Preaseason Recap: New York 119, Cleveland 83 (or, The California Lasers)

Had to spend some time with the fam Friday, so I just started the live thread and am watching the replay Saturday morning. Running Diary format…

Tipoff: Rough start as the Cavs quickly fall to a 17-5 deficit. Highlights include a quick three by Cedi, while lowlights include an inability to stop R.J. Barrett from imposing his will on the Smurf backcourt, turnovers, and Mitchell Robinson outrebounding Javale McGee. Still, McGee is still long and athletic and counters with a sweet bounce bass to Garland cutting to the rack who follows that up by swishing an off-the dribble three from the top of the key. Unfortuantely, Barrett and Immanuel Quickley continue to stick the Cavs on screens and score in transition and by mid quarter, it’s now 24-8 while the Cavs rain bricks. That degenerated quickly.

5:15: I know I was high on Maker after the first game, but he looks hapless with Mitchell Robinson against him as he fumbles a layup up into Mitch’s mitts. Inconsistency, thy name is Thon.

4:15 Immanuel Quickley scores again to make it 29-10, after which AC notes, “Quickley’s going to make this team.” He was a first round pick three weeks ago, Austin. Odds are good.

Immanuel has abused the Cavs the last two games. Garland floats an answer and the Cavs counter by going zone to much better defensive results. You don’t want to over-rely on it, but I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot of it against poor shooting teams. Dotson actually helps the Cavs string together a 4-0 run with a slicing layup, trigging a Thibs TO.

2:45 Windler throws away a baseline drive. Leading to Mitch slopping in a bucket after a Maker block. Thon has a solid first jump, but his second is… lacking. Next time down Maker thumps Robinson on a foul. I like the intimidation.

1:30: Sexton finally shakes off the rust to rattle in a clunky floater, but front-rims an open three the next time down.

0:56 Jared Harper gets brushed by Dotson on a triple, and gets to the the line for a four point play. The Dude’s 5-11. You shouldn’t have to foul him.

0:40 Sweet give-and-go from Javale to Windler. John Michael mentions that Javale is in his 13th season. Good God, that makes me feel old.

0:16 Harper baits Sexton into a very dumb charge at the top of the key. Toppin closes the quarter with a nifty bounce pass to give (blurry Knick) a layup. 41-18 Knicks at the end of the first. That 12 minutes was… not pretty.

2nd Quarter

The Cavs bring back their starters. Garland clangs a step-back trey, but gets to the line next time down going one-on-four against a Knicks Zone. This game has all the pace of a post-season baseball game.

11:00 AC offers this gem, “The Cavs want to get the lead down to around double figures before going into the locker room.” Yes, AC, that would be nice.

10:45 ICE! Goes coast to coast to lay one in, gets hammered, no call, gets back up and sprints down the court before the ball’s even inbounded. Got-damn. I like this kid. Crap. He’s holding his hip, but does cut the diff to 20.

10:30 Toppin beats Javale like a drum with an easy baseline drive. Two 13 year vets going at it.

10:00 Collin misses a layup. Cleveland is doing a terrible job of getting into transition and Sexton is suffering. As I type, Javale throws away an outlet. The Cavs’ bigs hate giving the ball to a guard. Javale follows it up by getting a vet call for two freebies.

9:00 Damn. Obi Toppin tightropes the baseline on a closeout and throws a no-look laser to the right corner. Knox drains a triple. That was pretty, Obi. Kevin Knox has been killing the Cavs from deep these two games too. Looks like he found a role: shooter.

8:40 Garland chucks a 28-foot lead balloon. I haven’t seen anything this preseason to make me think he’s close to even being a below average player. He gnashes into a floater that thuds a minute later and Knox drains a triple from the left corner. Knicks by 24.

7:15 Carr opines saliently that the Cavs are gambling for a lot of steals and losing, leading to open buckets for the Knicks. Stay home… Toppin gets to the line with Eurostep in transition while Okoro commits his fourth foul. So remember when I said Obi didn’t look that skilled last game? I was, uh, wrong.

6:45 Knox again from the corner. New York up 29 before Osman answers from deep then goes coast-to-coast for two more. It’s amazing what happens when someone other than Garton touches the ball (I refuse to use the term “Sexland” until they look sexy, or at least remotely appealing).

