Live Thread: Cavs vs Thunder
2025-01-08This is the game we’ve been waiting for, Cavs fans. The Cavs have lost four games: Boston, Atlanta twice, and Miami. Tonight’s battle against the 30-5 Tacoma City Plunder looks to be the best matchup of an NBA regular season that is nearing its mid-point. The Cavs have been playing a lot of scrub teams and playoff squads with major injuries and not enough depth to cover for them. It’s gonna be a blast to see how they stack up to a Thunder team that just happen to be my most hated NBA team.
Ever since Aubrey McLendon absconded from Seattle with the then Sonics in tow, Oklahoma City has been just… the worst, and I have family there. OKC has frankly beaten some better squads of late including the Gizz, the Knicks, and the Celtics on Sunday, but their losses show a key to beating them. Denver, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Milwaukee (in the NBA cup championship) all feature solid big man play, and with Chet Holmgren out with an injury, only Cavalier cast-off made nemesis, Isaiah Hartenstein is the wall standing in the way of a Cavalier victory. The Cavs will need to make controlling Harty and Co. on the o-boards a priority.
The other key will be keeping grift merchant SGA off the line, and making him have to score on a lot of tough shots to beat them. Limit the other scorers, run 10 deep and make the Thunder’s limited bench pay. Then all the starters gotta do is hold serve.
Cleveland gets Ike Okoro back tonight, J.T. Thor is active, and Sam Merrill remains sidelined. Meanwhile OKC is missing the aforementioned Holmgren, Alex Caruso, A.J. Mitchell, Adam Flagler, and Nikola Topic (only two of which matter). Go Cavs.
Windhorst from today’s ESPN article on the game. Windy is a really good journalist and the way he put this was perfect. That 3rd quarter was elite level basketball by both teams. Windhorst: There is no true winner or loser in this game. Both these teams displayed a mastery of their systems. The execution in the third quarter of this game, which OKC won 43-41, was perhaps the most technically splendid 12 minutes of midseason basketball I’ve ever witnessed. The Cavs walking away with the win is meaningful, but they would admit there is very little space between these teams. Cleveland’s… Read more »
The Cavs were the true winner.
JUST WATCHED REPLAY—— SO MUCH FUN—— HOPE THEY DONT “ LAY AN EGG “ TONIGHT VS RAPTORS
I think Mobley will be motivated at least, thanks to the presence of bitch-ass Barnes.
TARGET GETS BIGGER ( ON THEIR JERSEY s ) SCHEDULE GETS TOUGHER—- “!W’s “ WILL BE MORE DIFFICULT——-NEED TO RISE TO THE CHALLENGE—— GETTING ICE / SAM BACK GIVES KA MORE ROTATIONAL OPTIONS 👍🏀
Really great team win. And really great on anotger level. Ironic, but my one eorry sbout how the post-season Cavs will perform is everyone except Spida. They all laid an egg in the play-in 3 years ago. And DG really struggledcin that NY series (save for 1 game). Horford had his number in Boston. JA was hurt. Caris struggled. Morris was our best bench guy. Mobley played well late on but I eonder ifche can sustain it.
But this win? Spida was awful by his standards, but everyone else picked him up. Not just Mobes, JA, and DG. Strus, Jerome, & Wade were awesome. Caris hit a couple when we needed it. And Mitchell’s buckets were few, but timely. And he was OK going to Mobes & DG in crunch time.
Schedule gets tlrougher. But we won 4 in a row on a west coast trip and beat OKC on this run.
GREAT GAME. Let’s wait until next Thursday before we get too excited. Coming up:
Thursday: Raps
Sunday: Pacers
Tuesday: at Pacers
Thursday: at Thunder (!!)
Saturday: at T-Wolves
Monday: Suns
That will be 42 games, past the half way mark.
Allen whipping Hartenstein in a national game should be meaningful.
ESPN announcers noting he and Mobleys physicality.
Let’s get it to 16. Might put up 200 on the Pacers
damn dean wade what a finish!!!! great pass JA! https://x.com/stevejones20/status/1877152244061151280
Once again the missus and I traveled to The Land to witness a most exciting victory!
They weren’t perfect, but they were GREAT. What a wonderful team with different guys stepping up throughout the game.
Anticipated national meme: ???DM will need to prove himself in the playoffs because Dort, on a short handed squad, handled him on the road ???
see if Dort can do it again next Thursday
Are they short handed because they’re missing Chet? The guy they haven’t had for months and who is likely to come back and get injured about 5 games later? He’s porzingus 2.0. if you’re counting on him….keep him on ice until th 3rd game of the finals or you ain’t gonna have him
CAVS HAVE THAT “ TARGET “ ON THEIR JERSEYS—— GOING TO GET EVERYONE s “ BEST SHOT “ ———“ STEEL SHARPENS STEEL “ 👍🏀💪