Nike prepares for LeBron James’ 25,000th point
November 2, 2015I’m perfectly calm. Calmer than you are: While We’re Waiting…
November 3, 2015Cleveland Cavaliers 107
Philadelphia 76ers 100
Box Score
Approximately one hour after tipoff, with 3:58 to go in the second quarter, the Cleveland Cavaliers trailed the Philadelphia 76ers, 50-37. Perhaps it was the effects of Daylight Savings Time at work, as it took the Cavs right around one hour to play meaningful basketball in the Wells Fargo Center. They were lazy and profligate in the early going, looking very much like they could use another 60 minutes of sleep. But they took control of the game, outscoring Philadelphia 70-50 after that first hour passed. LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to score 25,000 points, the Cavs produced plenty of highlights, and they leave Philly with a 107-100 win just four days ahead of a return matchup in Cleveland.
My fear entering the game was that the Cavs would come out lackadaisically enough for the Sixers to hang around and get half an idea that they could actually win this thing. That fear, if only for a time, was justified. The 76ers are an athletic, active side, yet there was a feeling that the Cavs could put this game away in a quarter. Instead, they looked like they were nursing a two-day hangover from their Halloween bash. They turned it over eight times in the opening period. After getting out to a 5-0 lead, they finished the quarter down by 14. An Isaiah Canaan three at the buzzer extended the Philadelphia margin to 32-18, giving the underdogs a glimmer of hope. Fox Sports Ohio’s Allie Clifton reported between quarters that David Blatt said the Cavs “just weren’t playing very hard,” and, well, yes, that was accurate.
I mean:
Sixers hit 19 shots in their last game. They hit 12 shots in the first quarter tonight.
— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) November 3, 2015
The Cavs played better in the second quarter, but still far from their best. They did well when they went into the post, especially to Kevin Love, who used some combination of his experience and backside to get into position for right hooks deep in the lane. Mo Williams was aggressive from the jump, hitting five of his first seven shots and providing a vital bit of enthusiasm. The Cavs defended a bit better in the second period — Tristan Thompson had a nice block — but were still evoking memories of Chill Mode. Jahlil Okafor did solid work inside, drawing a deserved buzz from the Wells Fargo Center crowd every time he touched the ball; he scored 14 in the first half. It often felt like the Cavs were two plays away from regaining control, but they couldn’t string those two together. They got within five points by halftime — 54-49 — but climbing back into it against a team that won 18 games last year is hardly something to celebrate.
I mean:
Philadelphia 48, Cleveland 37 with 3:58 to go in the 2nd Q. Cavs team payroll $110.2 million, Sixers team payroll $55.9 million.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 3, 2015
The Cavs took control, however, in the third quarter. Jahlil Okafor committed his fourth foul early on, limiting his floor time, and the Sixers’ offense lacked direction without him. The Cavs’ defense grew tighter and tighter, and without a viable post-up option, Philly’s shots came from farther and farther away from the hoop. Two Mo Williams free throws gave the Cavs a 56-54 lead with 9:57 to go, one which they would not relinquish. The Cavs assembled highlight reel plays, Philly’s chances of winning diminishing with each one. A Mo to Tristan alley-oop. A LeBron steal and dunk. A James Jones three, and then another, and another. A charge drawn by Matthew Dellavedova. By the time the buzzer sounded, the Cavs held an 82-72 lead, which felt like a 100-point margin as much as a 10-point one.
The fourth quarter was all but a formality. (Philadelphia went on a frantic 19-4 run to crawl within six points in the final minute, but the result was never in real danger.) More noteworthy: LeBron hit the 25,000-point milestone in the period, making him the youngest player in NBA history to do so, at age 30. For the historic bucket, Dellavedova found LeBron at the rim for an alley-oop. Akron’s favorite son went up, corralled the ball with his left hand, secured it with his right, and finished with a soft two-handed slam to become the No. 20 all-time scorer in NBA history.
Monday night’s game was ugly early, but there was little to complain about by the end. I mean:
No.
— Did the Sixers Win? (@DidTheSixersWin) November 3, 2015
As for some of the stats…
22, 11, 9, 4, 2 — LeBron didn’t quite get a triple-double to go along with his 25,000th point, but he wasn’t far off. James finished with 22 points (9-of-19 shooting), 11 assists, 9 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks in 33 minutes. He played a supporting role early and gradually exerted more control on the game as required. He scored 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the second half, and it was his tomahawk dunks that symbolized the Cavs’ surge.
His record-setting alley-oop was nice, but he had one moments before with a touch more pizzazz:
33-18 — That was the margin by which the Cavs outscored the Sixers in the third quarter. The Cavs shot 65 percent to Philly’s 32. They assisted on 10 of their 13 made baskets. They outrebounded Philadelphia, 13 to 8. Four different Cavaliers scored at least six points, while only one 76er did. The Sixers’ late rally aside, the Cavs went from losing to putting this baby on ice inside of 12 minutes.
.368/.200/.750 — The Cavs’ shooting numbers in the first quarter.
.519/.364/.750 — The Cavs’ shooting numbers by the end of the game. Suffice it to say that they woke up.
21 on 8-of-10 — While most of the Cavs were working off Saturday night’s Jell-O shots, Mo Williams was spry and aggressive. Mo Gotti hit 80 percent of his shots en route to 21 points, including 2-of-3 from deep. He hit pullups from the elbow, triples from the corner, and a bit of everything else. The Cavs were +19 while Mo was on the court, trailing only Love (+24) and LeBron (+21).
