Recap: Cavs 128, Pistons 96 (or, Walkin’ On Sunshine…)

And don’t it feel good? I mean, who cares if there’s a bunch of snow on the ground or the weather outside is frightful (okay, easy for me to say since it was 87 and sunny in Los Angeles today)… but, when the Cavaliers are shooting it hotter than the Fourth of July, it’s always sunny in Cleveland. The Cavs absolutely scorched the twine on their way to walking all over the Detroit Pistons… so much so that leading scorer, Kyrie Irving, might have even melted the bottoms of his new iridescent Kyrie 3s. And, he wasn’t alone. There was nary a sub-par shooting night to be found, as every Cavs rotation player made at least 50% of their attempts. Even newest Cav, Larry Sanders, got to feel good when he unexpectedly made his debut with two minutes left, and was met with a standing ovation from the Cavalier faithful.

In honor of the Cavs’ second to last Hardwood Classics Night of the season (there’s one more on March 31st against the Sixers), I went with an 80s throwback music theme to tell the story.

All Night Long

The unbelievable shooting started early and lasted quite literally all night long for the Cavs. After trading buckets with the Pistons in the first few minutes, Richard Jefferson picked up where he left off in the first half against the Rockets on Sunday, and bounced in a friendly-iron three. That good fortune kicked off a three point fiesta, as the Cavs hit all seven they took in the period. Overall, they almost couldn’t miss, dancing their way to 17-20 (85%) in the first quarter alone. The Pistons, behind some hot shooting from Tobias Harris, tried to keep up, but found themselves down by 18 after one, 44-26. It wasn’t the highest scoring first quarter this year for the Cavs (46 against Portland in November), but it was the most efficient.

The party continued into the second, as the Cavs’ shooting barrage reached near record levels. They wound up making their first 10 threes of the game, and at one point were 23-26 from the floor (a mind-boggling 88%). A LeBron miss finally snapped Cleveland’s three point streak, but he atoned for it by abusing the Pistons at the rack and dishing out copious dimes. LBJ almost had a triple double by halftime, and did ultimately achieve one just 24 minutes into his 28 of work. Try as they might, Detroit just couldn’t mount any sort of run as the Cavs hounded them, took away driving lanes and forced them into rushed shots on the wings. When they did get the lead down to just 20, Iman Shumpert caught fire from the right mid-range wing. Then, a resurgent J.R. swished what was effectively the dagger just before the half from about 26 feet, putting the Cavs up 74-48 at the break.

The Cavs had no chill in the third quarter, as they racked up an identical 30-22 frame on the shell-shocked Pistons. Shots continued to rain down like confetti as Cleveland pushed the lead out to as much as 33 points. The highlight was this one-legged step-back three while falling out of bounds by Uncle Drew…

Kyrie Irving, my goodness! pic.twitter.com/0VQmOf6Xi8

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 15, 2017

LeBron, Kyrie and Tristan Thompson played the entire quarter, and the other starters (RJ & Shump) played all but the last 2-3 minutes, as Ty Lue decided to choke any remaining life out of Detroit. The plan worked, and as a result, all of the starters (save Shump) got the entire fourth quarter off.

The DWilliamses, Shump, J.R. and Channing Frye then made sure that an entire quarter of garbage time looked like anything but. The once relatively thin Cavalier bench (still missing Kyle Korver mind you) looked positively robust, as almost everything this bunch tossed up found its way through the hoop. They played the Piston reserves to essentially a draw, preserving the massive cushion provided by the starters. Thanks to this, Coach Lue was able to pleasantly surprise the sold out crowd with a Late Show with Larry Sanders. Yes, after more than two years away from an NBA court, Sanders arrived to play the final 1:58 following a rousing standing ovation. Though he missed his only shot, and had two fouls, he still managed to last a minute longer than Andrew Bogut did in his Cavs debut. He also became the first of the new additions this year to get a win in his first game as a Cav, as Cleveland rocked the Kasbah on Detroit by 32.

Abracadabra

After an off-night on both sides of the ball in his last game against the Rockets, Kyrie was back to being his magical self. Some of the sleight of hand he was able to pull with the basketball in his hands was truly mystifying. Even though he wasn’t quite able to get this transition layup to fall, the spin move he pulled on Reggie Jackson at midcourt looked like something out of a video game…

Don't try this at home 😳 #KyrieThings pic.twitter.com/8Nykk5faWt

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 15, 2017

Don’t try this at home indeed! But Uncle Drew didn’t miss much else, getting 9-14 buckets, including a perfect 4-4 from downtown (and the ridiculous one above) for a game high 26 points. He also notched six assists against just two turnovers, and was a big part of the magical ball movement the Cavs had going (29 assists total for the team on the night). Maybe most importantly, however, was his constant pushing of the pace when the ball was in his hands.

