Recap: Clippers 110, Cavs 108 (Or, Doing Just Enough To Lose)
2019-03-23This game was exactly what I expected it to be, an entertaining loss. These Cavaliers are playing well right now and are a good bit of fun to watch, but let’s face it, they are definitely trying to not hurt their Zion chances too badly. The Cavaliers and Coach Drew could have done a few things differently leading up to the final buzzer but did they really want to? I’m convinced that at least Larry Drew didn’t. Still, that didn’t stop these feisty Cavaliers from taking it right down to the wire against a hot Western Conference foe. From start to finish this one was fun to watch.
After jumping out to an early first quarter lead, the Cavaliers allowed the Clips back into it throughout the next two frames. Going into the fourth, Cleveland faced a nine point deficit, but managed to hold LA to just 18 points. Ultimately, they fell by just two points. Regardless of what Larry Drew is doing to ensure the Cavaliers don’t fall too much in the draft rankings, it’s clear that the players want to win and are working hard for it when they are on the court. This is a refreshing regular season change.
The first quarter started out with a Kevin Love back down that ended with a turnaround fade-away off the glass. With that first bucket, the Cavs would lead the entire first quarter. Love finished the night with 22 points on 8-14 shooting (4-7 from three), 8 rebounds, and an assist. The Cavaliers showed out on the next defensive possession, forcing a 24 second violation. Brandon Knight, followed up Kev’s bucket with a pull up mid-ranger in traffic off a broken play and Sexton matched it with a 15-footer of his own on the following possession. The Cavaliers lost the rebounding battle 43-41 but that didn’t stop Larry Nance Jr. from having 5 offensive rebounds of his own. Hopefully he’s learning one of the best things he can learn from Tristan Thompson. He had this impressive put-back about midway through the first.
When it’s Senior’s bobble night, but Junior’s ready to show out too 😏#CavsClippers → @FOXSportsOH pic.twitter.com/jv3u66UHaQ
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 22, 2019
The Clippers had a difficult time stopping the Cavaliers in the first quarter and the last minute featured some hot long range bombing to close things out. With .53 seconds to go, Brandon Knight hit a left-wing three. That was followed up by a pull-up Jordan Clarkson three. Fortunately, Captain Band-aid wasn’t satisfied as his next time down the floor he hit a step-back three to end the quarter with Cleveland up 40-25. Watch Clarkson’s pair of threes below.
Let it fly, JC 👌#CavsClippers pic.twitter.com/SQQbn2PNLY
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 23, 2019
The second quarter was a bit of a reversal as the Clippers, instead of the Cavs, scored the first six baskets. After a Nwaba basket to staunch the scoring, Nance followed things up with his own three pointer from the left wing. Nance, who’s improved long-distance shooting is a good sign moving into the future, had an good all-around night with 14 points, 9 rebounds (5 offensive), 3 steals, and an assist. He shot 6-9 from the field, 1-2 from three, and led the team in +/- with a +11.
The Cavaliers had a difficult stretch in the middle of the quarter as they went almost 3:30 minutes without scoring. The 10-0 scoring run helped cut the lead for the Clippers bringing it to within 4 points with 5:00 to go in the half. The rest of the quarter the teams traded free throws or shots before the half ended with the Cavaliers lead nearly gone as the score ended 60-58.
Cleveland again struggled to score in the third quarter. That is, everyone but Kevin Love, who hit three of his four three point makes in the quarter, including a deep 30-footer to cut the Clippers lead to only one after the Cavs lost their own lead early in the quarter. After a Jordan Clarkson mid-range make, the Cavaliers didn’t score for the last 1:49 and would go into the final frame down 92-83.
The fourth quarter saw the Cavs pick up their play on both ends of the court as Cleveland stifled LA to the tune of only 18 fourth quarter points. The Cavaliers forced 4 fourth quarter turnovers, which led to 8 points, including this beautiful bit of passing that ended in a Nance put-back.
