Recap: Magic 101, Cavs 95 (Or, The Time The Cavs Lost Three Games In a Row)
2010-02-21
Overview:
In a battle of two of the NBA’s largest players, Dwight Howard and the Magic prevailed against the Cavaliers on Sunday. The Magic outscored the Cavaliers by seven points in the final quarter en route to a 101-95 win. This is the first time in two seasons that the Cavs have lost three games in a row.
Cavs-Related Bullets:
-Jamison trade fallout: The Cavs have dominated in the first quarter for the last two seasons. They’re not quite as good in the first this year as they were last year, but they’re still a hair away from being the best first-quarter team in the league. In the losses to Denver and Orlando, the Cavs have been outscored by a combined 17 points in the first quarter.
-After Shaq comes out, the unit Z heads up has been extremely productive. That wasn’t the case against the Nuggets and Magic. The Nuggets went on a 13-3 run to end the first quarter on Thursday. The Magic went on an 8-2 run after Shaq exited the game on Sunday. All four of the Magic’s baskets were in the paint, with the deepest shot coming from seven feet out. Z’s lateral movement on defense may be glacial, but a 7-3 player keeps opponents away from the rim. The small lineup that currently finishes the first quarter is having trouble doing that.
-The good news of the Jamison trade fallout: the third quarter. The third quarter has long been a problem for the Cavaliers. They tend to get stagnant offensively, and often allow teams back into the game going into the fourth.
On Sunday, the third quarter was easily the best quarter for the Cavs, and Jamison was the reason why. Jamison started the third with an 8-0 run, really showing his versatility as a scorer. He posted up, he cut for a layup, and he banged in a pick-and-pop 20-footer.
Jamison did exactly what the Cavs want from him on Sunday. He made good cuts, he hit open shots, and he provided a scoring boost when they needed one. I’m not quite sold on his ability to keep defenders from driving on him, but he did a good job of staying with Rashard Lewis on the perimeter. Jamison finished with a game-high +10, and it was clear that he was helping the Cavs when he was on the floor.
-The big reason the Cavs lost this one was the play of Mo Williams and Delonte West. Both of them looked rusty, and they went a combined 3-18 from the floor with no threes. Delonte provided hustle, but very little else. Mo really looked out of it. He wasn’t running the offense, he wasn’t hitting open shots, he wasn’t making a good effort to set himself up with good looks, and he was getting abused on defense. Other than that, though, good game for Mo.
-The offense in general looked pretty bad. Last time the Cavs played the Magic, they started the game moving the ball as well as they have all year. This time, the offense looked terrible. They weren’t cutting, they weren’t spacing the floor, they weren’t setting back-screens to free up shooters, they weren’t running the corner dive, they weren’t using Mo in the pick-and-roll to get LeBron moving without the ball, they weren’t moving when Shaq had it in the post. That kind of offense isn’t going to get it done against a defense like the Magic. The team clearly needs some practices to figure things out.
-The Cavs: best three-point shooting team in the league. The Magic: 2nd-best team in the league at defending the paint, just behind the Cavs. The Magic are the 23rd-best team in the league at defending three-pointers. So I’d say the Cavs going 3-16 from beyond the arc was a problem. If you set threes up like the Cavs usually do, they’re good offense.
-LeBron may have had 30 points through three quarters, but he wasn’t playing his game. The Magic took away LeBron’s drives to the rim in the half-court and his passing lanes, and turned him into a scorer. LeBron flashed some mid-post moves, scored on the break, hit some jumpers, and drew some fouls, but he wasn’t able to control the game the way he likes to. LeBron also wasn’t shooting the ball well enough to carry the Cavs to a win, going only 3-12 from outside the paint.
LeBron was able to have success during the first three quarters, but in the fourth the Magic’s strategy paid off. LeBron went 1-5 in the final quarter, and the Magic were able to take the game late.
-What a battle between Shaq and Dwight. Shaq wanted Dwight to come in with something to prove, and he did just that.
