Recap: Bulls 108, Cavs 103 (Or, The Cavs Are A Professional Basketball Team)

I’ve been out of the loop for a few weeks as far as basketball is concerned. Between work, finding a new apartment, a rec basketball league, and a girlfriend, time has been limited. I’ve read about each of the Cavalier wins, and the fact that they have been hovering around .500 since the All-Star break has kept me wanting to catch a game.

Tonight, was the perfect one to catch. Yea, the Cavs lost to a Bulls team that was 2-7 since the break, but they looked like a professional team. They were as the pundits say, “Mentally strong.” There was a purpose behind what I witnessed. The breakdowns were there, as they will be for any young team, but the breakdowns didn’t send the team careening towards a waterfall of ten straight misses and twenty breakdowns in transition.

If you look at the 3-pointers on paper in this game, the Cavs should have been blown out. The Bulls hit 12-34. The Cavs went 6-24. Yet, the Cavs lost by just five. Cleveland nearly dominated in the transition game getting 32 points to Chicago’s 20.

Collin Sexton had a heck of showing putting up 26 points on 12-16 shooting working off the ball for the majority of his shots. Larry Nance Jr. put up 16 points on a perfect 6-6 night to go with six assists, two steals, four rebounds, a block, and just one turnover. And, Matthew Dellavedova had eight times and just two turnovers.

Rookie Coby White led the Bulls with 20 points, but had nine turnovers. Denzel Valentine provided the pace for the Bulls going 6-12 from the floor for 15 points. And, Wendell Carter Jr., the man who looks like he’s 250 pounds, but is apparently 270 pounds, dominated down low for 17 points on nine shots.

In the fourth quarter with 4:52 left, the Cavs chances to win seemed slim. Otto Porter Jr. canned a 3-pointer over really strong defense by Larry Nance Jr. to put the Bulls up by ten, 97-87. The Cavs had hit just two 3s up to that point. In the whole game…

Delly turned that around though. The following possession he broke open and nailed a top of the key wide open 3-ball off a Kevin Love pass from the corner. Nance found Delly the very next play, and Delly ripped another 3-ball over a late closeout from White. The game was within four.

The Bulls put up another quick four points, but Sexton returned fired with one of his only, “I got this and am gonna dribble long enough I make you feel uncomfortable,” moments of the game. The step back dropped in perfectly though.

.@CollinSexton02 with his 1️⃣9️⃣th game of 25+ points last night on 12-16 shooting.

𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥. #BeTheFight pic.twitter.com/CbCIpb8XqE

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 11, 2020

Delly drove a play later and dished to Nance in the corner for a 3-pointer, and then Sexton tossed a perfect pass to Love who was jogging up to the 3-line from the paint and had his man over play him and wind up behind him as he stroked it. After the ball went through the cloth, the Cavs trailed by two, 103-101, with 1:26 left.

With 13 seconds to go, the Cavs were down just two and had a chance to get one more shot, but Collin Sexton missed a boxout on Shaquille Harrison as he looked to leak out before the ball was secured, the joys of watching a young guard. Harrison got the offensive board and was fouled. He made both free throws to ice the game.

It was an aggravating finish to a very entertaining game.

The Cavs were pass happy all night. In the first quarter, they had nine assists on ten made shots. The emblematic play of the quarter came about halfway through. After Larry grabbed an offensive board, Sexton just jetted to the lane for an easy layup off a pass.

Go up and get it, @CollinSexton02!

Watch #CavsBulls on @FOXSportsCLE pic.twitter.com/ICK5aV0SN9

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 11, 2020

Sexton stole the ball from White the next play and found Love in transition for two. The team was playing for each other.

The only blight in the first twelve was Andre Drummond letting Daniel Gafford grab an offensive board over him and dunk it down and then turning it over with a charge the next play. Drummond had six turnovers this game and that one was one of the worst.

The Bulls scored, but for the most part they were working for their makes, every one of thier made 3s were contested early on. After the first the Cavs were up, 29-27.

The second and third quarters were essentially extensions of the first. The Cavs had seven more assists in the second and seven in the third. Delly was making magic with his passing. He was the smooth pass bookend (how are there not bookends of NBA players).  Look at this Kevin Love find to start the second.

Don't blink or you might miss this 🤯 🤯 🤯 pic.twitter.com/varJ3uebFR

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 11, 2020

Look at the Nance find Delly finished the second with.

.@matthewdelly up to four assists so far in #CavsBulls 🙌 pic.twitter.com/4b52hbPFWe

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 11, 2020

And, naturally, the bookend Delly opened the third with a great pass too on a long lob to Drummond.

#DreDay 😤 pic.twitter.com/X6gYuB5xqC

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 11, 2020

Cedi shined a bit in the third quarter despite having a 4-16 night. Cedi had a filthy block to break up an oop to Coby White; he also slammed it down in transition after Nance grabbed a steal.

Cleveland’s only issue defensively, and this is grasping for straws, was that they gave up a bunch of open 3-pointers. The Bulls just seemed to break open a little too much in transition or off junked up plays.

Gripes

1. Andre Drummond. Come on…The last time I saw him I don’t recall him wearing the shirt under his jersey. This is never a good sign. It usually means the guy is getting fat. Drummond is fat.
2. Drummond is a turnover machine. He had six this game (he had 21 points and seven boards), and he seems to be a black hole when he gets the ball down low. He dribbles the ball too high, doesn’t look for anyone who is cutting, and just doesn’t seem very strong right now. He used to put the Cavs into the basket with ISOs when he played them. Why can’t he do that now?
3. He is also lazy on defense. He will watch guys grab boards over him instead of evening going for the ball. At this point, he’s taking his player option cause no team is paying the pudgy dude who seems like he has canola oil smothered on his hands.
4. The Cavs just need to hit some 3-pointers. They aren’t going to win many games when they hit only six.
5. Kevin Love had 17 points on some questionable shooting and six assists. 13 of his 16 shots were from deep. He made just two 3s. I know some of this is a factor of Drummond occupying the paint, but I want to see Love do more. He makes too much to just shoot 3s.
6. His passes were wonderful. He found the cutter more often than not, and he seemed to be moving to the right spots. Maybe, the team needs to find him more, maybe he needs to demand the ball down low more. He just can’t shoot 3s all day, some of the day is fine.

Hypes

1. Cedi Osamn shot the ball terribly tonight. He was blown up at the rim a few times. He’s doing the right things though. He’s getting to where he needs to be, so now he just needs to start making shots. If he does, he could turn into a 20 point a night scorer.
2. Collin Sexton can play off the ball now. He’s a fiend at it. Nine of his 12 makes were assisted on. All of his makes came in the paint. Sexton wasn’t pounding the ball at all.
3. In fact, none of the team was pounding it aside from Andre. The team just moved the ball around all evening. They had 29 assists on 40 buckets. There wasn’t really a primary ball handler.
4. Lauri Markkanen is a crappy version of the current 3-point bombing Love. He went 3-9 from deep tonight and had four boards. I’m sorry Bulls fans, he isn’t becoming Dirk in this current NBA.
5. Delly needs to stay in the starting line up. He’s just so dang steady. His constant talking keeps the ball moving somehow, and he makes a difference offensively without really needing to shoot it.
6. He made me realize that the Sexland backcourt is even worse than previously thought. The team looked professional tonight, and that’s a change. It’s no longer a my-turn, your-turn offense. This is no longer pick up ball.

The Cavs are in Charlotte Friday looking for the win.