Recap: Rockets 105, Cavs 103 (or, an Epic Battle for MVP…)
2015-03-02
For fans of nationally televised, playoff-intensity basketball, it didn’t get much better than this overtime thriller between the Cavs and Rockets. And for fans of MVP-style match ups, there wasn’t a much better one to be had than The King vs. The Beard. Though the Cavs came out on the short end in this one, they fought hard against the third best team in the West and had a shot to win in the end. But, it’s hard to win on the road against good teams… and harder still when plagued by turnovers, rough shooting nights from downtown, too much MVP-ISO ball and (most importantly) poor free throw shooting.
Here’s how it all went down… Running Diary style:
(Pregame)
Cavs get the Hubie Brown and Mike Tirico tandem tonight so it should be informative and thoughtful. Kyrie still out with the strained shoulder, so Delly gets his second straight start. Fingers crossed for a decent night for Rudy… although with LeBron back, he shouldn’t have to handle the ball as much.
(1st Quarter)
12:00: Rockets win the tip… Patrick Beverly gets the ball and immediately double-dribbles while he does some sort of jumping horse move (but it’s not called… seems like a bad omen).
11:30: LeBron drives inside and takes a hit from Donatas Montejunas before hitting the layup. No and-one is forthcoming (though Hubie thought he got bumped). This is going to be a physical game…
10:05: JR Swish hits a three off a pass from LBJ. Bron looks like he’s in facilitating mode…
8:42: Moz makes his third straight basket on a terrific post move jump hook! Love that the Cavs are going to the big Russian early and often in the post. He is owning Montejunas.
7:59: LBJ gets his second CDB (chase down block) of the season on a Harden drive and serves notice that he’s not going to just let The Beard waltz away with the MVP.
5:52: Out of a timeout, Iman checks in for LBJ. This is not all that notable… EXCEPT for the fact that we learn that Shump is mic-ed up for sound today! Tirico says Iman must be happy about the trade because he responds to everything LBJ says in the team huddle with “Yes, Sir!”
4:20: Trevor Ariza steals the ball off of a bad pass from Delly… and then takes LITERALLY five steps on his way to the hoop for the leisurely dunk.
3:44: The coverage cuts to a Dwight Howard reaction to a Harden layup, and misses an attempted TD pass from KLove to JR. JR is fouled, but is denied the continuation basket. He does wind up with a clear path two shots though. On the thread, Tom remarks “The clear path foul is the strangest rule in the NBA.” Phil Hubbard comments: “How much action is ABC going to miss today while giving us hero shots after baskets?”
2:41: “It’s party time!” according to Shump’s audio commentary from the bench. He then uses my new favorite nickname for Moz… “Moz-erati!” It’s my opinion that Shump should be wired for sound for all remaining Cavs games…
Suggested logo change…
1:59: Kevin makes his fourth strong drive into the paint, putting a terrific move on Josh Smith for the layup. Cavs have been feeding KLove in the post a lot this quarter.
0:51: Delly makes his second bad pass in the space of 30 seconds… this one an inbounds that Corey Brewer steals. Not the best sequence for Delly which also featured a badly missed three.
At the end of the first, Cavs trail the Rockets 29-26. Cavs had some good ball movement early in the quarter and got the ball inside to Moz and Kevin. They also played solid defense for most of it but let Houston go on a 7-0 run in the last minute and a half, led by Harden and Terrence Jones. Most of this came from being careless with the ball (mostly Delly with three of their four turnovers). In the MVP battle, Harden had the early edge on LBJ 9-6.
(Second Quarter)
11:41: LBJ nails a three over Josh Smith to start the scoring…MVP mode?
9:26: The Champ hits from downtown off of a terrific in-bounds pass from Shump! James Jones has earned his “freaking” middle name a lot lately. Although Hubie keeps referring to him as “Jimmy” Jones…
8:30: LBJ gets a terrific breakaway dunk off of a JR tipped loose ball forcing a McHale rage timeout… Out of the timeout, we get treated to the bizarre flash mob that happened between quarters where a bunch of people wearing fake beards stormed the court to spell out M-V-P… I’m sure that was enough to prompt LBJ to say “Oh yeah, it’s ON now, Beardy!”
5:50: Bron defies gravity and makes a great pass to TT for the easy layup. TT is starting to come alive this quarter after getting a little abused inside… and as I say this CANADIAN DYNAMITE explodes a shot by Montejunas!
5:32: Corey Brewer is much less interesting during his “Wired” section. More Shump please!
3:55: Josh Smith airballs a three by about five feet as the shot clock expires. Same old Josh… no wonder the Pistons were thrilled to unload him.
3:39: Kevin Love destroys the rim on a terrific inside pass off the dribble from Shump… then Moz-erati rejects Brewer at the rim! Hope he plays more today…
1:42: LeBron gets mugged by Ariza driving to the hoop but doesn’t get the call… Delly breaks up the Rockets break though. Then, a frustrated LBJ pushes off for a foul on the next trip.
0:44: The game turns into a rugby scrum for about 10 seconds as the refs let them play (this nonchalance would come back to haunt them later).
0:20: JR misses yet another corner three… the three guards available for this game (JR, Delly and Shump) are now a collective 1-13 from the field… yikes.
0:13: After another turnover at half court (LBJ thinks he was fouled by Ariza), Harden gets fouled on a drive to the basket and heads to the line for the fifth and sixth times while being serenaded by the crowd with chants of M-V-P!
0:00: LeBron misses a double-clutch three to end the half.
At the half, Cavs found themselves still down by three, 50-47 after playing the Rockets to a draw in the second quarter. The defense was stingier, but the Cavs settled for way too many threes (which they missed at a 3-18 clip). The turnover bug also bit them again for another five to bring their total to nine for the game. The MVP battle was also at a 15-15 draw (LBJ had the rebounding edge, but had not gone to the line yet).
(Third Quarter)
10:21: Terrence Jones nails a mostly uncontested three from the top of the key to push Houston’s lead to 10 and continue a 13-0 run from the first half. Kevin seems to be having trouble keeping up with him outside. Worried this might get out of hand quickly…
10:03: Love finds Moz inside for an easy dunk to break the Rocket run. Kevin is really good at getting the ball into Moz down low.
9:30: The chippy nature of this game boils over when Beverly tries to take a charge on LBJ. While getting off the floor, LBJ pushes his hand on Beverly’s chest and Beverly grabs him in a bearhug. Moz immediately comes to Bron’s aid and the whole thing turns into a dog pile. Double techs are called and Bron gives Beverly a shoulder bump on his way off the court. As commenter Gregg says: “That should change the officiating.” Cavs definitely seem a little rattled after this… and Beverly (and the crowd) start getting amped up.
6:52: KLove hits a terrific right corner three (his second sandwiched around an LBJ triple) to get the Cavs back within seven. He’s heating up this quarter.
6:43: Tempers flare once again as Moz sends Harden sprawling to the floor. Ariza takes offense to this and starts jawing at Moz. Ariza gets a tech. Rockets seem content to be contentious now. To be fair though, it seems like Harden initiated the contact. As Arch Stanton says: “Harden essentially throws his body into Mozilla and gets a call.” LeBron takes the technical free throw (his first trip to the line of the game) and misses it (another bad omen).
5:45: “We need a STOP!” says Iman on his latest “Wired” update.
3:59: After 23 seconds of ISO, LBJ drains a shot over Ariza. He’s got nine points in the quarter.
3:22: Following a Harden steal, Beverly decides to go for the blind-side block on Shumpert. These teams really don’t seem to like each other and Beverly is living up to his reputation as “likes to fight” guy.
2:35: Harden goes to the line for free throws 12 and 13. The Cavs as a team have only nine trips to the stripe…
2:08: Frustrated with a double cover by LBJ and James Jones (that leaves him on his back), Harden pulls a decidedly non-MVP type of move and kicks LeBron in the groin. All hell breaks loose for a few moments on the court as it looks like these two teams are prepping to brawl. TT and Brewer come to their respective leaders’ defense and wind up with a double tech (LeBron is lucky to not get his second tech). Arch Stanton shares this tweet from @johnlegend: “If you don’t get ejected for intentional nut kicks, what do you get ejected for?” Harden is assessed only a flagrant-1, but LBJ misses BOTH free throws (making him 2-7 for the game).
