Live Thread: Cavs @ Clippers
2024-04-07Good afternoon, Cavs fans. The wine and gold end a brutal road trip in LA today with their final regular season road game. Cleveland will be missing Donovan Mitchell (load management), Dean Wade, and Ty Jerome, with Isaac Okoro and Craig Porter Junior apparently healthy enough to return to the floor. Let’s hope they can contain the dribble penetration that has been plaguing Cleveland since the all star break.
Meanwhile the Clippers will be missing Kawhi Leonard, Daniel Theis, and Josh Primo. You have to hope that the expanding wing and perimeter depth helps Cleveland keep up, but my worry is that JB plays too many lineups that can’t shoot. We’ll see how virulent that “L.A. flue” is, and if afternoon games continue to be the Cavs’ Waterloo. Go Cleveland.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39915636/adam-silver-raptors-jontay-porter-face-permanent-ban
Fuck off Silver. Reap what you sow you pearl clutching bitch.
THE NBA GOT WHAT THEY WANTED—-“ MEANINGFUL/ COMPETITIVE “ GAMES TO THE LAST WEEKEND———— “ PLANNED OR BY CHANCE “ ???🤨
can’t see how this could be planned.
off topic: a game where Boston got ZERO FT’s, and Bucks got TWO? I guess the disparity was only two, so that is pretty good?
Wow. That’s crazy. I mean I love it. I hate watching free throws with a passion.
moderately depressing, the O/U on Don points is 20.5.
probably some convergence with that and the line being +18.5, maybe the smarts don’t expect him to play very much
Clips put a 35-4 run on PHX.
contender!
watching knicks-bulls. man, do i wish we had hart.
and -enstein.
they pay for it, man’s deal is IIRC more per year than JAs (by a hair)
AGREE/ CHARLIE —-VERY LIMITED/ CREATIVE OFFENSIVE MOVES NOR THE CONFIDENCE TO USE OFTEN OR WORK ON AT LEAST 2-3 DIFFERENT MOVES——— HE STILL STRUGGLES TO CATCH IN TRAFFIC———- STILL BELIEVE THE POTENTIAL IS THERE FOR HIM TO BE A 20/ 12 PLAYER
I think the counting stats look similar but I think he’s developed a tighter handle and better set of moves to beat stronger 5s. Zu would have manhandled him last year and he was finishing through his chest and moving him around. Also his coast to coast stuff is better.
Largely Windy had that take preloaded though–the last time he said it was pre Cs and Mobley has played like eight games since then?
I missed the game but… Clippers shot 100% from the line. Aside from 16-16 from the line, PGeorge stats don’t look particularly gaudy. Still, with Isaac Okoro around giving up 39 points to a player like PG shouldn’t be happening. At this point major injuries to DM and DWade are derailing the season. It sucks. I mostly agree with Windy that Mobley’s offensive development is very slow. He doesn’t seem to have any “moves” you know? Like, aside from the upfake-and-dunk next to the basket it’s pretty limited. Kid should probably be watching old Kevin McHale film and less Kevin… Read more »
PG is a perfect offensive wing bro, he can kill you. The issue was scheme. Gotta blitz at least a little.
Everyone has a different theory for how Mobley should develop-this is the biggest issue with not having an offensive minded coach. They should commit to running PnR or inverted PnR with him and Strus and Allen. Get him going downhill like Orlando does with Wagner
CAVS ONLY HAVE THE TIE BREAKER ADVANTAGE AGAINST THE BUCKS———-///GEeereeZ
WINDHORST RIPPING MOBES FOR LACK OF OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT IN HIS 3rd YEAR——- JUSTIFIED OR NOT
He doesn’t know when or how he’s getting touches from game to game: he gets 16/10/3 on like nothing (fwiw Chet is like 17/7 on similar splits from the field).
He’s had some really good games – think he gave Turner 30 / 15 earlier – but his unselfishness combined with a lack of offensive purpose hurts there
I ain’t buying the “when or how” theory. When you get a touch, make something happen, don’t pout because you didn’t know when it would be.
there’s something to that for sure, and that’s clearly how he plays on the other end.
you continue to see flashes where he recognizes how to beat his guy and leans on that for multiple possessions, but he has to hunt those opportunities and capitalize. even 1-2 more a game would be huge.
