KneeCap: Summer Cavs 91, Summer Nets 83 in OT (or, Why Stop Now?)

KneeCap: Summer Cavs 91, Summer Nets 83 in OT (or, Why Stop Now?)

2016-07-17 Off By EvilGenius

Apparently, the Summer League Cavs are just having too much fun to stop their summer run. After coming back to upset the favored Lakers on Thursday, the Cavs cut down the Brooklyn Nets in the quarterfinal round of the Vegas Summer League Tournament, 91-83 in overtime.

Despite getting out to a fast start, leading by as much as 10 in the first quarter behind yet another strong scoring effort from Jordan McRae (12 points in the period), the Cavs let Brooklyn back into the game in the second. The Nets went on an 11-0 run, but the Cavs answered with their own 8-0 run, and evened the score at 41 by halftime.

Mamba starts out strong…

https://vine.co/v/5Zu107BUxMI

The third quarter featured more runs by each team (another 11-0 spurt by the Nets, followed by an 11-2 answer from the Cavs), as neither team seemed able to pull away. With neither Orange Mamba nor Killer Shrimp having a particularly good shooting night, the Cavs relied on help from unexpected places. DeAndre Liggins hit one of his three triples on the night, and then some dude named Eli Carter went on an absolute tear, scoring eight straight points. Before I could look him up, Fred McLeod got me up to speed…

Eli Carter heat check…

https://vine.co/v/5ZuYJuBOB0T

The Summer Cavs fell behind by as much as seven in the fourth quarter, with sharpshooter Beau Beech hitting back-to-back threes. But then, like their Championship predecessors, these Cavs dug deep to answer with a 12-0 burst, fueled by threes from Liggins and Raphiael Putney with an assist from Felder. Cleveland had a four point lead until Sean Kilpatrick evened things up with a couple trips to the line. It was all even at 83 with 10 seconds remaining, but McRae couldn’t hit on a step-back ISO triple. Overtime.

Coach Phil Handy must have had some words for his squad before the the two minute extra period, because the tenacious Cavs defense held the Nets scoreless. A Killer Shrimp drive and a heads up play by Orange Mamba helped the Cavs close out the game on an 8-0 run, and move on to the Summer League Semi-Finals.

Heads up play by McRae (after driving into traffic)…

https://vine.co/v/5Zzqizr7bZe

Handy had an odd rotation tonight, bringing Felder off the bench and holding McRae out for the entire second quarter. Maybe he was just trying to get a better look at guys like Liggins, Carter and Putney without Mamba hijacking the offense, or maybe Ty Lue’s presence on the sidelines rubbed off on him. Whatever the reason, those other guys stepped up on a night when McRae and Felder were fairly cold (7-24 and 3-16 respectively). Liggins, Carter and Putney combined to shoot 11-18 from the field, and 7-9 from downtown, for 36 points. Kenny Gabriel also chipped in a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards.

Putney with the high arc to tie it…

https://vine.co/v/5ZzuVJW1aqU

The Cavs will now the Bulls Sunday night at 8pm EST for the right to play in the Summer League Tournament Finals. Coverage will be on ESPN2.

Gotta say, this year’s Summer League has been one of the most fun to watch in recent memory. And, not just because of the surprising Cavs. All four quarter-finals games went down to the wire today, with two needing overtime to settle. Granted, it’s still Summer League… but it’s been way more entertaining than expected.

GO SUMMER CAVS!

#EndlessCavalierSummer

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