0:05: TT grabs a tough rebound (his eighth and fifth offensive) in traffic and gets fouled. He makes both free throws to close it to an eight point Rockets advantage.
At the end of three the Rockets were up 82-74. This was the Cavs worst quarter defensively, as they allowed James Harden to get to the rack almost at will, and it seemed like every one of his trips resulted in a foul. The Cavs, and LeBron in particular seemed to get rattled when the physical nature of the game boiled over into multiple altercations between the two teams. KLove and LBJ’s three point shooting kept it from turning into a rout, but guard scoring was non-existant. The MVP tally stayed close with LBJ taking a 29-28 edge over Harden (although LeBron had 24 shots to Harden’s 14).
(Fourth Quarter)
11:30: The Champ hits a much needed triple! As Phil Hubbard remarks: “James Jones is the guy who actually found the fountain of youth in that phone commercial.”
10:32: James Freaking Jones again! This time with an assist from Delly to tie the game at 82!
8:15: Delly hits a three! (would turn out to be his only bucket of the game…)
7:28: JR makes a nice move for a pull-up jumper. I wish he would handle the ball more…
6:54: After an Ariza airball on one end, and a Shump bounce pass to nobody on the other… The King and The Beard both return to finish their MVP duel…
6:30: LBJ decides it’s mano-e-mano time with Harden… and proceeds to have his signature defensive play of the game by denying The Beard for last 12 seconds of the shot clock, and forcing him into a wild airballed three. Aaron from Akron says: “Best d on harden all year in that possession.”
6:11: Bron hits a SICK fadeaway shot over Montejunas… showing off his skills. CLF says: “LBJ WITH AN MVP SHOT!!!!”
5:26: LBJ with another CDB… this time on Terrence Jones!
4:56: LBJ with an AWESOME lob to TT for the JAM! Prettiest assist of the night! Up by three!
3:33: TT is the rebounding MVP of this game! His second one sets up LBJ for the long two!
2:47: The Beard returns the favor on The King… breaking his ankles on a drive where he’s forced to foul…
1:43: Harden gets to the rack AGAIN for an and one… but has a rare miss at the line. LBJ gets fouled on a drive at the other end and splits the pair.
1:08: The Beard misses a three and TT goes to the line… HE MAKES THEM BOTH! Tie game…
0:25: Cavs have several tries at the rim to score (thanks to TT and his now nine offensive boards) and fail, but Delly grabs the loose ball! Time out Cavs… wonder what Blatt will draw up for the game winner?
0:01: After holding the ball near halfcourt for 17 seconds… LeBron dribbles around the top of the key and then launches a step-back deep two… that doesn’t fall… Overtime…
At the end of regulation, the game is tied at 98. The Cavs came roaring back with some tenacious defense in the fourth quarter, holding the Rockets to 16 points. James Jones erased the deficit, then LBJ took it from there (with a ton of rebounds from TT). The physical play continued, but The King was able to defend The Beard well. While there was still an awful lot of Le-ISO, Bron made a couple of terrific passes as well. If that last shot goes in (or if he’d been able to hit one or two more of his free throws) Cavs win this game in regulation. In the MVP heads up, LBJ had the edge 34-32.
(Overtime)
4:33: TT collects his fifth foul on a tough bailout call against Terrence Jones. Refs had to check to see if the clock had expired.
4:13: JR SWISH hits a big shot off the dribble! Where you been all night Earl?
3:18: After the one board that TT isn’t able to corral (probably because he had Jones all over him), Beverly (who else) hits a huge three to put the Rockets up two.
2:46: TT somehow grabs another board and calls timeout. It’s his 19th of the game and an unbelievable 11th offensive board…JMay says: “I don’t know how TT can even lift his arms at the end of the game.” nomad says: “hubie brown has a man crush on T.T. —WHAT A GAME BY T.T.”
1:20: LeBron misses another point blank layup. Can feel this one slipping away…
1:01: The King and The Beard appear to lock arms so they can “do si do” or something like that… No foul is called and Harden hoists a shot that doesn’t beat the shot clock. Weird… but Cavs will take it.
0:43: JR smartly follows his missed three, gets the rebound and fires it to LBJ at the top of the key for an MVP style THREE!
0:23: JR gets the ball and calls for time. In an almost parallel situation (except they’re down one) the Cavs have 23 seconds to get the final shot. As JoeyB says: “So now we get a complete replay of what just sent this to overtime. Let’s see if we can do something other than LBJ dribble step back long two.”
0:04: The King does drive for the last shot! It doesn’t fall, but he’s fouled! Okay LeBron… just got to make these free throws… The first one misses… Okay LeBron… just got to make this second one to go to a second overtime… And the unthinkable happens… misses it… game over. LBJ finishes 3-11 from the line.
The Beard puts the game away for good by intentionally splitting his 17th and 18th free throws on the night. Cavs have three tenths of a second left, but it isn’t enough to get a shot off.
Houston won the game 105-103, and even though The King outscored The Beard 37-33, the MVP usually goes to the guy who’s team won the game. The overtime period was a tough one, but in the end, LeBron made the right basketball play by driving inside for the final score. Unfortunately it didn’t drop, but with the foul call, he had an opportunity to either win the game or at least take it into a second overtime. MVP’s typically hit their free throws with the game on the line. But LBJ owned it… he himself weighed in after the game and said: “The guys put us in position to win, and I didn’t come through for them.”
(Since this is already pretty long… I’ll close with just a couple of observations)
The Evil:
Things not to do when trying to beat a top team on the road without your second best player:
- Miss free throws
- Turn the ball over
- Focus too much on trying to out-MVP the star on the other team with excessive ISO hero ball
The officiating was also very uneven from the outset. In fact, there were no whistles at all for the first five minutes of the game, and the refs seemed content with letting guys play. This approach backfired in the second half of the game when tempers flared because of the overly physical play. While there were some suspect calls and non-calls, they seemed to even out for both sides. Still, the crew from this game could maybe use a refresher:
The Genius:
Things to do when trying to beat a top team on the road without your second best player:
- Play stifling defense in the fourth quarter
- Crush the other team on the boards (especially the offensive glass)
- Have your MVP hit big shots and generally outplay the other team’s MVP
With all of the things in this game that were stacked against the Cavs, they still put themselves in a position to win or tie the game at the end. That’s no small feat against a top playoff team from the West, on their home floor. Yes it was a loss, but it was a loss this team can continue to grow from rather than a set-back.
Hopefully, they have a healthy Kyrie back for the Celtics on Tuesday.
So people can defend a lot of things from their heoes but not kicking another man in the groin, that no man will not do or should do. I think the Celtics will feel lebrons redemption tomorrow night and the Hawks will give the rockets a loss. Harden is a coward not mvp.
Sorry for typos, good night at the breweries!
WHICH ONES?!?!?!?
Whiteside/Len fight in the Miami/Phoenix game. NBA is out of control and going to get worse. It all falls on the commish and the administration. It’s not about fining combatants. It’s about changing the way games are called.
apparently wasn’t just that, ESPN says one of the Morris twins was ejected for a foul on Dragic.
I agree… the game needs to be called more tightly and force the players to adjust their play. LBJ never gets calls because he’s simply to big and strong for guys to stop him…. so he gets fouled all the time and refs eat their whistle because LBJ can still make the play. Saw the same phenomena with Shaq when he was in the league.
And it looks like Jimmy Butler is out 3-6 weeks with a sprained elbow… Bulls are dropping like flies!
I really am disappointed and elated at the same time. Granted, I love the easier path to the finals, don’t get me wrong, especially in our first year. However, at the same time, I was looking forward to full strength both squads, heavyweight playoff matchup. Thats some serious rivalry stuff.
Don’t disagree, but injuries are part of the game. Just look at the last two games without Kyrie. The downside might be that both DRose and Butler are fresh and rested for the playoffs. The Bulls might dip a little in the seeding, but if both of those guys are healthy and in game shape, the Bulls could come back stronger than ever a just the right time…
I can’t imagine Rose is going to be in game shape. I really thought they should hold him out for the season. I don’t know, his mental state is going to be in question too. I just don’t see them being able to overcome all of that to challenge a serious contender. But hey, what do I know.
