Recap: Cleveland 105, Memphis 91 (or the day Dion Waiters chased all the Grizzlies out of Cleveland)

Electricity was included in the rent at my first apartment. Out of sheer curiosity, one day before leaving for work, I turned both the air-conditioner (Grizzlies) and heater (Cavs) on full-blast to see which would win in an epic battle of American waste. When I returned hours later, I saw that the matchup ended in a draw, as I fuse had blown. To some stories, there is no moral. The moral of tonights game is that the Cavs are a pretty good team when ball movement flows like wee into the urinals at Great Lakes Brewery and that Memphis isn’t so grizzly without Zach Randolph and Tony Allen in the lineup.

First Quarter: Kyrie Irving scored the first points of the game off of a 25-foot three. The Grizzlies appeared sluggish out of the gate after playing three overtime games in their past five contests. The Cavs raced to an 18-4 lead seven minutes in, primarily off of aggressive defense, stellar off-ball movement by Andy and charitable passing by LeBron. Nine of the Cavaliers 10 first quarter field goals were assisted. The Grizzlies cut into the Cavs lead with a 9-0 run to end the quarter and a Nick Calathes near buzzer beating 27-foot three was waived off. LeBron tallied 6 assists in the period and Varejao scored 8 of the Cavaliers 22 points. 22-19 Cavs

Second Quarter: Irving ended the Cavs three-plus minute scoring drought by draining a 19-footer jumper and Waiters followed suit with a rainbow baseline jump shot of his own 26 seconds later. The arch of Waiters jumper has to be one of the highest in the league. Shawn Marion scored a pair of assisted layups on back-to-back possessions. Waiters steered through three defenders for a driving layup. Irving kissed a scoop off the backboard through a Beno Udrich  foul. And none, as Kyrie missed the freebie. The Cavaliers offensive came to life and they built a 34-25 lead midway through the quarter. Andy’s free-lancing on defense and his notable decline in quickness led to a Marc Gasol slam off of a Leuer assist. With just under three minutes remaining in the half, LeBron fed Dion on a baseline drive. A minute later, LeBron drilled a 26-foot three off of a Love dish. On the next possession LeBron burned Quincy Pondexter off the dribble for a cue the unpaid intern to pull the string on Austin Carr’s back “throw the hammer down” slam. LeBron beat Pondexter again off the dribble in the closing seconds of the half and drew a foul with half of a second remaining. He split the pair. 52-41 Cavs

Third Quarter: The third quarter started uneventfully until Kyrie crossed Mike Conley over and founds LeBron on the weak side for an oop lay up. On the following possession, Andy hit a buzzer beating hook off of a James dime. After a slow start, Jon Leuer went 4-4 in the quarter. Marc Gasol beat the Cavaliers front court with a switch through the first three quarters — like Père Fouettard flogs naughty French children — to the tune of 23 points and 10 boards. Delly found Marion in the corner for a hideous three-pointer with four seconds remaining in the quarter. 77-70 Cavs

Fourth Quarter: The teams traded baskets to open the final frame. Dion fed LeBron from 30-feet away on a two handed oop. After starting the quarter 1-4 with a pair of turnovers, Dion caught fire hitting four of his next six shots to cap off a 13 point quarter. His effort was shown on the defensive end as well, as he chased down Beno Udrich for a steal with two-minutes remaining with a firm 16 point lead in hand. FINAL SCORE: 105-91 Cavs 

BOO

LeBron James had three showboating turnovers tonight. It seems that he throws away at least two possessions per game with no look passes…Anderson Varejao played 19 minutes in the first half. I dig that he was finding holes in the Grizzlies defense for easy baskets, but controlling his minutes is a major issue for me this season. He didn’t log a second in the fourth quarter because the game was firmly in hand. Maybe I’m being a worry wart, but Andy should never play 27 minutes in the first three quarters in a non-playoff game and Tristan Thompson should never play only four minutes in the first half of a game…Kevin Love attempted only nine shots all game and zilch from downtown. Keeping him consistently engaged in the offense is another sticking point for me. Perhaps if Zebo would have played, Love would have been more involved to draw a bully out of the paint pulpit. I dunno. Either way, I want him more involved in the offense.

YAY

LeBron James had 25 points on 9-15 shooting along with eleven dimes as he steered the offense. He went 3-5 from deep in the Q (cue the intern) with solid effort on defense throughout the game…Dion Waiters followed his seven minute outing against Brooklyn with a strong performance. Dion erupted with 21 points on 9-16 shooting off the bench. My own sentimental attachments to him aside, this team needs his offense off the bench and as Kyrie injury insurance…Kyrie Irving was sensational tonight. He tied his career high in assists with 12 and had only two turnovers. His shooting slump appears to be over as he shot an efficient 8-13 from the field. His effort was felt on defense holding Conley to just 11 points. My favorite play of his tonight was when he hustled to tip a Mike Miller miss back to the good guys and it led to a Varejao jumper. I feared for a long time that he was a modern day Marbury. I don’t feel that way anymore. Anderson Varejao and Shawn Marion were amazing off the ball. Both converted on the defensive attention that Irving and James drew and they shot a ridiculous 14-18 from the field. If I had one wish, that I could wish this holiday season, it would to be that all of the children of the world to join hands and sing together in the spirit of harmony and peace. If I had two wishes, that I could make this holiday season, it would be for $30 million to be given to me, tax-free in a Swiss bank account. If I had three wishes to make this holiday season, it would be for Joe Harris, Mike Miller or Ray Allen to be in the starting lineup along with Thompson and Special K and for a second unit featuring Waiters, Andy and Marion to terrorize bench squads across the league.