Board Game Review: Stone Age
February 6, 2015Cleveland State outshoots Wright State, back on top of Horizon League
February 7, 2015All good things must come to an end and thus the Cavs win streak, their longest since 2010, ends at 12 games. The Cavaliers controlled this game for most of the first three quarters and led by as many as 13 points, but the Pacers caught fire in the fourth as the Cavaliers offense simultaneously bogged down. Former Cavalier C.J. Miles led the fourth quarter takeover as the wine and gold came up short in Indianapolis by a 103-99 count.
Indiana Pacers 103
Cleveland Cavaliers 99
Box Score
36 – Indiana dropped a monster 36 points on the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter. They were led in that effort by C.J. Miles’s 16 points in the closing act. Miles got going in a hurry, and he then made multiple shots curling around downscreens with only a split second to turn and shoot a fadeaway. We all know how Miles can get hot in a hurry (like the night he sat the Cavs franchise record for made threes in a game, since broken by Kyrie Irving a couple weeks back). The Hill brothers (Solomon and George, and no they’re not really related) each chipped in 9 points in the fourth quarter as the Pacers shot 53% during the period.
CLE 18-15, IND 26-8 – The Pacers simply took better care of the basketball on Friday night, dishing out over three assists for every turnover and coughing it up just eight times. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, had nearly as many turnovers as assists. LeBron had 7 of those 15 turnovers, which was his SIXTH game with 7 turnovers or more this season. James is averaging 4.0 turnovers per game for the first time in his career, well over his 3.5 mark last year and his 3.3 career clip. While James attacked the hoop pretty well overall in the first three quarters, he did so with a reckless abandon at times, throwing wild blind passes out from underneath the basket. In the fourth, James was content to chuck up long and contested outside shots. LeBron also fell hard on his ailing right wrist late in the third quarter courtesy of a friendly shove from Roy Hibbert. James did finish the game with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
IND 21/26, CLE 8/12 – Another feather in the Indiana cap was their march to the foul line, which was admittedly inflated a tad at the end due to the foul game. Nevertheless, the Cavs made just 12 trips to the charity stripe, and Kyrie Irving did not take a single foul shot. Worse yet, the Cavs took just two free throws in the final quarter.
11.6%, 5, 6, and 0 – In order, those numbers are Kevin Love’s usage percentage (lower than the rest of the starting five, and on par with Tristan Thompson’s), total points, straight number of missed shots to end the game (after making his first two shots early in the game), and number of Kevin Loves on the court in the game’s final minutes as the Cavs went with a lineup of Irving, Smith, Shumpert, James, and Mozgov in the final few minutes.
I’m going to continue to stick with the rationalization that Kevin Love’s back spasms are significantly holding back his offensive game until proven otherwise. In his last 3 second games of a back-to-back (affectionately referred to as a SEGABABA by some), Love is shooting just 11-of-37 (29.7%), averaging 9.7 points and 12.3 rebounds. On the season (entering tonight), Love is shooting 37.3% on back-to-backs (12 games), 41.7% on one day of rest (27 games), and 55.6% on two days of rest (7 games). Coach Blatt and the Cavaliers don’t seem inclined to give Love any time off to rest up, so I guess the eight days off for the All-Star break starting after this Thursday’s game will have to suffice.
Following the game, Love said, “Tonight, I was more of a spacer. I wasn’t necessarily being asked to score the ball.” Umm, check again, Kevin. I’m pretty sure you were being asked to do that when passed the ball on the wing when you were open several times and didn’t look to shoot or attack. Then again, Love may be talking about the inability for the team to get him the ball in the high or low post consistently. Round and around we go on the blame game. Whoever’s at fault, this has not consistently been the Kevin Love for which we mortgaged the future.
10 – The Cavs got just 10 points from their four-man bench. That coupled with just 5 points from Love put a lot of pressure on James and Irving offensively in particular as Timofey Mozgov and J.R. Smith were the only others to remotely do their part on that end of the floor. Dellavedova played 16 minutes without scoring and missing three shots. Shawn Marion, whose playing time has evaporated in the last few games, played six scoreless minutes. Iman Shumpert and Tristan Thompson knocked down two shots each for the team’s 10 bench points. Thompson did grab 8 rebounds. It’s almost as if the Cavaliers’ bench could use a little offensive firepower, eh?
3 – Ridiculously unfortunate plays for the Cavs tonight. First, the Cavaliers had a charge taken off the board and reversed to a made basket and one at the line late in the game during the middle of the Pacers’ surge. The charge was drawn by Matthew Dellavedova, called on the floor, then discussed and reversed. Second, LeBron James was called for a push-off offensive foul on Roy Hibbert underneath the basket. James did put out his arm, but he said post-game it was only an “arm-bar” that post players put up when they make a move. I tend to agree with James, and it was a costly flip of the coin. Finally, George Hill threw up a prayer for a four-point play as Kyrie Irving tried to fight through the base of a screen by Hibbert beyond the arc with 1:26 to play. A one-handed contorted prayer and continuation came through for the Pacers and gave them a three-point lead that completely flipped momentum after Shumpert had just nailed a shot at the other end. Some nights, the basketball gods are not with you. It certainly seemed that way for the Cavs tonight.
The Cavaliers will look to start a new streak on Sunday afternoon at home against what’s left of the Los Angeles Lakers.
8 Comments
Knew it wasn’t their night when Hill’s shot dropped.
Wasn’t able to watch. I had feared the Cavs’ thin front line might get handled in this game. They didn’t get into foul trouble like I thought they might. Was the matchup of the bigs a factor (besides Love’s struggles that were noted?
CJ MIles became the Torch and burned his former team with an insane fourth. That and the Cavaliers offense broke down reverting back to the early isolation one on one plays. That and Love looked as bad as he did good the previous night.
Time to move JR Smith to the bench, we need a scorer in our second unit badly. Our bench just needs one more piece:
Miller
Marion
Haywood
Jones
All look old and tired. Marion has looked awful as the back-up PF, & Miller can barely run up and down the court. I think this team needs a 4th big way more then a backup PG. Another stretch 4 or center would help this team a lot.
I know complaining after a long win streak seems dumb, but this team is so close…
OBVIOUSLY, FIRE DAVID BLATT.
I lost count of the number of times James dripped the ball up court after a Pacers basket. Clear the half court line at 16 seconds, dribble for 14 more then throw up a terrible shot. Blatt or someone needs to get through to him that he kills our offense. It became so common even Iman tried doing it. Complete lack of passing in the fourth is why we lost.
didn’t see the game yet but predicted this was a potential streak breaker: second game of back to back on the road a day after they went balls out, and the sandwich game between two nationally televised games.
Their high profile means every opponent is saving best effort for them, every team has them circled on the schedule. I think guys like Kevin Love have to get used to that.
I hope KL will bounce back after the all star break. Maybe he just needs some time off. He looks more like a 36 year old player than a 26 year old in back to back second games.
I love watching this team play. Their defense has improved more than I thought possible; and the way they share the basketball is beautiful to watch (most of the time – ha).
When Kyrie and J.R. Smith make shots, the ball barely touches the net – so pure. And Kyrie has several highlight reel plays every game.