GOT TICKETS FOR THE HORNETS GAME—- HAVENT DECIDED IF GOING YET OR NOT ——— SONS MIGHT GET A “ GIFT “ FROM DAD 👍👍
turns out Merrill had whiplash Sunday in the first half.
yeesh. well, that explains the lineup
Get Tim Misny on the case.
Maybe that’s more Elk and Elk’s thing. I dunno.
AGREE ARCH ——-THERE HAS BEEN AN ODOR OF “ CAVS BURNT TOAST “ FOR QUITE AWHILE—(ALL STAR BREAK ) —— WE NEED TO BEAT MEMPHIS/ HORNETS—- BUT EVEN IF WE DO WILL IT REALLY MEAN THE CAVS “ ARE BACK “ —-WILL IT INSTILL ANY CONFIDENCE FOR THEM/ FOR US ??
Probably the only thing that restores the feeling would be a road playoff win with Don looking like Don.
Mitchell doesn’t look right, which is probably the main reason they’re “toast.” If we had another month to play through it, then it would help.
Bos v. Mil
Indy v. Toronto
Miami v. Hawks
Knicks v. Bulls
Magic v. Rockets
at least two of our potential opponents going to look fraudulent tonight
Magic fraudulent (Miami looking wack in late game offense but they pulled it off and now get DAL on a B2B after 2OT, so not drawing any conclusions about them from tonight)
AM NERVOUS ABOUT CAVS FALLEN TO THE PLAY OFF ROUND
I think they’re toast. It doesn’t really matter where they land.
Burnt toast.Luckily I was on the road and missed the weekend games.
they played better. Garland especially was bought in on defense (!). Just hope for health from Mitchell and Wade (and maybe home court) and there’s enough of a chance.
but we still look like the worst of the top 8, nothing in the last week was gonna change that although beating the Clips would have been a nice bright spot
I get that,just no ability to sustain it.Again,the subject of mental and physical toughness and showing up for 48 minutes.The stuff that gets amplified in a playoff setting.
Eh, no back to backs in the playoffs.
They were tough but outcoached here, but in a collapse like this there’s so much good and bad than everyone who has a prior narrative can find something to confirm.
Didn’t see a minute of it thankfully,but clearly outcoached by what I’ve read from multiple sources.As to prior narratives,you bet a horse by its track record .This is a team with talent that can’t get it done when the lights get bright.I only know what what I’ve seen.
Think so? If you had bet the last champion to win the next championship, you’d have lost 8 of 10 times in any period of NBA history outside of 1988-98.
If you’d have bet that a team down 3-1 would win a playoff series…etc, etc.
very conventional thinking
Mitchell needs to be healthy and able to finish at the rim: if that doesn’t happen, it doesn’t matter all that much. And if it doesn’t happen due to his health, he’s in a tricky situation because you can’t have playoff success without your best player being right. It’s not exactly his fault but he’d also be the main reason for the bad result. Anyways, I’m sure the FO has Mitchell (and probably DG, sigh) trade scenarios gamed out, they aren’t idiots. Woke up liking a Spida to Sacramento deal for both parties: think they have useful young players even… Read more »
Do I think so ? Of course I think so..haha!!! Meaning this ,teams playing well and making progress will show it.theyll hold leads ,limit turnovers,not lose focus and execute an offensive play even under pressure,close quarters,value every possession……etc.We’re watching a team go backwards right before our eyes…..,with a coach who can’t design an inbounds play..So,yes,Ive watched this team underperform against lesser teams,come out flat when they need to hit it hard,get bullied,players who disappear,idiotic rotations,run injured players into the ground and on and on.So on the strength of that I feel pretty confident that this team is going nowhere,,,,they are… Read more »
I saw them go 18-2 the last time Mitchell was healthy. That stretch was progress. Every individual player in the rotation except one is better than last year. That’s progress.
They’ve stalled out with no Mitchell and there are cohesion issues but it’s all fixable if Mitchell healthy. And now it looks like possible playoff matchups are 4-5 or 3-6 against Bucks with hobbled Giannis or Magic with hobbled Franz.
Still would want a W v Indy but there are opportunities
GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE——DID THE SAME ARCH ——-CAN T WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT ONE—-I PLAN ON BEING THERE 🦾💪🦾💪
WOW——ECLIPSE WAS AWESOME 😎!!!!!
