Recap: Golden State 94, Cleveland 103. (Or, Pass the Mic)
2014-03-14
One of the best Cavs wins this year? One of the best Cavs wins this year. The Cavs lent the Warriors plenty of shovels to help dig them into a big 20-4 hole, but they battled back and ended up coasting to an easy finish. Spencer Hawes and Dion Waiters stood our tonight, but the defense over the last 3/4’s of the game sealed the win
The Warriors are one of the most energetic teams in the NBA, and this year, they’ve managed to balance this on an inner mantle of tough defense. Tonight, they seemed to establish their quick lead without really doing much besides shoot well and position themselves to pounce on Cavs mistakes. The only Cavs points were two Luol Deng jumpers that came on improvisations, not within the offense. Kyrie didn’t look aggressive, and the Warriors continually ran under screens, which compacted the paint and forced turnovers when the Cavs tried to move inside. Cleveland started out not making necessary adjustments, and they couldn’t deal with the Warriors’ pace.
Draymond Green is always the first Warrior off the bench, and he is a good player for Anthony Bennett to try to model his game on next season. They both have similar builds, shooting touches, and athletic abilities. Green has carved himself a niche as a bench energizer and defender. He hit two big threes that stretched the Warriors lead in the first quarter, and also defended Spencer Hawes well for a bit.
The second quarter saw the Cavs looking down the precipice of a blowout, but they battled back and took the lead. A 18-point hole hole turned into a 41-38 lead off of a scorching 23-2 run led by Dion Waiters and tough defense. Waiters looked hungry, probing through the defense and even ripping the ball away from Andrew Bogut in the paint. He ran the point despite sharing the floor with Jack and Dellavedova, and did a good job of it. The Cavs stayed with a smaller lineup, which spread the floor but left them vulnerable to Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green on the other end, both taller than the Cavaliers opposite them.
The momentum of the first half carried through and the Cavs continued to score in the third. Spencer Hawes spaced the floor out, same as Wednesday, but he recognized his advantage and took David Lee and Draymond Green into the post when they were on him. He remains a valuable cog on offense, and the Cavaliers like to run stuff through him in the high post. When he can pass and shoot on the perimeter, that gives Kyrie that much more interior real estate to gobble up on drives.
The lead would have swelled faster, but Steph Curry woke up and started hitting threes. Cleveland defenders struggled to slow him down, but the second half gameplan seemed to be to cut off the passing lanes that Golden State built their first advantage through. Jarrett Jack came alive and mostly managed to keep pace with Curry, while the Cavaliers’ non-Curry defense was airtight. At one point in the fourth quarter, Curry had 17 of the 27 Warrior points. It took them a minute and change into the fourth quarter to equal their first frame output. A lot of that can be attributed to the Cavaliers slowing the game down and making the Warriors play a slower , Cavs-friendly style.
Kyrie Irving didn’t score in the first quarter, but he cranked his output up in the second half, hitting three 3’s and stealing it four times. Late in the game, he and Dion Waiters played pass the mic and alternated drives, to very good results. The Warriors, mostly Curry, kept trying to initiate runs, but the Cavs always had an answer. After a frustrating first quarter, the Cavs seized control of the game and dictated the conditions, which led to a fairly stress-free win. The Cavs are now 2-0 on their road trip, both against potential playoff teams in the crowded West. Cleveland remains 3.5 games out of the postseason, with the true gauntlet of their schedule about to start. Another heartening win.
GUYS WE WON, that means whatever we did we just need to do it again. Lets not talk about how bad one particular player was during a certain game. It says something about a team when one of their guys isn’t doing well we can still get the W.
TT needs to be upgraded. Love TT as a person, but he should be a bench guy, at best.
Hawes will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. I’m sure he’ll get some good offers. I would guess that the better the Cavs play down the stretch the better chance they’ll have to be considered.
Is Hawes for real ? Another solid win and how about going three in a row and breaking the Clips ten game winning streak . Can Hawes walk at the end of the season or can we match any offer for him? Go Cavs.
