Podcap: Cavs 135, Pacers 130 – 2OT (or, Working Overtime)
2017-04-03https://soundcloud.com/ctb-5/episode-131-working-overtime
The Cavs won, but they didn’t make it easy on themselves against the visiting Indiana Pacers. In fact, it took an extra 10 minutes of time to finally decide the matter… not to mention another triple double from LeBron James (his 11th on the season), and some significant contributions from Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and Kyrie Irving in the overtime periods. Still, the wine & gold were able to build on the positives they’d established two nights ago against the Sixers, and avoided falling another game behind the Boston Celtics for the top spot in the East. There was a noticeable defensive improvement, except where Paul George was involved. The Pacer star went toe-to-toe with LeBron, as they each scored 40+ and did everything he could to try and keep his team from falling out of the playoff picture.
Nate, EvilGenius, and newcomer to Cavs: The Podcast, Sam Meyer, jumped into the booth to discuss the big win, whether or not it means the Cavs are back on the right track, what the rest of the schedule holds, and how large Wednesday’s showdown with the Celtics looms. We also touch on LBJ’s dustup with Tristan Thompson late in this game, and speculate on some potential first round opponents.
Listen above, on SoundCloud, iTunes, and Google Play.
This is the best college basketball has to offer? No wonder the NBA is so much more popular.
Effin awful. Refs have absolutely ruined the tournament. And the teams weren’t that good either.
Tribe time
Agree with Cols! They have already matched the Browns for wins.
was originally thinking cavs would rest up for magic game then go all out for celtics, but now thinking team may mix rest among stars with both games…also think once Korver and RJ are back Shump doesn’t see the floor….ball handlers will be Kyrie Lebron and Deron Will
My guess is they will start everyone for the Magic, and hope it is an easy game, and start everyone again against the Celts. Winning both would be huge, and they can do it. One way for an easy win against the Magic is to play DWill 1 and KK with LeBron. Then he can orchestrate an easy win while in “Chill Mode”. Lue has got to figure out how to get some mileage out of DWill 1. In his first month, he was a big help.
I would like to see Ghost in the shell as well.
Me too. I read that the vast majority of people going were older men. Wonder why?
Cavs Vs Boston on wednesday should be a game of the week. Cavs will get a chance to make a statement for playoffs by just winning if not by blowing out Celtics. On other hand, if Celts win, they will meet Cavs in playoffs with even more confidence.
LBJ does not care either way. Or did you not watch the last two Finals where he lead everyone in everything?
“LBJ does not care either way”
lol, how you have made this everything about LBJ, not about Cavs or not even Lue who should be the decision maker.
6 straight Finals appearance kind of give LeBron the benefit of the doubt.
* From leastern conference
So is the supposed leastern conference better now then?
It was better last two years, Cavs were genuine contenders and the conference had atleast one genuine contender. This year, not sure if they are any contenders from east.
You are contradicting yourself then – first you diiminished Lebron’s 6 straight trip to the Finals as having accomplished the feat in the leastern conference. Then you say the east is even weaker now and yet somehow you say the Cavs should worry this time despite their championship pedigree and having a better, more seasoned Kyrie and Klove (who is getting to his pre-injury form).
peter, I was trolling col who trolls me all the time. Not all Lebron’s 6 finals were when Cavs were top contenders is all I am saying. Also, I would disagree that Cavs playoff team this year is better than last year’s. I am sure lot of Cavs fans will agree with me.
Assuming the Cavs play-off team is not better this year, you also said the east is weaker now so that should make the odds this year about the same as last. I think you were more than trolling Cols. I think you are secretly wishing that the Cavs exhaust themselves so they don’t go to the play-offs as fresh as they can be after seeing how the Cavs won the title by summoning an extra gear in the finals. I think you’re fully aware that seedings is very much a secondary consideration knowing that LeBron-led teams did not have home… Read more »
Or Cavs rest and decline to show their hand.
Possible. Don’t you think players might need some confidence booster after doing worse than expected.
My memory is that last season the Cavs didn’t try hard in their last regular season Boston game, I my expectation is a repeat of that this year.
Last year Boston was about what? in fifth place? Little bit different this year.
I truly hope you are right.
This was a well balanced podcast.
cavs don’t look good, honestly.
They look Finals bound to me.
It was an interesting game. I’m taking it as glass half full, but you could make the half empty argument. This week should go a ways towards telling g us who they are.
Nah. The playoffs will tell us who they are. And they are exactly who I think they are.
So you don’t need the playoffs to tell you.
Exactly.
As for substituting in OT, I think it’s because is’t only 5 minutes with a break before, some TOs during that you don’t see much substitution.
I don’t think Lue is making any decisions based on whatever criticisms he may get. Dude is very confident and rightly so.
I hope they learn that Kevin Love in the post is a thing that works in the other 3 quarters of the game. So much better than Kyrie 1on3 sets because Kev is much smarter about getting rid of it if the defense is wrong.
It also prevents teams from loading up on Bron and Kyrie which they have been doing. Kyrie has been forcing shots because the offense has been so unbalanced lately. I don’t get why it takes them as long as it does to figure it out. They go to him in the first and he has a monster quarter then they say, eh, not interested in making things this easy…
If you listened to the Kevin Love on the Vertical podcast he said that Lue was very instrumental in getting him back into the post.
Sanders with 4 points and 16 rebounds in 18 minutes. SHEESH.
He’s starting to look better. The nice thing is that he isn’t fouling as much. Good play for next year by Griffin, who people were wanting fired in last week’s threads
I think the Cavs will rest against Orlando and play against Boston because that game is worth essentially 1.5 games with the tiebreaker.
I am sure this is bias on my part, but it is incredibly frustrating that it seems like all of the Cavs big games this season happen in situations where the Cavs are playing on a back to back or at the end of a long road trip and the team they are playing has been home for 2 or 3 days resting and game planning…