He may very well not be… although the fact that he walked out of the hospital following surgery, and was already rehabbing the knee the next day seems to indicate that he’ll be back sooner than most people think. You bring up the real key though in the mental aspect. Will he be able to get to a place where he trusts the knee enough to play his game? Even before this latest set-back, he seemed less explosive, and maybe a little more tentative this season. I guess we’ll wait and see…
Don’t know if you guys have gotten the alert yet but Harden did get a 1 game suspension for the kick. He won’t play tomorrow against the Hawks.
That is good and just, it shows he made a cheap shot at Lebron. Hope the Hawks crush them.
So p.o. ‘d by this. He should have been ejected instead last night. It would have made a difference!
It was a bush league move, but the penalty was consistent with past history of similar events (e.g. DWade kicking Ramon Sessions in the groin).
Actually don’t mind it unfolding like this. Let it sink in on fans for another day or two: Harden suspended for — yes it’s true, it really happened — kicking LeBron in the groin.
HAHAHAHAHA…. I don’t know why, but the way you put it Phil, cracks me up!
Laughter…mockery…disdain. Those are all reactions that Harden deserves.
I know replying to your own comments is super lame, but I just wanted to add this: it seems that most of the time, a team’s market size and appeal (to free agents) is the biggest driver of which “model’ of roster construction will work. But the biggest factor to consider when looking at the construction of a great team? Luck. The Cavs happen to be incredibly lucky that they not only won the lottery in 2003 (they were tied for the worst record in the league), but that the all-time talent who they picked also happens to be from… Read more »
It’s not lame if it’s a continuation of a thought… Excellent points though Z… There is no magic formula for roster construction, simply because you just never know how injuries and chemistry will play out… As you said, luck is often the greatest factor in how things come together…
Thanks EG! I appreciate it.
**The Human Highlight Film was a forward, not a center.
hcsfdsadjsk
Sorry, that was me nodding so hard in agreement my head fell off and hit the keyboard.
Really though, luck: one of the most underappreciated aspect in all sports. Every team lucks its way into great players. Having those players and the team “work out” is equally lucky.
I’ve always wondered why the roster construction “models” get discussed so much. Alot of teams would trade their roster for San Antonio’s. But the same is true of the Cleveland Cavaliers this season, the Miami Heat over the last four years, the Miami Heat in 2006, the Celtics in 2008 and so forth. Does anyone think that if Lebron had decided he wanted to play in San Antonio this season, that they would’ve said “No thanks, that’s not in our Model for Roster Construction”? The Lakers have been signing and assembling marquee free agents as often as possible since the… Read more »
Right. Exactly. It doesn’t matter how you get your platers as long as you get good players/
Some people feel different ways depending on how their teams are built, but I don’t believe anyone commented on one team-building model being superior to another.
If you think that continuity has no long term effect on the success of a team, then you’re right. I happen to think that it does have a noticeable effect WHEN talent is present on the roster. Talent certainly trumps continuity in some respects.
I was talking with someone the other day about which player makes more of a difference between not having Kyrie or Dwight in this game. I personally think its Kyrie. The reason why is because the rockets have been playing with Monte for awhile now and hes a solid backup to Dwight, but he isnt an essential piece that’s going to slow them down. Kyrie on the other hand has so much more skill and value to the type of team that we are then Dwight does to the Rockets. Plus, Delly no where near closes the gaping hole left… Read more »
Ugh, good recap. I’m glad I finally started commenting here at CtB, its given me somewhere to go during games like these (No one in my life cares about basketball, at least not to the extent that I do). What a frustrating loss. In reality, we still played with and had a chance to beat, one of the best teams in the league. That’s the good news. The bad news is that our offense, whether it was warranted or not, stopped in the 4th. I mentioned this earlier, Love disappears from games after the first half. Usually he doesn’t even… Read more »
LbJ apparently doesn’t trust Love to be to be the Man at crunchtime.
The more hero ball, the less engaged players will be, and, what it looks like is: dribbling and stagnancy. Shump and JR can actually cut to the basket and go to the rim with athleticism. Love can back the ball in, or pop. There are all sorts of options that are available were the culture of the team not glued to the manchild LeBron.
Alternately, explain to me how it is that the CAVS look like two different teams: Hero Ball or Fast Paced Team-engaged all-hands-on-deck ball?
I was hoping this LBJ rebuild was to finally model a franchise like San Antonio but the King is unwilling to relent any of the control, at least in game. My ideal situation would be for LeBron to come out and say “that’s it, I’m just going to be a basketball player. I’m going to do exactly what my coaches tell me, I’m going to play the exact way I’m directed to, and I’m going to treat myself like any other player.” Basically, I want Tim Duncan’s personality with LeBron’s skills. Again, I KNOW this is idealistic and impossible. Nor… Read more »
This is the exact model of SA. Get a Big 3 and fill in around them.
Strictly speaking, yes. But the player personality is not anywhere near the same. Maybe the case would be different if LBJ thought Blatt had the chops that a perennial NBA championship coach has. Unfortunately, I’m not sure Blatt will get that credit until he’s no longer coaching LeBron.
His point was that the big 3 (love) was not used when he should of been. My only problem with the game is that one, use Love in the 4th. But if I got kicked in the balls by a punk I would have a hard time not trying to make a statement. And if he made the FTs it would all be mute. Go Cavs!
That’s the best counterpoint in my opinion. After the Beverly scrum and the Harden kick, I remember thinking to myself, LeBron is about to go into “F U mode,” and I don’t necessarily blame him if he does. I’d probably desire to do the same thing honestly.
Great point Gregg and Ross… and also another reason why I don’t mind the isolation plays given the context.
I think either case is correct. Too much Iso and he has every right to go Iso. We win this game and the headlines are chanting MVP and all other sorts of nonsense. But now Rockets are crowing King James “coward ” Harden. Makes me laugh. I take way more positives from this game then I have in previous losses. We did not back down as a team at all in a fairly rowdy environment, kept our professional composure, laid down some hard hits of our own but not cheap like the one Bev tried on Shump, give me a… Read more »
Well said again, Gregg. Especially re: composure. The Rockets are eventually going to regret that.
It’s not even remotely like the model of SA. There is a *slight* similarity on offense when we actually run our offense. In terms of roster building, it’s quite dissimilar. Cavs: sign LBJ in free agency, draft Kyrie #1 overall, and trade a #1 overall pick for Kevin Love – PLAYING TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. Spurs: draft Duncan #1 overall, draft Parker #28 overall, draft Manu #57 overall in 1999 and he didn’t come to the NBA until 2002, Kawhi (has supplanted Manu at this point imo) drafted #15 by the Pacers/Spurs traded for him on draft night… Read more »
Ya, it brings a lot different of a dynamic to the various relationships involved.
This is year one and already they play together pretty seamlessly and seem like a really tight knit team. I think they only grow closer over the next few years.
Not really. Ross does a good job of explaining, but I also wanted to point out that Duncan, Parker and Ginobili were never referred to as a “Big Three” until after their 2003 championship. Parker was drafted in 2001. Ginobili came out in 2002. Many players are never considered great right up until they are winning titles. That is what happened with the Spurs’ relative unknowns (as the American crowd knew them, at least). So the Spurs system is more like: draft undervalued player, plug him into the System, and watch him grow into the best player he can be… Read more »
It doesn’t matter. A big three is a big three. Spurs got there by drafting and trades. We got there by drafting, trades, and free agency.
How you acquire players does not matter, it only matters that you acquire them.
The difference is that the Spurs didn’t know they had a Big Three up until the moment the players developed into who we now know them as.
The Cavs knew exactly who LeBron, Kyrie and Kevin Love were this summer: max contract players, multi-time All-Stars and future hall of famers. Aka, a no brainer.
As a GM, it takes two vastly different approaches to building a team in one of those ways. Not saying one is better than the other, just saying the two franchises could not have built their teams much differently.
But it doesn’t matter. The model is get a Big Three and build around it. How the players are gotten is of zero consequence.
cwzagger, I completely understand the point you are making and agree entirely. The model by which the teams were built are almost complete opposites of each other, haha.
