Ohio State offense struggles early, buries the Golden Gophers, 28-14
November 8, 2015
Johnny Starter, Pettine’s Hot Seat and John Oliver goes all in on Dan Snyder: While We’re Waiting…
November 9, 2015Indiana Pacers (3-4) 97
Cleveland Cavaliers (6-1) 101
Great news, everyone! The Browns didn’t lose this Sunday! What a relief. This means that there was also a 3.4-4 hour sadness void in everyone’s Sunday that I hope everyone put to good use. It was a pleasant-looking autumnal day in Cleveland, Ohio, perfect for leave-raking or pumpkin-patching or fall-strolling or coffee shop-ing. Or maybe just watching more football. All are good choices.
Anyway, the Cleveland Cavaliers filled the sports void with a 3:30 tip time that hopefully completed everyone’s Sunday afternoon. Their matchup with the Indiana Pacers was pleasant enough, without all the heavy implications that late season, nationally televised games have. It’s also challenging to summon the energy for Sunday afternoon games, given that NBA players’ biological clocks are more accustomed to waking the body up at 8 p.m. “Hey, what’s with all this running and jostling around, shouldn’t we napping right now?”
Perhaps this biological alarm clock is what we can attribute the Cavs slow start to on Sunday. It didn’t seem to be a lack of effort. But, as we have seen this week, evidence is collecting that shows the Cavs are a second half team. It was enough to beat the Pacers on Sunday, but let’s take a peek behind the box score and see how the Cavaliers escaped with a W.
22, 19 & 3 – After starting the season hot, Kevin Love had a fairly ho-hum week, as far as mega-productive All-Star power forwards go. He was largely ineffectual in the first half on Sunday (three points on 1-of-6 shooting), before popping off in the second half. With 9:47 left in the third quarter, Love missed a gimme layup that he could hit in with his nose like a sea lion. Undaunted, Love tipped in a ball 30 seconds later after another missed layup of his own. On the next possession, he blocked a Pacer shot attempt, ran the floor, and earned a reverse layup off a Mo Williams assist.
After that, Love’s shots started falling and the ball started to find him. With the Cavs up only one score with 27 seconds left, Love juked Lavoy Allen out of his jock strap after cutting across the lane and flipping his hips back toward the basket. LeBron James found him with a laser pass for the game-clinching score. (Video below.) Love then had a rare dunk on the next possession after the Cavs broke the Pacer press fractions of a second before an eight-second violation. Love exploded for 19 points and 12 rebounds in the second half, finishing with 22 points, 19 rebounds, and three blocks — it was only the 11th three-block game of his career, and his first since last December. It was Love’s third straight double-double, tying him with Russell Westbrook and Andre Drummond for the most in the NBA at five. Credit to Love for turning around his game with high energy plays in the second half, saving what was a very lose-able game for the Cavaliers.
1 – LeBron James does have two hands, but he only needed his left hand to make a superb pass to hit Richard Jefferson for a corner three, one that Jefferson drained. James is known for his passing ability, but it’s not often that he shows off his throwing ability with his off-hand. Just an average assist for the best player in the word, right? James finished with only four assists (well below his season average of 7.4), but did have 29 points.
https://vine.co/v/el7lDuz1VBV
32, 11 & 6 – Paul George finished with 32 points, which you can tolerate against the Pacers. However, he points came by way of 11-of-21 shooting, as Richard Jefferson had a lot of trouble even bothering George, who seems intent on reminding the league that he’s one of the ten best players in the league after missing all of last season with a broken leg. It makes you wonder why Blatt didn’t give more minutes to Jared Cunningham after he started on Friday, and probably would have had a better chance of annoying George than Jefferson (and, to some extent, LeBron James). George added 11 rebounds and six assists.
Monta Ellis also tormented the Cavs all day with midrange jumpers off the pick-and-roll, adding 25 points of his own. The Pacers are a good team, and George and Ellis are lethal, but the main reason they won’t compete with the Cavs in the Eastern Conference is no frontcourt scoring: the Pacers frontcourt had a grand total of 19 points.1 Myles Turner showed some promising footwork and range on 3-of-4 shooting — I expect he’ll see more minutes in the future.
