May 19, 2013

Do the Cavaliers Need LeBron James to Contend Again?

March 26, 2013 by 27 Comments

LeBron James and Kyrie IrvingIn the podcast I did with Craig over the weekend, we talked a bit about the Miami Heat winning streak and whether it’s actually as impressive as it seems. Now, don’t get me wrong, winning 27 straight games in the NBA is always impressive. I cannot emphasize this enough…Their run is amazing.

Yet, I still can’t help but feel underwhelmed by it when I look at the rest of the NBA. I think this is a one team league right now. We can debate whether that’s more about the dominance and greatness of Miami or more about the lackluster play of the rest of the Association. I personally think a team doing this in the late 80s/early 90s when every team had a star would have been more impressive. In this current climate where all the stars are migrating to a select few teams, it has created a situation where Miami can beat arguably 85% of the other teams without breaking a sweat.

But even on those teams who have been arms race winners (Clippers, Knicks, Lakers), only the Clippers are really a threat to Miami 1 . Instead, it’s the two home-grown teams (Thunder and Spurs) who appear to be the biggest threats to the Heat’s throne. [Read more...]

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  1. and probably not a serious threat even at their best [back]

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Box Score: Hornets 100, Cavaliers 105

February 20, 2013 by 20 Comments

The Cleveland Cavaliers made their ESPN debut with Kyrie Irving tonight, and Kyrie did not fail to deliver a performance worthy of the event.

The New Orleans Hornets (who I will refer to as Pelicans from here on out because I can’t wait for it to be official) aren’t a good basketball team, but for most of the evening, the game was a back and forth affair. It started out sloppy and the teams played evenly through the first half.

In the 3rd quarter, the Cavaliers built a 10 point lead before their typical late quarter collapse allowed the Pelicans to tie the game before taking the lead after 3. After some sloppy back and forth play in the 4th quarter and with the Pelicans defense stiffing the Cavaliers offense, Kyrie came back in with 7 minutes left.

The rest of the game belonged to Kyrie. Irving did a little bit of everything, distributing to teammates, grabbing rebounds, taking charges, and yeah, scoring. A lot. And in often spectacular fashion. Irving scored 20 points in the 4th quarter en route to finishing with 35 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Dion Waiters picked up where he left off toward the end of the first half of the season with 16 points on 60% shooting from the floor and Tristan Thompson came 1 point short of another double double. But this evening belonged to Kyrie Irving. The night began with Bill Simmons saying he thinks Kyrie has a chance to be the best pure PG of all time, and it ended with Irving putting on a show for everyone in the country who hasn’t seen him play a Cavaliers game yet. The hype keeps growing and growing for Kyrie, and so far he’s lived up to it. This was just a really fun night for Cavs fans.

 

 

New Orleans

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Greivis Vasquez
 G 38:49 5-13 1-5 2-2 -7 0 4 8 4 0 1 1 2 13
Austin Rivers
 G 30:55 5-11 1-1 0-0 -6 1 4 2 0 0 0 1 5 11
Robin Lopez
 C 15:33 5-9 0-0 5-6 -18 3 3 0 3 0 0 1 6 15
Al-Farouq Aminu
 F 35:37 1-2 0-0 2-2 -1 2 10 3 0 1 2 0 0 4
Anthony Davis
 F 29:13 2-7 0-0 8-8 -4 2 4 1 1 0 2 0 4 12
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 37-76 7-15 19-22 11 39 16 13 2 6 3 28 100
Percentages .487 .467 .864 Team Rebounds: 6
Ryan Anderson
 28:10 3-11 1-4 0-0 +9 0 3 1 3 0 0 0 1 7
Jason Smith
 23:04 5-9 0-0 2-4 +3 1 6 0 1 1 0 0 4 12
Roger Mason
 20:46 4-5 1-1 0-0 +5 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 9
Brian Roberts
 10:56 7-8 3-4 0-0 -2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 3 17
Xavier Henry
 6:57 0-1 0-0 0-0 -4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Eric Gordon
 DNP – Coach’s Decision
Darius Miller
 DNP – Coach’s Decision
Lance Thomas
 DNP – Coach’s Decision

Cleveland

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Kyrie Irving
 G 36:40 13-22 2-5 7-7 +2 0 5 7 4 2 0 2 1 35
Dion Waiters
 G 28:54 6-10 0-1 4-4 +10 0 0 3 0 1 1 1 1 16
Tyler Zeller
 C 22:06 5-7 0-0 0-0 +6 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 3 10
Tristan Thompson
 F 32:54 2-8 0-0 5-12 +2 5 13 1 2 1 1 0 3 9
Alonzo Gee
 F 28:01 3-7 3-4 1-2 -2 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 10
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 38-77 5-14 24-34 12 34 20 8 6 3 6 18 105
Percentages .494 .357 .706 Team Rebounds: 12
Wayne Ellington
 23:52 1-3 0-2 6-6 -1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 8
Marreese Speights
 18:26 2-7 0-0 0-2 -10 3 6 1 0 0 0 1 2 4
C.J. Miles
 18:10 5-7 0-2 1-1 +1 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 11
Luke Walton
 17:39 0-2 0-0 0-0 +11 0 2 6 0 0 0 0 2 0
Shaun Livingston
 13:18 1-4 0-0 0-0 +6 1 2 2 0 0 0 1 3 2
Omri Casspi
 DNP – Coach’s Decision
Daniel Gibson
 DNP – Coach’s Decision
Kevin Jones
 DNP – Coach’s Decision

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Box Score: Timberwolves 100, Cavaliers 92

February 11, 2013 by 19 Comments

Another frustrating defensive evening for the Cavaliers.

