Recap: Bulls 98, Cavs 94 (or, Whac-a-Mole)

While the Cavs put together a masterful defensive performance, the offense decided to crap out as the Cavs lose their third straight game, this time 98-94 to the Chicago Bulls. The Cavs were playing basketball Whac-a-Mole all night with a pathetic first half performance followed by some vintage Lake Erie Show razzle dazzle in the second half. But at the end of the day, the Cavs were unable to close the deal again. Let’s dive right into tonight’s takeaways…

1. The Windler Agenda to the moon

The Windler Agenda simply can’t stop collecting W after W. Dylan Windler is tonight’s Top Dawg for completely changing the fortunes of this game with his defense and hustle. In his 11.6 minutes on the court tonight, Windler posted a team high +47.7 net rating. It was just nice to see someone have energy playing the game. It was a nice laugh to see the CtB Commentariat collectively realize how desperate Coach J.B. Bickerstaff was for a spark that he was actually willing to call Windler’s number. But what’s not funny is the fact that there is mountains of evidence at this point that Windler has earned a consistent 10 minutes a game and J.B. simply refuses to pay him that respect. What will the future hold for the Windler agenda moving forward? Who knows, but at this point it’s just second hand embarrassment to see J.B. rack his brain for some perimeter defense while Windler twiddles his thumbs on the bench for far too many occasions.

2. Lamar Stevens, runner-up for Top Dawg

The other spark off the bench tonight besides Windler was Lamar Stevens. His defense tonight was tenacious, relentless, and effective posting a +10.2 net rating in his 25.4 minutes. Credit to J.B. for using him as a small-ball power forward role, which really seem to unlock some defensive versatility on the perimeter. If Stevens can somehow find his midrange touch again, he’ll really make it hard for J.B. to keep him off the court.

3. Cedi’s in the mud

Cedi Osman is probably in the midst of the worst stretch of his career right now, tonight being no exception. He posted a -77.3 net rating in 5.9 minutes. The eye test says that is 100% accurate. There is probably no Cavalier on the roster that misses Ricky Rubio more than Cedi Osman. Just take a look at these numbers and weep:

Cedi goes from Jedi to Jar Jar Binks without Ricky Rubio. Find this man a decent point guard.

4. Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro’s growing pains

This was probably one of the poorer defensive performances from both of these guys. Only one block and one steal from nearly 70 minutes of court time between the two players is simply unacceptable from two of the defensive stalwarts in the starting lineup. Isaac Okoro was clearly outplayed by Dylan Windler and Lamar Stevens. Mobley was a two-way trainwreck tonight, unable to find much rhythm at all. But all was not lost for the young lads. Ice’s shooting remained superb, and Mobley’s passing and rebounding were excellent tonight. So while they didn’t put their best foot forward in an important game, there were positives to build upon.

5. DG’s MVP campaign continues unabated

28 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a +5.9 net rating in 44.1 minutes. His defense was spectacular tonight, which goes to show his ability to learn from his mistake against the Raptors. He was only one of three Cavs with a positive net rating. The team needs to rally around their MVP.

6. The Cavs are in a fight now

With this loss tonight, the Cavs have lost their tiebreaker with Chicago and now stand in play-in position with only eight games left. Luckily for the Cavs, they’re easily within striking distance of fifth seed still. But with such a brutal schedule left in terms of a serious lack of off days, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Cavs fall further. This reality shouldn’t be taken negatively however, the Cavs’ season is still a smashing success and experiencing play-in/playoff pressure will pay off massive dividends for the future.

7. Quick note on the Bulls

In talking with knowledgeable Bulls’ fans, there’s a striking similarity to their experience of the Bulls’ season to Cavs’ fans and their experience. On the one hand, Bulls’ fans are pretty miffed about the injuries to Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball. Their absences really did crater their defense and caps their playoff ceiling. That’s the second problem, Zach LaVine’s looming free agency. They could theoretically lose LaVine for nothing. Or, they could lose him for spare parts in a sign and trade. There was a lot riding on this season and right now they look like first round fodder instead of a championship contender. Will that be enough “success” to encourage LaVine to not jump ship? On the flip side, the Bulls haven’t really enjoyed any consistent success since the Derrick Rose era. Having a competitive team worth rooting for is underrated sometimes.

8. Next up, the Orlando Magic

The Magic come to town in what is an absolute must-win game that simultaneously poses as a trap game. Hopefully J.B. sees it fit to try and expand the rotation to Brandon Goodwin and/or Moses Brown, two guys who’ve made positive impacts on team success and could potentially alleviate the insane load the young core is currently carrying. Here’s to rooting for the bench dawgs, Go Cavs!