How the players are gotten is NOT of zero consequence because it shows how differently these teams were built. The Spurs’ model is to construct a winning team by drafting undervalued players and building them up. They won two titles before there was a Big Three. Then when Parker and Ginobili happened to pan out, WE started to call them a Big Three, not the Spurs. The Spurs model is NOT to “GET” a Big Three. That is not the PLAN — it is how we choose to narrate it. I promise there has never been a checklist in RC… Read more »
^Thank you Ross, LOL. I feel like a computer caught in an infinite logic loop.
I’m kinda with Cols here. There is not only one way to build a team.
U-dog, the crux of my argument is that there ARE multiple ways to build a team. I was under the impression that Cols’ blanket statement, that the Cavs are following “the exact model of SA,” was the item that insinuated the opposite. No one method is the same — that’s my point. 30 different models for 30 teams.
cwzagger – Yeah, I know your original comment pointed out that the Spurs and Cavs were put together differently. I’m glad you pointed that out the way you did. I agreed with Cols when he said that it didn’t matter how it gets done. I am so tired of listening 10 years about the San Antonio model, followed by the tank and build around a superstar, then find a way to acquire a big three. The whole sports world jumps on and rides the bandwagon of one of these methods as being “the only way” for several years, then jumps… Read more »
Hey JMay, just wanted to say, I was in the same situation as you are… Love NBA basketball, but living in Cincinnati, no one gives a crap about it around here. This board is excellent…. passionate and knowledgeable fans. I usually hate commenting boards/forums, but the Mods do a good job here and the guys here are pretty cool.
It’s really too bad that the original Cincinnati Royals got moved in the early 70s. I wasn’t alive to see the Big O play, but he and Jerry Lucas would have been something to behold… Hard to believe that storied franchise has now become the Sacramento Kings. There was a lot of talk about the Kings moving in the past few years. If they ever did… I’d wish for them to move back to Cinci… It’s a great town that deserves to have that legacy restored…
Thanks for the homage, EG… There is a strong basketball fanbase here, but it’s all in for Univ. of Cincinnati…. which is an institution I have a hard time supporting after some bad experiences on campus. What’s crazy is that I have good friend who knows of the landowner who wanted to build an arena between Cincinnati and Dayton, a la Richfield. But with a lack of a good transportation system, it would’ve been impossible to get the urban folk out to the countryside. The inability to support the building of the arena led to the Royals/Kings franchise move. So,… Read more »
That’s pretty amazing! I get the transpo issues though. Wouldn’t there be room for an arena near the Bengal’s stadium?
In fact… they do have an old, outdated arena (USBank arena) next door to Great American Ball Park (Reds’ stadium). Funny you should bring up the land next to Paul Brown Stadium (Bengals’ stadium)…. They built next to PBS the Underground Railroad museum… which has got to be one of the dumbest decisions made by city leadership. It’s a museum no one wants to go to for obvious reasons i.e. guilt trip for white folk. The building of it was justified by saying that black people deserved to have it to as remembrance and that it would supply the urban/black… Read more »
^^This is all interesting stuff. I follow the Bengals and I hear a lot of Cincy folks complain about the taxes brought about by Paul Brown Stadium. Combined with this museum it sounds like there are some real issues with the local govt. and metropolitan area.
HAHAHA… You are exactly right about PBS, cwzagger. The guy who negotiated the deal with the Bengals on the county’s behalf left his job immediately after the negotiations for a job in the front office with the Bengals. There was a lawsuit filed, but was ruled in the Bengals’ favor as a legitimate contract. Nothing the county taxpayers could do. Now the city schools are closing/cutting costs left and right because the county has to maintain the stadium. It was a game of chicken between the Bengals and the city and the city capitulated, when they probably should’ve let Mike… Read more »
BTW, almost 200 comments on your recap… I dare say, it was a hit!!! :)
I think it had more to do with Cols’ stubbornness on several issues today… lol… He must have busted his cast off to be typing this much…
HAHAHA…. Hey I’ve learned to appreciate his fighting spirit! Unfortunately, he hates Delly…. and that’s unforgivable! ;) But he stuck up for LBJ, so it was 50/50 today…. in other words, the usual!
Shout out to Cols… still love ya man!
Great recap, EG… well done. I think the only thing that was missed was the fact that we gave up 61 points in the 1st and 3rd quarters. It was the defense that really let the Cavs down yesterday. As for the question of whether Moz should’ve played more or not… Blatt decided to go with TT for defensive purposes, since the Rockets were playing with a small lineup and a 3pt shooter at the 5 position. I think it was the correct move. As for all the hate for Delly, I think it’s irrational. He ran the point when… Read more »
Because most people are idiots, CLF. One of the great stretches was when PBev started lighting up Delly and Blatt pulled him. Then Shump got lit up even worse. Same thing with Harden. Actually, Delly seems to do a pretty good job on Harden (despite not having the reputational chops to avoid getting fouls called against him). Shump stunk on ice that game, offensively and defensively. He got smoked consistently. Actually, most of the Cavs stunk on D, save for Tristan and (at times) LeBron. Anyway, James Jones was +12 for the game while Mozzy was -12. Certainly can’t fault… Read more »
HAHAHAHA…. thanks for making me feel better!!! Good point Nate re: Jones… I even felt that he should’ve gotten some more run, but perhaps he wouldn’t have been as effective. I wholeheartedly agree re: defense… I think switching LBJ onto Harden is what finally got the defense to click in the 4th quarter… perhaps he could’ve played defense on Harden all game, but I think that the coaches wouldn’t want to do that because it would force LBJ to expend too much energy given that he had to run the point with Delly spelling him occasionally. Also, to add… I… Read more »
Yeah, but late he completely overplayed him to his left side, and Harden blew by him on the right.
I don’t recall the play… but I’ll give Harden credit for that one! ;)
It was the one where TT fouled Harden on the drive and he made it And 1. Sweet move by the coward. Right now I am only fuming about the cheap shots and lousy calls. I think overall we handled ourselves well. I am not sure if I was the best player in the game that I wouldn’t go iso to prove a point if someone less than me kicked me in the balls. Anyway GO CAVS!
Well said, Gregg!!! Those calls were infuriating… 9 more fouls called for them I believe. I think if affected the way they guarded the dribble penetration.
I’m not mad that we didn’t win at all. I’m mad in the manner in which we lost – going down with an extremely over-reliance on hero ball.
I am reluctant to say that was manner in which we lost, given that the game was there for the taking if LBJ makes those free throws or if he makes the shot at the end of the 4th. I’m not sure I want any other guy, except Love, to take that shot.
I also think that the focus on the offense is over-analyzed. The Cavs gave 61 points in two quarters. Blatt says the goal is 24 per quarter… had they done that, they win by 2.
Are you reluctant to say there was an extreme over-reliance on hero ball or only reluctant to say that it was the primary reason for the loss?
That is was the primary reason/”manner” for the loss. I’ve mentioned in an earlier post (I think?)…. to me, the game was lost on the defensive end. Can’t give up 61 points in two quarters. Blatt’s stated goal for defense is 24 pts per quarter… had the Cavs accomplished that goal, they would’ve won the game by 2.
CLF, fair enough. There are likely always several reasons why a team loses any single game. It’s not fair to act as if only one of them led to the loss. It just so happens that a different reason sticks out to each of us in this instance.
Indeed Ross Gumdrop! HAHAHA! There are some sharp folks around here!
Ya, it seems like people mostly just want another starting quality guard we can put behind Kyrie. Most teams don’t have two starting quality PGs.
