Recap: Pelicans 124, Cavs 122 (Or, the good times got rolled)

Using another team’s rebuilding blueprint in the NBA is like trying to make a roux for the first time with directions out of an old Betty Crocker book. Words can’t really describe the proper color you are aiming for. If it gives off a buttery popcorn or cocoa aroma you’re fine. If the roux starts to smell like coffee or burnt popcorn, it’s too late. A roux is composed of two ingredients (fat, flour), and three variables (heat, time, effort), and if any of them aren’t right, it’s time to throw it away, and start over.

The majority of us have been witnesses to a few reboots of the Cavaliers, and we’ll see another one again in five years or so. In a way, the Pelicans rebuilding process around Anthony Davis reminds me a lot of the Cavaliers initial attempt at constructing a roster around a teenage LeBron James.

Both teams hit the absolute jackpot landing a generational talent through lottery luck with the first pick of the draft. Both teams had an innate longterm fear that they had to expedite the franchise progression process by trading away draft picks to acquire veteran players. The fear wasn’t convincing their phenom to re-sign after his rookie deal was up, but making the franchise the place the he would want to be after his first opt out clause in his second contract, when he could be fully wooed by a better situation in a more cosmopolitan city.

The Pelicans traded away the draft rights to Nerlens Noel and a another first round draft pick that could have become Elfrid Payton, Zach Lavine, or T.J. Warren for the now injury riddled Jrue Holiday. As questionable as that deal looks in retrospect, at least they didnt burn a first rounder on Jeri fricking Welsch. As much as the Pelicans are struggling this season in the standings (17-27 entering last nights game), they should be commended for their bargain bin free agency acquisitions of Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas, and Dante Cunningham. All three have drastically below market contracts, and could be rotation players on a playoff team.

In a strange way, I want the Pelicans to be succeed if for no other reason than I like the idea of New Orleans. I love their ridiculous minor league baseball nickname. It’s sounds silly initially, but after a few YouTube videos of pelicans attacking, you realize that the pelican truly is the most awkward and ballsy bird of prey. I want to go there so badly for creole cuisine. It’s Americas first true fusion food, blending French, Native American and African cooking styles all into one symphony of savory. Mostly though, I want to go there because I stereotype everyone there talking like Foghorn Leghorn, and telling me fables to beware about Rougarous living in the bog.

First Quarter

With Pelicans star Anthony Davis being a pregame scratch, you’d assume the Cavaliers would have been able to wrap this one up early and rest the starters for the fourth quarter after playing bully ball for three quarters.  From the opening tip, we knew that wasn’t going to be the case. Former Rocket Terrence Jones is averaging 18 per game while starting this season, and he got off to a fast start on the first score of the game with a left handed push shot off the backboard from a Jrue Holiday dime.

Just over 4 minutes in, the Cavs are down 16-7. Oh, and Anthony Davis isn't playing.

— Cavs:TheBlog (@CavsTheTweets) January 24, 2017

On the other end of the floor Kevin Love cleaned up an Iman Shumpert misfire to score the Cavs’ first pair. The Cavs early lethargy on defense made me assume that they enjoyed too many beignets at breakfast. Multiple times in the early going they failed to close out on shooters, and quickly found themselves down 16-7 four minutes into the game.

The Cavs mounted mid-quarter a rally and made it a one possession game behind deep balls by Shumpert and Irving, followed by a pair of free throws by Love. Irving then promptly got stuck on a lower box cross screen and E’Twaun Moore delivered an uncontested reverse layup. The Pelicans rebuilt the levy of their lead by Jones scoring on back-to-back possessions with LeBron on him. That lapse in Cavs defense was followed by a Holiday triple over a complacent Irving, which forced a Ty Lue timeout.

Jones had a career quarter in the opening stanza of 17 points and four boards. The Cavs caught a break at in the waning seconds of the quarter as Kevin Love drew a foul on a put back attempt with time expiring to cut the deficit to 35-26.