Whip It

Another night, another triple double for The King. There is no question that LeBron is the one who whips this team into shape… who goes for it… moves ahead… tries to detect his teammates and knows it’s not to late in the season to whip it… whip it good. He certainly whipped the ball around again in this one, dishing a dozen dimes to go with his 11 boards and 16 points in an economical 28 minutes. Though he was the only rotation player not to hit a three (who took one anyway), missing both of his, he facilitated the majority of the ones the other Cavs made. He also delivered this 45 foot whip-crack of an alley oop to the Enchilada who stuffed it home in the first half…

Special delivery to @DWXXIII from @KingJames #FanNight NBA TV pic.twitter.com/TDGQmGGt9f

— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 14, 2017

Though most of the MVP consideration revolves around guys like Russell Westbrook and James Harden this season, it’s impossible to ignore the impact that LeBron has on this team. He is the handle on the whip that can strike in so many different ways.

Beat It

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym0hZG-zNOk

Richard Jefferson is tough. He’s got a fire in his eye so you’d better beware. Whether he’s driving baseline for a reverse jam or just draining threes like a madman, you’d better just beat it if you don’t want to look silly trying to guard him. Seriously, though, R.J.’s shooting has been movin’ on up in the last few games (5-9, and 4-7 from deep), and he matched his season high for the second straight game with 16. He also chipped in a couple of rebounds and steals as he continued to fill in admirably for Kevin Love.

Jump SHUMP!

Iman Shumpert scored a season high 18 points on 8-13 (2-3 from deep), and was almost automatic with his mid-range game. Though he didn’t record an assist, he was mostly under control when handling the ball. He also pulled down five boards and harassed the Piston guards all night. When Shump contributes like he did against Detroit, he makes the Cavs that much more dangerous and hard to defend.

Don’t You (Forget About Me)

J.R. Smith missed a large chunk of the season, and even in the few games he’s played since he returned, he hasn’t quite been himself. But, tonight he made sure anyone who might have forgotten how hot he can get from beyond the arc remembered in a hurry. Swish was almost perfect from the field, pouring in 4-5 (3-4 from range) for 12 points in 23 minutes. He also flashed the return of his well-rounded defensive game, and added five boards and a steal. The combo of J.R. and Shump gave the Cavs 30 points and 10 rebounds from the shooting guard slot.

Push It

Thanks to the efforts of LeBron and Kyrie, the Cavs were able to push the pace… push it real good. But they also got terrific assistance on that front from the DWills. Deron continued his upward trend as the complementary ball-handler off the bench with three assists, and his ability to run the high pick and roll. He also had his best scoring night as a Cav, going a perfect 6-6 (with a three ball) for 13 points in just 14 minutes. Derrick was his usual run the floor roll and dive man, and helped provide a push in the transition game. He also tallied 13 points and hit 3-5 from downtown. It was great to see DWill squared working up a sweat in the fourth to keep the Pistons from pushing back.

Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?

https://twitter.com/SportsLeakers/status/841815925267423233

I’ll spare you the Culture Club video, and instead give you the best unintentional play of the night. LeBron accidentally flattened Kyrie after a rebound, then amazingly helped him up while keeping his dribble alive and still beat the eight second count to get across halfcourt. Fortunately, Kyrie didn’t suffer any broken bones or lost teeth…

The Power Of Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkAVfsw5xSQ

Guess who’s coming back soon? Kevin Love, and not a moment too soon (hopefully anyway). According to David Griffin and KLove himself, the third member of the big three will be traveling with the team on the upcoming west coast road trip and will see game action for the first time since early February. Love will bring some much needed power on the defensive glass, as the Cavs have been consistently outrebounded by the opposition. Even with the huge margin of victory against Detroit, Cleveland still lost the battle of the boards, 45-41. While there aren’t as many rebounds when you shoot 60% for the game, it’ll be great to have Kevin back in the fold.

Someone else who got to experience the power of love (fan love) in this game was Larry Sanders, who seemed genuinely touched by the reaction of the crowd when he was introduced…

.@l8show_thegoat makes his debut for the @cavs! #FanNight pic.twitter.com/fDXBNW5YrB

— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 15, 2017

Though he didn’t get to do much, and likely won’t again until he’s spent a couple of weeks getting back in basketball shape down in Canton with the Charge, it was still a terrific surprise moment in an extremely entertaining evening at the Q.

Another One Bites The Dust

The Pistons were a team that was brimming with confidence coming into this game. They had won four of their last five, including a big victory over the Cavs less than a week ago in their building. No doubt, they wanted to again prove they could hang with the champs… but the Cavs just found another gear tonight. They showed just how truly potent they can be when they’re clicking… and, they didn’t even have Kevin Love or Kyle Korver at their disposal. This was the Cavs making a concerted effort to extinguish the hope right out of Detroit (a potential first round matchup). Ty Lue went for the kill in the third quarter, and kept his starters in so they could build a 30 point lead and sit out the fourth. I hope we start seeing more of the same as the Cavs walk down the stretch and into the playoffs. I hope they let every team know that “hey, we’re gonna get you too…” and other ones bite the dust. If so, it will be nothing but sunshine ahead…