Cavalier Film Room: Switch-happy on the screen
April 18, 2015Cavs Big Win, Tebow Back and Patent Trolls: While We’re Waiting…
April 20, 2015Boston Celtics – 100
Cleveland Cavaliers – 113
Cavaliers lead series 1-0
‘Twas a Sunday afternoon in Quicken Loans Arena, when King James looked down upon the gathering horde of vicious, sinister Celtics clawing at the gates of his kingdom looking to quench an insatiable thirst for Cavalier blood. King James strapped his battle armor to his chest tighter than it had been in many months, his dark beard telling tales of many skirmishes past. He looked at Sir Kyrie Irving to his left and Lord Kevin Love to his right, and with the wisdom and familiarity of a veteran of many basketball battles, proclaimed, “So it begins… .”
The Cavaliers began what promises to be a dramatic filled playoff campaign with a statement 13-point victory (and cover, I might add) over a determined Boston Celtics team that will make them earn every inch they move in this series. We know the quest began successfully, but how did our fellowship do so? Let’s tell the tale Behind the Box Score of Celtics-Cavs: Chapter One.
30 – Kyrie Irving presented a convincing opening statement that he was prepared for the playoffs. Irving scored 30 points — a figure that only 20 players had reached before him in their playoff debuts — which is second only to James’ 32 points as the Cavalier record for a debut. Irving becomes only the fourth player to score 30 points with five or fewer free throw attempts in his first career playoff game, doing nearly all of his damage by being deadly precise from the field. Irving made 11 of his 21 field goal attempts and started 5-of-5 from on three-point field goal attempts. The most important fact about Irving’s 30 points was that 20 came in the first half. The Cavaliers offense started slowly on Sunday, and Irving sustained the offense with some circus three-pointers and nifty layups. He was aggressive, splitting double teams and using his ball-handling to mesmerize Celtic defenders. Then he put an exclamation point on the first half with a “I’ve done this before” three-pointer whose swish sounded simultaneously with the halftime buzzer. If Cavs fans really want to gripe, they could moan about Irving’s measly two assists, but he mostly played off the ball, and was so efficient offensively that it would be a silly criticism. Kyrie Irving erased all questions over whether he was mentally prepared for the playoffs. It was impossible not to feel that you were watching a special player grow up right in front of you on Sunday afternoon.
10 – It’s hard to pick out a number that provides an excuse to expound what LeBron James provided to the Cavs on Sunday, in what was a strangely uneven but mostly excellent game from him. So, James’ 10 hockey assists (assists plus secondary assists) will have to suffice, which demonstrate how he distributed the ball effectively throughout Game 1.1 Even tough Kyrie Irving was the more spectacular scorer on Sunday, the offense still ran through James. James touched the ball 107 times, 17 more than any other Cavalier. James passed on 79 times of those 107 opportunities, attempting only 18 field goals. He established the tone early by playing extremely aggressive perimeter defense that, although it didn’t result in many turnovers, established a mentality that would eventually disrupt the Celtics offense enough to keep them uncomfortable for much of the second half. James then intentionally slowed the game down so that the Cavaliers were able to focus on transition defense once they had a double-digit lead. Though it wasn’t James’ best game, he’s still the floor general for the Cavaliers, he still routinely made those impossible cross-court passes out of double teams that lead to open shots, and he still put up with a lot of contact near the hoop that would result in a called foul for any other player in the league. It bodes well that the Cavs won a game by 13 in which James made 20 points, six rebounds, and seven assists seem like no big deal. Oh, and he dunked from a foot inside the free throw line because he’s superhuman.
+15 – In his playoff debut on Sunday, Kevin Love had the best plus-minus on the Cavaliers. It’s easy to look at his 5-of-14 shooting total and jump to hasty conclusions, but Love did a lot in Sunday’s game that thoroughly impressed me. He was huge on the boards, played effective defense even when forced to switch on smaller players, backed guys down to force his way to the line, and showed a level of toughness and focus that made me think, “Okay, this guy’s going to be alright.” Love just always seems to make the correct decision on offense; always making the most prudent pass. Love added four assists to his 18-point, 12-rebound double-double, and hopefully the shooting numbers will eventually be rewarded by his efforts.
