Recap: Cleveland 121, Detroit 104 (Or, Better Off Without You)

The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off their second straight victory, defeating the Detroit Pistons 121 to 104. The score is a little deceiving as the scoring margin was much closer throughout most of the game. Luckily for the Cavs, Tyronn Lue made a rare good decision as he left his biggest defensive warts on the bench in the fourth quarter. It was clear the Cavs were better off without a certain diminutive guard who may or may not feel like he should shoulder any blame for the recent stretch of poor play.

The first quarter began poorly as it was evident that the Pistons were aware of the Cavaliers’ defensive struggles this season. Within the first three minutes of the game it was clear who Detroit’s random mediocre player turned one night all-star would be as Anthony Tolliver quickly contributed two straight wide open threes. The Cavaliers have yet to make a coaching or personnel change so the poor defense is clearly not going anywhere. Part of that reason is because Isaiah Thomas is still receiving significant minutes. Despite having seven assists, the ball managed to stick in his hands far too much, often halting Cleveland’s momentum throughout the first half of the quarter.

Fortunately, TLue had Thomas on a short leash. The Pistons turned the ball over at the six minute mark and Derrick Rose entered the game, replacing IT. Shortly after, JR Smith built on his success from the previous game and hit a quick triggered corner three to put the Cavs up by seven. For the remainder of the quarter, Cleveland was able to keep Detroit at arms length as Tristan Thompson was refreshingly efficient on the offensive end. In the clip below, TT finishes a tough transition basket, picking up the foul and the extra free throw, he would finish the game with 9 points and 4 rebounds. The quarter ended 33-28 Cavs.

The second quarter saw the return of Isaiah Thomas. The momentum built from the end of the first promptly stalled. Thomas had trouble running the offense and managed to put up 12 shots in only 27 minutes over the course of the game, he keeps chucking away. Cleveland ran iso-heavy sets for the scoring guard, but he was unable to score. What was a spectacular finish or a drawn foul last season is a blocked shot or a no-call as Thomas can’t quite replicate last season’s success. And since he provides nothing on the defensive end of the floor, the game was quickly tied at 35 and three minutes into the quarter, the Pistons retook the lead.

Anthony Tolliver continued to embarrass the Cavs, hitting his fourth three of the game by midway through the second quarter. Cleveland’s propensity to turn novice players into all-stars is, if nothing else, consistent. If not for the stellar play of Kevin Love (20 points, 11 rebounds), who had 14 first half points, this quarter would have seen a more size-able deficit by half time. With IT playing the entire quarter, Cleveland’s five point lead turned into being down by three at the half. 61-58 Detroit.

The third quarter was more of the same as the starters re-entered the game. The slight difference was that a few of Isaiah’s shots began to fall. There was just nothing he could do with someone like Andre Drummond on the court. At one point, the large center simply caught a pass above IT’s head and made a layup without even a bother from the 5’9″ body directly underneath him. Thomas spent most of the time getting caught underneath the hoop where there is relatively no chance of him helping the defense.

The best plays to happen during the quarter came from the bench rather than any of the starters. Korver, Frye, and Jeff Green showed why they are key parts of one of the most productive benches in the league. Channing Frye flexed his versatility as a head fake gave him enough room to drive around his defender and kick it to his fellow three point specialist to the Korner for a wide open threy. Why Frye was ever benched, I’ll never know. Unsurprisingly, Jeff Green put the finishing touches on the quarter with a monster jam in transition, see below. Cavs 90, Pistons 87.

After three straight quarters of the Cleveland Standard Defense, Lue seemed to realize that the Cavs were better off without IT, at least this game. He did not start the quarter, nor would he play for the remainder of the game. The result was predictable. Cleveland saw a noticeable uptick as competent defense was finally being played. The lineup of LeBron, Korver, Green, Crowder, and Frye was able to stretch the lead back out to seven. To be fair, this five man group struggled mightily to keep Detroit’s (backup) quicker and smaller guards out of the paint. Dwight Buycks was able to stroll right in for multiple easy lay ups and that’s inexcusable. Fortunately, the lineup’s size was able to prevent too much damage and was even better on offense. They were also able to do things like this:

At four minutes to go in the game, starters Kevin Love and JR Smith (15 points, 4-7 from 3) returned to the game to finish things out. JR promptly made a couple of three pointers while Korver mixed it up with a tough baseline drive around his defender and the Cavs were suddenly up by 11. The game never got any closer and the lead ballooned out to a 121-104 Cavaliers victory.

Some Notes:

1) Channing Frye has been nothing but a true professional for this team. After being inexplicably relegated back to the bench upon Tristan’s return, Frye said and did all the right things. He stayed ready and is finally getting minutes again. The Cavs have been more successful in the two games since his return. He finished the night with 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. Seriously, how could you not play this guy?

2) The Detroit Pistons were without both of their starting guards as Reggie Jackson and Avery Bradley were out tonight. Cleveland point guards could still not keep up. It’s a problem. It reminds me of how the Cavs were playing right before Griffin traded two first round picks for Timofey Mozgov. Since the front office isn’t going to move IT, hopefully they are looking for a mobile and offensively capable rim protector.

3) The past two games have seen the return of JR Smith. His shot was noticeably more confident. He was catching and shooting in one smooth motion. He’s been second guessing his shot all season long so it’s nice to see the change. Hopefully this version of the Pipe Fitter is here to stay.

4) Iman Shumpert logged a DNP-CD today. I’m not sure if they are holding him out because Lue truly feels he should be out of the rotation or if he actually is part of a trade. I am a little surprised they didn’t try to go to him for a couple minutes in the third with how bad the guard play was between DRose and IT. Ty Lue seemed to favor Shump in the past, if this continues, it will mark a change in attitude toward the disappointing defensive stopper.

Most of the game was back and forth until the second half of the fourth quarter but Cleveland was able to hang on for just their third win in nine games. Every game will likely resemble this one until the Cavs can play even mediocre defense. Cleveland faces off against Detroit again on Tuesday hoping for the same results. Go Cavs!