I hear ya, Arch but they are too damn young at too many spots to be that consistent…
This was a fun one to watch. I just wish they could play with that type of consistency the entire year.
Nomad I think TT knows that and its why he’s as hard of a worker as he is. He doesnt want to look like a bust.
the one factor on t.t’s side is HE IS A HARD WORKER –HE JUST TRANSFORMED DIFFERENT SHOOTING HANDS IN 1 OFF SEASON ( RATHER REMARKABLE IN THAT IT HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE IN THE N.B.A. ) I BELIEVE HE WILL CONTINUE HIS HARD WORK/ DETERMINATION AND WORK ON IMPROVING HIS OVERALL GAME–CONSISTENT 15′ SHOT/ ( HOPEFULLY 1 SEASON WITH THE RIGHT HAND WILL GIVE HIM MORE CONFIDENCE ) FINISH AT THE RIM / A COUPLE GO TO BASKET MOVES / BETTER OFF THE BALL DEF—IT IS TIME TO ANTE UP –BEING THE 4TH PICK IN THE DRAFT DOES NOT… Read more »
On another note, the Browns just signed RB Ben Tate, their fifth free agent signing. A few of them are good ones.
Maybe the Cavs can get free agents to come here after all . . . after they win a couple of games and show they’re headed in the right direction. No way, if they play like chickens with their heads cut off.
I don’t think TT is going anywhere unless somebody offers some real value for him. As Kyriewannable says – Because of his “energy, hustle, and youth” (and character) . . . and the fact that he does get a lot of double-doubles . . . he won’t be given away.
I know that our guys will be judged by when they were picked in the draft, but I think it’s time to move on and evaluate them by what they bring to the team.
Pls keep TT, the friendship he and Kyrie shares may be sthing useful for us in keeping Kyrie. TT is never gonna be an all star, he can barely average 15 pt but His energy, hustle and attitude is a player we need to keep ourselves moving foward. Go CAVS!! Great win!!
I would gladly pay 6mil a year for last season’s Jarret Jack. He hasn’t played as well so the contract looks bad. Would be interesting if they had re-signed Livingston but maybe Jack bounces back next season.
Tristan’s inability to finish at the rim has become a major detriment to the entire offense.
Underdog we all know we thought the Jarrett Jack signing was a good one at first, I remember.
TT was maddening that game. He does NOT know how to seal a guy off and finish with one hand. But, I actually liked Brown’s decision to run some plays for him to get his confidence back in the third (well, it was a begrudging like). But the block he had on Lee at the end of the game was enormous, and a play no one else on the Cavs can make. TT is still developing. I don’t think an affordable extension is a bad investment. Spencer Hawes wasn’t very good when he was 22, either. I don’t know what… Read more »
For the 3rd time – the best way to defeat the comment monster is to type your comment. “Right click.” “Copy.” “Submit Comment.” Press submit comment only 1 time. If the comment monster eats it, leave the blog. Sign back in. Paste your comment into the box again.
Sometimes I have to paste more than once. But it ends up working 9 out of 10 times for me.
Jhill – No you don’t pay a third guard 6 million dollars . . . unless – 1) You are making a push for the playoffs. 2) You’re “Cleveland” and Dunleavy and Korver already turned down more generous offers made by Cleveland. 3) Jack is coming off – what many considered – a sensational playoff series. He was a difference maker. 4) You are zillions of dollars under the cap – and don’t have a 3rd guard. I, like many, think we should have kept Livingston . . . and even Ellington. But 3 point shooting is a weakness for… Read more »
The playoffs probably aren’t happening but there is a slim chance. 3.5 back with 16 to go. We would have to go 12-4 if the other two teams go .500 the rest of the way. Seems unlikely but maybe Atlanta continues to slide and New York stops winning 5 in a row and we can sneak in.
Nvm there it is. Underdog Jarrett Jack has sucked for like the entire year up until this road trip. You don’t pay a third guard 6 million dollars.