24 in 27 — Jahlil Okafor looks like a ballplayer. The kid (he’s 19 years old) scored 24 points in 27 minutes, shooting 11-of-21 from the field. In time he’ll need to learn to pass — he had as many assists as you did Monday — but for now he is the rare go-to option on the Philadelphia roster. He has a burly drop step down low, showed some ballhandling in the midrange, and generally looks like a talented NBA big man.
14, 8, 3 — Nerlens Noel’s game is quite different from Okafor, but he flashed some NBA skills too. He’s thin but springy, and scored most of his 14 points at the rim. He’s learning when, where, and how to cut off of his teammates, and he is as quick a leaper as anyone in the league. Toss in eight rebounds and three blocks, and you’ve got yourself a solid little ballgame.
12 on 4-of-5 — THE CHAMP IS HERE. James Jones had one of his good nights shooting, as he hit 4-of-5 threes to finish with a dozen points. He entered the game in the second quarter and made one three. He returned in the third quarter and knocked down two more. The last came in the game’s waning moments, after Philadelphia made a charge to get within six points. The Sixers didn’t foul, Delly sent a screamer to Jones in the corner, and he canned one last shot to put the Cavs up nine with 15.8 seconds to go.
One other note: As though the Cavs needed another backcourt injury, J.R. Smith left the game in the first quarter with a knee contusion. It seems to have resulted from a tangling with Philly forward Nerlens Noel. Stand by for further updates.
Blatt says J.R. Smith hurt his knee when he locked legs with Nerlens Noel. "We're anxiously waiting to see how he responds tonight."
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 3, 2015
8 Comments
Cavaliers first quarter was the worst by far this season but they picked it up and closed the first half down single digits. They were giving up a lot of penetration and not defending the paint at all. Second half the defense came to play not to mention another solid contribution by the bench this time in the form of James Jones. Mo Williams bounced back to have a nice game to go with LBJ and Love. I can’t wait until KI comes back having Mo coming off the bench will be great.
Mo could have been the 6th man of the year this season, but i’m not sure he’ll get the nod since he is starting so much. Not that it would be against the rules but maybe the voters won’t see him in that light. He’s the Delonte West of this team – the guy who isn’t afraid to wave-off LeBron and call an actual play. Love Mo.
Also, all it took was the same thing it took last year: effort. Nobody is as talented as this team, and if they give near-max effort they will win the East.
I think Cunningham is our secret weapon, and one of the big motivators off the bench. Just proves that were loaded 1-15 and any one of those guys can step up if it’s their night.
Only saw the first half but could sense what was coming, having watched the 2010-12 Cavs play the Sixers’ part so many times.
Agree Okafor has that look. A few times Love looked stunned at the footwork, smoothness and power as the teen took him to school. And Varajao’s first and only game minutes reeked of a guy who stayed out too late after the team flight landed. Just embarrassing, and the look on Blatt’s face before he pulled him was priceless. Whatevs, such is life early in a tedious NBA season.
In honor of LeBron’s milestone, let’s try to remember the target LeBron had on his back at the start of his rookie season. So easy to forget how upset some fans and other players were about his $90M shoe contract, and the veiled and not-so-veiled threats dudes were making to reporters. And he came and dominated anyway from his first game. The Decision was an epically atrocious, hubris-drenched fiasco, but on the other hand LeBron has never been arrested or scandalized despite being under the strongest of microscopes. And he’s just been balling and continually improving since day 1. Yes, he’s blessed with amazing physical talent but the reason he’s first to 25K is because he earned it.
I think Mo is going to be good for Kyrie too. Their games are actually fairly similar even though Kyrie has moves Williams only dreams of. Finding the right balance of drive, shoot, pass and the experience of how to set up teammates with that style of play is something only another guard can really show/teach Irving, and he’s never had a guard on the roster with the experience and pedigree of Williams to mentor him. (Livingston was a one-time blue chip and reasonably experienced, but their styles are vastly different)
Ironically Philly traded for Cunningham last season and cut him two days later. I still think he’s going to have to spend a ton of time developing consistent shooting mechanics (if he even can) before he’ll be a well rounded NBA player who can play meaningful rotation minutes, but I love his defensive energy. This team has enough scorers that somebody like that can actually be on the court without being an offensive liability. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him play some meaningful minutes against teams who have big-time scoring backcourts just for the perimeter defense. If he can get free on a drive and put a few points in from close range it’s just bonus.
I didn’t like the way the Cavs came out perhaps it was the extra days off or the fact they were playing the 76ers but they got it together when it counted. The final score didn’t convey how well in hand the Cavs had the game.
I agree if they give the effort and play with their heads they should have more then enough talent to deal with anyone in the east. And most teams in the west. I watched Golden State humiliate Memphis last night. It made what the Cavs did to the Grizzlies look compassionate. I just can’t wait until the Cavs have everyone back. Then we’ll see what they can really do. But right now I’m loving the way Blatt is orchestrating games whether it’s his substitutions or game flow. Kevin Love is being utilized everywhere on the court now including down on the post. It was beautiful to see.
JR Smith will miss next two games with right knee contusion, quadriceps tendinitis so it looks like we’ll see a lot more from Delly and Cunningham. I’m also guessing we might see RJ play some two as well.