Recap: Dallas 109, Cleveland 90 (or, one of these teams looks like a contender)
2015-01-04
In what was possibly the most predictable outcome of a game you’ll see all year, the deep, balanced machine that is the Dallas Mavericks made short work of a Cavs team missing its star and still struggling to figure out how to string more than a few good possessions together.
The Mavericks shot 56.4% from the field and 46.2% from three in a game that saw six Dallas players score in double figures, led by Monta Ellis’ 20. The Cavs, meanwhile, managed just 40.7% as a team, but did see Kevin Love continue his recent LeBron-less strong play. Love’s 30 points made this his highest scoring game as a Cavalier (he also pulled down 10 boards) but no one else on the team was able to make enough of an impact to keep the Cavs within striking distance much past the first quarter. The team cut a 15-point second quarter deficit to 10 at the half, but saw the game quickly get away from them in the third.
Kyrie Irving, apparently still smarting from a collision suffered in Friday’s win over Charlotte, scored just six points on 2-9 shooting in 25 minutes. Shawn Marion had a solid game against his old team, scoring 13 points on 6-11 shooting and also pulling in four boards. I’m not sure if the offer was there for Marion in Dallas after they brought in Chandler Parsons (14 points, four rebounds) this off-season, but it’s got to be tough for the 15-year veteran to see the Mavs humming along so well right now (though, yes, in all fairness, Dallas is just 1-7 against the Western Conference’s elite teams).
[Update: it’s now being reported by NEOMG’s Chris Haynes that Irving will not be traveling with the team to Philadelphia for its next game.]
All told, the Cavs just couldn’t get anything easy and weren’t dynamic enough with Irving rendered so ineffective. Dallas would have been a tough test for this team even at full health and even before their recent addition of Rajon Rondo (four points, eight assists) — and right now the Cavs aren’t exactly excelling at creating their own luck.
Some luck being provided for them: their next game is against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Quick notes:
•If you think the final disparity in FG% between the two teams was rough, it could have been worse. At one point in the third quarter, the Mavs were shooting 62% to the Cavs’ 42%. Forget many — you’re not winning any games with the ball finding net (or not) at that lopsided a rate.
•Dion Waiters was an efficient 4-7… in the second half. In the first, the refs must have given Waiters a bigger ball that didn’t actually fit through the hoop, because he couldn’t push it through, going 0-7. It was good to see him get some shots to drop after the break, but his jumper is still on holiday break (0-4 from three). All of his production also came with the Mavs comfortably in control. He added four assists and GM David Griffin mentioned on the broadcast that the team is trying to get Waiters to pass more off penetration, saying that they believe he is the team’s second most gifted passer behind LeBron James.
•Griffin also came out and called reports that the team’s front office was considering firing first year head coach David Blatt “totally ridiculous.” Griffin also called James’ timetable for return “very fluid,” suggesting that the Cavs star could be on the shelf longer than the two weeks that were originally reported. Blatt will now have time to put his imprint on the team. Eventually, though, he’ll need some healthy players, if he’s going to have a fighting chance of seeing any lasting success.
I agree with Nate’s assessment that you had to meet Lebron’s demands but cover for the weaknesses of those players. Hard to do in reality though. Also hard to be a Cavs GM. It seems like Ferry, Grant, and Griffin have had their hand forced on a variety of moves throughout the years (more so than the typical NBA GM).
One late comment on Griffin for Nate:
Others have mentioned this, but the rosters that you really like are rosters that were developed over multiple years under the watch of a stable GM. Griffin is in his first year on the job AND HAS OPENLY ADMITTED that he has lots of building to do. It seems like you expected him to get LBJ, sign KI AND put together the perfect group of role players in ONE OFFSEASON. That is kind of silly.
As with Blatt and the whole team in general, we need more patience with Griffin.
Agreed. I don’t think he should be fired. I want to make that clear. Just saying that if it comes down to Griffin versus Blatt on culpability, I don’t want people to gloss over Griffin’s mistakes, and I don’t want Blatt to take a fall for it.. A lot of the Cavs problem is bad luck. Griffin, I feel, was poorly prepared for that bad luck, but you’ll see a lot of roster shakeup in the next two weeks with 10 day contracts and guys released before their contracts are guaranteed. There will be chances to improve. I could see… Read more »
I really hope Blatt stays. I honestly believe we have a diamond in our hands. It is a blessing in disguise that the team will play without LeBron for the next several games. As blatt said – we need him to step into a functional situation.
