Live Thread: Cavs vs Wizards
2017-03-25Cavs! Wizards! LeBron? Questionable. Channing Frye? Who knows? Probably? John Wall? Nursing a migraine.
The Wizards are no easy out but have lost four of the last seven (though two straight). Wall, Beal, Markieff, Porter, and Gortat form a potent starting lineup that can score and rebound with the best of them. Bojan Bogdonovich has shored up their bench scoring (15 ppg). The backcourt gives them 45 a night, and Porter is among the league’s best shooting 44% from three. It’s going to be a tall order, but let’s hope the Cavs’ get in their heads a little bit. Should be a high scoring affair, just like last time, when LeBron hit one of the great regular season shots of all time to send the game to overtime. I’m predicting this one 128-125, Cavs.
I remember when Delly used to stop the opposing team fast breaks by giving the foul at mid court. I think the Cavs need to do that from time to time.
We are nowhere near where we were defensively last year. It’s not all effort either. The cavs have serious issues just finding people and knowing when and where to rotate. Those issues might be fixed by practice. More disturbingly, they have serious issues covering pick and rolls even when they ARE putting forth effort. This extends to ISO situations for many of our defenders too. Not sure how that’s fixable other than perfect team rotations which we are a long, long, long way from getting to.
I agree with you but at the same time some of the defensive issues are just pretty simple to solve. Like getting back on defense and stop the fast breaks from the opposition and overall play with more physicality. They continue​ to give straight driving lanes to opposing guards.
Overall they need to be more aware and stay more focus on defense.
The transition defense is big. That is one area where the effort generally has been lacking. The jogging back no doubt will change come playoff time. They have a lot to fix in the half court and not all that much time to do it.
This is the 72 game of the season and you think they are now going to fix something in practice. They don’t even practice. They use the games as their practice and it isn’t going so well.
Just accept that we are not good right now! I don’t buy that BS that right now “We are not showing our hands” on the defensive end and we’ll be better when the playoffs come.
Is the era of small ball over yet? When was the last time TT had a double double? Mosgov would have looked pretty good tonight.
It might be time to start getting TT some serious rest. Hopefully it is not the curse of the K-People, and he will hit his stride again in the playoffs. Otherwise, we are toast.
He looks way less mobile than last year. The whole team does.
TT looks tired or banged up, and he has for weeks. This is a problem.
I hate the most on our rotations. Players clearly gassed while our energy guys like Derrik Williams and Liggins stay glued to the bench. Surely with Shump out there was minutes for one of them? I dont mean 15 min – I mean like a 5 min stretch to bring some defensive intensity.
TOJ beat me to the same comment by 2 minutes! I hate to criticize the coach. And I pretty much like Lue. BUT I am concerned that Lue is from the Mike Hargrove clueless school of who plays. The late 90’s Indians would have been in the World Series about six straight years if Hargrove didn’t play the same 8 guys 162 games in a row. DG+DG pull off an astounding magic trick to produce Derrik Williams for nothing, and he plays really well, and all the sudden he gets glued to the bench. For the last couple of weeks,… Read more »
Simmons hedging his bets…
I can’t tell if he’s serious…
Lue’s post game presser is suffering from Vertigo too.
Lol…
I hope the defensive sets he’s ‘holding back’ can hold a team under 70 for a half, or hold opposing guards under 30.
At this point it could be better for the Cavs to just give up the top seed and rest their top guns and just have them fully ready going into the playoffs.
Marc Stein piling on…
I don’t know if there’s a way to do this, but I find myself wishing that as an organization we were taking more of a Spurs-type approach. Think of how the Spurs used Duncan to anchor the team for a decade during his long and very slow decline. They never panicked, and they made sure they had a flow of intriguing young players. What am I saying? LeBron would never stand for that…
There’s only one organization like San Antonio- and it’s the Spurs. Cleveland tried to emulate the Spurs by getting Spurs’ guys like Danny Ferry as GM and Mike Brown as coach, how many intriguing young players did that produce? The Cavs stupidly brought back Mike Brown and all it did is nearly drive away Kyrie Irving and make Dan Brown pay a coach 4 years of salary for one season of work. At least the Cavs have a title and two finals to show in the last two years.
