NFL News: Browns add three more to coaching staff
January 22, 2013
While We’re Waiting… Big day for the Cavaliers
January 23, 2013Boston came into this game hurting. Losers of 3 straight, the Celtics surely looked at this game in Cleveland as a prime opportunity to get things back on track. Kyrie Irving had other ideas.
“Mr 4th Quarter” disguised himself as “Mr 1st Quarter” in this one as he came out looking to make a statement against the East’s All-Star starting PG Rajon Rondo. Irving was aggressive from the beginning and had 19 first quarter points to get the Cavaliers off to a great start and a 1st quarter lead.
After an offensive battle in the first half, the game turned into a defensive battle in the 2nd half, and the Cavaliers rose to the Celtics challenge hanging around with the Celtics. With Boston unable to separate themselves from the Cavaliers, they saw Cleveland take a late 4th quarter lead and down the stretch the Cavaliers made huge plays on both ends of the court to secure the win.
Kyrie was able to switch into Mr 4th Quarter mode as well as he made some enormous plays in the final stanza. He made a hustle steal off a Rondo attempt to save the ball and turned it into an uncontested layup, and he added two huge layups in the final minute to seal the victory.
Don’t overlook the night Tristan Thompson had either. The Celtics frontcourt may not be the feared defensive machine it once was, but Thompson was still active and able to chip in 21 points and 9 rebounds. But the night belonged to Irving who finished with 40 points and 5 assists. It’s really hard to use words to describe just how good Kyrie was in this game. He just continues to get better and to amaze and to give Cavaliers fans a glimpse of a brighter future.
Rondo paced the Celtics with his typical stat stuffing effort with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists and Kevin Garnett added 16 points. Paul Pierce continued his shooting woes and despite hitting his first two shots finished 3-15 from the field for 12 points.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| BOS | 27 | 26 | 20 | 17 | 90 |
| CLE | 31 | 23 | 16 | 25 | 95 |
Boston
| Starters | Pos | Min | FG | 3Pt | FT | +/- | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | BS | BA | PF | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rajon Rondo |
G | 37:39 | 7-17 | 0-2 | 3-4 | -10 | 3 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 |
| Avery Bradley |
G | 25:39 | 2-4 | 2-2 | 1-2 | -5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| Kevin Garnett |
C | 30:40 | 5-13 | 0-0 | 6-6 | -3 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| Paul Pierce |
F | 36:49 | 3-15 | 1-4 | 5-6 | -8 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| Brandon Bass |
F | 27:33 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 0-0 | -7 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Bench | Min | FG | 3Pt | FT | +/- | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | BS | BA | PF | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals | 32-84 | 7-17 | 19-22 | 16 | 48 | 24 | 16 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 90 | ||
| Percentages | .381 | .412 | .864 | Team Rebounds: 7 | ||||||||||
| Jared Sullinger |
26:17 | 5-11 | 0-0 | 2-2 | -4 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 12 |
| Jeff Green |
21:21 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 2-2 | +7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Jason Terry |
19:46 | 2-5 | 0-2 | 0-0 | +4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Courtney Lee |
14:16 | 3-9 | 3-5 | 0-0 | +1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| Leandro Barbosa |
DNP – Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||||
| Jason Collins |
DNP – Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||||
| Chris Wilcox |
DNP – Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||||
Cleveland
| Starters | Pos | Min | FG | 3Pt | FT | +/- | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | BS | BA | PF | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyrie Irving |
G | 37:55 | 16-24 | 1-3 | 7-7 | +11 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 40 |
| Dion Waiters |
G | 33:19 | 3-12 | 1-4 | 0-0 | +8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Tyler Zeller |
C | 37:45 | 2-10 | 0-0 | 2-2 | +5 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Tristan Thompson |
F | 39:39 | 9-18 | 0-0 | 3-3 | +9 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 21 |
| Alonzo Gee |
F | 30:56 | 3-7 | 0-1 | 4-6 | +8 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| Bench | Min | FG | 3Pt | FT | +/- | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | BS | BA | PF | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals | 37-82 | 2-12 | 19-22 | 8 | 39 | 28 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 | 95 | ||
| Percentages | .451 | .167 | .864 | Team Rebounds: 9 | ||||||||||
| Luke Walton |
18:00 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | +2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Shaun Livingston |
17:39 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 2-2 | -6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Daniel Gibson |
14:59 | 0-3 | 0-3 | 0-0 | -6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Omri Casspi |
9:48 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | -6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Kevin Jones |
DNP – Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||||
| C.J. Miles |
DNP – Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||||
27 Comments
Great game by Kyrie but Luke Walton’s passing and vision is starting to rub off on these young guys. For the first time all year they looked like they knew how to move without the ball. Lot of haters out there for Walton but he makes the team better getting the ball in the middle and hitting cutters moving without the ball.
