Recap: Cleveland 117, San Antonio 103 (or, Thrill KyLL)

2016-01-31 Off By Nate Smith

Welcome to the Smith living room! We’re drinking a selection of Michigan’s finest beers left over from my yearly Michigan vacation, including Shorts Brewing, who just announced they’re going to distribute outside of the mitten, making us all the luckier. And, the CAVS are on. I’ll admit, I skipped all the pregame hype to enjoy KFC Nashville hot chicken. Beer, Chicken, Cavs, a running diary? What could be better?

First Quarter

Heather Cox informs us that the NBA is debuting “virtual 3” technology… something to do with the player or the three point line lighting up when someone attempts a shot. God, I hope this isn’t like Fox’s glowing puck.

12:00 Cavs win a tip-off! (seems like that’s a rarity). Cavs miss their first two shots… and the Colonel forgot the pickles. I’m holding Norm MacDonald responsible. Also, yes, the KFC is kind of gross, and not nearly as good as actual Nashville hot chicken.

11:23 David West gives Love a forearm shiver to the chin after a made West basket. David gets a tech for his troubles. Kyrie drains it to get Cleveland on the scoreboard.

11:00 Back door cut and dunk by Leonard defended very poorly by LeBron. Nice pass from West too. Kawhi says, “dunk you very much.”

10:30 Active hands gets Kyrie a steal and a sweet turbo button finish between Kawhi and Green.

10:00 JR 3! – And… KFC is like Arby’s. Every bit of food has enough salt for a week. I’m going to have to delay the beer for two gallons of water now.

9:38 19-footer by Kevin and nine straight Cavs points make it 10-4, and Pop calls a rage TO. “Be aggressive. Be be. Aggressive.”

9:00 K-Love for three! From the right corner… Tom was right. He’s shooting with the confidence of knowing he’ll actually get the ball back.

8:14 Smith gets stuck to a screen like it’s a glue trap, and it leads to a wide a open Leonard triple from the left corner. Next possession, Parker beats Irving like a drum with a drive to the left side of the basket to cut the Cavs’ lead to two.

6:18 A Love pump fake into a dribble drive leads to a nice banker off the square. More of that please, Kev! It’s followed by a sick runner on the left side in transition by LeBron, then a TT dunk off a King steal! Nice pace Cavs, looks like you’re getting in shape.

5:40 Heat check by Love over Leonard. Kevin’s got 11! He’s hotter than this chicken! (which isn’t nearly spicy enough, actually).

3:50 Another three by Love! LeBron’s looking for him on the pick and pop. That was a purpose play.

3:10 TT on the o-boards! He sits Aldridge down with a third foul. I see you working, TT. Cleveland’s getting calls that normally go against them.

2:55 ARGH. Manu gets a three as everyone looks at each other instead of closing out. Splash. Cavs throw it away on the next possession.

2:00 Shump subs in for Love, and Jefferson comes in for James. RJ’s guarding Kawhi. I like this match-up about as much as I like brussel sprouts.

1:30 Great hands by TT as he catches a Delly feed while on a full sprint between three defenders. Canadian Dynamite gets himself to the line and drains both freebies. Tough pass and catch there.

1:00 Spurs clawing back with Diaw and West playing bully ball. The “post up whoever is on Jefferson” offense is unsurprisingly effective. Get Andy out there.

0:00 JR hits a fadeaway two from the right corner to beat the buzzer, cause that’s what JR does. Monster 37-30 quarter, Cavs.

Second Quarter

11:15 Moz must’ve applied stickum pregame. He catches a Love lob and reverses a layup up and in.

11:00 Irving with a sick crossover hits RJ in the corner… For three! Cavs are shooting the lights out.

10:47 Boban Marjanovic is in. He’s the most “non-classically attractive” player in the NBA. I call him Der Kinderlumper. Also, I’m a terrible person.

10:13 Kyrie is in the middle of a “confidence rising” montage. He gets Boris Diaw guarding him on a switch, isolates, and takes him down the lane for a right lane for a layup. League beware. The montage continues a few seconds later with an Irving iso-J on the baseline left. Swish.

9:00 LeBron clanks two freebies, but swishes a pair a minute later. He’s been keeping a steady, controlled form for the last week. It’s the longest I’ve seen him go without switching styles, maybe ever.

7:22 Cavs dodge a bullet after 13 Spurs touch the ball on a possession and Leonard misses a wide open left corner three.

7:42 Oh God, there was so much salt in that chicken. I haven’t been this dehydrated since I drank a half bottle of soy sauce on a dare in college.