0 – Anderson Varejao seemed to be a healthy scratch Sunday afternoon. Whether it was just a game to rest or something unreported happened the injury-prone center, Varejao didn’t play a single second in the Cavaliers win over Indiana. Before Sunday, the Brazilian played in all six games so far this season, averaging nine minutes per contest.
1 – Mozzy Bear made his first three-point field goal as a Cav on Sunday, off an assist from Dellavedova in the corner. It was only the seventh made three-pointer of his career. I’ve been saying all year: the KEY to the Cavs’ success this season is Mozgov’s corner three-point shooting! SHOOT IT MOZZY!!!!!!
6 – The Cavs winning streak is now up to six games. Not bad for a team missing one of the league’s most prolific scorers and three of its guards. This kid in the wizard costume2 is obviously excited. I know the Cavs have a huge following in the wizarding community. Weren’t Gryffindor’s colors wine and gold?
16 Comments
“This means that there was also a 3.4-4 hour sadness void in everyone’s Sunday that I hope everyone put to good use”
Nope, I’m a Spartan fan and play fantasy football. I’ve been on an out of control heartbreak train for the past few days. Didn’t want to let go of my Clevelandness this weekend, ya know?
Crew won though. That was nice.
I think the Cavs are toying with opponents so far this season because they look like they are going to blow teams out only to let them back in the game before playing lock down defense late to put the game away. Despite the final scores in these victories the games haven’t been that close.
On another note…Andre Drummond is one bad mutha! Someone who comments around here talked about how the Cavs should have drafted him and boy were they right.
Talk about court vision oh my…
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/11/8/9693292/lebron-james-showed-off-his-x-ray-vision-by-throwing-a-one-handed
But we got Waiters!
Loved this game. Maybe Love started slightly listless but the Cavs moved the ball well in the first half but just missed a lot of wide open jumpers that would have knocked the Pacers on their heels. A few things:
– The Pacers treated this game like a playoff game, just like Utah will tomorrow. They won the early 50/50 balls as Paul George and all of them tried to make a statement. I didn’t think the Cavs were lazy so much as they are still adjusting to being the opponent others circle on the calendar. Once Kyrie and Shump come back the Cavs will come at teams in waves, with J.R. and Mo and TT going at the opponent’s second team. That should knock even playoff teams on their rear.
– Criticizing Blatt for not putting Cunningham on George – man, this coach gets worked over like an archeologist picks at the dead sea scrolls. George looks physically dominant again and had that look in his eye. In the NBA certain stars are going to get theirs. Sheesh.
– Delly somehow found time to improve. Not sure when, given that he exited the playoffs a limp rag in late June, then played for the Aussies. His shot looks better, the game seems slower for him, and he’s still just as obnoxious on defense.
Waiters led to JR and Shump too!
Anthony Bennett led to Love!
Blatt is asking the team to extend a lead when he takes LBJ out (roughly 8:00-4:00 remaining in 4Q) and twice they havent done it. He’s trying to get him more rest but the rest of the team keeps giving away the leads.
Heh, about as much as the 2nd rounder did.
I’ll admit I didn’t want Drummond. WRONG! I did prefer Barnes over Waiters, though, so I think at least I can still claim superior couch-drafting status, lol.
Barnes was also the guy I settled on but I was really hoping they would have traded down because I didn’t care for any of the top guys. Drummond included. As you said, wrong!
It’s weird to watch what happens because it’s not just one thing like turning the ball over they just make dumb decisions as a group. Lets be honest this pattern is ok when you are playing Philadelphia and New York but they better not to do this routine against the better teams even with as much talent as they have and will have in another month.
I believe that the Cavs said, “If you want Wiggins, you have to take Bennett too!”
Once JR is back, I think we’re going to see some players start sitting out rotationally. I wouldnt be surprised to see Lebron sit out a game here within 10 days.
I don’t know if LBJ will need to sit out an entire game this soon yet I mean really he hasn’t had to go hard for an entire game hardly at all yet. But I agree once JR is back things will get back to at least plan b. I just can’t wait for Shump then of course KI. People keep forgetting Cavs are playing without their starting backcourt so far all year.