Perhaps so, JMay… and to me, it’s really besides the point when it comes to Delly. I think people are just stat-obsessed in this day and age. Stats are useful and helpful, but they cannot quantify everything. Blatt said that he plays Delly because he’s a “team-first” guy. How can you quantify that? Assists, charges taken, maybe… but how do you quantify the effect it has on the rest of the roster? I don’t believe you can… you can’t quantify the fact that when a coach plays a team-first guy, it affects the behavior of the rest of the team.… Read more »
Thanks CLF… you’re right, I didn’t shine too much of a light on the total of points they gave up, but I did try and point out the ups and downs of the defensive effort in the quarter recaps. I guess because they clamped things down in the fourth, the first and third seemed less fresh in my mind. Good point on the Moz question, although I felt like Moz should have been in there whenever Motejunas was… I don’t have hate for Delly… I’ve been outspoken on his behalf more often than not, but yesterday was not his finest… Read more »
You’re welcome, EG! I think that with Motejunas, Blatt went with TT because Motejunas is a 3pt threat. Moz is a rim protector, and he was being drawn out of the paint by Motejunas’ presence. I know you are always reasonable about Delly… my issue is that he’s being unfairly singled out for yesterday’s game and Indiana’s Friday. They were in a position to win the game. Within the context of that fact, how did Delly not do his job? Why not give credit to the fact that Beverly’s a much improved player, and Harden is one of the best?… Read more »
*Correction: I mean backcourt in the second paragraph… my apologies!
Speaking of Beverly, it was he who drew the assignment to guard Delly the entire game. Beverly is well known as the best backcourt defender the Rockets have. If Delly were so ineffective, why waste the best defender on Delly? It suggests that McHale and the Rockets have a deep respect for what Delly brings to the table… Cavs fans should follow suit.
I think McHale just thought that Beverly would be able to harass Delly into more turnovers… and force LBJ to focus more on handling the ball in the hopes that it would tire him out…
Totally agree… yet it still took McHale using his best backcourt defender on Delly. I think it speaks volumes when it comes to whom you choose your best defender to defend… it wasn’t Shump, nor JR.
I actually thought he did a better job in the Indy game, which is why I singled him out more for what he did right in that game as opposed to this one. I think I spread the blame around in the backcourt throughout the recap. It was not one of JR or Shump’s better games either, which is probably less excusable since they’re used to playing 30-40 minutes a game. Certainly Delly did things of value yesterday, but so did everyone else. I guess my main point here is that Delly is not a starting PG, and likely will… Read more »
I would agree… Delly’s not a starting PG. I’m not sure anyone here has ever claimed he was. But what has transpired is Delly being singled out for the loss yesterday, which I completely disagree. I also disagree with questioning why Blatt played him so much when we were in position to win the game. I’m not questioning your statements personally, I am speaking more towards the aggregate of comments today regarding yesterday’s game. I thought you’ve been extremely even in your recaps. But, it is undeniable that there are several criticisms of why Blatt plays Delly so much, or… Read more »
I don’t think that anyone is singling Delly out for the loss… if anything, most people are singling out LBJ for the loss. He didn’t hit his free throws… if he did, they win the game. Very simple logic. I think I pointed out everyone’s strengths and weaknesses pretty fairly. As I said before, I was disappointed with the Delly turnovers because they were mental errors and not skill-set ones. If he’d had the ball stripped from him by Harden or Beverly, I could understand because I don’t believe he’s as talented as those players. However, he’s proven himself to… Read more »
Totally agree, EG… It was disappointing to see Delly not take care of the ball at times. I would disagree that Delly hasn’t been singled out… he’s along with LBJ have both been singled out consistently today. Delly for the minutes he played (which he doesn’t control, Blatt does), LBJ for isolation. Again, it’s obvious to me why Blatt played Delly so much, and in crunch time situations. I agree with you regarding playing the blame game, which is why I am speaking up for Delly in the first place. He has been singled out, along with LBJ, and I… Read more »
If you remove “talent and stats” from the argument, then it makes perfect sense to play Delly as much as Blatt does… if it’s not about fit, or scoring more than the other team, or playing good defense… these things are what stats are for. They measure what happens in games so that discussions can be more intelligent. Delly falls toward the bottom of the league in most measurements. The more minutes he plays, the greater his impact is on the outcome of the game, in terms of both talent and stats. That’s why Lebron’s value has always been as… Read more »
Thanks for the comment, Z… I would simply disagree that back-up PG is the weakest position. I would argue that the back up 3 position is the weakest one.
As for Delly, again, the stats don’t quantify his contributions. I trust what my eyes see… and that’s Delly consistently makes plays that help win the ball game. They almost beat a surging playoff team in Indiana Friday, and should’ve beaten a strong WC playoff team in Houston.
I’ll concede, Delly’s stats look horrible. But, the only stat that matters is Ws, to which he’s contributed considerably this season.
Good points! Funny how everyone seem to forget a key play Delly had fighting for a critical rebound seconds before Cavs went to overtime. He gave Cavs a final possession. Put me in the perplexed column on Mosgov. Seem like his huge body in the final mins would have made Lebron’s drive to the baskets a little easier and there’s the rebounds in those final seconds. WHen Love was shooting 3 pt attempts and missed, we lost those rebounds to Rockets. Go ahead and watch those final mins. Not all teams are the same to play against. Blatt has not… Read more »
That was a huge play, Chris…. Delly’s willing to get physical with anyone, which I love. He won’t back down from anyone.
In two recent games against the Warriors and Rockets, they play small ball lineups that incorporate 3pt shooters at the center position. I think Blatt has made the move to TT in those instances to help put quickness at that position. Perhaps he could’ve substituted offense/defense, but I generally thought TT acquitted himself well.
I like Blatt’s willingness to experiment and change things up. That will be useful come playoff time.
Chris Sheridan trolling LeBron with: “No Way LeBron wins MVP after Sunday’s choke job.” All I have to say is, “GOOD.” I don’t care about MVP trophies. MVP trophies are not championships. Do you think any of those Pistons who never won an MVP trophy would trade their ring for one? Would any of KG’s Celtics trade their ring for an MVP? The loss is a setback, but frankly, the Cavs were feeling a little too good about themselves after the Warriors room. Everyone on this team still has room to improve. Just play the game to win, regardless of… Read more »
Nice writeup, EG — are you on Twitter?
Who else here is on there? (@entrep_thinking)
I am, but I’m a passive subscriber…
HAHAHAHHA…. me too EG!!!!! Just a lurker over there.
I wonder if LbJ was just in hero mode irrespective of all other considerations. He is a massive narcissist who has learned to cloak his immaturity in ‘smart sounding talk.’ The mea culpas are tiresome. What happens if JbJ just goes out and involves everybody, trusts everybody, forgives all hs team mates for not being him? We don’t know. (If this had been the attitude yesterday, I say, Cavs win.) But until the King grows up a bit, this team will have trouble against equally talented teams that aren’t burdened with an egomaniacal, spoiled, immature “hero.” I understand he has… Read more »
I completely agree. That’s what really annoys me about this second stint of LeBron in CLE. Those narnissistic demons were allegedly exorcised after that last Miami season. His immature “college” portion of his career was over, and now it was time to buckle down and grow up. But then he gave that “speech” before the first game of the season basically telling his teammates how that game was one of the biggest sporting events in history. Now he is dribbling the air out of the ball for 20 seconds before hoisting up a step back 3, as his 4 teammates… Read more »
Did everybody see this? The Rockets anointing Harden as the new King James:
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/572239283337076736
I’m not saying we are a shoo-in for the NBA Finals (Cols can handle that responsibility easily on his own), but if we do make it to the Finals, after yesterday, I am now openly rooting for a match up with Houston. Don’t think it’s very likely they come out of the West, but man, I can’t stand those guys. There are probably more favorable matchups for us, but I want to humiliate Harden and Howard (still owe him for 2009 ECF too) on the biggest stage possible. Add in Beverly, Ariza, Josh Smith, Jason Terry…is there a more unlikeable… Read more »
Looking back, a day after, I think it was a tremendous learning experience for the team. I see it making them stronger and closer. They will build on this.
Gotta say… I really hope my next recap is for a Cavs victory… as I’d hate to get a reputation as a bad luck charm… ;) In all seriousness though, for all of the discussion about Le-ISO, missed free throws, turnovers, bad Delly decisions, and Cavs not being tough enough to handle it when the Rockets got physical… the bottom line is that they competed hard and took a top WC team to overtime on the road. They put themselves in a position to win… and probably should have. They came back from a 13 point deficit in the second… Read more »
Yeah what the hell! Quit writing us into the loss column EG!