According to ESPN stats and information, Dwight was actually winning the individual matchup against Shaq coming into Sunday’s game. Here’s what they did when matched up against one another in the first two games:
Shaq: 5 points, 2-7 shooting, 2 fouls drawn, 2 turnovers
Dwight: 19 points, 7-8 shooting, 6 fouls drawn, 1 turnover
Shaq was doing a good job keeping Dwight in foul trouble and from taking over the game, but Dwight was actually doing much better than Shaq when he did try to score on him.
Here’s how Dwight and Shaq did going up against each other on Sunday:
Shaq: 14 points, 6-7 shooting, 1 foul drawn, 1 turnover
Dwight: 9 points, 4-9 shooting, 4 fouls drawn, 2 turnovers
While Shaq might’ve gotten the better of Dwight one-on-one, Dwight played like he had something to prove the entire game. Dwight Howard is a cat-quick 265-pound man. A pissed-off Dwight Howard is a bad thing to be facing, especially when you’ve just traded a center.
Dwight played 44 minutes, snatched 16 rebounds, blocked four shots, drew nine fouls, and generally looked like he was ready to eat a car. He’s getting more skilled, too. He looks really comfortable going to his left from the right block, and made some nice passes for Magic buckets when the Cavs started (ahem, Shaq) doubling Howard in the fourth quarter. Although I might leave that 15-foot banker at home if I were Dwight.
-What broke the game open for the Magic were some 1-2 PnR sets from Jameer and Vince in the fourth quarter. The good news is that Mike Brown will have time to study that set before the playoffs.
-Daniel Gibson is significantly better on defense than Mo Williams. It has to be said. Playing him 20 less minutes than Mo was probably the right move long-term, but the Cavs would’ve been better off with Boobie out there tonight.
Well, that’s it for now. Three tough games, three losses, with two of them coming in winnable games. Jamison looked good. The Wiz and Z are moving towards a buyout. Delonte and Mo should get better. Although if the Cavs lose at home to the Hornets on Tuesday, I am going to seriously start worrying about the curse of Z.
dwight howard; Best big man in the league, or referee’s sex doll? Lets go with the latter, the guy has to be blowing somebody to get the calls/non calls, i’m so sick of that little smile he puts up, honestly the cavs should have won, first off, the sex doll could do what ever he wanted out there and only got called on 4 of those occurences, secondly bron, the dissapearring act in the 4th quarter, now i realize he busts his ass all game, but i saw a lot of him standing there after a call wasn’t made and… Read more »
Everyone’s talking about the Jamison charge he got robbed on, what about the shot clock going off, BEFORE Lebron even touching the ball? Or the 2 BLATANT goal tends Dwight got away with on Jamison before they finally called the 3rd, or the push fouls they were calling on the Cavs that they for some reason didn’t see when the Magic did the exact same thing? Dwight was outright shoving Lebron in the 4th and he only got called for it once… I’m glad it was only a regular season game, but I haven’t seen a team outright hosed like… Read more »
Terrible game. I hate AP. He is worthless. He is not a good defender. He stays in front, but only throws a hand into the face of the shooter after the shot has gone up. Check Sundiata Gaines, et al for proof. He also looks like Voldimort.
So goes Mo, so go the Cavs. Looking to see him step up and get involved.
Ask people in LA how reliable the LA times is. There’s a reason they’re going bankrupt. This is a total Phil Jackson planted story. Anyone who follows the Cavs knows that Z was unfrozen caveman lawyer style devastated by the whole thing, and that the mere risk that Z won’t be back is depressing everyone around the Cavs (to the tune of a 3 game slide).
To put the Z thing in perspective, it was the LA Times that reported the NBA would not allow him to return to the Cavs after a buyout. The LA Times also reported that if the Cavs couldn’t get Amare Stoudemire, they would deal Z and JJ to Indiana for Troy Murphy…
Cavaliers should start to get fined 15 grand a pop every time they get caught standing and watching LeBron dribble. Seriously, move right, move left, shuffle your feet, set an outside screen, something!
