Not a Recap: Cleveland 121, Hornets 109(Or, Fireworks Early, Victory Cigar Late)

LeBron James played his first game as a 32 year-old like a man with a personal vendetta against Father Time. James had a noticeable hop in his step, springing around the perimeter and rifling cross-court passes from the sky. With Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith out of the lineup due to injury, King James also took it upon himself to score early and often from deep. Everyone should know by now that LeBron is good shooter from the left-wing extended. Evidently, the Hornets didn’t read what should be capitalized in every scouting report. Instead, he rained down four early game threes from his favorite spot without much contention. LeBron’s 17 first quarter points set the pace for the shorthanded ball-club.

Meanwhile, Kevin Love continued to cook from various spots on the floor. Kev never got red hot, but he certainly provided enough firepower to compliment LeBron’s early scoring barrage. What was more surprising was Jordan McRae’s accuracy from the floor. The inconsistent guard did his best to quiet his many doubters by hitting eight of his 12 shots from the field. His defense wasn’t particularly strong, but he held up enough to be a positive contributor for a team desperate for bodies.

Similarly, Kay Felder lit up the nets drilling five of six shots after hurling his small frame into defenders. Maybe the quick stint in the D-league returned Felder’s confidence level to “un-frickin-conscious”. Whatever the reason, the mighty point guard hit a pair of threes, finished a ridiculous reverse layup, and hit his standard pull-up J from 18 to give him 13 points in 19 minutes.

DeAndre Liggins didn’t have quite as much fun as his other young teammates. Liggins was the primary guy tasked with trying to stop Kemba Walker. It didn’t go so well. Walker tore up the Cavs with 37 points on only 22 shots in an effort to make it a ballgame. Every time, the Cavs would push their comfortable 10-plus point lead to almost 20, Walker would drop a quick flurry of layups and rainbows to bring the Hornets back into the game. It wasn’t all Liggins fault. Shumpert and Felder also had trouble staying in Kemba’s pocket, frequently putting the dynamic point guard on the line.

It didn’t really matter. The Cavs have a 32 year-old superhuman who responded to every challenge that Walker could throw at them. When LeBron went a little cold, Tristan Thompson picked up the offensive slack with a few feathery finishes from both sides of this body(copyright: Austin Carr). The Cavs were in control the whole time, seemingly relaxed in their dominance. Even James Jones got a little run at the end. It wasn’t a bad way to spend New Year’s Eve.

2016 was arguably the best year in Cleveland sports history. Here’s hoping 2017 brings equal success to the city’s sports teams, but more importantly health to all its fans. Happy New Year, everyone.