Recap: Cavs 99, Nets 109 (or, No Quit)

The massively short-handed Cavs lose a tough one to the Brooklyn Nets, 99-109, a game they had no business being in but fought valiantly in the second half to make a game of it. The Cavs simply couldn’t make enough threes to overcome the deficit in talent, shooting only 25% from three on 44 attempts. Let’s dive into the game’s takeaways…

1. A good game plan, just poor execution

With the Cavs missing three out of their four top big men and their only available rotation big on a minute’s restriction (Kevin Love), the only way the Cavs had a chance in this game was to shoot the lights out from three. Well, they got their attempts up, they just couldn’t make anything. Had they shot just 10% better, they would’ve won the game. But the game plan and the process was good. Two of the best three point shooters on the team, Darius Garland and Ricky Rubio, took 23 attempts between just the two of them. For DG, he looked much better and showed better fight in the second half of the game. Unfortunately, he was just a little too passive in the first half. Rubio turned in a solid scoring night, but had a little trouble with turnovers (five on the game). But at the end of the day, one can live with the fight they showed in the game and there’s no question there was an opportunity to win until late in the fourth quarter when the mistakes caught up.

2. Dean Wade’s defense deserves a shoutout

“James” Dean Wade had some really nice moments guarding future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant. Wade has quick feet and a lot strength to hold his ground. The Cavs turned in a 97.5 defensive rating in the 38 minutes Wade was on the floor. Wade had two steals and even had a couple of nice dimes on the offensive end. If Wade can just find his jumper, he’ll have a legit claim to some rotation minutes even while guys come back.

3. Dylan Windler, Isaac Okoro need to step up

Windler didn’t take a shot in 12 minutes on the court. If he’s not hunting for his shot, he’s not making an impact on offense. He needs to be constantly moving and looking for space to shoot. As for Ice, his decision making on offense is out of whack, with only two assists and two turnovers combined with very poor shooting. If the Cavs are going to survive the loss of Collin Sexton, both Windler and Okoro need to step their games up.

4. Quick note on the Nets

The Nets did what good teams do and that is beat lesser teams at home. But, unfortunately for the Nets and their fans, all anyone in the NBA world could focus on was the defeat last night against Steph Curry and the Warriors. What last night’s defeat proved was that the Nets need Kyrie Irving to seriously contend for the title, but Irving has no interest in playing for the Nets as it currently stands. Anything short of a title is a failure for the Nets. What happens if the frustration mounts further? It will be an interesting NBA soap opera to say the least.

5. Adam Silver’s NBA

The Cavs have to face those Golden State Warriors as part of a second game of a back to back tomorrow night. NBA schedulers are a disgrace to their profession (just kidding… but not really!).