This was a wonderful game in many ways. First of all, it was a win. Second, we finally saw TT do something other than get rebounds and assisted dunks (and rejections at the rim). He had some pretty moves, he finished nicely on at least two pick and rolls, and he even took it to the hole from the three point line once. Waiters continued to be aggressive, and continued not shooting long jumpers. He should ask Kyrie for some tips on finishing, but he looked great getting to the hole. And the defense actually played a role, against a team with three above average weapons.
Kyrie Irving transcended the boundaries of time and space, visited the field of Folkvangr and dined on flesh of the red deer with great viking warriors.
I hate to find the dark cloud attached to this silver lining….but, 11 points off the bench isn’t going to cut it.
Bench production has been an issue all season hopefully the new guys can help with that a little. They certainly can’t hurt.
umm yeah, it’s all Luke Walton. riiiigggghhhhhttttttttt.
I love that Kyrie took Rondo’s title as NBA’s best defensive PG and shoved it down his throat. This coming off a recent game vs. Portland where he made the rookie look like a rookie. I love this stuff.
i totally agree actually. walton gets guys in sync with spacing and passing. it’s little things.
The 7 points from Waiters worries me a bit too. I just need to keep reminding myself that he is only a rookie. I think Kyrie spoiled us last season, maybe I have too high of expectations for DW.
Good morale-boosting win for the Cavs. Kyrie should be an All-Star, if he isn’t than the All-Star selection process is broken. T2 had a great game backing up Kyrie, especially against Bass and Garnett. Zeller had a good game despite fouling out (refs helped Garnett too much IMO).
Well, it certainly isn’t Byron Scott: #worsewinningpercentagethanPatShurmur
I agree on Walton, he has been playing with the energy of a man possessed by showcasing a skill set that a contender may find appealing. His diving steal, and dribble to avoid a travelling call in the second half was something I didn’t know an old man’s body could still, plus a couple of real pretty passes to TT and KI. He looks okay right now.
I don’t get the Walton hate. Not just you but a lot of people on here. Hes not expected to be a great player. What he does though is steady a very talented but young team that plays playground basketball without him.
BTW anyone see Garnett kick TT when he was laying on the floor. Whistle had blown TT was laying there with the ball in his hand and at the very end of the camera shot you can see Garnett take a big kick at him.I have severe love hate thing going with Garnett. He is so friggen dirty but on the other hand has such an intensity to win that we lacked in the Lebron days.
when i see him in the game, i see the Cavs go in the tank on both ends. what i see is supported by the statistics on multiple sites (like 82games.com). basically, the only thing that happens good when he is on the court is that our assist ratio goes up. everything else goes down.
he was once a pretty decent glue guy. those days are long in the past.
——————
and yes, I saw the kick. i hate Garnett because he’s a dirty player. intense doesn’t have to mean dirty (though it often does).
some Walton-hate support:
http://www.82games.com/1213/1213CLE.HTM
Note: Walton is our 3rd worst oncourt differential guy. Only Leuer (gone) and Gibson have been worse. Still cannot believe we got young players (though marginal) and a 1st round pick for Leuer+$6mil. Hehe.
http://www.82games.com/1213/12CLE11.HTM
93% of Walton’s shots are jumpers. He is shooting 35% on those.
most of his minutes are at PF.