The point I’m trying to make is having a long-term outlook and not a win-at-all-costs now mentality, and under-valuing youth.
Nothing is guaranteed. The Sixers have been building forever. The Wolves have not been in the playoffs in nearly two decades despite constant influx of young talents. Andrew Wiggins is hardly overwhelming people and will be missing the play-offs again despite having a great teammate in KATowns. The supposedly awesome twosome of Davis and Cousins are missing the play-offs again. The Cavs had 3 number one picks and a gazillion lottery picks from 2011 to 2014 and could not even sniff a play-offs in the weak east. There’s a limited championship window and with some luck, the Cavs might have… Read more »
Next game could get uglier for the Cavs it will be the third game in 4 nights and the Spurs great with an incredible energy on their gym.
I don’t know how advisable it is for Lue to play LBJ at the five as much as he did tonight…
Well…
I am a concerned Cleveland fan who is tired of watching us give no effort on the defensive end whatsoever. It is disgusting to watch us play right now. I have been a Cleveland fan since the days of Mark Price, Brad D and Ron Harper so Im not a bandwagon jumper. We are so much better than this I just want to see us stop messing around because the playoffs are right around the corner
Well said Raeshawn.
I sold my tickets on Flash Seats for tonight’s game. I was excited about this game 60-70 days ago, but the team has been mired in such mediocrity I just stayed home with the big screen. First time I ever sold a ticket for a game I bought
Once again, the opposing point guard torches Kyrie Irving. His idea of outplaying his man is to score more which often freezes teammates. And jeez, is there a lazier defender in transition at any position than Kyrie?
Kyrie can’t check John Wall and everyone knows it, and this has been true since they were kids.
That may be so, but to surrender 37 points (on nearly 70%) and 11 assists is just embarrassing. And it’s not as if this games is an aberration.
Again to me the Cavs are just loaded with a lot of shooters which are non good defenders this season. I’m not sure the Cavs can become great defensively even if they want it with the roster they have. I hope I’m wrong but right now the Cavs don’t look like the clear favorites in the east.
The good defensive Cavs team has JR, Shump, and TT all playing well. That is not happening right now. I think they will be better in the playoffs with LeBron playing harder and some time for the coaches to scheme against their opponent.
But the opponent will prepare better too.
I guess we’ll see but to be honest I preferred last season Cavs defensively speaking way better than this edition.
Sure, because TT, JR, RJ, and Shump were all playing much better and they had Delly…
Maybe some minutes for Liggins or Sanders would help.
Or D-Will 1.
Kobe-esque shooting night for Kyrie…
Are we too close to playoffs for various out-of-form players to reach match fitness & find their mojo?
I don’t think so, provided we can get through the first round. Which won’t be easy since we may be the 3-seed by then…
TT and JR are sure not where they need to be. Thompson needs to stop worrying about the streak and sit down for a game. We will probably lose the top seed now so just getting every healthy and rested is paramount
If we have to beat the Wiz and Celtics to get to the Finals ???
And either the Heat or Bucks…
If we get through the Heat/Bucks and then Wiz and Celts, we won’t go into the Finals rested
If that all happened, Cavs wouldn’t go to the finals at all…imo…
Legs gone on the back to back. Lots of good looks in the 4th but nothing went down, and then the wheels came off…
They were on back to back situation too.
Sure, but they won their game easily, and overall they are younger and healthier.
About to allow 130 points maybe more and got punked on their​ home gym.
And next game against the Spurs.
If the Cavs don’t wake up defensively they wont even make it to the finals.
Playoff mode.
Lue throws in the towel. Garbage time now with the scrubs.
Huh… Liggins fights for rebounds…
Lbj has thrown in the towel. So I am out.
Working subtitle: the best team in the Eastern Conference.
Hint:it’s not the Cavs.
I don’t think it’s the Wiz either… Boston handled them pretty easily…
They were so much better at this point last year. Down year for Shump, TT. JR and KLove not back yet. DWill is just a journeyman.
They’re not in playoff mode yet. Wait until you see the playoff mode.
Gonna have to play these guys and the Celtics probably…
Sayonara top seed…
Ouch Irving got roasted by wall in ISO.
Kyrie has to be tired to be this bad…
Way to blow a break Kyrie…