46 to 34 – The Cavaliers out-rebounded the Celtics 46 to 34 on Sunday, in what was probably the difference in the game. All the Cavaliers did an excellent job of hunting balls that had careened off the rim, but Love, Tristan Thompson, and Timofey Mozgov stood above the rest (and in more ways than one). The Cavs had 15 offensive boards compared to the Celtics’ seven. One of my biggest criticisms I have with Blatt’s rotations is that he doesn’t “go big” often enough, relying too much on the Cavs small lineups. The Celtics want the Cavs to go small, and I would love to see more big lineups with Love-Thompson, Love-Mozgov, and Thompson-Mozgov, to bully the Celtics on the boards, because I don’t think the Celtics are prepared to play that way. I would even like to see an experiment with Love, Thompson, and Mozgov on the floor at once, with Love at the three. But that might be a little radical because (unless I’m mistaken), the three of them haven’t played together all season.
33-to-17 – The Cavaliers started slowly before a 33-to-17 run from the 10:23 mark in the second quarter until the end of the half turned the game around. The Cavs are in a uniquely precarious situation in the playoffs, because if things go sour in Game 1, it could quickly spoil the feeling of optimism surrounding the team. The Celtics proved early that they were unafraid of the Cavs, perhaps showing that this series won’t be as short as many critics thought. The Celtics played good team basketball and pesky team defense early, scoring 31 points in the opening frame. The Celtics didn’t waste possessions and played hard on defense, hinting that they’re capable of stealing a game or two. The Cavaliers kept a level head, going on a demoralizing second quarter run that was the product of great team basketball and consistent effort; treating every possession as preciously as the Celtics did in the first quarter. The run took the Cavaliers all the way from eight points down to eight points up, a 16-point turnaround that allowed the Cavaliers to clampdown, settle, and grind through the second half. Most importantly, it allowed everyone in the Q to breathe a heavy sigh of relief and unclench their sphincters after the slow start. Now that the Cavs have played through the first game jitters, they ought to be play a little looser and free come Tuesday for Game 2. And that’s how the battle for the Eastern Conference began… .
- The number of secondary assists is “the quantity of passes made by a player to the player who earned an assist on a made shot. Assister must make a pass within 2 seconds and 1 dribble for passer to earn a secondary assist.” The total of assists and secondary assists are sometimes called “hockey assists,” because two different players can get an assist in hockey, where credit is based on the players who touched the puck last. James had seven assists and three secondary assists on Sunday. [↩]
37 Comments
Maybe it’s just me, but they worked pretty hard for that 13 point win.
And only 23 minutes for Mozgov? WTF?
The Lebron breakaway thunder dunk went off the Boston players head right? I felt like we didn’t get the replay we deserved on that.
Pretty close to how I thought the game was going to go. BOS feisty at the start and then no counters for the most part.
It wasn’t as close as the final score plus it was their first game. Cavaliers just have way to much more talent. Defense needs to show up sooner and in a much more dominant presence game two.
Great seeing the first time playoff duo of Irving and Love show up while LBJ all but coasted. JR Smith was MIA and the Cavaliers still won by 13. Good sign.
The defense shows up when Mozgov is on the court.
I liken Mozgov to more of an eraser he makes up for teammates breakdowns but Blatt stuck with his usual substitution pattern which has Timo riding the pine in the fourth. I’m more surprised in Stevens who took Zeller out after he had a great first quarter against Mozgov. Playoffs are about adjustments so lets see what happens in game two.
Have not watched a ton of cavs, just when they are on nationally, but Love seemed to work really hard. Got to see as I didn’t get that impression earlier in the season.
Irving is getting to be my fav cav of all time.