And if you’re going to foul Dwight, you should foul him hard. Knock the smile off his face. I’d have liked to see Andy or AP go up and contest that Carter jam, hard. That’s when we need SHaq or Ben Wallace-style capital-D defense.
If it worked so dang well wof a dozen games, why completely abondon that long fast athletic look? Lebron is the best Point on the team, and once he gets the offense started he can do what he always does as a PF/SG/PG/ whatever. I agree with hoopsdogg, this one is on Mo and coach Brown. Just because we have guards, meaning little guys, doesn’t mean they are the best thing to be using, especially when they are playing like this. With Bron at point and Jamario, Boobie and Mo at shooting guard, things just seem to move better, start… Read more »
The refs had little to do with why the Cavs lost. You’re on the road, you’re not going to get calls. Yes, that Jamison call was AWFUL, but Mo being 1-9 and getting torched by Nelson was the bigger reason. Mike Brown seems to coach not to hurt his own players’ feelings, not to win.
How can Brown sit while the refs rape us???????????????? This is getting real stale
This one is completely on Mike Brown. Mo Williams should not have been playing in the second half of the 4th quarter. Here’s the elephant in the room that no one is talking about: THE CAVS WERE REALLY GOOD WHEN LeBron WAS PLAYING POINT GUARD. Now that Mo is back, they’re worse. His defense is so much worse than Gibson’s. How LeBron was not playing Carter at the end of the game when he got hot, is beyond me. The Big backcourt (LeBron and Moon) that was playing so well for us ten days ago seems to be an afterthought.… Read more »
Once the team learns to really incorporate Jamison into the offense, we’ll see a much improved team (with or without Z). I want Z back, largely for sentiment – It’s not like Z was lighting it up this year or did well against Howard last year. Obviously the Cavs are better off with a 7+ footer who is at least a threat to score from 15+, but that’s not the key to the game. Mo/West have to show up for big games, Parker/Moon just have to do what they’ve typically done then once Twan (and Powe) get involved then it… Read more »
Z’s not going to stop or slow Howard down, but he does have an extra 5 or 6 fouls to put on him. Where Z is huge is playing the Lakers.
Ranting whine warning! I’m not about to start complaining about the officiating of yesterday’s game as much as I really want to. We lost a regular season game when we didn’t play our best. I’ll get over it. Rather, I will say that if there is a player/team in the league that complains as much or more about CORRECT calls than LBJ, it’s Howard/Magic. Has Dwight EVER sucked it up and admitted to committing a foul? Every single time the whistle is called against him, he stands there with his hands in the air with that big stupid grin on… Read more »
Am I crazy or was Z pretty much useless against Howard? Is he the reason we had to constantly double team Howard in the playoffs last year, and thus, leave guys wide open for all those back-breaking 3s?
I want Z back as much as the next guy, but he will not determine whether or not we beat the Magic in the playoffs.
I agree with The Other Jason on both counts: LBJ–and Shaq–get robbed on a lot of calls (usually involving lower body contact or reach-ins) because they are so strong (and fast, in the case of LBJ … even Shaq when he explodes straight up) that the officials don’t really see the contact. And, I don’t think there’s a “curse of Z”, but there is a need for Z. Neither he nor Varejao can handle Howard, but Z does a little better job because of his length. If/When Shaq gets in foul trouble, Howard kills AV and also puts HIM in… Read more »
Lebron’s fouling has been analyzed here and several other places. All the results that I’ve seen say that Lebron really isn’t getting any superstar calls. I would even argue that he gets robbed of quite a few calls because he runs right through the fouls like a fullback and still takes it strong to the hole. But that’s just my subjective analysis. As for this game, Jamison finally looked better, but for all those guys saying Z isn’t all that useful… Take a look at this game. Z is a very important part of this team, and we need him… Read more »
The first couple minutes of the 3rd quarter made me incredibly hopeful for the future of the team as is. Now imagine what that unit could be capable of once it starts practicing together…
@Mark, the 30 day countdown started on the day the trade was finalized
So the 30 day time limit started ticking when Z was traded, not when he gets bought out by Washington, right? I’d hate to think that every day he isn’t bought out is another day we have to wait for the 30 day countdown to start.