Can someone save me from the comment monster this is getting annoying
TT could have had a much better line if he was able to make his 4 footers last night. It definitely wasn’t his night. Still, the kid plays hard all the time and has a great attitude. He had a big block and scored some key buckets down the stretch. He just turned 23. I think he’s a good piece to have even if he’s not an all star.
In all my years following sports I’ve never seen a team like this. One week I’m ready to blow it up and trade everybody. Then we play a couple of games like this and in the back of my mind I’m thinking, “is it possible we can get hot, make the playoffs, and knock off Miami or someone in the first round?” I’m not that wishy washy. I just can’t get a handle on it. Never seen anything like it. We know that Hawes changes the offense and adds intelligence to the floor. Perhaps more importantly, he’s bringing some toughness… Read more »
@Shan
for the record, Oracle Arena is located in Oakland, not SF.
Lol, my dad commented on why Thompson regularly rubs his face into people to try and draw contact when it clearly does not call for it. IE that fastbreak where Jack passed it to him and instead of just making the layup he falls forward trying to smack his face on Boguts back for no reason. Maybe he gets blocked because he’s too freaking close when he goes up. Its like he enjoys nipple sweat on his face or something.
@Dale,
TT spent almost the whole night with Bogut on him, an excellent defender nd much bigger than TT. Hawes was able to work the way he did because they were putting PFs/SFs on him to keep Bogut in down low.
TT takes the ball to the rack weaker than I’ve seen anyone else in the leauge. he either gets blocked or stripped at least 3 or 4 times a game. he needs to go to the rim stronger, with more authority. that weak stuff isn’t gonna work in the NBA.
Has anyone else gave up on TT. his line was 4 pts 5 rebs against lee, bogut, and oneal. that’s pathetic. let him go and draft a better PF
What a game! I was just about to turn it off and go to bed when the second unit came in and turned back the tide in the first half. The Cavs played really tough through the whole game, and the ball flowed nicely to the hot hand. What a difference from the total collapse last year!
You wonder how long Delly can stay in the league, but he sure is fun to watch play.
Great win tonight. The finale three quarters were as good as the Cavs have played all season long. Clippers tomorrow night. Both teams are on the backend of back to backs. Clipps have won 10 straight so their due to lose right? Due theory is a real thing isn’t it? Honestly, I won’t be upset if we lose this one. Beating the Suns and Warriors has made this a successful road trip.
Hawes’ next contract is going to be interesting considering he’s such a rare commodity. $9 million or more a year is probable.
when does miles get healthy– where will he fit in the rotation
dion made a statement for all those who ( me included ) wanted barnes over dion- he still deserves more minutes hawes is the real deal should be our top priority sign in the off season ( next to the signing of LeBron of course)—-KEEP THE MOTOR REVVED UP—COULD BE AN INTERESTING/ FUN RIDE TO THE END WHICH IS ALL US CAVS FANS WANT / HOPE FOR—BELIEVELAND !!
Saw the game today at Oracle Arena in SF. I felt very proud about the team. I am hoping that they will have a winning season next year.
Harrison Barnes < Dion Waiters
I liked the part where Zeller was clearly irritating O’Neal.
Umm, yeah, Bennett is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more athletic then Green. Come on… Defense has been pretty good lately. I think Brown has to commended for his rotations lately and his better use of TO’s (Hi, Nate!) Dion was pretty damned good tonight. Deng was good for 3 quarters and Andy and Zeller were really good off the bench. I was pretty mad at Kyrie for most of the game, as I thought he was far too passive but he played pretty well when it counted. Jesus, I think Jack played a great game! I can barely believe I am typing that…… Read more »
Another solid win. Seems like when they’re cornered they will play to their potential . I’am very happy to see them play to their potential. I still prefer the pick to playoff, for a good reason, we’re not going anywhere this year. With a good pick and a couple of solid free agents , this team can make some noise next year. It’s just my opinion. Go Cavs.