Recap: Cavs 90, Knicks 84 (or, You Guys Know the Throws Are Free, Right?)
2015-11-14
Personally, I’m not a big fan of free throws. Apparently, neither are the Cavaliers. To me, outside of the clutch variety at the end of important games, trips to the line equate to my trips to the kitchen for a snack or a refill. To the Cavs, outside of the clutch variety at the end of this game against the Knicks, trips to the line equated to a trip through a hailstorm of bricks and frustration. Had they come out on the losing end of this one, the primary culprit would have been the 13 free points they clanked off the iron. Fortunately for them, this game took place at Madison Square Garden… and LeBron usually puts on a show when visiting the “Mecca of basketball.” This time was no different as LBJ willed the Cavs to victory with a dominant second half performance on both ends of the floor.
Still, hopefully Kevin Love saved his Jackie Moon costume from Cavs: the Halloween Party, because David Blatt might just be borrowing it tomorrow for the morning shootaround, to demonstrate the art of granny shooting free throws for his ham-fisted team.
Deja Vu All Over Again…
The narrative of this matchup with the Knicks wasn’t all that dissimilar from the Cavs’ previous contest with New York a the Q nine days ago. The Cavs let the Knicks build a lead going into the second half (this game the biggest deficit was 10 instead of the 15 points in the first game), then turned on the screws on defense while LeBron turned on the jets offensively. Just like in the previous game, LeBron was also able to shut down his rival, Carmelo Anthony, especially in the fourth quarter. The King’s men also had an eerily similar game, with Kevin Love struggling with his shot but grabbing double digit boards, and Mo Williams providing much needed scoring punch. The only real differences were the free throw carnage, the return of J.R. Smith (who didn’t play in the first game), and the fact that the Cavs didn’t stumble as badly coming out of the gate.
The Quarter When Melo Was Unconscious…
The good news on this Friday the 13th, was that the Cavs started strong, and actually knocked down three of their first four triples to take an early eight point lead. The even better news was that the first two shots from beyond the arc were sent swishing through the twine by the New York prodigal son, J.R. Smith. He looked fired up and seemed on the verge of bursting into flames…
The bad news was that this would essentially be the last positive contribution that J.R. would make on this particular return to The Garden (he went just 1-8, and 0-6 from deep the rest of the game, while making some rough turnovers). The worse news was that after the 3-4 start from beyond the arc, the Cavs would shoot a rim-bending 3-24 for the duration. And the worst news was that, unlike J.R., once Carmelo Anthony hit his first three, he only missed one more shot in the quarter, going 5-6 for 14 points. Yet the Cavs were able to get touches for LeBron in the post and Moz in the paint, and Delly chipped in a pair of wrong-footed driving layups to stave off the Melo onslaught. Cavs led 29-23.
The Quarter When The Cavs Turned Into The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight…
The good news was that the second quarter started off with a Delly Trey. It was then all mostly downhill from there, as the Knicks (mainly Derrick Williams and Jerian Grant) realized they could drive fairly easily on Richard Jefferson and James Jones. It got worse when Anderson Varejao decided to forget how to shoot layups, and Sweet Lou Amundsen (aka Chaka) got some revenge on his former team by grabbing several boards and serving up a leather sandwich to KLove. It was enough to provoke LBJ to run over Arron Afflalo for his only points of the quarter on this coast-to-coaster…
Yet the worst was the Cavs misfiring to the tune of 7-26 from the field for the period (1-8 from three), while the Knicks seemingly couldn’t miss as they torched the Cavs to turn an eight point deficit into a six point advantage. Cavs trailed at the half, 53-46.
The Quarter When All Five Cavs Touched The Ball On One Play…
The Cavs mounted their first comeback in the early stages of the third quarter by getting back into the post and paint, while sharing the ball with greater frequency. LeBron hit a nifty turnaround, KLove got more assertive on the block, and Mo Gotti started looking for (and knocking down) his shots. Plus, there was this masterpiece of a possession, where the Cavs swung the ball from one side of the court to the other, with every dude in a wine & gold & blue jersey getting their fingerprints on it before Moz-erati got the contact and the conventional three point play…
And, finally, the Cavs pulled back to even at 66 with four minutes left in the period on the only two free throws that TT would convert (out of six total). From there, they resumed their brickfest for the duration… the lowlight coming when Tristan got stuffed by Chaka on an attempted dunk. At least they didn’t allow the Knicks to pull away too far, and the Cavs trailed 72-66 after three.