Second Quarter

The second quarter was a continuation of the first as a former Rocket torched the Cavs from downtown, this time with a triple from recent scratch and dent addition Dontas Motiejunas. There are schedule losses in the NBA, and this wasn’t one of them.

Midway through the quarter the Pelicans’ lead swelled to 17. In retrospect, the possession that woke LeBron out of his chill mode was being hip checked by Motiejunas. LeBron then emphatically gathered a Love misfire from the corner and cut the deficit to 15 with a two-handed jam. On the following Cavs possession, Kyrie drilled a three from the corner. On the opposite end of the court, an engaged James physically defended Motiejunas in the paint and altered the Lithuanian’s shot to the point it barely grazed the rim, and bobbled out of bounds.

The Pelicans retorted back with a pair of threes from Jones and Holiday. Even on the Pelicans’ misfires, the Cavs failed to box out and the Pelicans lead engorged to 22 points. The Cavs just couldn’t string together solid possessions. After a should have been momentum shifting drive and dunk by LeBron, they failed to box out on the other end of the court and gave up a bunny putback to Jared Cunningham.

After a late Langston Galloway foul with just 1.3 seconds remaining, the Cavs did execute a stellar inbounds play, as LeBron threw a crosscourt pass to Love underneath the hoop for a reverse layup. Overall, though, it was a pathetic effort by the Cavs as they trailed the Pelicans 70-50 at halftime.

Third Quarter

I’d like to think that assistant coach Phil Handy gave the team a lesson through profanity at halftime about their effort during the first half. I dig that this lull in the season might finally be the championship hangover kicking in months after we anticipated.  There’s no excuse to give up 70 to a Pelicans team without Davis. Whatever transpired at halftime, it worked. The team played with purpose for the first time in 24 minutes, and it quickly showed on the scoreboard.

Through the Cavs’ comeback, Jones continued to produce for New Orleans. He established a season-high of 27 with eight minutes remaining in the third. He’s always been a talented player, but LeBron’s and Tristian’s apathy on the defensive end tonight really helped him shine.

Kyrie got some pop (soda to anyone who isn’t from the Rust Belt), on his shoes along the sideline, and swapped his kicks out for a retina burning pure white pair a moment later. He went on to score 16 points in the remaining five minutes of the quarter. Maybe we should pack those kicks away for June.

Love then connected with LeBron on a touchdown pass that LBJ converted by contorting his body midair to avoid his defender, and went up and the under for the layup cutting the deficit to 13. A moment later, Kyrie sized up Holiday on the wing, and beat him off the dribble and was hammered by Soloman Hill, and still converted the the shot and the freebie. On the next Cavs possession Kyrie stepped into a three from the top of the key before the defense could close to cut the DIF to just nine.

A minute later, Love passed up an open three at the top of the corner, perhaps in acceptance that his shot just isn’t there, and performed a dribble hand off to Shump, and sealed E’Twaun Moore through the process allowing Shump to bury the uncontested 25-foot triple. One of the things I really appreciate about Love is his headiness and acceptance for when it’s there and when it’s not. He struggled from downtown tonight, but still manufactured offense for himself through drawing fouls and hitting seven of his eight trips to the line.

On a broken play Kyrie scrambled for the ball and drew a foul by Tyreke Evans. With the Pelicans in the penalty he earned a trip to the line and coverted on one of them. Off of an Evans misfire, Deandre Liggins snared the board and Kyrie broke down the Pelicans defense for an up and under to cut the Cavs deficit to eight.

Fourth Quarter

The Pelicans struck back scoring nine unanswered points within the first two minutes of the fourth, stretching the lead back to 17, and prompting Lue to call a time out to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

RJ throwing it down on @FOXSportsOH.#CavsPelicans https://t.co/9DS97u6REq

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 24, 2017

After regrouping, Richard Jefferson answered with a three from the corner. On the following Cavs possession, LeBron led the break and hit Jefferson with a bounce pass for a transition jam. While Jefferson is best served as a ten minute player off the bench at this point in his career, his sporadic athleticism for guy a few months away from turning 37 is bananas.

