

The offense started slowly for both teams, and the Cavaliers had three early turnovers, mirroring their troubles Monday night against the Pistons. The Cavs then ran out to an early 12-4 lead behind some aggressive play from LeBron James, including a pair of threes. The Cavaliers also had five assists on their first six baskets. The Hornets then came back with an 18-5 run, and the ball began to stick a bit for the Cavs. Frank Kaminksy had eight quick points off the bench as the Hornets took a five-point lead. Kyrie Irving then went into attack mode with two quick baskets to cut the Hornets’ lead to 24-23 at the end of the quarter. James had 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in the quarter, and it was obvious that he and Irving could score whenever they wanted.

Second Quarter

The Cavaliers started the quarter with a lineup of Matthew Dellavedova, Irving, Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye, and Timofey Mozgov, and it worked out well. Frye immediately fouled Frank Kaminsky, but quickly redeemed himself with a three to tie the game. This group moved the ball well in the half court and Irving continued to attack in transition as the Cavaliers quickly took a five-point lead. Frye did a great job moving without the ball, and had five of the team’s eight points during this run. Jeremy Lin continued to get to the basket and the line to keep the score close, until back-to-back threes by J.R. Smith and Dellavedova pushed the Cavaliers’ lead to eleven. Smith’s three was the first of four straight shots he hit with at least a hand in his face, and the Cavaliers began to actively look for him. The Hornets continued to get to the line, but the Cavs did a great job of moving the ball and attacking in transition, and pushed the lead to fourteen. The Hornets didn’t let up, but they didn’t really close the gap either, and the Cavaliers led 63-52 at the half. James had 15 points on just four shots, but was just 3-of-6 from the line, Irving and Smith combined for 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting, and Thompson had nine rebounds.

Third Quarter

The Cavs were a bit sluggish on both ends of the floor, and the Hornets were able to cut the lead to seven. The lone exception was Kyrie Irving, who continued to attack the basket. Unfortunately even that was in isolation, and the teams essentially traded buckets for most of the quarter. The Cavaliers missed a few bunnies at the rim, but were able to get some steals and get out in transition as the lead essentially fluctuated between seven and thirteen. The Cavaliers wound up outscoring the Hornets by one for the quarter, and led 88-76 heading into the final frame.

Fourth Quarter

The fourth quarter quickly became the Channing Frye show as the newest Cavalier hit three long bombs from deep to help push his new team’s lead to 20 as part of a 13-5 run in the first three minutes of the quarter. The threes continued to rain down as Delly and Jefferson made a pair after a Kyrie Irving bucket. From there it was all a formality. As is typical for the Cavs, the Hornets cut the lead a bit during garbage time, but the Cavaliers prevailed 114-103. The biggest highlight of this quarter was LeBron James not having to play, keeping him to just 30 minutes for the game.

Some Things I’ve Noticed

Here’s some highly advanced statistics for you. When James and Irving combine for 46 points, 12 assists and 13 rebounds while two other Cavaliers score in the teens, the team has an excellent chance at winning.

Kemba Walker had 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, but it didn’t seem to have much of an impact. Maybe that’s because he was also getting torched by Kyrie Irving on the other end.

Rough game for Kevin Love. Love had just eight points and two rebounds, but did have a pair of steals and did a nice job on the defensive end. It’s good to see that he didn’t let his down night affect him on that end of the floor.

Channing Frye was excellent tonight, with 15 points and six rebounds in just 18 minutes tonight. He was only +2 for the game, but that stat was warped somewhat by Frye playing alongside Mo Williams and others in garbage time at the end of the game. So far, the Cavaliers are using him as a power forward alongside Timofey Mozgov. While some would argue that Frye is better off as a stretch five due to both his defense and the way the Golden State Warriors play, there’s a good chance that the Cavaliers will be better with Frye playing the four alongside Mozgov than the five alongside Jefferson because of Mozgov’s rim protection versus Jefferson’s inconsistent perimeter defense. If they need to play Jefferson instead of Mozgov in certain matchups they will, but with the rest of the league going small to add shooting, it’s interesting to see the Cavaliers add shooting while getting bigger.

The Cavs continued to struggle to stop the opposition, allowing the Hornets to shoot 48.7% from the field. They were able to rack up 11 steals due to their aggressiveness, but they need to find the balance between trying to generate turnovers so they can get out in transition and staying in front of their opponents to contest shots.

On a final note, the Golden State Warriors are 3-1 since the All-Star break. They’ve been the best team in the league all season, and they have an excellent chance of surpassing the 1996 Chicago Bulls’ record 72 wins. That being said, I don’t believe they’re invincible. They were blown out by the Portland Trailblazers in their first game after the break, blew big leads to the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks, and trailed the Chris Bosh-less Miami Heat until the final minute of last night’s game. They do have some kinks in their armor, and teams like the Cavaliers, Spurs, and Thunder have a chance against them if they execute at an extremely high level. There’s no doubt that the Warriors are the favorites to win the title, and they should be, but part of the beauty of sports is that the unexpected can always happen.