Recap: Pistons 103, Cavs 94 (Or, thank you for coming to Cleveland. Have a win.)
2011-02-09Overview: The Detroit Pistons manhandled a disinterested Cavalier team, extending their losing streak to a league-record 26 games.
Well, this is what happens when a terrible team doesn’t try bullets:
Yeesh. Where should I start? The offense came out flat. The defense had some breakdowns, and 91 of the Pistons’ 103 points came from the paint, the free-throw line, or beyond the arc.
The worst part, though, were the unforced errors. Guys running into each other on fast breaks. Ridiculous three-second violations. An inbounds pass got stolen at one point. This team is trying to snap the longest losing streak of all time, and they played like they had the league’s best record locked up. Every time the Cavs got close, they forced shots and gave the Pistons easy looks.
There aren’t words for that kind of a performance. This team deserves nobody’s pity. LeBron James didn’t prevent Antawn Jamison from boxing out or showing on a pick-and-roll. Anderson Varejao being injured doesn’t mean that Ryan Hollins has to stand in the paint for three seconds for no particular reason. Because of what happened in the off-season, this team was going to be bad. Very bad. That’s expected, and the injuries didn’t help.
But this? No wins in 26 games, one win since November? 0 wins by double-digits? A team that only occasionally plays hard enough to keep itself in the game, and doesn’t have the discipline to capitalize when they actually have a chance to win? That can’t be blamed on three role players who left. That can’t be blamed on injuries to a very good defensive player and a shoot-first point guard who doesn’t make many shots is hurt. And that certainly can’t be blamed on a television show.
This is on the people playing for this team, and the coaching staff. There are excuses for not being able to win against the best teams in the league on a given night. There are reasons why this team should be one of the worst teams in the league. There’s no excuse for playing like the worst team of all time.
No team in the history of the NBA has ever lost this many games in a row. Not one team. In the history of the NBA. There’s no excuse for being that bad. Someone on this team or this coaching staff has to take some responsibility, and the fans have to start holding some people who are actually losing these games accountable. Because LeBron James isn’t walking through that door, folks. And there’s nothing noble about the way this team accepts its fate or blunders its way into defeat game after game after game after game. It’s not martyrdom. It’s just terrible basketball.
If Byron Scott isn’t doing a terrible job of coaching this team, than what would a terrible job look like? Are we supposed to be celebrating the fact that no Cavalier has bitten an opponent yet? That the Cavaliers run offensive sets and all five of their players stay inbounds? That Antawn Jamison is technically on the floor when the other team has the ball, and not giving quotes about how he’s enduring this latest hardship inflicted upon him with good humor, eating popcorn, and talking to his agent about a potential trade?
The guy’s shown he can coach a Finals team, and we all know how much better Doc Rivers looked as a coach when he got some elite players. But I do not understand why he’s getting a free pass this year. Would people really rather believe this is the worst collection of players ever assembled than admit that these Cavaliers aren’t scrappy champions of truth, justice, and the American way who just happen to be incapable of actually winning a game?
Rant over. Individual notes:
Sessions continues to really impress. When he’s pushing the ball or driving, things are working. Hickson, too — he’s looked really active. Both had some bad moments on defense, but they’re the light at the end of the tunnel right now.
I’ll give Jamison some credit — after a signature Jamison pick-and-roll breakdown that led to an open three and Charlie V tip dunk that happened because Jamison had no interest in boxing him out, he didn’t cause that many catastrophic defensive breakdowns in the second half. Also, I noticed that Jamison actually showed properly on a pick-and-roll in the third quarter — after he’d made some jumpers to put the Cavs back in the game. So maybe the problem really is that he just doesn’t care about defense at all! WE CAN BUILD ON THIS!
That’s all I have for tonight. This team is taking years off my life.
This is the worst collection of talent in NBA history. I simply won’t blame the coach when I believe this to be true. It’s not “easier” to believe it. It’s just the way it is. You say we need to hold people accountable, but yet everyone continues to praise Hickson and Sessions for stats in the middle of a losing streak. How about holding them accountable for their absolutely pathetic defense. People kill the vets (and they should) but turn a blinde eye to the younger guys when they are making the exact same mistakes over and over again on… Read more »
This is the worst collection of talent in NBA history. I simply won’t blame the coach when I believe this to be true. It’s not “easier” to believe it. It’s just the way it is. You say we need to hold people accountable, but yet everyone continues to praise Hickson and Sessions for stats in the middle of a losing streak. How about holding them accountable for their absolutely pathetic defense. People kill the vets (and they should) but turn a blinde eye to the younger guys when they are making the exact same mistakes over and over again on… Read more »
I like Jamison as a person. I even think he has legit basketball skills and is a solid NBA scorer. That being said, he is murdering this team with his defense and shot selection. Just because you catch the ball at the three point line doesn’t mean that best option is to shoot it. Defensively its maddening. Much of defense is boiled down to effort. If you exert the effort you can do a passable job of making the other team work. The Cavs defensive strategy appears to be 1) get caught in a screen and be unable to cover,… Read more »
Coach Scott is at least 25% responsible for what is happening right now. By him keeping Jameson on the floor, he has easily cost the team 4-5 games. Jameson serves no purpose to this team. Anything he does on offense is automatically negated by his lack of defense. And the same goes for Moon and most of the time, Parker. Absolutely no reason for them toget any significant minutes when you are trying to see what the rookies can do.