6:52 LeBron swats a weak Tony Parker floater into the fourth row. I hope no children or beverages were injured.

https://vine.co/v/i5jd0ppZTrU

6:40 Jonathan Simmons puts it on the floor after a pump fake and gets a layup. Read the scouting report, LeBron. The dude can’t shoot. Simmons does it again on the next play leading leading to a pair of Der Kinderlumper free throws. Two straight dopey closeouts. Lame.

6:04 The camera men refuse to do a close-up on Marjanovic on the free throw line.

5:48 OMG. Love with two straight NASTY Js in the mid range. The bank shot was especially beautiful. This is the part of the montage where balls keep falling through the basket. Cue “swish” noises.

4:20 Two straight Moz baskets. The second was on a Kyrie shot fake lob to Moz as he cut hard from off camera to dunk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9iG1y-X-d8

3:00 UGH. They brought the “left Twix” commercial back. I only watched it 500 times in last year’s playoffs. Just shoot me.

2:30 Love on the rebound: just took Manu’s lunch and passed it to TT under the basket. Then blocked Manu on the other end. And no, Kevin didn’t just shave his head and put on a Wolves uniform.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5lkSnXWEzI

1:45 After draining a jumper, Smith gets a second call against him this game for being J.R. Smith. I hope he doesn’t keep a list of refs who’ve wronged him.

1:28 Spurs go zone and James finds Shump cutting to the free throw line. That 10-footer is now Shump’s bread-and-butter.

1:00 Also, Tim Duncan’s absence is being felt. He’s the anchor of San Antonio’s defense. The Golden State game meant nothing.

00:34 Spurs’ zone junking up the Cavs a bit. They’ve missed two straight jumpers – which is a rarity this game.

00:05 James banks in a gliding scoop shot with five seconds left, and the Cavs deflect Parker’s dribble to close the quarter. Numbers: Cavs 57% from the floor with two turnovers and 17 assists, 66-49 Cavs. Blatt who?

ESPN spends five minutes halftime wishing Jalen Rose a happy birthday. That was cloying, and perhaps history’s longest in-game birthday celebration for a minor TV personality’s 43rd birthday, ever. Maybe they’re worried he’ll go join Bill Simmons.

Third Quarter

I spend the entire halftime “shedding electrolytes.”

So according to Heather Cox, the Spurs are going to run more zone after made baskets. Bring it on, I say. And oh, I just remembered “Virtual 3 technology” from the folks that brought you the first down line in football. I didn’t even notice it. Maybe it wasn’t working.

11:35 Nice D by TT, better shot from Aldridge: a rainbow make from the left elbow. I can live with it, but I don’t want to see Aldridge heat up.

10:26 Cavs sluggish to start the third. Spurs rattle off six straight as Kyrie settles for a couple long twos. Quick timeout by Blatt er, Lue. Actually, Blatt never called a timeout to right the ship that quickly. Good call, Ty.

9:32 After a Danny Green layup, the Spurs set up more zone. It’s frustrating the Cavs, but it’s also kind of an excuse. The Cavs just didn’t come out with the same energy. 8-0 run Spurs.

8:41 LeBron breaks the zone by pushing hard in transition. He catches all the Spurs napping.

8:22 KLove shuts down Kawhi to cause a double dribble. I think it was Kevin Pelton who put out an article last week about how the good things Love does on defense aren’t highlight reel worthy. That was an example.

8:06 TT hatcheted by West and no call. I forgot how much I hate David West.

7:40 Irving to the line to the lane, finishes with the left hand!

7:10 After shutting down LaMarcus, Bron outruns the entire Spurs team to get to the free-throw line in transition. Lead back to 15.

7:00 Tony Parker with a tricky finish underneath Kevin’s arms to break a three minute scoring drought for San Antonio. I like that it wasn’t easy.

6:50 Cleveland just getting into transition and attacking the basket like they’re possessed. They’re getting buckets or the line. Kyrie cans two more.

6:40 Parker again. He’s heating up. Oh no. What if the the “Virtual 3” makes the ball go on fire like on NBA Jam? Wait, Kevin Love would’ve had that happen earlier. The mystery of Virtual 3 technology remains unsolved.

6:12 Spurs foul LeBron at half-court to prevent a drive. The bonus is coming early this quarter.

6:00 Cavs finally get the ball to James at the free-throw line against the zone. He easily backs down Manu and banks in an up-and-under layup. Lead back and 15 and the Spurs are searching for answers.

5:00 HAHAHAHA: Boris Diaw running. It’s like the truffle shuffle. I could watch it all day. For his efforts, he gets an and-1 post up basket.

