Recap: Cavs: Awesome, Knicks: Amare (Also, how I failed at podcasting about tanking)
2012-04-20
Quick note – someone has been commenting as me (Mallory) in the comment sections. From now forward I will log into the blog, so I’ll have an official stamp – basically, you’ll know it’s me.  That’s all about that...
What an awesome win, although the Knicks were clearly willing to sacrifice this one in favor of trying to get Amare back into the mix. I’ll be honest with you all and admit I didn’t watch this one closely – John, Ryan and I were recording a podcast. Unfortunately my computer had a meltdown and the podcast seems to have disappeared. Go figure.
Basically, as far as I can tell (and from what I watched):
The Good:
Kyrie – he clearly returned to form. I saw him make some of his patented fancy moves and did a great job getting to the rim. He shot atrociously from the 3, but who cares – he’s back, that’s all that matters.
Manny Harris – REALLY DUDE? TWELVE REBOUNDS?!?!?! ALL ON D?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Not only that, but the guy shot 6-12 and hit 3 3-pointers, including an absolute BOMB from almost the half court as time expired (true story – Ryan and I were talking after the podcast was recorded and I literally screamed “ARE YOU EFFING SERIOUS.” It was that jaw dropping. I could get used to this…)
Samardo – I’m chalking this up to the fact that Amare is really, really rusty. Also, Jorts played for 5 minutes so that’s gotta come into play, right?
The Bad:
Melo – I know he’s not a Cav, but since it’s almost definite the Knicks are going to face the Heat (at least it’s almost definite in my head, where I see them winning, so yeah…) I figured it’d be nice to see what was up with the Knicks’ star. He was 5-13, meaning Casspi, AP, etc. must’ve played some damn fine D.
Jamison – Yuck. Just…yuck. But can you blame the guy? He’s collecting massive paychecks for a crappy NBA team. The man has no incentive left.
The Rest:
Sorry for such an informal (and silly) recap – I was glancing on and off while recording the podcast and had hoped to have it up tonight to go along with a short recap, but lo and behold it’s gone.
So just to give you a quick summary. John, Ryan and I were discussing the merits of tanking, how they affect the psyche of the fan, whether or not tanking in the NBA is a real issue or not, and what all this tanking means for the future.
If you’d like to discuss in the comments section, I’ll do my best to lead this discussion as I did during our podcast.
Keep an eye out for an end of season podcast next week. Until then…!
I think as long as we lose out, or win only one of our remaining four games (at this point), we will get the player we need. Like most people I am enamored with the very real possibility of drafting Brad Beal, but knowing that Doron Lamb may be available for the second pick makes me think we need to address the SF or C issue first. Barnes’ size and length is perfect and I am kinda sick of seeing our undersized team run out every night. The main drawback’s I have heard for Barnes is that he is overly… Read more »
After thinking about it for a while, I really agree with you Ryan young. Cleveland would be one of the best possible lottery destinations for Barnes.
But Marc, the Cavs will not listen to you. They want to win games weather you like them to or not. Sorry!!
I completely understand the concept of the team not tanking (they are professionals, get paid and should play for self respect) but as a fan I do not want the team to win anymore games and once the playoffs are out of reach the season should be seen as a glimpse into the future and they should want the future to be as bright as possible. Bottom line every team wants a good draft pick so why not tank once the playoffs are out of reach to give yourself the best chance of improving the team
Funny how the Cavs doesn’t listen to their fans and just lose. Instead they continue to look for ways to win. Very interesting!! I guess they really do strive for success instead of intentionally seeking the illusion of success through constant failure.
I think Barnes with Kyrie feeding him could be just as potent as a beal and Irving backcourt. He did struggle, but their offense changed dramatically with Marshall out. Kyrie will help his potential skyrocket. I think the interviews, as last year, will e a huge part of it for Chris grant and co
**RICK FOR PRESIDENT**
I want Beal, but Kyrie is gonna get us Harrison Barnes, or even worse, Sullinger/Leonard if we win 2+ more games.
@Hannes
I totally agree. Golden State’s end of season tanking is probably the worst of any team. They were 18-21 around midpoint, and when they realized the playoffs were out of reach, they have since gone 4-19…. AND they openly admitted that they were trying to get their first round pick back (which they do if it lands in the top 7).
I read every post that generally comes up in this blog but rarely comment. This “tanking” talk over the last month or more has finally gotten to me. Not once this season have I felt the Cavs have been in tank mode. And I fail to understand why its been a constant source of discussion on this (and other) Cavs stories. Last nights game should prove it if it hadn’t already. They don’t win that game without Kyrie. They don’t have Kyrie in there if they are in tank mode. Prior to the game, I had no idea Kyrie was… Read more »
Why did we have to start winning now? Still, I can’t see us winning more than 1 game to close the season. @San Antonio, @Memphis, and @Chicago, with a home against Washington would most likely give us a 1-3 finish and 22-44 record overall. Compare that to Toronto, which ends with games @Detroit, @Milwaukee, and vs.NJ. They could easily get 1 win and finish with a better record than us. If we lose out, we could end in a tie with Sacramento, which has an almost guaranteed win @Charlotte before being massacred @OKC and vsLakers. Even New Orleans COULD squeak… Read more »
The lottery system sucks
http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/
pictures of tanks everywhere… in Germany, teams get relegated to D-League if they are too bad.
I mean, America is always scared of socialism – but that is somehow the most socialist thing I can imagine, isn’t it?
(I’m rambling…)
Ps- My favorite part of the podcast was when Natalie Portman called in and revealed she was leaving Benjamin Millepied for me. I’m sorry that it got deleted.
To blend the podcast with the game: I love good Kyrie is and I love watching the team play well, but that said… We’ve come this far (we’ve done the losing we needed to do) and I don’t really know the best way to handle these next four games. We are currently the fifth-worst team in the league with an 8.8% chance of landing Anthony Davis, and we’ll pick no worse than eighth (My opinion: Top-5 and we’re alright.). Had we lost out, we probably would have been the third-worst team in the league with a 15.6% chance of landing… Read more »
terrible win
terrible win
im saying it twice because it said my comment was too short
I hate tanking, and I hope this is the last year we have to do it for a while, but even if I dislike it, it is important for a team like the Cavaliers because it is the only way the team can have a high chance of landing a superstar.