I know! As soon as I told my son that I had to do the recap for the game, he was like “Well now they’re just gonna lose, dad!” Love the confidence… ;)
Fortunately, we still have CtB live presence karma. I’ll be at the Q, Tuesday, to get the win-train rolling again.
Love that Nate!
#C:tBKarma
Despite the loss, I absolutely loved this game. Reminded me of the old Knicks/Pacers games in the 90s – lots and lots of fighting, mouthing off, etc. Cheap shots can be fun in terms of entertainment. Lebron was absolutely horrific from the line (duh). You could see it in his eyes during those last two FTs – he wanted absolutely nothing to do with them, despite obviously making the choice to attack the basket. Before they both even left his hands, the broadcast did close-ups of his face. Sure enough, he looked horrified. Now I have to listen to my… Read more »
Yep. They played tough. It was fun to watch. They seem more like a family than a team.
I totally agree. What a game! The sleeping baby in my arms was the only thing from screaming throughout the game. I almost didn’t care that we lost.
Great recap, EG! It was a crazy game — one of those losses that I’ll take if only because the Cavs put themselves in position to win this one on the road against one of the top teams in the West. And LeBron’s missed free throws are the type of thing you can say “that kind of thing won’t happen again”… until it happens again. Houston did look deeper and Delly has been waaaaaay exposed forced into a starting role. Things will still have to break right for the Cavs against certain teams in the playoffs — they’re not perfect… Read more »
Amen to the Delly statement. It’s well known I’m not the biggest Delly fan (and I’m certainly not at Cols’s level of dislike), but having him out there for long stretches when you’ve also got TT out there doesn’t make a ton of sense – the offense becomes incredibly one-dimensional. He can shoot the three, but only when the right pieces are out there to space him.
Thanks Robert! Yeah, as much as I dislike piling on Delly… he made some bad decisions with the ball yesterday. He also shouldn’t be forced to play 42 minutes of meaningful basketball… He’s now played 80 minutes in the two games that Kyrie has been out… that’s insane! As has been established many times before… Delly is best in small doses. It really illustrated to me how much this team could use another veteran ball-handler…
I think a few weeks ago, Blatt eloquently explained why he chooses to play Delly. I think that Griffin and Blatt have earned the benefit of the doubt from the fans. Delly epitomizes the type of player where stats do not express his contribution to the team. Even so, Delly only had 2 turnovers and 4 assists. He made crucial plays on offense and defense that put the team in a position to win. I trust that Blatt and Griffin know what they’re doing.
I don’t think we need another ball handler. We need our ball handlers to handle better. I’m looking mostly at Shumpert. He’s supposed to play some point. If he could be the primary ball handler, even if Kyrie is out, Delly won’t have to play more than 20 minutes, which is ideal. Delly is a fantastic player – IN HIS ROLE. He is NOT a guy that can step up in points and be asked to handle the pg duties for 80 minutes in 2 games. I’m really hoping Shumpert can pick up more of the Offense so he can… Read more »
As frustrating as this loss was, it’ll hopefully shed light on the fact that Lebron’s FT shooting has been disappointing his entire career. The rest of his game has improved year over year, but he still shoots around 75% and can’t crack 80%. And yet he still has the arrogance to take the FT when there’s a technical foul, even when there’s a better FT shooter on the court with him (that’s been driving me nuts since his first stint in Cleveland). Also, You can argue whether the ISO ball was justified or not, but for those who are saying… Read more »
Irving normally take the tech foul shots. He was injured.
Right, but wasn’t there a better FT shooter on the floor when LeBron shot the technical? I think Kevin Love was out there. I’m pretty sure there was at least one other person out there who shoots better from the stripe.
Thought JR might have been a better choice.
Actually, the tech free throw was LBJ’s first of the game (in the third quarter!), so it’s hard to say he wasn’t going to hit it. It’s not like he’d already missed a few in the game…
I think the #1 thing to take away is that this team is incredibly tough. It would have been easy to fold with the refs screwing them, the almost fight, and missing Irving.
But they fought through it and almost won the game. They just seem like the toughest and tightest group of players in Cavs history.
Your hyperbole knows no bounds.
I refuse to believe Cols actually made this statement
I totally agree with this. This was a war of a game and the Cavs played tough from beginning to end. They stick up for each other and fight through bad stretches and don’t get down on each other. They might lose in the playoffs, sure. They are going to wish they had home court at some point. But they can hang with every team in the league. The recent stretch has proven there is no reason to fear anyone. Blatt needs to summon up some Phil Jackson mojo and figure out how to push the right buttons in LeBron’s… Read more »
The 4th Quarter and OT offense was absurd. I couldn’t yell at my television more than I did for 20 minutes yesterday afternoon. Just stupid stupid stupid STUPID basketball.
Missing Kyrie and Dwight means there isn’t much to glean from this game with long-term implications. It is what it is — some of the excellence we have come to expect and some of the same issues we’ve come to expect. What it was was a great regular season contest with MVP implications and two teams trying to prove themselves as top dog. I don’t know if LeBron plans on playing this way in the playoffs. We’ve been saying that awhile, but I’ll give a pass for tonight for A. missing the other top offensive weapon and B. LeBron basically… Read more »
Without LeBron this team is garbage. Total garbage their record when LeBron is injured or missing is abysmal. With LeBron their record is very very good. With the entire Big Three healthy they are just about unbeatable.
Give it a rest. You don’t need to re-state your opinion ad nauseum.
Bro, please don’t just troll for reactions. I think I made a very fair, neutral assessment of what I saw last night. If you disagree, then say why. I don’t need to be reminded that taking the best player alive off his team hurts the team. UH, DUHHH. Btw I’m sorry you feel the team without LeBron is garbage. So Love is garbage? Kyrie is garbage? Sounds like you don’t think the team has the talent to win the Finals. Cuz these Cavs DEFINITELY have more talent than last year’s Heat, and, well, we all know what happened last year… Read more »
All good points cwz… although LBJ did actually kick it to KLove a couple of times in the fourth and he missed both shots… LBJ seemed frustrated and rattled by both the physicality of the game, and his own inability to finish his drives in the paint (he was 0-11 in the paint which might be his worst performance there ever).
Yeah LBJ kicked it out to Love for a missed 3 once or twice, plus Love missed a layup. But otherwise Love was having a good night. I just don’t understand why Love always disappears in these end-game scenarios. In the final few possessions where getting an easy bucket is all that matters, Love posted up down low or at the elbow should be a go-to move. Moreso than a LBJ or Kyrie contested jumper. Isn’t Love’s offense the reason he was brought in? I think it should be a focus to get Love comfortable/confident in these crunch-time situations, as… Read more »
I’ve now finally made it to the bottom of this comment page and decided I should interject here. I completely agree with this. KLove was putting up 40 point games in Minnesota. HUGE numbers. Sure, the guy is having to take shots from different parts of the court but he still, very clearly, has serious offensive talent and has proven that he can carry a scoring load when necessary. I don’t think we’ve even seen a 30 point game from him this season. You can’t tell me that there just isn’t enough shots. Not when LBJ and Kyrie are posting… Read more »
Yes to this. Love doesn’t seem to be a rah-rah, look at me type of guy. He often looks introspective and probably has an introverted personality. I often see him raise a fist when a teammate makes a good clutch shot before running back on defense. He’s doing what is asked of him but I can’t help but think he can do so much more. He knows this too. It seems like a waste to have him camp at the 3 pt line. Get some plays for him out of the Minnesota playbook and run them 10-15 times a game,… Read more »
It’s impossible to get a read on Love because he is keeping extremely quiet about himself, and rightly so (he knows what media could do with just a few ill-conceived sound bytes). I personally think it would be ludicrous if he left Cleveland after this year but you present a rational argument for exactly why we all still fear this happening. He’s sacrificed a LOT this season without a peep, but you have to wonder if privately he’d prefer to be on a team where he has a major role in 4th quarters. He’s been mostly a glorified distraction on… Read more »
Oh and PS Evil: great work on the last two recaps! I love the CtB reader 5-on-5’s and post-game writeups. Would like to continue seeing these — much fun.
Thanks man! I wouldn’t recommend doing back to back recaps to anyone though! I don’t know how the regular C:tB crew does it! It’s been a lot of fun though to be a part of.