4:15 Love skies for a big O-Board and then hits a cutting LeBron. James’ left hand layup is automatic. Kevin rips a triple in transition after LeBron gets a hockey assist, and Kyrie gets the primary assist… WAIT! I just saw the “virtual 3!” Rewinding… The three point line glows red when he shoots, and… Wow. That was it? ESPN had to debut this with a team that has a red three point line? It’s like it grew a couple pixels. Man, that was as exciting as the light going on when you open the fridge. I guess we know where that Bill Simmons money went. Playing the Truffle Shuffle after Diaw scores a basket is like a 500x better idea.

3:05 EVERYONE touches the ball when LeBron moves into the high post against the zone. Poor Patty Mills looks like a little kid trying to play defense on him there. To say James “surveys the defense” there would be an understatement… DELLY TREY!

2:42 After a pair of Leonard freebies, Delly returns the favor and finds a cutting LBJ. Automatic lefty.

2:30 Manu tries a turnaround against TT. Tristan blocks it to himself. Ginobili immediately files for retirement. A Minute later, LBJ chases down Manu for ANOTHER block. Someone check Manu’s wallet for an AAARP card (Argentinian AARP).

https://vine.co/v/i5IAAjdP9Qb

1:30 A sideline look in on Lue during a timeout: maybe I’m projecting, but it just seems like LeBron respects him ten times more than Blatt.

1:00 Ginobili cans an “old man three” by camping out at the top of the key for 25 seconds while Kyle Anderson misses a runner, rebounds and then hits the old man. That was a vintage Nate Smith pickup ball triple.

0:45 LeBron smartly backs in Mills against the zone and gets an easy layup as everyone spreads out. James does it again 30 seconds later, and gets two more free throws. Popovich and Mills have a sideline conversation where a slightly grinning Pop acknowledges that yes, this is a fool’s errand. He offers Patty his sympathies.

00:27 Kawhi posts up Shump, and drains a nifty turnaround on the left block. Leonard’s got the quietest 21 points you could imagine.

00:15 Jeff Van Gundy is droning on about OKC learning how to play defense and making a championship run. I think he’s auditioning for Billy Donovan’s job.

0:00 Anderson finds the rock after a loose ball scramble and clanks a runner. 94-76 Cleveland. That was a fun 12 minutes.

Fourth Quarter

11:40 NO-NO-NO-YES jumper by Irving over Green. This team can’t miss.

11:15 Kyle Anderson ISO J over Love. Spurs should try that more. On the other end, Anderson pulls the chair when Love tries to post him, leading to a turnover. Anderson dunks against zero Cavs defense on the other end. Is Cleveland playing the group that stunk up the beginning of the fourth in Detroit? I’m only a little nervous.

10:00 Oh, no. Jefferson at the power forward and Love at the center. I HATE this lineup more than I hate Damon Lindelof for ruining Lost and Prometheus. A Green drive and a second straight David West finish cuts the lead to 12 with nine minutes left.

8:45 Terrible possession by Kyrie… He tries to dribble through the whole Spurs team, but somehow ends up with a baby hook in the lane for two. That play would’ve turned into a Curry three against the Dubs.

8:00 A more deliberate possession with his buddy Wes (Kevin Love) setting a screen for him on the right wing gives Uncle Drew a little more space. Drew hesitation dribble wiggles his way to a lefty bucket (2:00 mark, on the clip below). As Mark Jackson would later say, “A little ‘excuse me’ crossover. I know it was a carry, but disregard that.”

7:38 Irving drives, gets the ball knocked back into his hands, finds Matt in the left corner… Delly Trey! Followed by a Delly flob! For two more!

6:30 Irving dribbles into the right corner, sizes up Jonathan Simmons in isolation, steps out of bounds (uncalled), and then takes Simmons to the rack and finishes with a lefty hook. God that was so ugly and so beautiful (highlights below).

5:45 Jeff Van Gundy notes that Irving is “playing horse with his left hand. That’s his fourth left hand shot tonight,” as Irving drives and finishes at an impossible angle with the left on the right side of the bucket with no glass while faking a reverse over Aldridge. Cripes.

MFQ Highlight reel

5:30 Delly Trey!

5:00 After spending the last six possessions (with five Spurs field goals) just trading baskets. Lue Calls a timeout. “Someone make Jonathan Simmons shoot a jump shot instead of a layup, he implores.” Oh wait, that was me.

4:55 Cavs up by 17, and LeBron is on the floor. Uh, why? James dribbles off his foot. I don’t think he was ready to return.

4:42 LeBron steal, Patty Mills tries to take a foul and bounces off James like bullets bounce off Superman. LBJ, and-1 layup. Commence looping.

https://vine.co/v/i5IdbAUUPDW

4:15 Aldridge gets his 15th point on yet another isolation. He and Kawhi are the only Spurs who came to play.