We are here for this, @Larrydn22. ALL OF IT!#BeTheFight pic.twitter.com/X5lyUgW1jL
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 23, 2019
This is when things got a bit tanky. Coach Drew kept Sexton on the bench until about 3:30 to go in the quarter. Granted, the defense was really tight for the quarter, but the rookie is a proven scorer in crunch time and the Cavaliers missed some of that. Still, Nance and the rest of the Cavs on the court did not want to lose, as Cedi hit a deep three with just over 2:00 on the clock to cut the deficit to four. Gallinari picked up the foul on the next possession, making both free throws. The Clarkson had this sweet bounce pass for a Nance slam with :37.4 left on the clock.
Oh now that’s v nice right there. 💪#BeTheFight pic.twitter.com/zTxFDUiiw1
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 23, 2019
The Clippers were forced to take a timeout. On their return, Cedi fouled Shamet on an offensive rebound. Kevin Love made a hook shot with just :10 seconds to go in the game. After LA called another timeout, Cedi intentionally fouled Beverley who split the pair of free throws to put the Clippers up 110-108 with just :06 seconds left. Then, on the last possession, Larry Drew performed his master stroke to tank by putting the ball into Jordan Clarkson’s hands. Clarkson and Love ran a pick-and-pop that saw Love pop to the top of the three point line for what looked to be an open shot. Instead, Jordan Clarkson didn’t get the ball to Love and jacked up a forced three which rimmed out, as the Cavs fell with a final tally of 110-108.
Some Notes:
1) Cedi’s progress this season has been wonderful to watch. His confidence is incredibly high and he’s playing like we all thought he could. Sure, he went for only 11 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds, but did you see that cold-blooded three with 2:00 minutes to go? In case you didn’t, here it is.
2) As a rule, I hate tanking. The idea of intentionally losing now to win later doesn’t make any sense to me. I like to watch good, competitive basketball. That being said, if you’re going to tank and lose games, this is how you do it. Larry Drew has walked a tight rope for most of this season post all-star break. He’s walked that fine line between tanking and remaining entertaining. If those are his orders, I appreciate how he’s gone about it.
3) Collin Sexton has now scored 20 points in eight straight games. He went 9-15 and 2-4 from three with 4 rebounds and just a single assist. His scoring has been so fun to watch and his three point shooting is the best part. One thing I’ve been turning over in my head over the past few weeks is if the Cavaliers don’t get the first pick in the draft and Ja Morant is available, how does Morant fit with Sexton in the back court? Are they a duo that can work, or is that a pairing we want to avoid?
4) Some West Coast news that relates to the Cavs. James Harden is not helping the Cavaliers and their first round pick in any way. The Golden Turd managed to score 61 points in their 111-106 win against the Spurs. Here’s to hoping for not too many more games like that.
Ultimately, all we can hope for with the remainder of these games is that the Cavaliers play hard, improve, and have fun while doing it. It seems like that’s what is happening so despite losing, at least we’re all having fun when it happens, and that’s a breath of fresh air. The Cavaliers face off against the Bucks on Sunday. Whether Giannis rests again will remain to be seen. Until then, Go Cavs!
Iowa taking Tenn to OT after being down 25…amazing game…
AVERY JOHNSON GONE AS ALABAMA COACH—–KOLBY PLEASE DO NOT PURSUE !!!
He’d be a nice fit on the Lakers, but he’d have to move ahead of favorites Jason Kidd, Byron Scott, and Kurt Rambis…
WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE THE MOCK DRAFTS POST NCAAA TOURNEY —AM SURE THEIR WILL BE PLAYERS WHOSE STOCK HAS RISEN AM SOME WHOSE STOCK WILL FALL———————ROCKETS A FEW MONTHS BACK WERE PICKING 9TH SPOT THEN HARDEN HAD TO ‘GO OFF ‘——-DAMN ‘TURD ” HARDEN !!!
