Recap: Cavs 101, Warriors 106 (or, Making Adjustments)

The Cavs were unable to snap their losing streak, getting sonned by a virtuoso performance from Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, 101-106. It was the offense’s turn to falter after two games where the defense was unable to perform. Let’s dive into last night’s takeaways…

1. Making Adjustments: Bench Edition

If one were to distill the game statistically, the Cavs lost the game due to the bench getting completely outplayed by the Warriors’ bench. They were outscored 28-13, here’s a glance at the bench net ratings from last night:

Notice how Coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s answer to the absence of Dean Wade was giving more minutes to the struggling Isaac Okoro. Unfortunately for Cavs’ fans, J.B.’s adjustment was to double down on something that wasn’t working as opposed to Warriors’ Head Coach Steve Kerr. Kerr has apparently adjusted his approach to bench minutes, benching his struggling young players James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody for veteran journeyman Anthony Lamb, who killed the Cavs in his short time on the court with 10 points, four rebounds, and an assist.

Steve Kerr on second unit:

"We’ve gotta find combinations that work off the bench. We’ll be making some changes."

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) November 4, 2022

Hey J.B., perhaps there’s something to learn from Golden State’s approach, just a thought!

2. One More Thing about Golden State…

Steve Kerr on Jordan Poole coming off the bench: "If Steph Curry can come off the bench, anyone can come off the bench."

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 1, 2022

If the readers will recall last year’s playoffs, Coach Kerr decided to bring NBA Champion, Hall of Famer, one of the greatest NBA players ever, Steph Curry off the bench in order to limit his minutes and ease him back into play after an injury. It’s hard not to second-guess Coach Bickerstaff’s decision to throw Darius Garland out there in the starting lineup only to see him struggle to find his rhythm to start the season. Garland’s eye still looks terrible, and he’s clearly putting up some subpar numbers. Why couldn’t DG come off the bench and ease him into the season, ramping him up when he starts looking good? Now J.B. has created a situation that puts more pressure on his 22 year old point guard because the team’s losing coincides with Garland’s return, not ideal!

3. The Cavs Miss Dean Wade

It should go without saying that Dean Wade’s absence underscores his importance to the team as a versatile and effective role player. As one can see below, out of all Cavs’ lineups that have seen at least 10 minutes or more of court time this season, Dean Wade’s name pops up in the four best lineups of the season in net rating:

There is a discourse brewing about whether Wade should get a shot at the starting small forward position over Caris LeVert. For the sake of getting LeVert some more on-ball touches, it’s not the worst idea to consider starting Wade. However!

4. In more positive news…

Probably the best news of the night was how the starting lineup performed in their minutes last night. They posted a net rating of +27.2 in 22 minutes on the court together, and J.B. clearly rode that horse until it died at the end of the game last night. It might’ve been their best performance of the season, given their early season struggles (-5.7 net rating in 100 minutes on the season). Hopefully it’s a sign that the chemistry is building among the young group.

5. More basketball virtuosity from MVP candidate Donovan Mitchell

6. Home Sweet Home

The Cavs travel cross country back to the shores of Lake Erie to host the Minnesota Timberwolves tomorrow night at the Rock. If there’s a team whose vibes reek of rotten eggs, it’s Minnesota. They spent a fortune to acquire Rudy Gobert to disastrous effect. It’s hard to call a random November home game a must win scenario, but beating the stinky Timberwolves is a must for the Cavs tomorrow night if fans are to believe the Cavs are headed in the right direction as the season goes along, Go Cavs!