Recap: Cavs 105, Pistons 89 (Or, .500! Sweet .500!)
2011-12-28Overview: The Cavs got their first double-digit win of the season against the Detroit Pistons, with Tristan Thompson and Kyrie Irving both having solid games for the Cavaliers. Samardo Samuels led the Cavs with 17 points on only eight shots, and Pistons rookie Brandon Knight had 23 points on 10-13 shooting from the field.
Cavs-Related Bullets:
– Boy, it’s good to see Andy back in action, isn’t it? Seeing him crash the offensive boards, make cuts to the rim, get out to the perimeter on pick-and-rolls, and flip in those little reverse layups is a beautiful thing.
– Kyrie was able to score the ball better in this game than he was in his disastrous debut, but I’ve been way more impressed by his playmaking ability than I thought he would be. He seems to always know what the right pass in a given situation is, even if it doesn’t immediately lead to a wide-open three or dunk, and he knows when to mix in a home-run pass attempt as well. He hasn’t been setting the world on fire with his scoring so far, but it looks like he really knows how to play the point guard position.
– Okay, I’m becoming a total Tristan Thompson convert. Complete 180 here. He has a nose for the ball, he’s bouncy as all hell, and he can actually finish in traffic around the basket. And how about that righty hook? Then there’s the game-high +18 for TT — when he’s on the floor, good things seem to happen.
– SAMARDOWNED. I did not recognize that guy. Post moves, 20-foot jumpers, thundering dunks, brutal moves to the rim — a true breakout game. We’ll see if he can keep this up.
– Jamison had a nice game from the field. Maybe someone will want to trade for him now. We can only hope.
– Razor Ramon has added the three-ball, but still seems fairly enamored with low-percentage floaters from a step or two inside the free-throw line. It’s always an adventure with him.
– I have no opinion on Casspi yet — give me another couple of games.
– Alonzo Gee’s box scores have looked nice, but his shot selection makes me yell at things. I don’t really know how this will end, but it does seem like the Eyenga experiment is on hold for the time being, which I support because Christian was terrible when he got minutes.
28 assists on 40 field goals! 1st double-digit win of the year! (Last year, the Cavs didn’t win a game by double-digits until the Heat came to the Q for the second time.) I could get used to this — good things seem to be happening. It won’t happen overnight for this team, but the Cavs showed some positive signs tonight.
I’m still “blah” when it comes to Sessions. His defense continues to be a problem. Brandon Knight was killing him. But..he isn’t a bad player. He can be a legit back-up for a long time to come. I’d say he has more trade value at this point than Jamison’s expiring deal.
Eyenga will probably head to the D league for a while (Canton Charge, I think). He’s still on the books for one more year after this. After that, it’s a team option. I hope he sticks. It would be nice to put all that athletic ability to use. But he just doesn’t seem to work well in a team.
Nice analysis Ben, et. all. I gave Gee a pass because of good defense, and because I really only thought he took one bad shot. The other times, he was given the ball on the wing at the end of the shot-clock against a defender that had him over-matched (the incredibly long armed Austin Daye). Plus it’s hard to have good shot discipline when your point guard ignores you for 10 straight minutes. The Pistons looked BAD. They no big men who are better than 7th men on a decent team (which allowed Andy to agressively chase the ball on… Read more »
It is very rare when you toast a team on the road with 22 turnovers. I don’t think that will happen too much this year but it was a great game nonetheless. AC said this earlier, but I want to see more of the Andy/Tristan combo. It kind of takes away from the entire Andy experience when you have to watch equally bad defense from Jamison. Also I’m a big fan of Gee, so I hope he figures out his offensive game and gives us some use for him. Eyenga is big question mark right now, What are we going… Read more »
I agree Ben. Antawn is a lot more effective going to the hoop on offense instead of being just a chucker. Samardo’s newfound jumper could be a major plus. It sort of flies in the face of BS wanting him to exclusively be a center this year. Irving keeping his dribble is a major factor in being a true PG and that’s usually what separates the really good ones from the guys who are just good players that happen to play PG. Don’t be so hard on Sessions. He is potentially a great long term backup. I was not a… Read more »
Nice game to watch. Samuels is great against short frontlines and awful against tall ones. Detroit is one of smallest teams in the league. That being said, I was very impressed with his rotations. He is no Andy of course, but he is much improved from last year. He mid-range J is an incredibly pleasant surprise. If he makes just enough to keep the floor spaced, it really helps us play different combinations of guys at the 4 and 5. I love Jamison only playing 23 minutes and taking 9 shots. Hallelujah. I am an official hater on Sessions. I… Read more »
I think Casspi will be fine. Irving and TT are studs in the making. Varejao does all the little things and then some.
Fun game to watch. I thought that the Pistons played a better game than what people here are giving them credit for. The Cavs just played a better game. The Cavs showed that they can play inside against smaller opponents. It will be interesting to see how that translates against a bigger Pacer team. They couldn’t cope with the overall above average length of the Raptors, even though it is not a very talented group of bigs. I find it interesting that people here are labeling Casspi as weak defensively. I had to watch the game on FOX Detroit and… Read more »
I sincerely believe the Cavs are a better team than most people give them credit. Obviously we don’t want toooooo many wins because we need that high draft pick, but they have some really exciting young players out there. Thompson really looks like the real deal and is probably the most exciting guy on the Cavs to watch. Awesome when facing the rim off the dribble – makes great cuts and finishes STRONG. He even has a few cool post moves. Plays WAY bigger than his 6’8″ body should allow. My hope is we can get a good draft pick/two… Read more »
I thought Alonzo Gee played well on defense last night. He smothered Austin Daye last night, and closed out well. Plus, he set up a few of Samardo’s baskets last night by getting penetration and handing off.
Man you forgot about boobie. He played very well in the 4th, even if not scoring he showed a lot of good things. amazing rebounding and great passes, however ben gordon got by him a few times so it seems he still hasn’t gotten great at guarding opposing 2s yet. Although he did get a block on Gordon so he is getting better at it I guess. The thing that impressed me the most is that he seemed to be directing traffic for the second unit and telling guys where to go from the wing. He might have another year… Read more »
Really exciting game for the Cavs. Irving’s going to have his ups and downs, but he’s going to be really good. Thompson’s face-up game was supposed to be his best offensive area…it was good to see him put the ball on the floor a couple of times and score. Samuels with 17 points, Jamison with only 9 shots in 23 minutes, maybe Ramon can become a trade asset that brings back a decent young wing…there was a lot to like last night. One item to note; Other than the Cavs, the Raptors and Pistons were the two worst defensive teams… Read more »
I agree with everything Hoops wrote, except about Tayshaun. He played an alright game, and that isn’t that bad a contract. You get a guy who can do a little bit of everything along with 14 points a game. Also, he has been there all 10 years of his career. It’s nice to see an NBA player with some loyalty to his adopted city.
Loved this game. I agree with you about Kyrie and the passing, and the thing I really liked was the few times he turned on the gas and blew by everyone else on the floor in the open court. When he learns how to slow down at the last second and finish, he’ll be deadly. I’d like to see him be slightly more aggressive with the jumper, but he’s SUCH a good playmaker… Also, how about the way he adjusted his pick and roll defense? By midway through the third quarter (with more than a little help from Andy) the… Read more »