KYRIE NOW “CHIRPING ” ABOUT “PRSE ” STEVENS COACHING DECISIONS —-I LOVE IT ——BOSTON YOU CAN HAVE “FLATEARTH”—WE ARE VERY HAPPY WITH YOUNG BULL / ANTE
Something i stumbled across in arguing about Cedi. Two stat lines from players that were 24 in the listed season: 33.2 Min 6.1/13.9 FG 44.2% 1.9/5.3 3FG 36.1% eFG .510 1.7/2.3 FT 75.3% 4.3 Rb 2.6 Ast. 1.3 Stl 0.3 Blk 1.8 TOV 2.3 PF 15.9 PPG vs 32Min 4.7/ 11 FG 42.7% 1.7/4.9 3FG 35.9% eFG .506 1.9/2.4 FT 77.8% 4.8 Rb 2.6 Ast 0.7 Stl 0.2 Blk 1.6 TOV 2.5 PF 13.1 PPG Both Stat lines are in 67 games. The first one is Oladipo in 16-17 when he was 24 years old. The second is Cedi this… Read more »
Great recap and I really agree on a lot of your points i’d like to see year long 4th quarter and clutch stats for Cedi and Sexton as well as more recent ones for both. I feel like both players (especially Cedi all year, but equally or more for Sexton lately) efficiency greatly increases later in games but Id like to know if the stats agree with what I think I see. I also heartily agree with you in regards to tanking and I’m really hoping the draft, offseason, and injury recovery goes well so we can see what an… Read more »
FSU-Gonzaga (assuming the Zags win tonight, and I think they will) should be a heck of a tilt.
Minnesota not getting many good looks against MSU so far. Could turn into a laugher unless they figure something out.
I had MSU as champion in my bracket until I found out they’re missing one of their best players…. amazing they’re still as good as they are without that guy.
One thing to also remember about FSU, their best perimeter(?) player lost his father yesterday…. clearly, they were galvanized to play for their teammate.
Didn’t know that. They definitely came out focused in that first half.
I will say FSU played out of their minds this game as far as shooting.
Nice cap. Wanted to make a note about Nwaba being the key to holding the Clips to 18 in the 4th.Dude was everywhere on D.
He is a keeper.
Ya, looking back, I didn’t emphasize his role on D enough. I believe I made a passing mention of it helping but you’re right, he was absolutely key.
Looks like FSU completely eliminated Morant’s ability to make plays for others… also, FSU is the toughest opponent Murray State’s seen since Auburn in the beginning of the year.
Yeah they look outmatched and they make Ja look small.
Agree on both counts.
But again my sort of concern pairing him with Sexton. I’ll take him in a heartbeat. But Cavs will need size elsewhere I think to offset.
I’m with you, but I’d have to take him. He has a chance to be a transcendent player. Definitely a bad fit with Sexton.
Always tough when so much of an offense depends on one guy scoring or creating wide open looks. There are few if any guys like LBJ who can score and pass against five guys oriented on them. Even then he struggled against SA and Pistons at times in 1.0 era.
In the couple of games I’ve seen Murray State play, I’d say they actually share the ball really well, with multiple playmakers… it could be the case that Morant just simply is trying to do too much, feeling the pressure of playing against a good team on the biggest stage… sometimes 20 year olds do that.
Maybe. Thus is sort of another level of competition. He has always been their major catalyst as far as having the ball in his hands/usage.
Yup… agreed, Florida State is a top 15 team in the country (kenpom)… Belmont was their toughest conference opponent and they’re not even in the top 50.
Yeah they played Duke tough in the tourney. If they shoot like this they will go far in the tourney.
Played duke well in the ACC tourney
FlaSt hitting almost every three, Murray State needs to find a way to stay in the game until they cool down. FSU definitely looks pretty good, which is no surprise. So far Murray State not doing much to slow them down, and they are overmatched in the paint.