3:30 Two offensive rebounds lead to a 45 second possession that ends with a Delly flob from the free-throw line. That was a Dagger! Matthew Dellavedova, you glorious bastard. Uh oh. I might’ve had too much Michigan beer.

2:23 James buzzer-beater from 20 feet. Up 19, LeBron finally heads to the bench. Guess Lue didn’t want to take any chances.

1:30 A Cunningham clanker is followed by Boban Der Kinderlumper getting to the line. This game will not end… Mozgov has 3 fouls in less than two minutes.

0:56 Shumpert’s making $10 million a year to ball hard in garbage time. Still playing defense though.

0:00 Jefferson gives some hugs to his old San Antonio teammates. I forgot he was a Spur like forever ago. Cavs 117-103!

Now that was some electric basketball! Here’s your numbers: 117 points, nine turnovers, 27 assists. Cleveland with 64% true shooting to San Antonio’s 53%. Yeah, they let San Antonio shoot 49% from the field, but they blew the doors off them on offense. Kyrie, LeBron, and Love all over 20 points with three more Cavs in double figures. Also, beer after super salty chicken might have been a bad idea. My lips are like a snail on a salt lick.

Notes

My only complaint was Jefferson at the four. That was dumb. And yeah, the Cavs could’ve played better D, but the Spurs hit a lot of long twos. You live with that.

The “faster pace” was a Trojan horse. The real point was to get the Cavs in shape to move more on offense and defense. The fact that all the players can hit their scoring nut now doesn’t hurt either. Kudos, Tyronn.

Cleveland went 18-21 from the free throw line, including 9-11 for LeBron. I don’t know if I counted one bad shot from the field from him.

Kyrie: 21 points, six assists, one turnover, two steals. Yeah, he dribbled to the corner too much, but everything else was pretty good, and the tricky finishes were ridiculous.

James looked pretty danged transcendent tonight. He’s put Kawhi in his rear view for now. James attacked relentlessly in transition. 10-17, seven dimes, only two turnovers. This is MVL, Most Valuable LeBron.

This was a nice win, but the Spurs were shell-shocked. Part of me wonders if Duncan is a lot worse than we realize, because San Antonio was petty listless all game. Pop also elected to severely limit the starters’ minutes. Kawhi played 35 – but L.A, 26; Danny Green, 23; Tony Parker, 24… That tells me not to put too much stock into this game. Cleveland wanted and needed the win a lot more. The fact that Bron was in with five minutes up 19 tells you everything. Also, the Spurs ran a ridiculous amount of isolation and post play as opposed to pick and roll: Cleveland’s biggest defensive weakness. Plus, all that time practicing zone? It almost seemed like an experimentation game for Pop.

Kyle Anderson had 10 points in 18 minutes, and notched a solid plus four. He’s quietly becoming a decent rotation player.

Delly had his best shooting game in a couple weeks: 6-10 with five rebounds and three dimes. The flob was locked in.

You practically have to commit two guys to keep Canadian Dynamite off the boards. That ability sent LaMarcus Aldridge to the bench for much first half. When TT is finishing well (4-4 from the line!) and running the floor he makes the Cavs sooo difficult to defend.

Moz, Iman, J.R… The supporting cast brought it. Iman had two points in in 27 points and never stopped defending. Moz kept playing big instead of small and caught some difficult passes, and J.R. adds the perfect floor balance when the big three are hot.

I don’t know if this was Kevin’s best game, but it’s definitely been his best two game stretch. He was assertive on both ends of the floor. And he was NBA Jam fire in the first half. The Cavs actually didn’t get him the ball enough in the second. 21, 11, and three dimes. He could’ve had 40, but that’s team basketball.

https://youtu.be/qRclW8ulbec

It’s time to come up with a name for Cleveland’s trio. “Big three” sucks. The Cavs’ bench are the Space Stars. But the big three? The North Coast Avengers? D.C. just rebooted a bunch of Old Hannah Barbera. How about Future Quest?

Space Ghost comes out from behind the talk show desk to team up with Jonny Quest to fight dinosaurs, aliens, and of course, Brak. Jeff Parker (The Big Book Of… series, Fall Of The Hulks) and Evan “Doc” Shaner (The Thrilling Adventure Hour, Flash Gordon) have stuck to the classic look of both characters, and seem intent on recapturing the spirit of the ’60s-era adventure stories.

Eh, how about not. I spent some time researching famous movie trios, but these guys don’t exactly seem like Walter, Donnie, and the Dude. Maybe music. The Beastly Boys? (I’ll avoid Salt-n-Peppa), Def Squad? How about the Three Muskaliers? I got nothing. Maybe Thrill KyLL Trio (Kyrie, LeBron, Love)… That’s pretty good… too violent? Lemme know.

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