Griffin is fine; if you think offseason acquisitions were inadequate, then you’re just nuts. Windhorst needs to shut up; I just heard him on ESPN asserting that his story forced the Cavs organizations into a further tizzy deep soul-searching about David Blatt and ‘it took them six days to come out and support him’ (from unsourced rumors [i.e. Windy]) which seems like a really long time, so, whoa, this is all really dramatic, etc. That’s just asinine and he needs to either get a sex change and go back to high school or go back to Miami and write about… Read more »
If Dion lights it up for 30, maybe Philly will offer Noel for the Philly kid and match him up with Syracuse teammate Michael Carter Williams.
I’m thoroughly against trading Dion unless they can get a building block in return like Noel. It would take more, probably the Memphis pick maybe a pick swap. The 76ers have a pair of centers as their centerpiece players going forward and this draft is going to be loaded with centers.
John Henson is perfect, but I’m still not sure what the asking price would be for him now that Larry Sanders is out.
Yeah, it is. That draft pick swap with Chicago for Deng is looking like it might really sting.
Dion is shooting demonstrably worse than last year and on his rookie season from three point range. His jump shot in general isn’t falling. It’s not a function of him shooting more (he’s actually on pace for fewer attempts from outside). He was a pretty good catch and shoot player last year. Is this drop off a function of tired legs, a change in his stroke, or something else?
They’ve got to figure this out because opposing teams are sagging off him and it’s screwing up the spacing.
Just gotta believe that a spark will get the Dion-fuego started at some point . . . and hope that the Dion-fuego turns into a “Dionflagration.” Here’s hoping it happens sooner (while Lebron is out) rather than later. He has the basketball version of the “yips.”
“GM David Griffin mentioned on the broadcast that the team is trying to get Waiters to pass more off penetration, saying that they believe he is the team’s second most gifted passer behind LeBron James.” This is probably true since it doesn’t look like you know is going to pass these days . Alot of the other players have been passing to make up for a needed disparity of assists needed to win a game. Miller in particular is passing alot.
tomorrows game against the 76er’s is no GIMME considering all our injuries—lone might have to have a 40(pt ) 20 (reb ) night—was glad to see griff come out and comment on recent media reports –agree with him ( I know many of you may disagree ) to just ” CHILL ” a little —-I really think they are trying to make a deal —but one that will definitely help the team—not just make a deal to ” pacify ” us fans —let’s keep an open mind from now untl trade deadline and see what develops and hoping we can… Read more »
The Griff thing is comical. If anyone should be fired it’s him. If you take a look at the best teams in the league right now, it’s the teams that have put together really great rosters from the top to the bottom to surround their stars. Griffin has just failed to do this. Golden state… Donnie Nelson in Dallas has done an amazing job. R.C. Buford, Neil Olshey, John Hollinger… There are so many GMs that have developed their rosters from top to bottom, and whose ability to find good role players cheap has let them pull of moves like… Read more »
so who should Grffin have gotten to make this team better? remember the Lebron factor wanting his guys on the team…just curious
It seem Griff was making alot of excuses and almost giving Blatt an out for not doing his job by not developing a bench & avoiding questions as to why are they shooting so bad. It’s been going on for almost a month now. Kinda like he wanted to be a martyr so the public doesn’t scrutinize Blatt on some of the aforementioned. I found it comical Griff said those dreaded words he hated Chris Grant saying, “It’s a process” Here’s another mystery. Why isn’t he at the very least looking for some BIGS in the D-league? Are we to… Read more »
Blatt will one day be known as an outstanding NBA coach. But in true Cleveland fashion, we’ll relieve him of his duties in the same way the Browns let Bill Bellicik go. We will have made that call after 30 games with a team that carried over a handful of players that had played together and brought in a new cast of alpha dogs.
From Cleveland.com Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle (on David Blatt): “I can promise you that David Blatt’s been in a lot of high-profile and challenging situations in international basketball,” Carlisle said. “People in the States have no idea of — we think expectations are high here — European basketball, Russia, and all these places, Israel, these teams play games with not only league significance but national significance. Guys are playing for their countries in a lot of situations. And so Dave has been through all that.” “People that speculate about David Blatt’s job security, it’s ridiculous,” Carlisle said. “They’d have… Read more »
Hear hear. Terrific comments from one of the better coaches in the game.