Yep going to be tough to comeback. They actually are doing what you probably should against Morant. Force him to shoot over the top. Make him be the scorer. He has, but don’t think he will go perfect from three in the second half. FSU looks like they are overmatching them.
If FSU wins this one, they look to be a tough out….they have a lot of grown a$$ men. That said, it’s always hard to judge when a team is hitting threes at this rate…any team would look unstoppable shooting like that…
Think this is it for Murray. FSU just too on fire from three. 8/11 not all open.
FSU could be a dangerous team if they continue to shoot like this.
Morant limping after running into teammate on screen. Gotta hope those young legs are resilient. FSU torching them from three. Morant hits another 3. 5/5. Wowser. This is a pretty good curtain call if this is it for Murray.
Man FSU on fire from three as a team. They continue smoking going to be tough for Murray to overcome that and size.
FSU impressive. Multiple guys that can shoot it and handle.
Morant is nba jam on fire. Yeesh. 4/4 on threes. Couple bad turnovers though.
THANKS JOHNB !!!!——-BEEN WATCHING MICH / FLA GAME
HOPE MORANT/ MURRAY ST REACH THE FINAL 4 —WANT TO SEE HIM PLAY AS MANY GAMES AS POSSIBLE AGAINST GOOD COMPETITION
Going to be tough. FSU can shoot it and has a massive size advantage.
WHAT STATION IS THAT GAME ON (MORANT ) ?
Tnt
Morant on fire to start.
He continues to shoot like this he will be a monster offensively with his playmaking and athletic ability. He isn’t as built as Westbrook, but is a much better shooter than he was coming out and his vision is as good or better than Trae Young. He will have to cut down on turnovers in the nba. But he is legit.
AGAIN AGREE WITH MIKE O—-IF WE DRAFT # 4 I AM LOOKING AT CULVER —–DON’T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT CLARKE
AGREE WITH YOU MIKEO ON MORANT ——-SEE IF HE PASES THE “EYE ” TEST VS A VERY CREDIBLE DEFENSE —-IF SO ” # 2 IS A GO “
I don’t think Cedi is a starting caliber player. He’s already 23, he’s not a good defender, and he’s a below average shooter. Could develop into a decent rotation player but I’m not even sure about that. He just takes too much off the table.
To be fair this is basically his rookie year since he barely played last year. Young players need minutes. I think he has shown a good amount of improvement offensively since the beginning of of the year. Defensively he tries, but he is never going to be a lockdown guy. If he continues to get more comfortable with threes and finishing I think he is a servicable starter because he moves the ball.
I know it’s an unpopular opinion because Cedi is such a likable guy, but I agree with you… though I’d say that he’s an average shooter (at least from 3)with the potential to become above average. Also, I’d say that he needs the ball in his hands more in PnR situations to be more effective on offense.
Essentially, the Cavs were awful this year because their top two playmakers were Cedi and Sexton. I wish Cedi would’ve gotten double the minutes last year that he received, probably would’ve seen more development from him.