The Quarter Where LeBron Scored As Many Points As The Knicks…
Though the Cavs didn’t score for the first three minutes of the fourth (for a combined seven minute stretch from the end of the third), their defense also cranked up the pressure on the Knicks. LeBron in particular committed himself to being Carmelo’s shadow in crunch time, holding his pal to just four points in the quarter on 1-7 shooting. On the offensive side, Bron made the jump to hyperspace, putting on a show for the sellout MSG crowd, and scoring 12 of his game-high 31 points to equal the output of the entire Knicks team in the period. Still, the Cavs managed to go just 5-10 from the charity stripe to let the Knicks hang around. That is, at least until Mo was able to help LBJ close out the game with a clutch mid-ranger, before calmly sinking his last four foul shots to show his teammates just how it’s done…
It wasn’t the prettiest game, but it was still a Cavalier victory to keep their winning streak at eight, and tie the 1976-77 team for the best record to start the season in franchise history. Cavs win 90-84.
The Evil:
Did I mention the free throw shooting? I’m pretty sure I mentioned the free throw shooting… I’m sure players hate practicing them as much as I hate watching them in-game, but 52% ain’t gonna cut it against the better teams in the NBA. And, while I’d love to say this game was an aberration, the Cavs are collectively shooting just 70% from the line so far this season. TT (52%), LeBron (62%), RJ (67%) and JR (33% in limited sample size) are the primary offenders. Without some improvement, this could become the closest thing to a thorn in this team’s collective side (outside of injuries) this season.
After posting lofty assist per game numbers (almost 25 apg), the Cavs only dished out a paltry 12 dimes against the Knicks. Some of this had to do with the horrific three point shooting numbers, and some of it had to do with LeBron and Mo taking guys off the dribble more often. Oddly, Matthew Dellavedova had zero assists on the night, although the Knicks (with Porzingis and Lopez) cut off the lob plays to TT and dared Delly to go to the rack himself (which he did pretty effectively).
The three point horror show was befitting a Friday the 13th evening. As mentioned above, after making 3-4 to start the game, the Cavs’ gunners went ice cold to the tune of 3-24 (a mind-numbing 12.5%). The Cavs are now down to just 33% from beyond the arc on the season, and some of the individual numbers are brutal: LBJ (19%), KLove (30%), J.R. (33%) and JFJ (35%). At least Mo (40%), Delly (39%) and RJ (43%) are pulling the numbers up.
Kevin Love, as he did in the previous game against the Knicks, had a forgettable shooting night (2-10, 1-5 from downtown, for just seven points). Though he did get into the paint a few times, it did seem like Porzingis’ height was an issue for him. Still, he did hit the boards hard for a game-high 11.
Chaka
Outside of Delly (nine points, four rebounds, +13) and Tristan (10 boards, four points, +9), the Cavs got very little production from their Space Star bench. RJ gets a pass, due to the sprained ankle he sustained, but both Andy and JFJ had rough outings. AV got outworked by Lou “Chaka” Amundsen, and missed point-blank layups twice on the same possession, while The Champ missed both shots he took in 10 minutes. It’s curious that Coach Blatt didn’t work in Much Danger Ninja or Sasha Kaun given the RJ injury and AV struggles. Seems like MDN at least could have brought some additional energy.
The injury bug was also in effect for both RJ and JR…
Cavs injuries: Richard Jefferson underwent an x-ray on his R ankle. Told Blatt he could've played on it. J.R. Smith had an abs cramp.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 14, 2015
I’ll also bring this up, not because it’s something that bothered me particularly, but because I would take the over on no less than five mentions of it in the comments section… but LeBron played a season-high 39 minutes. Yes, that’s a lot of minutes in a fairly meaningless, early season game against a team teetering on the precipice of eighth seed vs. lottery… however, remember that this is The Garden. It’s one of LBJ’s favorite places to play, and he relishes going against his close friends like Melo. It may not have been the best idea with a potentially tough back-to-back tomorrow against the Bucks, but I trust that Bron knows his body better than the rest of us…
And, speaking of LeBron related bugaboos… Dave McMenamin was quick to nip the whole “Uh oh, Bron and Blatt are shouting at each other!” narrative in the bud…
Follow up to earlier tweet: the LeBron/Blatt exchange in the 3rd Q was LeBron asking for a rest. Blatt called timeout to get him out.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 14, 2015
The Genius:
LeBron not only turned in a superlative performance on both ends of the floor, he also did it with plenty of efficiency. He was 12-21 (57%) from the field, even though it included 0-2 from deep. Even with a few misses at the line, he still converted a respectable 7-10. And, after letting Melo go off for 22 points in the first half, Bron turned up the pressure and held him to just four for the remainder, frustrating Anthony and making him work hard to guard him. To top it off, LBJ was a team-high +17 on the night.