It was incredible. Linked it up to Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.”
Incredible experience, isn’t it? We travelled to a super-remote place in Western Australia to see one last year. Was directly overhead when it all went down against a clear blue sky. Just jaw-dropping.
on rewatch, that line change from Harden and Zu (who Mobley was KILLING) and old PJ to Plumlee, Coffey, Russ and Powell was devastating. Just didn’t have the legs and once the refs decided to swallow their whistle re: Plumlee the paint points vanished.
Clippers so deep even with Kawhi out.
Yeah, i watched the replay trying to see what happened. There are several things, in my mind, including Ice and Evan not being able to stand up to hard minutes right now, DG also getting worn down, missing Wade on the wings leading to more breakdowns. Clippers are a good team, for sure.
This has been a really rough stretch. Glad for that first half, which has been the first half in about a month that showed our ceiling. and hopeful we beat the teams playing out the string. hopefully we find a coach who is a step up and not a step back. ultimately I’m with Nate on DAntoni or someone similar. We need an offensive identity-didn’t happen this year bc of cascading injuries, but source your gut, get DG and DM and Evan buy in, and keep pushing. no trades until you see what the roster can do with a real… Read more »
I mostly agree. No big trades yet (unless Mitchell tells you he is not staying). Go get a new coach and see what they can do. It’s also becoming clear to me that Mitchell, Garland, Mobley and Allen as a whole can’t shoulder playing heavy minutes consistently throughout the regular season. New coach needs to embrace playing 10 players consistently during the regular season.
We often haven’t had ten and I thought reps with the starters were more important than CPJ minutes.
But next year it needs to be a lot more staggering. We know Ice and Merrill and Wade (or Niang) are effective 3&D bench players. Just deploy them and stagger the guards and bigs half the game.
Need some more pet sets with the two bigs that involve 1-3 movement off ball, and early offense.
Sucks that JB couldn’t get there, but a coach is an easy replace – and the individual players on our roster are all better so that’s good
…
he’s gone. legit we’ll never know if it was health or not this year but we know the stories this commentariat will tell itself
The quotes in the game article have a lot from the players questioning it too. That’s the canary in the coal mine
Yeah, they’re wondering why not double PG and make someone else shoot the game deciding shot. Good question . . .
I was really disappointed in the coaching tonight. I get that we have limited reserves and so there aren’t like tons of tactical adjustments when Vert stinks but geez
WOULD HE COME BACK HERE
We can’t afford him now
(largely the point I was making is that the cap catches up to you anyways, better to take swings for the best talent you can get at the top)
I TRY NOT TO RETHINK THE SPIDA TRADE—— I THINK WE PROBABLY OVER PAID—-WE DID GET RID OF SEXTON/ DIDN T LOSE ANYTHING WITH THAT YEAR s DRAFT/ LOSING LAURI HURT—( ALWAYS WILL) —BUT HEY SPIDA — WHEN HEALTHY- IS A TOP 10-15 PLAYER—- IF THE CAVS ARE SMART ( IF SPIDA WANTS TRADED ) IS TO TRY AND RECOUP AS MUCH VALUE AS THEY CAN / A “ BIDDING “ WAR WOULD BE HELPFUL
Lauri has a contract decision in 25 too – you max him and go with that as your core four?
We are the 5th seed now and only 1.5 games up from Indy smh.
Those 3 unprotected picks and 2 swaps the Cavs still owe for the Mitchell trade are really going to hurt. I can’t see him resigning and this team without him is a lottery team.
Picks will be 20s
MUST WIN GAMES FOR CAVS AGAINST MEMPHIS/ HORNETS———-PACERS/ HEAT / KNICKS AFTER TODAY ALL HAVE RELATIVELY EASY/ WINNABLE GAMES
WE ARE NOW 5th SPOT —— RAPIDLY HEADED FOR 6th ——-ARE WE IN JEOPARDY OF FALLING TO PLAY IN TOURNEY
It would take a lot. It’s possible mathematically but I think the 7 seed will have 35 losses
Inconsistency + PG going absolutely bananas.
Really tough loss but I’d rather see that at the end of a road B2B with no Mitchell than a meek blowout, which is what I expected