Recap: Atlanta 117, Cleveland 98 (or, requiem for a season)
2014-04-04
This was a depressing one, Cavalier faithful. For the Cavs playoff hopes, this game could only be described as a “must win.” Unfortunately, Cleveland came out flat and failed to match the energy and focus of the Atlanta Hawks. As a result, Cleveland was dominated on offense and defense by the Hawks, who won in a rout. Cleveland shot 39.6% while Atlanta shot 58.5%, and 48% from three. While the Cavs are mathematically alive for the playoffs, they trail Atlanta by four games in the loss column. This means that even if the Cavs go 5-0 over their final five, Atlanta only has to has to go 3-4 to make the the playoffs, as they own the tiebreakers. As Campy Russell said, “It wasn’t the loss that hurt so much as the way they lost.” Cleveland’s body language was subdued all night, they lacked energy and fire, and their communication and execution on offense and defense seemed non-existent. For the umpteenth time this season, Cleveland failed to compete.
First Quarter: Paul Millsap scored five of out of the gate and Cleveland’s first two attempts were long jump shots with zero ball movement. Dion tried to bring some energy with five quick ones himself, but three-and-a-half minutes in, Atlanta led 13-7. Cleveland went through the motions on offense, but they were slow on defense. Waiters and Kyrie got blown by consistently, and they failed to communicate properly with their bigs on pick-and-roll defense. Cleveland’s defensive bugaboo, three point shooting, was on display when Lou Williams and Jeff Teague would drive and kick to Millsap, Pero Antic, DeMarre Carroll, and Kyle Korver as far too many Cavs collapsed. (At one point I noticed four Cavs defenders around two offensive players). I think even John Koncak came in and made a three this quarter.
For the 50th game since the all-star break, Tristan Thompson got owned by a stretch four. TT just refused to stay with Millsap beyond 15 feet from the basket. Atlanta poured it on and everyone got in on the act. Millsap had 10 in the quarter, and six different Hawks hit threes to smoke the Cavs 39-23.
Second Quarter: Mike Scott scored the first five points of the quarter. Cleveland decided that Scott was the player they were going to cheat off of and he made them pay to the tune of 26 points for the game on 12-13 shooting. Everyone on the Cavs defense ignored Scott, and left him to help on everyone else. Scott had his pick of uncontested jump shots and layups….
Delly set up Andy for an automatic elbow jumper to notch the seconds period’s first Cavalier points, but even Delly’s spirit seemed diminished in this one. The drive and kick game was in full effect for the Hawks and by 16 minutes in, Atlanta was up by 23. Finally, in the late second Dion and Kyrie started hitting some shots, including this Kyrie to Dion feed for a thundering dunk. The Cavs showed some life after this, and Kyrie started pressuring the ball and actually managed to collect some steals. A Hawes 3 and a Deng layup off a Hawes feed actually cut the deficit to 14, and Cleveland turned up the defensive pressure a bit to close the period down 61-49.
Third Quarter: The play coming out of halftime? A 22-foot brick by Uncle Drew off a left baseline curl screen. Deng bricked a 15-footer from the right side on the next play. Mike Brown cannot have been happy with that shot selection. Cleveland spotted Atlanta another five points, and after a Carroll three, were suddenly down 19. Spencer for hire exploded for seven points off a couple jumpers and a couple free-throws in the space of a minute to cut it back to 12. Kyrie then got lit up by Jeff Teague on three consecutive possessions. Kyrie’s nickname should be “flying toasters,” because he is always stuck to a screen. Millsap scored next with a filthy right side runner set up by yet another Teague penetration. Spencer fought valiantly, dropping 13 in the quarter. But the season was slipping away… Cleveland just could not get stops. After four straight Atlanta field goals, the deficit stretched to 19. Spencer cut it to 15 when he hit a 14-foot jumper with 14 seconds left, and I thought, “maybe they have a chance.” Then, Jeff Teague sliced through for a layup as the clock expired to extend the Atlanta lead 90-73. I dished up some pralines and sadness flavored ice cream.
Fourth Quarter: Sweet Lou Williams put the nails in the coffin when he scored or assisted on 9 of the first 11 Atlanta points, which they scored in less that four minutes. The Cavs were scoring, but they couldn’t have stopped a butterfly with a Buick, tonight. Atlanta didn’t play stupidly, and burned clock. Cleveland was content to trade baskets and let the 2014 season fade into Bolivian. Millsap, DeMarre, Teague all scored in garbage time for Atlanta while Deng, Waiters, and KI padded their box scores. DeMarre canned a 25 point “eff you” triple with eight seconds left for a “flawless victory” finishing move. Oh well. We’ll always have Detroit.
