Recap: Cavs 107, Nets 118 (or, It’s the Same Old Song)

Recap: Cavs 107, Nets 118 (or, It’s the Same Old Song)

2022-04-09 Off By Chris Francis

In what has become old hat in the post-Ricky Rubio (and Jarrett Allen) age, the Cavs’ defense was obliterated by Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets 118-107. The Cavs lost the rebound battle by 14, and the assist battle by 11. There’s simply no way the Cavs could possibly win against quality competition putting up those numbers. Let’s dive right in with tonight’s takeaways…

1. It’s the Same Old Song

Cavs’ net rating with Ricky Rubio: +6.4, ranked 4th in the NBA
Cavs’ net rating post-Ricky Rubio: -1.5, ranked 19th in the NBA
Cavs’ net rating post-Jarrett Allen: -4.0, ranked 21st in the NBA

This is the story of the Cavs’ season in a nutshell. The Cavs were a possible championship contender with Ricky Rubio, and have now become a lottery team without him (and especially once Jarrett Allen went down). What the absence of Ricky Rubio shows is how valuable the intangibles are in the NBA: competitiveness, unselfishness, experience under pressure. Of course Rubio wasn’t the best player on the team, but he was the heart and soul of the team. In the same vein, Jarrett Allen’s ability to defend the perimeter and bang bodies down low has become a much more appreciated aspect of Allen’s game since the injury.

The problem for the Cavs hasn’t been the offense since the Rubio/Allen injuries. It’s been the defense that has completely disappeared. Perhaps the most underrated player on the Cavs’ roster is Dean Wade. His ability to defend on the perimeter at a high level is sorely missed. One of the highlights of the Cavs’ season was watching Wade’s ability to compete with KD on the perimeter. The absences of Rubio, Allen, and Wade have cratered the Cavs’ ability to defend, there’s no way around that reality.

2. The Kids Weren’t Ready

Cavs’ net rating in Isaac Okoro’s minutes: -17.1
Cavs’ net rating in Evan Mobley’s minutes: -20.8
Cavs’ net rating in Lauri Markkanen’s minutes: -35.2

The Cavs’ young core outside Darius Garland struggled to handle the pressure of the game. Can’t blame them for anything, these are just the growing pains young players have to experience in order to grow. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff did try to limit Okoro and Markkanen’s minutes, but probably could’ve gone even further doing so.

3. J.B. Can’t Quit Rajon Rondo

Rondo was an abject disaster on the court, yet somehow J.B. tried to go to him twice. It’s easy to admire J.B. for his loyalty, but loyalty doesn’t win basketball games. Rondo simply cannot play NBA basketball on the offensive end of the court. The only times he should be in the game is for situational defense. The fact that J.B. hasn’t figured this out is of some concern.

4. Take a Bow, Cedi and Lamar

Clearly the two top dawgs of the game were Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens. It’s unfortunate that J.B. didn’t stick with them more. Those two in combination with Kevin Love was a tidy +132.1 net rating in four minutes of action, the third most-used lineup in the game. Cedi’s shooting and playmaking was of particular note, at this point it’s hard not to give Cedi the backup point guard duty given what has transpired with Rajon Rondo (and Caris LeVert).

5. Darius Garland’s Scoring Blossoms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcpcn-fUsro

Darius Garland was clearly able to go toe to toe scoring with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The show DG put on in the third quarter particularly was MVP-worthy. Unfortunately DG couldn’t find a way to be more effective with the pass, but obviously teams are forcing DG to be a scorer instead of creator. There will come a point in time where DG will have to learn how to go for 40 or 50 points in a game… perhaps that time is now.

6. Quick Note on the Nets

Right now all the rage in NBA talk is about how the entire Eastern Conference doesn’t want to face the Brooklyn Nets in the playoffs. Obviously with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving that’s easy to say. Count yours truly among the true haters, this Brooklyn team is food. They don’t defend and their team doesn’t appear to have the chemistry necessary for a championship run. It takes real courage to have fire takes, can’t wait for the Bucks or Sixers to wipe the floor with this team.

7. Play-in Picture

At the time of this writing, the Cavs are in the eighth seed with one game to play against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks have secured the second or third seed, and maybe looking to load manage and avoid a possible first round matchup with the Nets. The Cavs should be looking to win in order to secure two play-in games. Get ready for a wild Sunday afternoon!

8. Last but Not Least,

Love you Ricky!!!

 

 

 

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