2.3PER at PF (league average would be 15 – this is among the worst)
21.8PER given up at PF (that would be an allstar PF)
his NET48 is -44. meaning that if you averaged out all his floor time received and played it for a 48min game, then we would lose by 44 points on average (see his PER differential before you point the blame on that to our other bench players).
Couldn’t agree more. I said earlier this year I felt Kyrie was being too passive and wasn’t taking on opposing elite PGs as a challenge. He’s been much more aggressive in taking on opposing elite PGs 1 on 1, and I love it.
Ditto
To be fair to Walton he is old, playing way out of position against 4s and being asked to take shots he shouldnt take because of circumstance. If you took all the other 30 something small forwards in the league Nd asked them to guard 4s those 4s numbers would likely climb. Likewise if you asked most low volume spot up shooters to create for themselves their % would plummet as well. Hes old he looks like he gives a crap; coming from where he was to where he is, giving a crap is good enough for me.
I guess my eyes see it differently when hes on the floor spacing is better the and the offense moves. I know it doesn’t equate on paper I just think sometimes you need a guy like that to lead on the floor. And please don’t get me wrong I think its a temporary thing. But I think its needed to move the team forward. Its like having a veteran receiver to help school young guys on the field.
I don’t know if u are watching the same game as me. The offense flows a lot better when he is on the court. Am I saying he takes us to the post season ever? No. But what he gives this team is a veteran leader who sees the game and doesn’t try to beat his man 1 on 1 every time he gets the ball. And I’m starting to see these young guys feed off of that. He is more valuable than most are giving him credit for.
I agree. He only played 18 minutes and they were 18 great minutes. Kyrie and Tristan are becoming stars and they are the focus but Walton plays his role very well.
my eyes and the numbers do not back up that statement.
now, last night? yes, Walton was passing the ball and the focal point passer and the offense was flowing with him in the game. the fact he actually hit his jumpers helped too.
but, overall this season? the offense has tanked with him in the game. even when Irving is in there with him.
I would agree with the first month or so of the season but the last month has been totally different. Its like the light bulb went on and he understands how the offense should flow. Heck last night they even started pushing the ball on makes.
I agree with those are reasons, and they are why I don’t want him getting minutes. If he’s good at teaching how to pass and use spacing, then he can be a coach. If he has more nights like last night (consistently), then he can play.
I think the trade for Speights helps as it gives us another frontcourt player (taking minutes away from 2 of our worst guys getting those frontcourt minutes – Leuer{gone} and Walton).
hey, we’ll see. he’s not going to be nailed to the bench after last night. if he can do that consistently, then i’ll change my tune. but, I just haven’t like what i have seen. we’ll see.
Was at the game last night.. a couple bullet points I took away:
– For the arena being 2/3 full, I saw many less Celtics fans than expected and the fans had good energy and made a good home team environment.
– There is way too much music/short video clips/nonsense blaring from the “Q Tube”. During time outs, after free throws, during game play…. it takes away from it for me.
– Irving was brilliant (as we all know). The weapons he has in his offensive game are impressive. Leave him a couple feet of cushion? He can make you pay from long range. Crowd him quick? He can make you pay by dribbling by you. Pull out a big man for help D? He can STILL finish, or he can make that extra pass (he is still learning this). He is just so good as so many things.
– Thompson finally looked comfortable and not rushed, and the results show.
– Not a good stat line for Zeller, but I actually thought he made a very positive impact on the game. Better than the numbers say, IMO.
– Have never been a Walton fan, but there was no denying the impact he had with getting guys involved and passing the ball at the right time.
– At times in the 4th, it felt like the refs were trying to get the Celtics the W. Then they decided to foul out Sullinger instead of Irving (on the charge/block call), and that was the game-changing call for sure.
– Nobody is going to read this because it got way too long… sigh
I read and feel the same way. Hopefully they take this momentum into the second half.