Bron once again drew Montiejunas off of a switch, and sized him up at the top of the key. With his defender playing the drive LeBron converted from downtown. A moment later, Kyrie stole the ball from Holiday and then converted through uncalled contact for a pair. A beautiful touch pass from Love to Korver in the corner made it an eight point game. Irving dropped a pair of threes to cut the game to six with just four minutes left.

Play of the Night: @TerrenceJones1's block on LeBron! #Pelicans https://t.co/rfjYBqZumY

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 24, 2017

Terrence Jones was a menace on the defensive end of the floor as didn’t fall for Kyrie’s Houdini act on a drive, swatting the ball out of bounds. On the following Cavs possession, Jones ascended on a LeBron on a dunk attempt and rejected him at the rim. Note to myself, and anyone else who plays Daily Fantasy, if Anthony Davis sits a game out, Terrence Jones is an absolute must play.

The Pelicans’ defense lost LeBron on the inbounds and he was uncontested on a layup. On the following Cavs possession, Irving drew a foul on Holiday from downtown, and converted on all three freebies making it a one possession game with under two minutes remaining. For as depressing as watching most of this game was, they really did fight back and make it a compelling finish.

A loose ball double foul by Jefferson and Langston Galloway led to a jump ball between LeBron and Jones. The tip initially went to Korver, but he couldn’t control it. Love then pulled down a one-handed rebound off of a Holiday misfire. On the opposite end of the court, LeBron lost control of the ball on a high dribble drive. Kevin Love finally found his deep ball on the Cavs last possession of the game as he drilled a corner three with two seconds remaining, but it was too little, too late as the Cavs fell to the Davis-less Pelicans 124-122.

BOO

I counted at least four times that LeBron simply decided not to play defense for a whole possession. He can't call out anyone.

— HoopsDogg (@oldseaminer) January 24, 2017

The team responds to LeBron’s energy. That’s the burden of being the leader.  While a casual glance at the USA Today box score will make you think he gave it everything he had with his triple-double, he had a game high six turnovers, and this was legitimately one of his worst defensive performances I can recall from him. For the greater majority of the night, he wasn’t engaged on the effort end of the court. Terrence Jones is a moderately skilled player, but he doesn’t have a career night without LeBron letting him. After the game James spewed alternative facts as to why the Cavs didn’t win, basically calling out the performance of the bench and his own minute total. Both of which hold a level of validity because James posted a minus 11 plus/minus in 44 minutes of action. They were better with him off of the court.

Kevin Love’s back has to still be bothering him. After returning from his sabbatical, he’s shot 4-16 from downtown. He was more effective last night than he was against the Spurs, and manufactured trips to the free throw line to produce offense.

The rotations are an absolute mess and the bench combinations gave them nothing.

YAY

Kyrie had one of the best offensive games of his career. He put up 49 on 28 shots to go with four dimes and no turnovers. If he doesn’t go bananas, this is a 20 point blow out on the road to a team 10 games under .500.

https://twitter.com/OnlyTheNBA/status/823754484451016704

Tonight was a great night for former Cav Dion Waiters aka Saint Weirdo as he lit up the Warriors for 33-5-4, including the game clinching three from the top of the key over Klay Thompson. Depending on Miami’s tanking objectives, I’d be very receptive to them gift wrapping him back to the Cavs. We’ve kicked around possible additions as another reserve playmaker, and Waiters would be better than anything off of the scrap heap. Not that the Cavs really have anything to offer for him.

Not that I’m celebrating this loss, but perhaps it’s just following their script of the past two seasons. Maybe they are just following their own cycle, and they need to a sense of hostility to rebel against. Either way, I’m not taking too much from it. If they would have decided to bring it for three quarters it would have been a win. They didn’t.