It should be a fun postseason. But that announce team today, yikes.
That was an effort that will get us beat by the better teams. Fortunately, Boston is Boston: young, feisty, but not ready to hang with a team like the Cavs over the long term. They shot the lights out (though some pretty terrible defense by the home team didn’t help early) and still lost by double digits. It was far from perfect, but there were stretches from this team that looked as good as they have all season. If we can bring the consistency, there are few teams capable of taking 4 of 7 from us.
I expected quality from Kyrie, but that was something special. And aside from the early shooting struggles, that is exactly the sort of effort I expected from Love since the day he arrived. Twitter nearly combusted from the hot takes, but 19 and 12 while hustling all over the court? Kevin Love is a great piece to have in this team. My biggest criticism is directed at Shump, who was flat-out bad from start to finish. Fortunately, with this roster, that can happen and not hurt too badly.
Here’s hoping for a quick wrap to this series, while Bucks-Bulls goes the distance.
You mean the Boston cheerleaders? Yeah, that was rough.
15 more
Slight disagreement – I think the effort was there, I think the execution needed work, but was pretty much exactly what I expected in game 1 of the playoffs against an inferior team. Lebron set the tone early and I think the rest of the guys picked up on it and fed off it. This series is a just tune-up for things to come.
I’m guessing that’s how a lot of people feel about Love – they don’t understand how hard he’s working. They see his FG% or that he’s scoring half what he did in Minny and make assumptions (not saying that’s what you did, just generalizing). But he still crashes like he wants every rebound possible. He makes team plays like the extra pass (that get misconstrued that he doesn’t want to shoot) or taking a big charge (can’t remember the opponent, but he did it midway through the season when his back was really flaring up). That’s exactly what this team needs, and if his shots start to fall (like they did in the second half Sunday), he’ll fit in just fine here (see what I did there?). The biggest question will be whether or not he’s ok with that role…but no need to worry about that until June.
His fire in the playoff game to me was a lot more than I have been seeing this season. Posting up more and going toward the rim to take it up strong, battling for rebounds, going after balls; I just have not seen that to this point. I did not see him much in Minnesota, but I was impressed yesterday. I know the potential is there, but all in all, I think he needs to have fun. If he is happy and having fun, I don’t think we need to worry about what happens next season. I was thinking about him on the drive in this morning, and if he does end up leaving, I think we can find someone to fill his spot. He is a beast, but I don’t think we are using him to his full potential (we don’t need to), so if he leaves, I think we can find someone else to contribute.
Get used to it. I think everyone is going to be anti-cavs. It used to upset me, but I laugh at it now. Enjoy it.
If the Cavs can get that from Love 3 games a series, the Cavs should win the championship. I knew Kyrie and LeBron would do their thing. Last night, Love showed all the doubters how important he will be to this run.
This game did everything I hoped it would: let the newbies gradually dip their toes in playoff vibe enough to give them a taste and some confidence for the much greater tests ahead. Much respect to Marion and Jones for coming in and doing what they needed and stepping back out.
Just two tweaks I think they still need this series: 1) Someone get J.R. to calm way down when the refs don’t please him. Don’t go bat-guano dude, we need you to keep accessing your normal side; 2) Timofey, go up with full power EVERY time. Uncontested alley-oops are not the rule this time of year. We’ll need both these guys with their minds right against the Bulls.
Just mho, but JR got bullied by one particular ref. He did commit fouls, but it was like he had blinders on for the same exact thing on the opposite end of the floor for JRs guy. Then, that same ref tells JR to tuck in his shirt. Why Just JR’s shirt? It seemed to me those two had a history. Then JR just went all out and purposefully knocked Olynak (sp?) on his dupa as if to say, “Fine. You’re gonna ring me up every trip down the floor, I”ll give you something to ring me up.”
That seemed to fire up the cavaliers. I’m sure my glimpsing thought on this is far fetched right?