One year a team needs to follow the OKC model. The next year a team needs to do everything to get a big three. The next year you put together a team from top to bottom – surrounding the stars. While I agree with this philosophy – when you have a chance to obtain Lebron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving – you go for it. I fought it at the time because of the salary cap implications to filling out the roster (and felt Wiggins would develop to Love level at a much cheaper price), but I can’t fault… Read more »
Nate I think you need to remember what sort of teams you are comparing. All those teams have had multiple years to figure out salary and fit situations before getting to this year. Griffin happened into the Lebron homecoming…he didn’t orchestrate it. Good lord Houston was worse than we are this year when they first paired up Dwight and the beard and such. No one knew about lebron’ sill health before we watched it on screen and live, and we certainly didn’t have many options in the way of a chandler parsons or rondo to add to our 15 year… Read more »
If Nate were the GM, I assume this team would consist of a starting lineup of Kyrie, Delly, Wiggins, TT and Andy with a bench of Bennett, Zeller, Josh Harrellson, Karasev and whoever he traded Dion for (probably Mozgov or Henson). That team probably gets you 38-42 wins and maybe the 8 seed and an early round exit or a low lottery pick. Sounds awesome.
Yep. That team would be awful. We watched terrible basketball for four years. Griffin signed irving LeBron and traded for love. I’m pretty sure that makes him a good GM.
Really? Uh, no. That’s frankly an insulting assessment. You’re forgetting LeBron. I would have gone after Gasol, who I think would have come over Chicago. Could have probably worked a sign and trade with Bennett. I also would have moved Bennett for anyone… Hard to say on Gasol. I was really torn over the summer. I’d have had to see what kind of shape he was in. Hard to tell. I’d have moved Bennett for something, anything. Probably no getting LeBron without that Zeller / Jack move, as much as I complain about it. This team would have needed another… Read more »
It was less of an insulting assessment and more of a sarcastic over-exaggeration given your exasperating opinion of Griffin. By the way you’re dreaming if you think Gasol was coming here. And I put no LBJ in since you’ve been harping on the Zeller/Jack/Karasev “bad deal.” For argument’s sake I don’t think you could have sign and traded Bennett for much. Morrow is a nice piece, but I think you are vastly over-rating Tucker. I agree with you the Amundsen signing was a waste, but I don’t believe that Griff was depending on Miller or Jones to be anything other… Read more »
Sorry. I had my dander up. As for the Zeller/Jack deal, obviously if that is the only way to get LeBron, you do it. I included it for the sake of argument. OK, if not Gasol then Greg Monroe or Spencer Hawes plus a defensive guy like Udoh or Dorsey. Or you trade for someone. I wrote a long piece on why trading for Love was a bad idea. I won’t rehash it. It drives me mental that people thing the Cavs are resigned to this fate and there’s no different moves they could have done to prevent it. People… Read more »
If i could make fart noises online, i would. 1/4 of those deals don’t have a chance of happening EVEN in hindsight, and Varejao gets injured either way because with Lebron playing heavy minutes puts Varejao in the game for heavy minutes because we would STILL struggle with chemistry early in the year and they would be a stabilizing duo. Your consistent berating of Griffin for going after Kevin Love and getting rid of Wiggins will look silly when the Cavs find a serviceable big man and they begin to blow teams away by at least 12-15 points a game.… Read more »
It doesn’t help that none of us are inside the locker room to see what the real issues are. Imagine how complex a single relationship can be. Now magnify that across an entire team of alpha males.
I still think they figure it out come playoff time.
The real issues? They don’t have enough talent on the floor. There’s no other issue. Ugh. I sound like Cols.
Thanks for the write-up Robert! It was about time that Griff got out in front of the ridiculous media persecution of Blatt and he did so with gusto in his pre-game comments. With no live game thread, I focused all of my energy on watching the team closely on both ends. Yes, it was pretty much the expected result against the stacked Mavs team (their starting lineup is just about an all-star team now with the Rondo addition), but there were some positives to take away. KLove has shown up in a big way the last couple of games. He… Read more »
I meant the rest of the schedule AFTER the Bulls game. Obviously, there are some tough games between now and then…
Good review. I felt that if we just hit a few more open shots early on, or finished on our opportunities, the game would have remained interesting much longer. For the first 2 1/2 quarters I felt the biggest difference between the teams was they shot 60% and we shot 40% – and the looks for each team were pretty much the same. Ours may have even been better as the Cavs defense was rather scrappy. Re: Dellavadova – He’s not a true starting caliber player, but has attributes that make him a valuable role player. The current roster forces… Read more »