5:45 Collin throws it away then clanks a pull-up. Cavs missing a big that can dissect this zone. That’s decidedly not Marques Bolden. He does get a block next time down and Windler dives on the floor to grab it. We all hold our breath. He’s fine.

4:15 Cedi strings a left wing trey for 13 in the first 16 minutes. He’s far and away the best Cav this ragged half.

3:30 Bolden misses a hook around the basket against Mitchell Robinson. OK, it’s getting to the point where maybe you shouldn’t try to challenge Mitch. Either pump fake and get him in the air, or kick it out.

3:10 R.J. Barrett puts Dean Wade in the “take you to the right, spin back left” tornado and finishes a sick lefty scoop. That was filthy. A.C. Says that’s his go-to. Cavs down 27.

2:50 Javale slips and turns it over. That’s the second or third time they’ve slipped on that end of the floor. Even water is against the Cavs tonight.

2:18 McGee swatted by Mitchell. The definition of insanity is…

2:15 Quickley at the line makes it an even 30, Garland ball hogs a possession and clanks a floater. Knox makes it 33 from the left wing. Wade thudder. Randle gets to the line to make it 35 (he was still playing?!)

1:00 Dotson throws away a transition pass, McGee gets blocked by Robinson again. The Cavs have no plan against this zone. Everyone just going one-on-five.

0:10 Randle gets two more on the right block. Garland throws away the last possession. 70-35 Knicks to end the first half. J.B. takes Okoro’s and Garland’s fake ID’s away in the locker room. Leading the Knicks, 25th pick, Emmanuel Quickley with 15 and 4 dimes, Knox with at least two dozen threes, and Robinson with infinity blocks

3rd Quarter

No more Garland to start the quarter. Sexler, Okoro, Cedi, Bolden… Sexton blocked by Robinson.

11:00 Cedi! catch-and-shoot left wing Zone-buster.

10:30 Cedi again! He’s 5-6 from deep and 7-8 from the floor. GET HIM THE BALL. Rage timeout Thibs! Cavs ran some nice double screen sets to get him open on the wing. It didn’t work, but the scrambled Knicks D got Cedi a mismatch.

10:00 Quickley scorches the Cavs zone from the top of the key. I’m calling it. He’ll have a better career than Garland. Like his game. On the other end Bolden finally uses a pump fake to get Mitch in the air and drop steps into a reverse dunk.

9:00 Barrett scores his 13th point on the block. You get the feeling he could have 25 if he’d wanted this game. Not forcing anything. Looks much more comfortable than he did last year.

8:15 Sexton uses the p/r to get to an 18 foot pull-up with plenty of time on the shot clock. You can get a better shot than that, Youngbull.

7:45 Barrett drives baseline and shovels to Robinson who barely jumps and throws Bolden and the rock into the basket. He barely has to do anything to dunk. He’s been a monster this game, but the reason Mitchell Robinson doesn’t start over Noel: Robinson can’t stay out of foul trouble against real NBA players. Hard to build a rotation around him when you don’t know how many minutes you’re going to get from him before you have to bench him. If he keeps playing the Cavs, though…

7:07 Cedi doesn’t force it from the top of the key, but uses Okoro coming off a curl to get Windler a look in the right corner, which Dylan rims out. If Osman doesn’t get a starting spot over the Cavs last three first round picks, meritocracy is dead. I expect a fully blown mutiny. Next time down, Isaac drives and dishes for a Bolden dunk. Nice play, rook.

6:20 Bullock from the right corner makes it a *does some math*, 39 point Knicks lead. If we were at the Q, the Diff would be broken. Bullock does it from literally the exact same spot 20 seconds later to make it 42. J.B. timeout. I know I’m watching this on replay, but I’m just guessing the Cavs don’t come back.

5:15 Okoro thuds another triple. I told you the sample size was too small to get too excited about the shooting.

4:40 LOL. Dotson from 28 feet threatens low flying planes in the NY area with a a heave that hits nothing. Mooney airballs the next time down, and Maker watches Barret make a layup over him. I can see why people dislike Maker. His motor seems to work about once every four games. To call this game a boat race is to disrespect regattas. 44 point Knick lead.

