Cardale Jones: The most improbable of stories adds yet another chapter
January 16, 2015The Cleveland Cavaliers are frustrating to watch – WFNY Podcast – 2015-01-16
January 16, 2015How do you pull a plane full of basketball players out of a downward tailspin? By taking them bowling, of course. The plane is metaphorical, but the bowling is all too real. Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reported that Cavaliers coach David Blatt took the team bowling Thursday morning in lieu of practicing. While I don’t think you can contribute a victory to bowling, it certainly did no harm, as the Cavaliers ended their six game losing streak Thursday night with a 109-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. What’s more, the team seemed to have responded positively to the ploy. Kevin Love expressed that the bowling trip “helped so much,” and he was relieved to have “a break from it all.” I’m presuming that “it all” is a reference to the media circus surrounding this team that seems hellbent on destroying the Cavaliers and having their imperiled coach fired. Who’s the best bowler on the Cavs? My money is on Kevin Love. He spent six seasons in Minnesota as a member of the Timberwolves. What is there to do in the winter other than bowl and watch Gophers hockey games? But what will strike many fans as odd is what Kyrie Irving had to say about the state of the Cavs locker room.
“One thing that’s never seen on camera and I consistently say it, this is the closest team that I’ve been on. We always have fun whether we’re getting ready for a game or a practice or we go bowling, it’s a team activity that we just personally enjoy.
“We enjoy being around one another and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Obviously there’s things we’ve got to fix out there on the court, but relationship wise, we couldn’t be any better.”
I certainly hope that is the case, even if the on-the-court results don’t affirm that view yet. I sincerely believe that things like this bowling trip are important for a team to come together. Tales of teams going to the movies or dinner together on the road and bonding over things other than basketball are important in a sport where success is so inextricably tied to chemistry. This team has the talent. If they begin to like coach Blatt and play hard for him and each other, they will succeed in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Love played through back spasms Thursday night, and his persistence to play through the pain appeared to impress fellow Cavaliers and his coach, especially when he took a hard charge in the fourth quarter. In related news, the team will visit the National Aquarium in Baltimore when the Cavs visit the Washington Wizards in February, and take a trip to a strip club the next time they visit the Atlanta Hawks in March.
13 Comments
This needs to be a hashtag game. #BlattFieldTrips
Pizza Party at the Arcade!
Paintball and jello shots!
Lazer Show and a sleepover!
Tell me they rode a school bus and dared each other to do the pop-rocks-and-coke challenge.
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F*ck it, dude. Let’s go bowling.
somewhere, Andrew Bynum is lamenting what could have been had he only been on the Cavs a year later than he was…
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As someone who has lived in MN for 10 years, the winters here are 10x more enjoyable than back in the CLE – AKRON area. So much more to do, see and people are outside doing things all the time.
I loved the moment last night when Love got off the bench and told Blatt he was going in (end of 3rd Q?). You could see it – Blatt was genuinely surprised. And, it seemed like Blatt wasn’t planning on Love entering the game because he almost seemed to say something, but then double-clutched and gave a nod and motioned for him to get in the game.
can you provide some metrics for your “10x” measurement, please?
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I’ll be interested to see if Love plays tonight. Given how bad he was moving and a back to back game against a tough Clippers team I think the prudent think would be for Love to sit out.
He’ll play. I have little doubt. He has been a softie all year but now he has something to prove. I think, after seeing him yesterday, this team may go as far as he can take them.
LeBron will get them to the precipice by himself but it’s going to be Kevin Love inside that decides this team’s fate.
And I don’t think he is afraid to rise to the challenge. I just think it took him time to realize it’s a bigger challenge than he thought.
Bahahahahahaha
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Cavs suck so bad, basketball is like the WWE anymore.