I definitely see the possible problems for Cedi, but a lot of that I also attribute to this essentially being his rookie year and to the general tankish construction of the roster. Too many games Cedi starts to get hot and then doesn’t evennget a decent touch for 6 minutes. All season it has been hit or miss for him to get even 10 shots in any given game. On the positive side, his 3 point shot has come around. After altering his shot mechanics this summer I knew it woud take time for him to grow comfortable with it,… Read more »
No one’s counting him out… at least I’m not. I went on record the year he was drafted that I thought his potential ceiling was Manu Ginobili, which people scoffed at. But if you look at Ginobli’s career, 2x All-Star, 13/3/3 career stat-line… I think that’s do-able for Cedi… and that would be a helluva career for Cedi. The problem for Cedi is that he’ll never be in an organization as well-run as the Spurs, nor will he be surrounded by HOF talent such as Leonard, Duncan, or Parker. I just agree with TM that he hasn’t proven to be… Read more »
I mostly agreed with your original post as well. Especially if the Cavs get better in the near future he may be more useful a 6th man. I just hesitate on that opinion a bit because of the versatility his size, speed, and skills give him. Im not arguing he’s going to be better than Manu, but I do think he can play more positions. No matter who the Cavs draft this year, Cedi could easily slot into whatever position is left in the starting lineup. Now if we end up lucking or stumbling into two transcendent players this offseason,… Read more »
And I forgot to mention, Everyone is so used to Cedi being a 3 or point forward on the Cavs that we tend to forget that he spent his career in Turkey as a guard switching between the 1 and the 2. Just one more reason why I don’t think his age is a fair gauge to estimate when his growth might stop. His NBA career has all been played learning a different position than he played the previous like 8 years of his life. Add that to the fact that he spent half of this year at the 4… Read more »
His age is a fair gauge IMO to project his growth… there’s been studies from Harvard and others… you’re basically saying he’s going to be a statistical outlier, which is fine, but the reality is that he’s one of the worst SFs in the NBA right now judging by RPM…. and his defensive ineptitude is only topped by rookie Kevin Knox, who’s over 4 years younger than Cedi, and Knox will improve far more drastically because of his age (probabilistically speaking). Don’t misunderstand me, I thought Cedi got robbed last year of playing time, as I said… and I truly… Read more »
I get the defensive RPM, but it’s an incredibly imperfect statistic. The Cavs were absolutely awful on defense for most of this year and Cedi played more minutes than anyone (though i think Collin has recently passed him). So is Cedi responsible for the Cavs defense sucking for 35 minutes a game, or is he somewhat a victim of circumstance? Of course his defense leaves a lot of room for improvement, but he was set up to fail. This also reinforces my arguement about his age. Before this season he had spent less than 1000 minutes guarding in the NBA.… Read more »
Err I mesnt Bogdonovic, not Sabonis…can’t keep my over seas stars straight.
Ps. Because he’s my favorite “Where the hell did that come from?” star: If you judged Oladipo at the end of the 16-17 Season when he was 25! you might’ve thought he was too old to improve as well. I know that’s not the norm, but it’s also not the norm to start as late as Cedi. Again, maybe Im wrong and he’s already reached close to his peak. I just think there are a mountain of reasons to defer that judgement. It’s not like Cedi’s necessary improvements are athleticism based either. They are skill based, which definitely can and… Read more »
Sorry, promise this is the last addition:
Even being a starter in the NBA makes someone a statistical outlier. Only 1/3rd of every roster can start at one time. Then Allstars are a further outlier, being less than 20% of that 1/3rd. Each good player skews the stats one way, while each Chriss skews it the other.
Should be really interesting to see Morant go against a pretty physical defensive team coming up here shortly…
Should be a real test. Could come down to his teammates making shots because I am sure FSU will focus on him.
God forbid, but what we end up #4? Zion, Morant, Barrett gone… how hard should we try to trade down? Go with Reddish? Or?????
I’d go with Culver, or Brandon Clarke, in that event.
clarke listed as a 2nd rounder on nbadraft.. what do you know that they don’t?
Good question… IDK, haven’t really thought about it.
About to start the Uncle Drew Movie. Wish me luck.
Yezus. It doesn’t start well.
It probably doesn’t middle well, or end well, either…
Anyone heard from Nate, or has Uncle Drew finished him off?
LMAOOO
I mentioned this last night, but the defensive setup and strategy with 37.4 left after the LAC timeout was bizarre on the part of the Cavs. Didn’t put it together, but I think that was some tankery. Which I don’t mind, especially when you are competitive and it is somewhat subtle as opposed to just shutting guys down for most of a year.
Yeah, I responded with: why would you even PLAY Sexton over Nwaba if you were trying to win there?