Defensive deficiencies aside, Mo has probably been the difference between the Cavs starting 8-1 vs. say 6-3 or 5-4. He has provided offensive punch in the timeliest of fashions, and did so again this game. Give him 20 points on 7-13 shooting, and a perfect 4-4 from the line in the clutch. Given where they are, I’d have to say that Mo has to be one of the most important free agent signings in the league thus far.
As mentioned above, Delly and TT did a terrific job, particularly on the defensive end in the second half. TT struggled a bit with his shot (and got blocked by Sweet Lou to boot), but Delly provided some real offensive spark to bridge the first and second quarters.
Moz had a solid game, shooting 4-5 for 11 points, while grabbing seven boards and finally logging some minutes in crunch time. He’s slowly starting to get some of his quickness back which is great to see.
The Cavs’ defense was very good in the second half, and absolutely stifling in the fourth quarter. After surrendering a 30 point second quarter, the stingy Cavs’ D only allowed 31 for the entire second half.
Well Cavs defense is the victor tonight . Knicks were game but they have been having trouble finishing games and it showed up again.
— Austin Carr (@MrCavalier34) November 14, 2015
Ugly or not, the Cavs have won eight straight games since dropping the opener in Chicago. They tied the franchise best mark set by the 1976-77 team, and can surpass it with a win tomorrow at Milwaukee. And, they’ve done it all without the help of their starting back court. Raise your hand if you had this team starting 9-1 or 8-2 in their first 10 games (for the record, I had 8-2… and hope to be mistaken).
Parting Shot:
Not only am I not a big fan of free throws… it’s also been well-documented that I can’t stand the whole “hack-a-palooza” ridiculousness that continues to exist in the NBA (Lord help me if I ever have to watch another marathon quarter between the Clippers and Rockets). I know it’s just a couple of guys that can’t seem to make their free throws who get hacked… and I just don’t want those guys to be Cavaliers. This is why I genuinely hope that Blatt and the coaching staff do whatever needs to be done to avoid this from happening with any regularity in Cavs games. Even if it means shooting free throws Jackie Moon style…
Late comment, I know, but tip of the hat, EG, for the Chaka reference. Before I saw the picture at the bottom, I had to search the memory banks and when I found it, I burst out laughing. Hey, if the shoe fits, Sweet Lou, you gotta wear it. A guy I knew in high school was yoked with the name Chaka for similar reasons and could never shake it. Ah, high school.
Nothing like extra trouble for the Heat:
http://www.nba.com/2015/news/11/14/gerald-green-practice-remorse.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpts
HaHaHa. CtB should run a contest guessing what the real story is.
Great recap EG, as usual A couple of those Delly P&R finishes in the first half we awesome. Used the euro step going right, and then finished left handed on the next one. Good to see he worked on that. When Love decides not to be a post presence, we are a perimeter team. And when those shots aren’t falling, the Cavs are in trouble, like in the first half. I’m glad he set up down low more in the 2nd half even with his struggles. (He’s been missing a shocking number of bunnies this year) I’m glad Blatt countered… Read more »
Big relief. Now he can bring the doughnuts all by himself. No caddy needed.
Liked the win, disliked all the isloation ball. Must have really dropped our assists / game #’s.
Feels like every other game klove is on the strugglebus. If consistency is the hallmark of success Im a little disappointed in klove. I like his game when its working and root for him
I love when LeBron plays at MSG. You can tell he’shyped.
For the record, I had the Cavs going 9-1 and I hope I’m right.
Cavs have played like complete crap in the first three quarters of each of the six past games. It’s been great to see them pull out the wins, but I think the team is certainly not looking to peak this early in the season. It will be interesting to see how their play evolves into December. If they are are able to keep coasting, and yet pulling out wins. it’s crazy to think what will happen in February when the season actually begins. Regardless of the developments on the offensive end, defense and rebounding should always be the focus no… Read more »
I’m not sure why they call MSG the “Mecca of Basketball.” Melo was matched up against LBJ and came out firing away. There was lots of good shooting from both sides in the first quarter and the Knicks were right there with the Cavs in the second and third quarters AND THE ARENA WAS DEAD! It was the quietest crowd I think I heard all year and it was a close game.