Bryon’s offense requires effort to play. Unfortunately, this team doesn’t seem to care. I’ll tell you what, give me an apartment and 3 square meals and I’ll play for the team. I have just as much talent as Hollins, and I’d probably try harder than the whole team combined.
“It’s not martyrdom. It’s terrible basketball.”
Well said, JK.
Glad to see that someone is noticing how awful Scott has been. I don’t think it is a coincidence that he has publicly come out and said he was dissatisfied. He has to show that he isn’t complacent right as the media finally began to ponder whether he, in fact, is. Hell, if Al Davis were the owner, he would be fired without pay. Hard to prove he is doing a job worthy of the contract when he has no wins in 2011.
The best thing about the Cavs right now is Krolik’s awesome blog.
We can’t build on ANYTHING relating to Antawn Jamison.
But Kelly Dwyer said the owner is to blame, not the players. Your rant is spot on. Bad teams can beat very good NBA teams in the long season on any given night based purley on desire. We saw it last year when the Cavs would play down to their competition. At some point you have to want it more than the opponent. The Cavs clearly do not. You would think a 25 game losing streak, losing 34 of 35 would motivate this team. However, it seems to have done the opposite. After losing relatively close games of late the… Read more »
@ Cooley, Yes Ryan Hollins doesnt deserve to be in the NBA you are absolutely right. I know if I was playing with him and he did something stupid which is what happens every second hes on the floor, I would look at him and have no words to say to him I would just look at him in disbelief. He has no IQ whatsoever. @ HoopsDoog, Anthony Parker I agree is just a spot shooter, what kills me is when he pump fakes takes one dribble to his right and shoots a fade away from a step inside the… Read more »
Argh. WHY are Anthony Parker and Moon playing? Can we at least lose with Manny Harris, who has a shot at playing in the NBA beyond this year? It seemed like when were playing better/closer when Gee, Graham, and Harris were getting minutes. They can’t/don’t guard anyone, they don’t rebound, and Parker’s only skill is making wide open threes. ARGH. Moon’s only skill is jumping. Why haven’t we cut Samuels or Moon and brought someone up from the D-League? There have to be d-leaguers better than the guys on this team. Steve Novak’s available. I have a hard time believing… Read more »
Jamison has to go. I’m not sure where, but just any place else. I absolutely cannot stand to watch him on either end of the court. One particular sequence in the 2nd quarter was especially infuriating. After allowing the tip dunk to Charlie Villanueva of all people because he had no interest in making contact with an opponent at all, Jamison jogged to his normal spot behind the 3 point line and received the pass. Although he was very well contested, you could tell he wanted to fire it up just for the hell of it. However, some shred of… Read more »
My wife suggested the Cavs should get a handicap of like 8 points every game. They’ll probably still lose most every time but at least the games will be a little more exciting. Does anyone have David Stern’s phone email address so that we can request this?
As hollinger wrote, this Cavs team, statistically, is only around the 9th worst team of all time. Eight teams with arguably less talent than these Cavs managed to avoid such extended displays of their ineptitude. That is all.
If they don’t beat the Wizards this time, I think it’s fair to start discussing the possibility of 8-74. Can you imagine the negative hype for the Futility Game? Wizards would be about 0-197 on the road and the cavs with about a 200-game losing streak, ONE of which would have to end. That game should at least be competitive…
Ryan Hollins may be the worst NBA player I’ve ever seen. He literally has no skills at all, aside from his athleticism and size, or should I say length, because he’s about as thick as Austin Daye. Moon is (basically) just a smaller version of Hollins. Why Moon continues to get minutes is beyond me. I understand Hollins being in the rotation, because we literally have no other big guys (unless you count Samuels), but Moon literally has nothing to offer unless someone wants him at the deadline, which I personally don’t see.