3:05 Cavs just running their G-League Lineup, but Wade finds Dotson who dishes back to Wade for a hammer. Thibs doesn’t like it. Calls timeout. Cripes. That coach suffers no failure.

2:45 Knox again from the corner. I know what he was doing during the pandemic. John Michael mentions he’s 8-9 since the fourth quarter on Wednesday.

2:00 Levi Randolph cuts the lead to 44 with a three. If there’s a guy that deserves the other two-way, it’s Randolph (it aint Mooney who gets an offensive foul for being slow and bespoke)… Knox from the right corner. The NY media is going to be insufferable.

0:50 Thon tries to take Obi off the dribble, and… doesn’t. Theo Pinson steals, Maker fouls him.

0:30 Charles Matthews hits his first bucket for the Cavs, a left wing pindown he swishes from deep. He couldn’t be worse than anyone on the floor. Let’s see if he can have a 50 point fourth. Cavs down 103-57.

Fourth Quarter

Why am I still here? Cause I’m a masochist.

11:15 Dean Wade isos Obi off the dribble and nails a little J from the elbow, which is why I didn’t want to draft Obi.

11:00 Randolph gets to the line for two. He’s the keeper so far of all these guys are playing for two-way contracts… Obi slams an oop with a one hand finish. We’re through the looking glass here, people. I don’t know why I say that. Seems like people always say it in movies.

10:00 Matthews with some solid hustle to grab an o-board and get to the line.

9:09 Dean Wade from deep. Cavs cut it to 42… Why am I still watching this?

8:09 Dotson cuts the Knicks lead to 39 with a trey. Panick timeout by Thibs.

7:45 After a C-Cut, Kevin Knox slams it home over two Generals. When I lived in Alaska, and the Globetrotters came up, they didn’t even bring the Washington Generals. They fielded a team of local guys and called them “The California Lasers.” They even included a local news sportscaster celebrity name John “Carp” Carpenter. I’m pretty sure Curley Neal threw a bucket of confetti into his face and they all partied that night at some random downtown bar that night. I don’t think Toppin and Co. are going out with the Charge tonight… Knicks by 39.

6:40 Jared Harper scores over Matthews with about a two inch vertical for an and-1. We’re playing out the string here, folks.

5:50 Levin Randolph: nifty bounce pass to Mooney in transition. Mooney looks like me at the Y and hits the bottom of the rim on the layup attempt. (Fair point, I wish I’d been to the Y in the last 15 months)

5:12 Mooney steal. He’s terrified as he runs down the court… Pinson blocks him from behind. Don’t look back in anger, Matt.

4:55 Matt Mooney gets to the line. Love a kid with a pair of wristbands. Kickin it Jackie Moon style.

3:40 Nifty spinning lefty finish in transition by Wade. Mooney cans a three and thinks about what kind of craft beer he’ll be enjoying later. I feel like he should have a hipster stache and run a craft cocktail bar with Luke Harangody called “Moon and Gody.”

2:14 Lamar Stevens thumps one in transition against pillowy soft D. Even a Thibodeau team reaches their limit of crap-giving. This is the longest preseason game I’ve ever watched. I do like Stevens’ athleticism.

1:40 It’s personal now. I must complete this game… “Rule of verticality” in effect for Stevens as he gets a stop. Hard to tell much, but I’d consider him for a two-way just based on athleticism. Levi Randolph is an end-of-the-bench player at best, and Matt Mooney will be running rings around Beijing highschoolers next year.

0:33 Knicks break up a transition attempt. Even in garbage time, Thibs is a stern taskmaster.

119-83 Knicks as the Cavs make it look better than it was. Goodnight, Manhattan. Not much to take away here other than that Cedi should start, Thon probably loafed his way out of a roster spot as McGee looks fine, and Garton was gassed and needs to learn how to execute against a zone. I’m also am very tired of preseason basketball, and, unfortunately, Darius Garland.

And this just in…

#Cavs also announce they have waived Matt Mooney, Levi Randolph and Charles Matthews.

They also signed forward Norvel Pelle, who played in 24 games for the 76ers last season.

— Kelsey Russo (@kelseyyrusso) December 19, 2020

#Cavs are converting Marques Bolden to a two-way contract, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA.

— Kelsey Russo (@kelseyyrusso) December 19, 2020