Eulogies…
Kyrie Irving: This was the “Kyrie returns” game I was worried about. If he wants to be considered a “superstar,” he can’t play this poorly, and he can’t let his team play this listlessly. Something’s going on with this team. The chemistry and body language problems were palpable. And it’s at this point that I address the elephant in the room. Robert’s interview with Brian Windhorst hit HoopsHype at about 5:30 this afternoon. I’m not going to speculate that it had an effect on Irving, but this was KI’s twitter page after the game.
As a “journalist”, I never want to be a part of the story, and I’d bet that Robert and Windhorst feel the same way. I hope this didn’t effect Kyrie’s play, but as Tom Pestak commented to me, “a sign your team is in trouble: they blame the media instead of letting the fans do it for them.” If Kyrie let some Windhorst riffing effect his play, then he’s as immature as Windy said he was. And in L.A., New York, or Chicago? He’d be eaten alive.
In the game, Irving’s defense was bad at times (that stretch by Teague was really a back-breaker), and his shot selection wasn’t great: he often settled for isolation jumpers. But Irving did collect six steals with some opportunistic double teams and some decent on ball D (in stretches). Teague finished with 20 points and 12 boards, and a lot of that was because KI seemed completely disengaged when he wasn’t going for steals. Cleveland needed everyone’s “A” game, tonight, and when your best player doesn’t bring it, it’s hard for the rest of the team to follow. I hope he bounces back tomorrow. Get a good night’s sleep, Mr. Irving.
Luol Deng: The 13 points were needed. -13 and 0-3 from 3 were not needed. Deng was one of many Cavs who shot poorly. The defense on Mike Scott (not all Luol’s fault) was a major factor in the loss.
Tristan Thompson: Foul problems led to a disappearing act. TT finished with 8 points and 3 boards in 25 minutes. He continued his perfect streak from the line, going 4-4, but I didn’t even notice him on the boards. Cleveland desperately needed some heady and physical play from Tristan and they didn’t get it. Paul Millsap had 16 points, 11 boards, and 6 assists on 7-10 shooting. TT’s bad game hurt Cleveland as much as anyone’s.
Spencer Hawes: 16 points, 10 boards, four assists, six steals, two blocks, and only one turnover. Spencer was one of the few bright spots, but he’s not a rim protector Cleveland needed one with all the penetration. Spencer is making more money every game.
Dion Waiters: Started the game at the two with Kyrie, and finished with 23 on 8-19 shooting. He played a decent game, but he was as culpable on defense as anyone. Still he had a little fire, which was a lot more than some people had.
Matterson Varedova: Andy Came back and had a couple nice moments, but he’s clearly still recovering from injury. Delly had no magic, tonight, and looked like a rookie again.
Mike Brown: Did nothing to dispel the notion that he struggles when he has more options instead of less. I’m kind of at a loss as to why we didn’t see any Tyler Zeller when Tristan struggled so badly, but this one wasn’t on Brown. He can’t make guys play hard.
In Memorium: The Cavs cling to a sliver of a playoff chance, but it’s probably time for Kevin to start assigning draft profiles, and for me to figure out how to trade Kyrie Irving for Kentucky’s starting lineup, the rights to Starbury from the Beijing Ducks, and a Boggle-playing chicken. Still, until it’s officially over… #Believeland
I agree with you jhill—-just “my beer talking “
Calm down Nomad.
TRADE KYRIE DRAFT NAPIER / CONN. —-
It’s funny. Though I lived in Cleveland when Bron left and thus am bound to the Cavs forever, I’m from Maryland and also–though to a lesser degree–follow the Wizards. Steve Buckhantz / Phil Chenier say many of the same things about their team–their inconsistent effort, their multiple personalities. At times it’s almost word for word. Obviously the problem is somewhat more pronounced ini Cleveland, but it’s a young team kind of problem. I still believe it’ll work out. I think Windy, while interesting and well within his rights, is by turns insightful and a total blowhard. In this interview he’s… Read more »
Who the hell is Kyrie’s “camp”? Like what the hell does that even mean? I met Irving at the Auto Show one year, am I in his “camp”? You’d think Kyrie wouldn’t hang out with people who just told everyone every little thing that he said.
Hot Sauce, your last paragraph raises a great point. How much of this is someone in Kyrie’s camp going rogue with a story after Kyrie complained after a rough day? But even if that’s true, that’s not on Windhorst, but on Irving’s camp. Irving needs to keep his circle tighter if his buddies are taking generic bitching about a bad day at the office and passing that along as “Kyrie wants to leave Cleveland”.
