Recap: Golden State 131, Cleveland 112 (Cavs Quit At Halftime)

On a night that certainly brought back many memories, the Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the Golden State Warriors in a contest that made their run of NBA Finals match-ups seem like ancient history. Only Draymond Green, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova, and Larry Nance Jr. remain from any of those Finals match-ups, and that could certainly change over the next five days. The game certainly didn’t have the stakes they used to when these to teams faced one another. Still, the two teams will always be linked, and because of that, the game seemed to mean a bit more than the typical contest between two of the NBA’s bottom dwellers.

First Quarter

Neither team played much defense to start, as both teams scored on each of their first three possessions. The Cavaliers were a bit hotter from outside, and took the early lead because of it. Darius Garland was cold from the field to start, but did a nice job of setting up his teammates with a couple of early assists. The Warriors did a nice job of moving the ball, and finished several nice cuts to the basket. Tristan Thompson forced a few tough shots that allowed the Warriors to briefly take the lead, but a corner three by Kevin Porter Jr. got it right back. Porter and Collin Sexton were aggressive in attacking the hoop, and then followed that up with a pair of threes of their own. Porter and Sexton continued their hot shooting, but the Cavaliers also allowed the Warriors to get to the basket and line enough to keep it close. Larry Nance Jr. missed a few bunnies at the rim, and the Warriors scored a pair of baskets on the other end as the Cavaliers led by just one point with a score of 32-31 after one quarter of action.

Second Quarter

D’Angelos Russell started the quarter with a pair of triples as the Warriors quickly took a five-point lead. The Cavaliers began to attack the basket, so the Warriors went to a zone defense. Back-to-back triples by Alfonzo McKinnie and Nance briefly put the Cavaliers back in front before a pair of Warriors buckets caused coach John Beilein to call a time out. The Warriors continue to attack the basket off of drives and cuts to maintain their lead. The Cavaliers began to slow the game down, with Nance, Love, and Thompson all finishing down low to bring the team back. While the game stayed close, some troubling tendencies began to surface. Love continued to be ice cold with his jumpers, and the Cavaliers made absolutely no effort to play any transition defense (several players simply put their heads down and gave up). While Sexton continued his hot scoring (and had a terrific drive and dish to Osman for a corner three), Cavaliers went cold over the last two minutes as the Warriors ran the floor for a 9-0 run to take a 61-59 lead at the half.

Second Half

The third quarter has been a problem for the Cavaliers, and it was no different as Warriors continued to attack the basket in scoring the first eight points of the quarter. Beilein had to call a time out just over a minute into the quarter as his team seemed to have completely given up and was playing absolutely no defense. Between the end of the first half and beginning of the second, the Warriors were on a 17-0 run. The team that had put up such a fight against the Toronto Raptors was nowhere to be seen. A basket by Love ended the drought, but by then, the Warriors were feeling confident. Green was terrific in running the Warriors’ offense and carving the Cavaliers’ “defense” apart. After Beilein called another time out, he replaced all five starters to send a message to the team. While there was a bit more energy, particularly from Dante Exum, they were unable to turn the tide. What had been a close game at the half with the Cavaliers leading more often than not was a blowout by the time the third quarter was halfway over. At this point, all I could see was read over the Cavaliers’ lack of fight, as the Warriors ran away by a final score of 131-112.

Final. pic.twitter.com/olJaGw3HAM

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 2, 2020

Things I Noticed

Marquese Chriss looks to have made some positive strides during his time with the Warriors. This was probably his last chance to stay in the league, and he’s taking advantage of it.

Even with far less talent, the Warriors continue to move the ball and play for each other. It says something about Steve Kerr that a team this bad still plays selflessly.

When I see Larry Nance Jr. miss a few shots by a hair, it frustrates me so much. Not because I don’t think Nance is good, he is. Rather, it seems like he is so close to being great.

The second unit of Exum, Porter, McKinnie, Nance, and Henson played harder than the starters, but while they are longer and more athletic, their lack of outside shooting is a huge issue.

The 2016 championship is worth every single lump the Cavaliers and their fans have taken the past two years, and then some. I’ll always have a soft spot for all of those players, even the one’s who I didn’t particularly enjoy watching. That being said, it’s time to move on. I get that the Cavaliers want to get value for Love, but at this point, they may be better off trading him in a straight salary dump rather than holding on to him into the summer hoping for an asset. Tristan has been more of a leader, but he (nor any of the other current veterans) shouldn’t be seen as a core piece. Right now, Sexton, Garland, Porter, Osman, Nance, and Exum are the pieces that matter to the Cavaliers. If they can swap these veterans for expiring contracts and then some some players who actually want to help these kids grow, then they should do it.