Not a Recap: Miami 120, Cleveland 92 (or, Why Can’t they Just Rest Everyone?)

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

In a game where Cleveland was missing four starters (J.R., Kevin, LeBron, and Kyrie) and Andrew Bogut (yet to join the team), the Heat put a hurt on the Cavs. After an early 18-10 Cleveland lead, Miami closed the gap to end the first 35 all. Then they clamped down the defense to limit the Cavs to a 16 point second quarter while burying a barrage of threes triggered by superior ball movement and unconscious shooting to post a 67-51 first half lead. It was all downhill from there.

The second half was worse as Cleveland only scored 41, and trailed by as many as 29. Between Hassan Whiteside at the basket and Miami’s three point barage, Cleveland couldn’t compete in terms of offensive execution or rebounding. The Heat outrebounded the Cavs 48-33 and had 15 offensive rebounds while Miami shot a blistering 18-34 from three, and for a while, we thought Cleveland’s 25 three pointers record might fall just a night later. The record book is still intact, though.

The Heat were lead by Goran Dragic and his 23 points and 5 assists on 9-12 shooting. Hassan Whiteside manned the middle for Miami, and Cleveland had absolutely no answer for him on the boards. Hassan looked like an adult playing against 5th graders for much of the night as he dropped 20 and Grabbed 13 boards. Off the bench, Tyler Johnson led the heat with 17 and a +24 in 26 minutes and was the recipient of a couple rough offensive fouls which started the chippiness which set this game spiraling.

Shumpert took a nasty elbow in the third from the Heat’s James Johnson. Shumpert chipped two teeth and caused the Miami PA announcer to have to call for for a dentist. Jones needed four stitches in his right arm. That wasn’t all. Miami’s Rodney McGruder upped the ante. After dunking on Frye, he slapped/pushed Channing in the back, which incensed J.R. Smith so much that he almost walked onto the court and had to be held back by security after the game ended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZYLaBYqG8c

As expected, Dion Waiters was right in the middle of the jawing.

For Cleveland, Deron Williams ran the show on offense with seven assists, but he is not the same player he was in his youth, and he has a hard time slowing anyone on defense, and he doesn’t explode to the hole anymore, he more gets there with wit and guile. Williams set up the Cavs shooters, and they finished 11-27 and 48% from the field. Korver and Frye finished with 21 and 15 points respectively and made eight of those threes. Frye, for a change, came off the bench with James Jones taking his spot in the starting lineup. The bench seemed to agree with him. But Miami slowed them down with well timed fouls and the ability to close down the first and second options on defense. Cleveland rarely had a third.

Defensively, it all came down to an inability to guard Whiteside and not closing out the three point line. I called for DeAndre Liggins to be freed from his floor exodus in the live thread. He struggled for portions of the game, especially offensively, and his minutes as the backup point guard seemed a bit overwhelming. But, he also led the team in rebounds (eight), and played better than Shumpert who was a team low -28 in 27 minutes.

Derrick Williams looked to provide a spark off the bench with 10 points and he got to the line and seemed like the Cavs’ only physical mismatch advantage, but I didn’t feel like Cleveland used him enough. His three turnovers didn’t help either.

Generally, the Cavs just seemed disorganized and overmatched without four starters, and the guys who did play didn’t really look like they wanted to be there. But with the fireworks between McGruder and J.R. and Shumpert and Jones Miami might regret not letting Cleveland fade quietly into the night. It should be a fun one Monday.