I detest Le-Iso ball. Can. Not. Stand. It. We have shown that we can run a very competent offense with ball movement and player movement. Why do we stray from it in the fourth quarter and overtime? Let Kevin Love freaking touch the ball. Run a play for him. We got Mozgov some great looks in the early going, then he doesn’t even sniff the court later on (I understand that TT was a BEAST on the boards). Heck, LeBron can still get his shots, but compare his game against GSW to his game against HOU. What do you think… Read more »
The whole game seemed to be a Heat Check for Lebron. I think he wanted to be the hero and he had the chance 3x but in the end missed some key FTs. The Cavs were down Kyrie, the refs especially brutal to both teams, and it’s the regular season vs a team they will most likely not play in the playoffs. Hopefully Lebron learned some things in this loss. On to the rest of the season.
I don’t disagree – I’d prefer to see more ball movement as well. But don’t forget that we were in a position to win this game. He was scoring and getting fouls while others were not. I think things improve when Kyrie’s playing as well.
This game was really concerning for me in the long term because when things got physical and the going got tough, we didn’t run any plays and Lebron took all the shots. I worry that Lebron doesn’t fully trust Blatt (or Love for that matter) and will just do his own thing to win games in the playoffs. That said, its one game, in the regular season, on the road, against a good team, down one of our best players and we still had a chance to win. It was a gritty game and the refs totally blew this one.… Read more »
ISO BALL FTW
oh wait
Great writeup, EG. It waqs a frustrating game, but you could see the problems developing early on. The Cavs carelessness with the ball was a really bad omen in the first half. They could have had a lead if they hadn’t been so dumb with it. Also, the end of quarter blues happened for the Cavs in the first couple frames. As EG noted, Delly was pretty awful at the end of the first quarter, and it helped lead to a 7-4 final two minutes by the Rockets. End of the second quarter: 4-0, Rockets in the last two minutes… Read more »
“I can’t get too mad at LeBron for playing iso-ball, because no one else was hitting anything.”
This is a key insight. LBJ had some struggles in ISO-ball, but it wasn’t clear to me we had any better options yesterday. The shooters were all cold.
Love should have gotten a few more looks, for sure. But I just can’t blame LBJ for his decision making. He just missed a few easy one at the rim, plus his free throws.
I agree with Nate. LeBron did everything he could. If he shoots 50% from the line Cleveland wins. It’s disgusting that people turn on the MVP even though he left it all on the court.
I find your naivette to be disgusting. To each their own.
Cols on LeBron following a loss in which he displayed great effort: “if he shoots 50% from the line (career 74.6%) Cleveland wins. It’s disgusting that people turn on the MVP even though he left it all on the court” Cols on LeBron following a loss in which he displayed poor effort: “Leb has earned the right to coast in these regular season games. He will turn in on in the postseason like he always does” Cols on LeBron following any win: “You see, Leb is MVP and best player alive. Cavs go 16-0 in playoffs.” Hm I think there’s… Read more »
He’s the best player on the team. Without him we have sucked. I know this makes you uncomfortable (though I don’t understand why).
Funny thing about being one of the 5 best players of all time… The expectations get ramped up. If LeBron is going to orchestrate a new Big 3 and get most of the credit if/when he wins titles/games, then LeBron gets most the blame when the team he built loses titles/games, especially when his sub-.500 FT shooting is a direct cause of said loss. It’s okay to blame LeBron — he’s not Messiah, nor is he perfect. We will all sing his praises soon enough when the Larry O’Brien is hoisted high in Cleveland. Until then, there is absolutely zero… Read more »
No one is “turning” on the MVP. Rather, people are making legitimate criticisms of Lebron’s play yesterday. I know this may be hard for you to believe, but Lebron is not flawless.
Yesterday he took too many shots, got the offense out of rhythm by continually playing iso ball, and was terrible at the foul line. He is still the best basketball player in the NBA. He just didn’t play particularly well and people, correctly, are pointing it out.
“No one else was hitting anything.”
Jones, Delly and JR all hit from the outside in the opening minutes of the 4th quarter when LeBron was resting and there was some flow to the offense. That’s when the Cavs wiped out the 10-point deficit.
When LeBron returned and went iso for the final 12 minutes of the game, killing the shot clock and any semblance of offense and taking most of the shots himself, then yes, other players had trouble contributing.
Exactly! Couldn’t have said it better myself.
But Jones was the only one hitting consistently in the fourth and he almost single-handedly closed the deficit. The guards were a combined 4-21 for the game (Delly’s only make was his three with the shot clock winding down in the fourth), and JR and Shump had miserable shooting games… Even Love bricked the two threes he took in the fourth when LBJ got him the ball…
All true, and maybe the shots they hit at the start of the 4th were just a tease. But it’s hard to find or keep a rhythm when the offense is LeBron and four guys standing around.
Thanks Nate. Delly did have some turnover trouble last night… particularly with inbounds plays (he also burned their last time out with the inbounds play before the last shot). And nobody else (besides Love in the third and The Champ at the start of the fourth) were hitting shots consistently.
The inbounds play wasn’t a turnover, however. Delly made the right call to call timeout so that it wasn’t a turnover. I also would argue that Delly protected the ball pretty well last night, only 2 turnovers and 4 assists for a 2:1 assist/turnover ratio in over 40 minutes.
He did have trouble in the beginning of the game. But, he ran the offense in the fourth quarter that led to the comeback, and he made crucial plays down the stretch that put the Cavs in a position to win. I’m not sure what more anyone wants from him.
For the record, two of the bad passes he made were attributed to other players as turnovers for them. The turnovers were still a result of Delly’s decisionmaking. I like the guy… but he is being exposed playing so many minutes…
I would respectfully disagree… I remember one that you were referring to, and I put that one, and the statisticians did properly, on Jones in the 1st quarter. Should’ve been stronger with the ball. Don’t recall the other one to which you’re referring.
Lot’s of ways this could have been a W. Better shooting from 3, turnovers. Mostly, having Kyrie Irving playing. LeBron’s foul shot was off the whole game, so it’s not like he choked at the end, he just couldn’t find his stroke. Bron took on the challenge of defending Harden through the 4th quarter and OT. A noble effort, but one that I think he compensates for on offense by getting the ball and then resting for a few seconds while the shot clock winds down. If I could ask something of SportVU it would be what is the effect… Read more »
Does anyone know what position Damon Jones has on the team? I’m confused why he has been hanging around the bench. Is anyone in the Cavs org capable of saying no to Lebron, whether it be having his bro sit on the bench or whether it is about playing 1 on 5 for long stretches of a very winnable game? After all the complaints about Lebrons first turn with the team and how he and his pals did whatever they wanted, I was sure Lebron learned from Miami that all the distractions were not good. But maybe the college years… Read more »
LeBron went to 4 straigth finals with Miami. I think the lesson is that having great players means titles. I have no idea what you are talking about.
You obviously show you have no idea what OSUBuck is talking about because you just railed against what he didn’t say and failed to address a single point that he did.
“I think the lesson is that having great players means titles.”
Of course, in Cleveland, we already know what happens when great players suck and throw in the towel with a trip to the finals on the line.
I have very similar concerns, OSUBuck42. LeBron is an amazing talent, but I cringe at these things in his second stint in Cleveland. I am not going to turn a blind eye to them as I did the first time around. Everyone needs to be held accountable – even LeBron James.
It’s like all the stuff from the first stint that we used to sweep under the rug and blissfully ignore, we’re taking notice this time around and it ain’t fooling anyone — Dan Gilbert would let LBJ get away with murder and it shows…
So would I. The best player in the NBA knows how to get to the FInals. We should be trusting his wisdom and using whatever information he has to get back there. 4 Finfals in a row. The dude knows what he’s doing.
He knows what he’s doing, how about he knows what he wants? Something tells me whether or not Damon Jones is floating around the Cavs bench during games is not going to be the determining factor in the Cavs’ title quest. In fact, something tells me Damon Jones is not important to winning basketball games at all. Damon Jones is important to LeBron James because LeBron James wants his buddies hanging around everywhere he does. LeBron James sure missed Damon Jones in Miami, now Damon Jones is EVERYWHERE!!1! No. This just makes the Cavs team and Cleveland fanbase look like… Read more »
I don’t undersatdn why a player who has proven himself to be great and a champion and one of the ultimate winners in the NBA can’t have his friends sit courtside.