@Tom I have a different perspective on your question: “in your opinion what outcomes will validate/invalidate Windhorst’s credibility?” Nothing can validate/invalidate Windhorst’s credibility on the “gossip” type opinions he runs. This is not a shot at Windhorst. It is just the reality of modern media – all media professionals do the same. Having an inside scoop draws headlines, which is a huge path to publicity and coverage, which is a path to success. Given these dynamics, everyone needs to take all “gossip” stories with a grain of salt. There is simply no way to distinguish the underlying motivation of the… Read more »
even if B.W’S reports are not all factual—the more this conversation is in the social media the more apt/ potential the ” self prophecy ” will come to fruition —-it like hey ” hey everyone has me hating Cleveland and leaving so I might as will make those rumors come true “—–
Very disappointing game, obviously. Orlando was just too easy it seems. Really wish they could maintain offensive poise in the face of defensive pressure. Love to know what happened to Zeller. Bad things: No more pushing the ball. All those steals in the second quarter and very few points off the turnovers. Hawes missed some open threes early that really would have helped get them back in the game before it got out of hand. He played better though after that stretch. Hoping they bounce back tonight. I think eventually Kyrie will put it together. He has too much talent… Read more »
Ok, here are my thoughts on this crap: it’s kind of complex and it’s kind of simple. Brian Windhorst needs to cite concrete, real-world examples as evidence for his claims regarding “Kyrie and Lebron drifting apart in recent years so much so that Kyrie would probably be traded if James came back” and “Kyrie’s camp has been putting out for years that he’s unhappy in Cleveland”. When a professional reporter fails to cite reliable and proven evidence they are merely SPECULATING and offering an opinion. Regardless of Brian’s claims about the “truth” of the matter, until he offers the vital… Read more »
Chris K – Good comment. I don’t disagree with anything you said. It is the likely scenario. We all agonize over whether we think he will mature any further. Some conclude: “If he does, he is an incredible talent. A top 5 NBA talent (definitely not a top 5 NBA player. The talent shows up in all star games. The player shows up over the course of a season). A team rarely gets a shot at obtaining a talent like that. If the talent converts into a player – we actually do have a shot at winning a championship. And… Read more »
Tom – If Kyrie leaves, then he was dead on right. And good for Windy. If Kyrie stays, there’s still a possibility Windy was right and it was a leverage thing. But if it was a leverage thing, Kyrie probably would have remained silent – like he did with Byron Scott. If Kyrie stays, the bold “everyone has known for years – years” statement casts a lot of doubt on Windy’s credibility. You’re right. We may never know for sure. All that means is that you continue to monitor Windhorst’s statements. The thing about this is that all the CtB’ers… Read more »
But I regret bringing it up again, because I am guilty of being an accomplice in spreading innuendo and keeping this story alive. Kyrie vehemently denies it. I’m with Kyrie until the truth comes out. I’m ok with that, even if we find out otherwise.
Underdog, nice assertions. Big difference between analysis and inference. I coach young men–not much younger than Kyrie. I agree 100% that the mental makeup of the athlete dictates a tremendous amount of what we HEAR and they’d be better off not reading or responding to (most) reporters and critics. However, MUSCLE MEMORY dictates much of what we SEE on the court, and judging by his body language and three-year body of work, I do not believe Kyrie fits with this team’s philosophy beyond shot clock-bail out ISO ballin’. I do not believe Kyrie has seriously put a lot of practice… Read more »
Merciless? Chuckle. (I know that’s the nature of a few posters.) Here’s BW’s statement: “And, as far as Kyrie, rumblings and stuff, with LeBron I would have let it go. Well I’m not going to let it go [now]. I’m going to talk about it and HERE’S THE TRUTH: The truth is [Kyrie’s] camp has been putting out there for years – years – that he doesn’t want to be in Cleveland. That they don’t want him in Cleveland. He doesn’t like Mike Brown. He didn’t like Chris Grant. He doesn’t like Dion Waiters. He’s already gotten a General Manager… Read more »
The assertion that we got used by Windy is patently insulting. This is the biggest story the blog has had sine LeBron left. Any writer would love that sort of exposure. It’s not our responsibility to protect anyone’s ego. It’s our responsibility to be “honest and unmerciful.”
Aha. Good question, Tom. Eventually, it will come out whether Kyrie’s thoughts and intentions matched Windhorst’s assertions. No, we don’t know now. But eventually, it is very likely we will know. The problem with this one is that it wasn’t a “I heard some rumor.” It was an “I KNOW FOR SURE that ‘Kyrie’s camp’ wants out of Cleveland” statement. We’ll find out. I’m a principled person. If somebody straight up lies to me then they lose all cred. (Esp w/ an “I KNOW FOR SURE” statement.) It’s lost even if – afterward – they get things right half the… Read more »
@Underdog – my take is that he’s asserting a desire, not predicting an outcome. As such, his advice (not prediction) seems to be: “if he doesn’t commit…if his actions don’t do the talking – 5 years, no opt out – then THAT will confirm that there is fire behind all the smoke. And in that event, don’t mortgage the future trying to make him happy. I find that to be pretty reasonable. Now, as @wayneembryskids answered my same question: “he’s predicting drama”. Maybe. You can’t prove he’s predicting drama but he is implying it with the “leverage” talk. So that’s… Read more »
I’m just trying to think what I was like at 22 . . . and the maturity and composure I would have on “the big stage.” Shoot, I’m not sure I can handle a small town newspaper interview – if pressed about something – at my current age.