Only justifications are if he somehow thought they might be able to get quick rebound and outlet and see if Sexton could go coast to coast in transition before the defense could get set, a la after a timeout and that Sexton does need to be in positions like that to learn. My thing was more why they had nance soft trap 30 feet from the bucket and why Sexton was basically guarding no one before the inbound. I mean there was like a good 10 seconds before the inbound where they could have corrected his floor positioning, which makes… Read more »
Great cap JMay! On some better West Coast news that relates to the Cavs… the Lakers have officially been eliminated from the playoffs for the sixth straight year…
Such sweet news.
And, btw, I like RJ Barrett less and less the more I see of him. He reminds me of so many ‘scorers’ who can’t shoot.
His j can use some work. I think some of it has been high degree of difficulty. He has taken a lot of off the dribble threes this year. But he isn’t a guy like Tatum coming in with a polished J. He is far less one dimensional than Tatum though.
I will say I have a similar opinion to yours, except about Reddish. That kid could use another year I think.
Yeah, not high on Reddish_at all_. He is on my ‘likely to bust’ list, and I will be totally bummed if the Cavs end up with him. He has the tools, so he can put it together I guess, but I wouldn’t take that bet.
He is a chucker, but you also have to remember that Duke has 1 decent jump shooter out of the rotation… and that isn’t Reddish LOL. I think his poor shooting percentage is analogous to Sexton in college, where they’re forced to take tough shots because of a lack of scoring options. Also, he has shown he has vision to make the pass… but he has to take a lot of shots because only he and Zion really the guys who can consistently make shots. His vision really isn’t utilized because there’s very little opportunity for kick out passes to… Read more »
I’m really just concerned that he’s too much Jabari Parker, one of my least favorite players (and least favorite type of player) in the NBA, and someone I hated in college, too.
I’m a Duke fan… no way do I think they’re similar players. Barrett has competitive fire and vision to pass… something Parker never had. Parker was the better shooter, but I’d give the edge to Barrett because I think he has more fire, and better vision.
You’ve watched him way more than I have…I’ll take your word on it. Agree that Parker doesn’t have the required fire, or he’s somewhat lazy, to be less charitable. Parker has been almost exactly what I expected him to be in the NBA. That kind of player is unlikely to ever take you anywhere. I hope Barrett is more than that.
I think Barrett is more than that… but it’s a fair question to wonder HOW MUCH better.
I think he is a different type of player. He is a wing first and foremost and a very good individual defender coming out of college. The defense part is something that gets overlooked with Zion there. Parker was/is an undersized pf that people thought was a wing and he was a poor defender and could not and will not ever be able to guard wings. Barrett also has pretty good vision. Parker always seemed like a scorer and rebounder and that is pretty much it. Barrett is also an excellent rebounder for a wing though. I think his strengths… Read more »
I co-sign the Parker and Barrett scouting report. I would disagree with the concern about defense in drafting Morant. Draft talent, worry about schemes and strategies later. Nate had a good post about aging curves, which showed that size/length does matter… but talent outweighs everything IMO.
I think Morant’s the better playmaker… I think Barrett has the size/length and experience playing under a lot of scrutiny and better competition… I think Barrett also has the higher floor, but lower ceiling, Morant the lower floor, but higher ceiling. Morant has the edge because I like taking the risk for a star.
I see that. To be perfectly honest, I will be fine with either if we get the 2nd or 3rd pick.
Me too… not worried if it’s a top 3 pick.
Thanks for the writeup. It really is kind of a bummer that the Rockets pick keeps getting worse, but it was predictable. Missed the game since I was watching collge hoops. I think Sexton and Morant on the floor together would be pretty awful defensively. Having said that, If the Cavs don’t have the first pick and he’s there when they do pick, I’d take him. If that backcourt turns out to be a disaster, you figure it out later. I like Morant’s game better than Trae Young’s, and Young has shown he can be a player in the NBA.… Read more »