I don’t understand what you are bothered about.
I mean, personally, it’s less an issue of having his friends sit courtside and more an issue of Dan Gilbert and his staff on their collective knees with the business end of LeBron’s… um, shooting arm… in their collective mouths. It makes Cleveland look like whores.
LeBron proved himself to be a champion on Pat Riley’s Heat, not in Cleveland.
Let me postface this comment by adding that I own a #23 Cavs jersey and am the #1 fan of the Cleveland homecoming narrative. So I live with the shenanigans. Doesn’t mean I like it.
They are not sitting courtside. They are on the bench, they are in huddles, they are making the 3 sign with the players on the bench when someone hits a 3, they are chest bumping after really good plays. The Heat said no to all that. The Cavs look the other way. I remember a story early in his Miami career where they were on the road. And Lebron either wanted to stay an extra day or he wanted to go elsewhere to hang out in between games and Pat Riley said he was getting on the team plane and… Read more »
Pat Riley did put up with that BS. The Miami equivalent in this scenario could be Juwan Howard, who was hired as an assistant coach after his contract ran out (during which he was NOT an important contributor) because he was a good locker room influence and all of the star players liked him. It could even be Eric Spoelstra, a video coordinator who stuck around in large part due to his strong relationship with Dwayne Wade, the franchise’s greatest star player… sound familiar? Having Damon Jones around doesn’t make the Cavs look any certain way, it’s the nature of… Read more »
If having Lebron’s friends around is what is needed to get Lebron, 100% of all GMs ever say, OK.
I don’t understand why this upsets you.
Situations are completely different, Z. By all the accounts of the examples you noted (Spoelstra and Howard) they were given opportunities because they were positive additions within the confines of the system already in place, not because they were LeBron’s buddies.
OSUBuck hit the nail squarely on the head. Miami LeBron was kept in check by the ones making smart basketball decisions. Miami LeBron had to answer to people when his effort was not where it needed to be. Miami LeBron actually was allowed to be told “no”. Cleveland LeBron (both pre, and post-Miami) answers to nobody, never can be told no, and has his nose in team operations that a player should just not be involved in. One version wins championships; one version doesn’t. Guess which version we have?
Good writeup! Good game! Disappointing but doubtful we’ll see Lebron that pathetic from the line again. If he’s still sore he should sit vs the C’s. The officiating was terrible in this one. They need to pull the MLB rule of warning teams when things get way too chippy. If things get out of hand afterward, it’s ejections.
Thanks DaveR… Agree about the refs… it was an exercise in restraint to not bash them further. They didn’t cost the Cavs the game, since they made just as many calls or non-calls for the Rockets as well. Overall, I find much of the officiating to be lacking this season…
I’ll blame LeBron. He froze the offense down the stretch and missed key free throws. LeBron also admits that he let his teammates down so he knows it’s on him.
Without LeBron they lose by 20. Don’t blame the best platero on the court. Shump and Smith need to shoot better. Delly has to not suck. If LBJ shoots slightly better from the line the Cavs win and we are celebrating. He left it all on the court and played his ass off on both ends.
I’ll blame the best player when he does make key mistakes. Yes the guard play was pretty horrible too and that includes Delly, JR and Shump.
Yup. Win as a team, lose as a team.
Don’t blame the best player on the court? What if he isn’t playing like the best player on the Court? If he makes more free throws from the line and we win we are still criticizing his dire need to play hero ball. He played his ass off, yes, and I’m not criticizing him for that. He stopped the ball at the top of the key and held it for way too long. Is there a stat to show the percentage of the shot clock that Lebron cumulatively held the ball for. I’d say it was upwards 70%, which is… Read more »
He was playing like the best player on the court. He locked up Harden and the Rockets had to hide Harden on Delly.
Nobody else but KLove was hitting shots (outside of LBJ) for most of the night… the guards were a combined 4-21. James Jones shot them back into it in the beginning of the fourth, but is a defensive liability in crunch time… This is where they really missed Kyrie…
He couldn’t hit his FTs. Isn’t that blame worthy? He’s your superstar and is supposed to come through in these situations. I’d also put some blame on Blatt. Why not any Mozilla at the end for some easy baskets? This was also a Perkins type of game and he didn’t play at all?!?!?
Now I’m not that upset with the loss because it’s only a regular season game and I know LeBron typically performs much better in those situations. And like you said they were missing Kyrie.
Didn’t say it wasn’t blame-worthy, and as I said above… I would have blamed him more if he hadn’t have owned it after the game. He admitted he was bad. He took the shots and they didn’t go down.
Don’t know why on the Moz front… second straight game where he played a minimum of minutes…
Moz was taken out because the Rockets went really small, with a shooter at the 5. He couldn’t handle going all the way out to the 3pt line. Blatt chose what he did for defensive purposes.
I think a factor in LeBron’s missed foul shots is his usage rate. For the last 4 minutes of the game, he dominated every possession on offense AND was defending Harden. All his foul shots hit the front of the rim. That’s a sign that his legs were weak. Blaming LeBron or not is oversimplifying it, though. I rewatched the last half of the 4th quarter. Every LeBron drive was met by 3 defenders. That’s hard to beat no matter who you are. The Rockets packed the paint because nobody else was likely to get a good shot opportunity. Even… Read more »
I think a factor in his foul shooting is his usage rate. All of his foul shots late were off the front of the rim. That often happens when guys’ legs are weakening. Blaming LeBron or not is oversimplifying, though. I rewatched the last half of the 4th quarter and overtime. All of LeBron’s drives were met by 2 extra defenders. That’s hard to beat no matter who you are. The Rockets recover well on 3-point shooters, so they chose to pack the paint and take their chances. It worked out well enough that they won (by a hair). If… Read more »
Completely agree RE: Mozgov and TT playing time
Good stuff EvilGenius. Glad you didn’t blame LBJ!
Thanks HS… I might have blamed him more if he hadn’t have worn it after the game. He handled his off shooting night the way he should have…
Great game. Lebron was great just missed too many free throws and the tickets got away with a ton of contact on him. Meanwhile if you even touched harden it was a foul. This game is on the refs.
But I thinkceveryon now knows that this Cavs team has what it takes to go all the wY.
Not sure what game you watched but Lebron was not great.
Sure, he scored 37 points but needed 35! shots (and 11 free throws) to get there.
He also spent the entire fourth quarter and overtime dribbling at the top of the key for 20 seconds only to then take an off balance jump shot as the shot clock ran out. His offensive management was simply terrible, to say nothing of his free throws.
+1 Jim. Refs were bad and had no control but LBJ was worse. Beverly is a punk and a cheap shot artist who shouldve been T’d up a second time when he ran into Delly(?) a few minutes after the stupid stunt he pulled with Lebron and Harden needed ejected after kicking and screaming over a loose ball. Love was hot in the 3rd and good down low all game but never saw the ball in the 4th. Guess only LBJ and Ky are allowed to heat check themselves.
Agree with most of your points, although Love did see the ball in the fourth and missed a couple of threes…
He came in with around 5 minutes left ice cold and after LBJ went into full iso mode. Love did great for the first 3 quarters before that when he got the ball down low and at the perimeter. As others have pointed out, it was the other players who brought them back from the 10 point hole. The back court was 1 for 16 or something like that at the end of 3 according to Hubie but they got their groove back. And then LBJ came back into the game and everyone else stood around after that. To me,… Read more »
I should have included this in the recap, but LeBron actually had one of his toughest/worst shooting games (he was 3-11 from the line and 0-11 in the paint), and they still had a chance to win a tough game on the road against a top three team in the WC.
Which means we could have hammered them had LBJ shared the ball.
Or they could have missed some more shots and not even gone to OT… either outcome is possible…
Cols, I can’t believe I’m saying it, but I totally agree with you. LBJ makes those free throws, or the refs do their job, Cavs win.
Good recap. This is the first Cavs team I have ever watched that is actually better in the second half of games than the first half. I think that’s Blatt and the coaching staff.