I also noticed that most of the cheers in the first three quarters came off Lebron highlight plays.
DO you think it may have been quiet because most of us were shocked on what was going on in Paris? I admit I wasn’t as focused on the game either. There was a chilling air going around our country on what was really important. My heart wasn’t into the game that much.
I think it’s always tough to properly gauge crowd noise if you’re not at the game… although TV63 brings up a great point about Paris. Just shocking to hear about that… #PrayforParis
Nice win if not a nice game. Oy, the foul shots. Great effort by LeBron in the 4th, at both ends of the floor.
Hopefully the shooting will improve against better teams.
Great recap as usual. The defence that our team were playing in the 4th quarter was ridiculous. Mo (for all the flak he deservedly gets at time regarding his defence) was all over his man. I love it when our team plays in the highest gear they have. I don’t think anyone is a match for them at that point. I love the competitive fight that LeBron exhibits each night as well and it sure has trickled throughout the team. He plays at less than 100% intensity for most regular season games but you can just see how much he… Read more »
I think the Cavs and Warriors will be in a season long fight for the best record. It’s going to make for some fun, entertaining games all season. I’m already having more fun these first 9 games than I had through the first 40 games last season.
Thanks James… it’s so insanely hard to sustain a level of basketball excellence and focus over a six month season, that I find it difficult to fathom any team winning 70. Even when the Bulls did it, I remember them having a few lucky close wins mixed in… I know the Warriors haven’t lost yet, but the West is better than last year, and they will be tested eventually. For the Cavs, 60 wins should easily win them the top seed, so unless Blatt and Bron really want to go for 70, I don’t see it happening…
I don’t think we’ll come within 7 wins of GS, but it’s not that important. It’d be nice to have home court if we play them though.
Anyone else catch the hilarious moment between TT and Love during one of the last time outs?
LOL That is hilarious. Kevin Love played so so bad. TT missed so so many free throws.
Yep, just that kind of night.
If TT is talking about shooting, he deserves that kind of reaction.
That is awesome.
Nice to hear Mozgov played better (didn’t catch the game until the end).
You are right, EG. Mo Williams is really giving this team a boost right now. Great FA pickup.
Hilarious! Great find Ben!
I can only imagine that conversation was free throw related… since I’m now obviously obsessed with free throws…
HAHA. Looks like that virtual character in a video game that will just stand there no matter what you do to him
Nice recap, EG. What you said about LeBron’s minutes is dead on. When LeBron is really having fun out there, we have to accept the trade-off. The league wants to see Bron play there. NYC wants to see him. He wants to play. Let’s be honest. It’s not like he was playing super hard in the first half. Secondarily, MSG affects how teams play. While it’s true the Knicks did do a good job of denying the Cavs’ pet plays/passes, the real reason the Cavs devolved into LeIso is because Bron wants to put on an individual show there. I… Read more »
Great points about LeBron getting switches instead of rolling… also funny you mention Kobe fans… I almost put this clip in the recap to illustrate Bron’s perfect Kobe moment… but Shump’s red jacket at the end hurt my eyes too much…
LeBron has never been a reliable free throw shooter and seems to change his form multiple times a season. He sure makes up for it though…
Nice job, EG. I don’t think anyone particularly enjoys watching free throws, but I especially don’t enjoy watching a team brick free throws all night. I’ll admit I was pretty surprised the Cavs came away with the win – this game had a familiar stench to it even in the 2nd quarter.
Thanks Mike… I was with you on the surprise… I think somewhere during the seven minute stretch between the end of the third and early fourth when the Cavs were stuck on 66, I just wasn’t feeling the game was going to go the Cavs’ way… forgetting for a moment that they have LBJ and thus far have been able to flip the switch at the end of games…
What do you guys have against free throws? That is like being against pawns in chess. They are part of the game, and a lot of late game strategy involves them. I hated them in grade school days because I couldn’t make them. Once I got “the touch”, I loved them. When you are hanging around a gym or playground with a couple guys and girls, not enough for a game, you can see who gets to 100 first (when you continue shooting until you miss). There was a girl at my college who was 100% for a full women’s… Read more »
I don’t like pawns in chess either… ;)