Well they are obligated to play KL and let’s just say his 5-14 shooting didn’t help much.
You forgot the 12 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL and just 1 TO.
LoL Tommy wasn’t doing the game but that’s the ESPN/ABC group just be thankful Jon Barry wasn’t on the broadcast.
It’s probably because they’re the type of play to get lots of replay time, but is it just me or do the Cavs take (and make) a rather insanely high proportion of quarter-ending shots? It doesn’t feel like it’s 50% and it doesn’t feel like they’re making a regular FG% on them, but an insanely high %.
I’ve experienced enough Jon Berry to know that, at that point, the mute button is the only way to go.
I tuned into Warriors-Pelicans game just in time to hear the following, “Chicago Bulls are the most talented team in the East,” said Barry. His partner replied, “Really, what about Cleveland?” Barry responded, “The Bulls just need to improve their chemistry.”
That is the prototypical Jon Barry insight. Make a statement when questioned don’t answer make another statement. On top of that how do you improve chemistry in the playoffs? If you haven’t already established some chemistry after 82 games I highly doubt much happens in a best of 7 series.
I didn’t list his entire stat line nor did I mention the fact that he is a defensive liability…always has been and always will be. He learned how to fill the stat line, but that does not make him a winner.
I actually thought he played a solid game. I also think he’s a winner. Call me crazy.
It sure won’t hurt. I was disappointed with JR and Mozgov. I can’t figure out why Mozgov has such a problem holding/catching the basketball yet when it comes to alley-oop passes he excels. Maybe he just needs to keep the ball above his waste I don’t know.
The referees took JR out of the game. I liked that interplay where the ref told Smith to tuck his jersey in because LBJ yelled at Junior to do it as well. I’m surprised nobody fouled out. There were 9 combined fouls in the first 6 minutes thankfully the rest of the game wasn’t so bad.
That’s what makes the world go around, but you might want to talk to a few Timberwolves fans. I’m just a Trailblazer fan smarting from a beat down!
Blame the Minnesota front office not Love he couldn’t do it by himself and neither will Wiggins just watch.
Wiggins is a two way player that you can build a team around. Love at best is a complimentary player who can help if you have a player to build around. As far a basketball players go, if not already, soon Wiggins will be far more important than Love. I believe Cleveland made a very bad mistake trading Wiggins. They mortgaged their future for (maybe) instant gratification. I’m glad they did, now we will see if Minnesota is capable of developing a winning ball club. I’m talking about producing 50 game winners on a consistent basis not championships. Make no mistake, surround LaBron James with a couple high quality players and a few good roll players and you will win championships. He plays a different game than that of the mere mortals in the NBA.
Wiggins isn’t a two way player I watched him enough to know his defensive reputation was left in college. He’s a scorer on a bad team. Minnesota isn’t going anywhere. Meanwhile Love is here and the Cavaliers are in the playoffs for the first time in four years. I was fine with the trade and remain fine with it. If Love is here next year I’m willing to bet he has a much better season then this past one. It won’t be like his days in Minnesota but it will be better then his first year as a Cavalier.
Time will tell.
It always does. Minnesota will take steps if they add players to go with Wiggins but they never did it with Love so I wouldn’t hold my breath. Meanwhile in Cleveland the Cavaliers win 50+ games take the #2 seed and find themselves in the playoffs. If for some reason this season ends with anything less then a title and Love leaves I’m still not ready to call it quits. You take the money you would have paid Love you resign Thompson, you look for one or two free agents and you use your first round draft pick. Don’t forget Varejao will be back next year. If the Cavaliers can fill the starting PF position with Love or a replacement and still be able to bring Thompson and Varejao off the bench I won’t mind.
Totally agree! I have really enjoyed watching him play the last few seasons (I still watch that last-second 3 vs the Raptors in 2013 – “Shoot it, Mr Irving!”), but this season has really brought out his best. He’s purely a magician and I found myself watching the games this season just to see what he did.
Buckets