LeBron on turnovers: “I suck.”
March 7, 2015Brian Hoyer reportedly headed to the Houston Texans
March 9, 2015Phoenix Suns 79
Cleveland Cavaliers 89
Box Score
An evening after being beaten up inside in a loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Hawks, the Cavs hosted a Phoenix Suns team on the wrong side of the Western Conference playoff bubble. The Suns’ trade deadline day moves appeared to make them worse in the short-term, but they won two straight on the road before coming to Cleveland.1 Phoenix entered the game playing at the second-fastest pace in the league (trailing only the Golden State Warriors) and a top-ten rank in offensive efficiency, and that roadrunning style is a challenge for any foe on the tail end of a back-to-back.
The game got tight late, but the Cavs were ready for the challenge early, as they led 30-24 at the end of the first period. They were led by a hot start from Kevin Love, as the fellow in the No. 0 shirt scored nine points via three long balls; the Cavs made 4-of-5 triples in the opening frame overall. The team assisted on 9 of their 12 field goals in the quarter, including a Love three off of a lovely crossover-into-pass from J.R. Smith.
The good guys pulled away in the second quarter behind swarming defense and dogged rebounding. Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov were like bouncers in the paint, and a Phoenix side missing 7-footer Alex Len could do little about it. The Cavs began the period with a 11-2 run, and held the Suns scoreless for over seven minutes. Cleveland’s offense slowed down from its early pace, and Kyrie Irving was given substantial rest in the first half, but the Cavs did enough to extend their lead and take a 16-point advantage into the intermission.
Phoenix’s struggles continued after halftime, the Suns’ frustration manifested itself in lazy passing and careless hands. They shot like they were playing with medicine balls, and the Wine and Gold were all too happy to reap the rewards as they turned the contest into a laugher. Everything was working: Mozgov finished lobs, Thompson cleaned the glass, and LeBron did everything, The Cavs’ passing became more artful as their lead grew, culminating with this brilliant Irving-to-Love-to-James-sequence:
With the Cavs holding a 80-52 lead after three periods, the fourth quarter was merely a formality. It seemed that way, at least; the Suns began the final period on an 11-0 run, inspiring David Blatt to bring back the starters and apply more glue to Kendrick Perkins’ seat on the bench. Despite that hot start, the Cavs owned a 20-point lead with six minutes to play, and with LeBron and friends on the floor, there was still little question as to the outcome.
That seemed to be the case, anyway, until the Suns cut the deficit to 10 with three minutes to play,2 and suddenly things felt tense at the Q. But the Cavs calmed down, the Suns made some mistakes they could not afford to, and the entrances of Joe Harris and Mike Miller confirmed that the game was in hand.
The Cavs would have been happier to finish the job more comfortably, but a double-digit win against a Western Conference opponent after traveling on a back-to-back can be considered nothing other than a success.
40 to 24: The Cavs’ advantage in points in the paint. After being outscored in the lane 54-24 by Atlanta, it was encouraging to see the Cavs recover and establish control inside. Only one Sun shot better than 50 percent from the floor, Phoenix shot 35.7 percent overall, and their starters shot worse than 31 percent. The Cavaliers played terrific defense inside right from the start, and that set the tone for the evening.
6-of-8, 7-of-8: Timofey Mozgov’s field goal and free throw shooting numbers. Mozzie scored 19 tidy points in 25 minutes, feasting on a diet of alley-oops and layups against an overmatched Phoenix front line. He was effective on defense as well. He did not block any shots, but he contested heaps of them and was a significant factor in the Suns’ mid-game struggles.
Given his production and the Cavs’ comfortable margin, it is a bit odd that Mozgov didn’t play more minutes. David Blatt has favored other big men down the stretch of close games, but this was not a close game. Perhaps the coach wants to preserve his big Russian as much as possible?
In closing, #FreeMozzie.
2: Kevin Love’s second-half points scored, of 13 total. I bring this statistic up only to state that it says precious little of Love’s impact on this game. He only took six shots, but his passing was consistently incisive3 and he grabbed 10 rebounds. He played much better defense than he did in the Cavs’ last matchup with Phoenix, when Markieff Morris scored 35 points, a great many of which were right in Kevin’s icy blue eyes.
I would guess that Love wants to shoot and score more. I would guess that it’s still strange for him spending so much time off the ball. But worrying about such things underplays the fact that he is still a damn good basketball player, and an especially sharp one on offense. His passes are often exactly where they need to be, as when he bulleted an entry pass from the top of the key straight into Mozgov’s extended right hand in the third quarter, out of which Timo got two foul shots. It was a fine game from the UCLA Bruin.
4-of-22, 18 percent: Phoenix’s second quarter shooting numbers, which largely took them out of the game. The Suns drove into the teeth of the Cavs’ defense time and again, but lacked the ingenuity or size to score over the long arms of Mozgov, Thompson, and company. Phoenix missed all five of their three-point tries, and only managed 13 points in the period. Were it not for a late surge (to use the term loosely) of seven points in the final three minutes, the Suns could have been held to single digits.
7-of-25, 28 percent: Phoenix’s third quarter shooting numbers. I’m telling you, they were really, really, really bad on offense for most of the game.
8: Tristan Thompson’s offensive rebound total. The Canadian (who was mic’d up for the telecast) attacked the backboards with his usual manic zeal, and he played a splendid overall game. He finished with 12 total rebounds and 16 points, and made his first five shots. He committed just one turnover and made all three of his free throws. Tristan has been very good all year long, and his ceaseless hustle is both a delight to watch and a pain in the ass of his opponents. His energy helped sap that of the Suns in the second and third quarters.
8 and 0: Kendrick Perkins’ minutes played and fouls committed. This may be the most impressive stat combination of the night, as Perk entered the game having barged himself into 10 fouls in 29 minutes as a Cavalier. He was also 0-for-3 and posted a minus-15 for the night. Love you, Perk.
2 Comments
I don’t gamble anymore but noticed the 10.5 Vegas line on this game… sorry to the guys who were happy with that late 3rd quarter 30-point lead…
Just a few about this one:
– How sick must Love have felt when they ran a second half post play for … J.R. Smith? Insensitive at best. Hope they don’t expect Love to show a deft touch on post plays in the playoffs when they’ve intentionally rusted him out all season long.
-Mozgov must have felt like he was a 15 year old in gymnasium again. When he was 6’8″ and his classmates were 5’5.”
– The Suns’ comeback meant nothing. The Cavs were dead in the 4th quarter of 4 games in 5 nights. Their eyes looked like those of fish in the display case.