Colin, I agree, it’s just that one singular blown call had an absolute impact on the game. If they call the block/charge correctly, Jamison stays on the court, Howard hits the bench, and the Magic don’t score on that possession. What a huge difference that one blown call made.
cavs started the season slow after all their movement… i will give them another wk and see how they do
What rich said was right. Besides Carter going to the hole the Magic got surprisingly hot at the end of the fourth quarter. some call that an intangible clutchness, i doubt it. Also Mo Williams is still coming back from an injury so he looked like he did in ECF last year. But remember he played well the first two meetings. If Mo can contribute positively we will win I believe.
To be perfectly honest, I really don’t see why everyone is getting so bent out of shape about the officiating. Were there some questionable calls? Sure. But on the whole, I don’t think one team benefited more than the other (preparing for the backlash from people talking about Shaq and Jamison getting 5 and 6 fouls, respectively).
I guess I’ve been so conditioned to never blame the refs since LeBron came into the league, that I don’t even think about it. Seriously, as Cavs fans, we have been a bit spoiled. LeBron gets quite a few calls….
The cavs moved LeBron over to nelson/carter so he could deal with the swtich. Fact is, Carter hit one really tough shot, and Nelson took some really bad jump shots that went in. W/e. It happens.
Had some flashbacks watching the Magic run the same PnR play at us over and over in the 4th, and us showing no defensive aggressiveness or creativity to stop it.
I would’ve loved to see us run our LBJ at the point lineup against these guys, just to blow SVG’s mind. Who would the Magic match up with?
And yeah, Boobie’s got quicker hands and feet than Mo. Still undersized, though — neither one of them has any hope of guarding Carter once the Magic force a switch.
Between Shaq, Howard, and LeBron you have three of the toughest players in the league to officiate. That being said, the officiating was beyond atrocious in todays game. The fifth foul on Jamison, where he took a charge on Dwight Howard was awful. That could be showed as film on how to take a charge. Yet, that was called a block and completely changed the game.
I love the curse of Z. As if the cavs never had god awful losing streaks with Z on the team or something. Do we remember the Cavs teams Z was on before LeBron James? What do we attribute that to…the curse of Mark Price?
John, can you stop feeding some of these idiots out there by pandering to their “curse of Z” nonsense? There’s nothing more disheartening than to see your thoughtful analysis tainted by such toxic sentiments.
I saw some positives today. In the 2nd half Jamison got a ton of open looks, spaced the floor, and converted. Last year, if the Cavs had shot 3-16 from deep, and the starting guards only had 8 points, we would have been looking at an 8 point loss. Today, the Cavs battled until the end when Orlando’s guards hit a tear to win.
Sooner rather than later I think Jamison has to start. Also, I would have used Moon at some point when it was clear no one in the back-court could hit a shot.
I hope there isn’t anything to this business about the NBA blocking Z’s return to Cleveland. Don’t get me wrong … I hope there’s been some back room deal from the start to get Z back … I just hope they weren’t dumb enough to leave any evidence!
I’d just like to say that I am hoping that Mike Brown figures out his lineups sooner rather than later. And I’m really hoping that the Wizards buy out Z ASAP so we can get some more height in here. I knew some adjustment would be necessary, but the whole team just looks confused out there. I do somewhat take solace in the fact that I finally got to see JK giving Gibson his props on D. It couldn’t have been more than 3 months or so ago I was getting chastised for commenting that Gibson was one of our… Read more »