You knew they were gonna lay an egg though. Everytime fans start to get confidence in the team and think they’re getting it together, something like this happens. And everytime we start to waver and think the coach sucks, the players suck, need to blow it up and start over, they go on a run and play team basketball and make it entertaining to watch.
Of course the story affected his play. Name me any 20 something that’s mature enough to handle such an onslaught of negative press of this magnitude. It hit the internet like a wild fire in California. I love you guys. You do great work. I will be a loyal reader to you because I know you’re heart is in the right place. But you got used in all of this like a naive school boy handing the keys over to con man (internet world of sports). I don’t exactly mean Windy is that con man but he knew exactly what… Read more »
Like I said in the last thread, Windhorst put ALL of his credibility on the line by making his “Kyrie camp” comments. It was either something he knew, or something he made up. I will read his analysis and commentary – but never give any cred to his “inside information.” Those were big statements to make and you don’t make them if they’re untrue.
@underdog – in your opinion what outcomes will validate/invalidate Windhorst’s credibility?
Thanks for the insight, grover13–my ESPN play-by-play couldn’t capture the details, but as I watched it unfold, I had the vision you scripted above. Hindsight being hindsight, forget Robert’s interview with Windhorst and concentrate on the following: Irving was statistically outplayed by Jeff Teague. How the Hawks outshot the Cavs by 20% (!) from the floor and the arc with what they put on the floor last night has to reverberate within the Cleveland brass. If every Cav was into the game, then shame on the game plan. The board lit up a day ago with questions of Windhorst’s validity… Read more »
Well, that was fun. It was like the last two months had never happened, and we were all transported back to December. It started right away. The hard shows on PnRs, and collapsing on forays into the paint. This requires the offense to move the ball around quickly on the perimeter to find the open man. Gotta hand it to Mike Brown, coming up with a game plan forcing Atlanta to play to their strength. The Hawks happily obliged. The average NBA team allows 8 three pointers a game; the Cavs had given up 7 midway through the second quarter,… Read more »
I agree when there are ” too many pcs to the puzzle ” brown struggles to put them all together —-zeller should have seen playing time—if they do keep brown they need to evaluate/ review his weaknesses —stress that these areas need improvement by himself or with a different coaching staff—possibly the reason for the so called lack of energy/ fire was thet just aren’t experienced enough in playing in big/ must win games ( I realize this sounds like a big time cop out for them—-just a thought )—go cavs —finish strong –still a slim chance—-you never know what… Read more »
Kyrie kills us when he walks the ball up. Our pace is much quicker when he is out. The opposing D, even if it has properly set up, is never allowed to relax. The prolonged stress inflicted on a defense by pushing the ball up the floor is a huge key to offensive success. There are far too many possessions from Kyrie that feature his walk jog, into a fancy ball handling PnR followed by a semi-open mid-range J. This is not good offense, and Kyrie just doesn’t seem to get it. He avoided much of this in the last… Read more »
Coach Brown, now that we are kind of out of playoff, will you play the rooks until the fat lady sings. This year good or bad is done and coaching staff has to see what they got in Felix, Sergey and Zeller. I remember Danny Green was sitting on the bench when he should have been playing. That is just my opinion. Go Cavs.
Wow…I’m nauseous. That was a swift 1a.m. gut punch
I’ve been teaching university students (same age as Kyrie) for a few years now. They cling to their smartphones and reserve their largest emotions for the e-circus that is the internet. The 21st century means tears on a smartphone, and absent-minded looks in person.
Kyrie needs to shut the phone down and play for the reasons he did as a kid. Love the game, Be the game. And watch these two clips from The Last Samurai (“No Mind”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muQMURAVWn8
Even though Dion didn’t have a great game, besides one play where he was jawing at the ref and was way late to get back, he showed great effort. The play in the first quarter where there were like 12 passes that ended with a milsap three was a perfect example. Dion covered two guys and rotated super quick, which should have saved the cavs, but of course tristan was sleeping. Disagree on Hawes, he was an absolute train wreck on d. If a guy so as much blinked he flew by them. I was sad MB took out Dion,… Read more »