After having their 3 game winning streak snapped Saturday night, the Cavaliers were hoping to hop back on the winning train facing an injury depleted Minnesota Timberwolves team. Instead, the Cavaliers were left scratching their heads, more questions than answers as to how to get stops on defense particularly in the 4th quarter.

The Cavaliers made a nice 1st quarter run and lead for much of the 2nd quarter before Minnesota came back and stole the lead at the half. In the 3rd quarter the Cavaliers looked out of sync and Minnesota appeared on their way to victory. But the Cavaliers bench unit came back and tied the game in the 4th quarter before the Wolves finally pulled away for good. The Cavaliers tried to make one last run, cutting the deficit to 3, before their inability to stop the Wolves came back to haunt them.

Luke Ridnour killed the Cavaliers all night and the Wolves, the NBA’s worst 3 point shooting team, caught fire going 8 of 14 from distance to put away the Cavaliers. Ridnour finished with 21 points and Nikola Pekovic added 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Dion Waiters was aggressive early and finished with 12 points on 6-6 shooting from the field despite surprisingly not playing down the stretch. Tristan Thompson had a nice game with 16 points and 9 rebounds and Wayne Ellington scored 10 off the bench against his old team. Kyrie Irving, who gave the Cavaliers a scare late in the 2nd quarter when he rolled his ankle coming down on an opponent’s foot after hitting a three, lead the team with 20 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds. Irving didn’t look physically hobbled by the ankle in the 2nd half, but he was noticeably less aggressive in the 2nd half.

This was by no means the worst game the Cavaliers played this season, but it was frustrating none the less falling at home to a team missing Kevin Love, Andrei Kirilenko, and Chase Budinger. The Wolves had lost 4 in a row, 10 of 11, and 8 straight on the road coming into this game. Circle this one as a winable game that the Cavaliers let slip away by poor 4th quarter defense. It’s a recurring theme for this season, but until the Cavaliers can force defensive stops in crunch time, these results will continue to repeat themselves.

 

1 2 3 4 T
MIN 25 24 23 28 100
CLE 27 19 19 27 92

 

Minnesota

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Luke Ridnour
 G 37:25 9-14 1-2 2-2 +6 1 4 3 3 1 0 0 2 21
Ricky Rubio
 G 33:14 5-9 1-1 2-2 +3 0 3 10 7 5 0 1 5 13
Nikola Pekovic
 C 40:28 6-14 0-0 4-6 +12 5 10 2 2 2 0 4 0 16
Mickael Gelabale
 F 28:24 3-4 3-3 2-2 +16 2 6 2 1 0 0 0 2 11
Derrick Williams
 F 16:13 4-9 1-2 3-4 +1 0 5 1 1 0 1 0 4 12
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 39-75 8-14 14-17 10 36 25 20 10 6 7 17 100
Percentages .520 .571 .824 Team Rebounds: 5
Dante Cunningham
 31:47 4-9 0-0 0-0 +7 1 4 1 1 1 2 0 2 8
Alexey Shved
 30:13 5-9 1-3 1-1 +5 0 0 3 2 0 2 1 2 12
J.J. Barea
 14:53 2-4 1-3 0-0 -6 0 0 3 3 1 0 0 0 5
Greg Stiemsma
 7:23 1-3 0-0 0-0 -4 1 4 0 0 0 1 1 0 2
Chase Budinger
 DNP – Inactive
Chris Johnson
 DNP – Coach’s Decision
Andrei Kirilenko
 DNP – Strained Right Quadriceps
Malcolm Lee
 DNP – Inactive
Kevin Love
 DNP – Right Hand Injury
Brandon Roy
 DNP – Inactive

Cleveland

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Kyrie Irving
 G 35:49 9-20 1-3 1-2 -14 2 4 7 3 1 0 2 3 20
Dion Waiters
 G 21:09 6-6 0-0 0-0 -6 0 1 1 6 1 0 0 2 12
Tyler Zeller
 C 25:00 0-2 0-1 0-0 -13 0 8 0 2 0 1 0 2 0
Tristan Thompson
 F 33:51 5-12 0-0 6-7 -14 5 9 1 1 4 2 1 2 16
Alonzo Gee
 F 27:26 5-10 1-5 0-2 -11 0 4 2 2 2 0 1 1 11
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 40-79 5-18 7-11 10 32 24 20 12 7 6 15 92
Percentages .506 .278 .636 Team Rebounds: 9
Wayne Ellington
 24:49 4-7 2-3 0-0 -3 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 10
C.J. Miles
 21:10 4-9 1-5 0-0 -2 0 0 2 1 2 1 1 3 9
Marreese Speights
 20:12 5-9 0-0 0-0 +6 2 3 1 3 0 1 1 0 10
Shaun Livingston
 16:25 2-2 0-0 0-0 +11 0 0 4 1 1 2 0 1 4
Luke Walton
 14:09 0-2 0-1 0-0 +6 0 0 4 1 1 0 0 0 0
Omri Casspi
 DNP – Coach’s Decision
Daniel Gibson
 DNP – Coach’s Decision
Kevin Jones
 DNP – Coach’s Decision
Josh Selby
 DNP – Inactive
Anderson Varejao
 DNP – Inactive

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Box Score: Celtics 90, Cavaliers 95

January 22, 2013 by 27 Comments

Boston came into this game hurting. Losers of 3 straight, the Celtics surely looked at this game in Cleveland as a prime opportunity to get things back on track. Kyrie Irving had other ideas.

“Mr 4th Quarter” disguised himself as “Mr 1st Quarter” in this one as he came out looking to make a statement against the East’s All-Star starting PG Rajon Rondo. Irving was aggressive from the beginning and had 19 first quarter points to get the Cavaliers off to a great start and a 1st quarter lead.

After an offensive battle in the first half, the game turned into a defensive battle in the 2nd half, and the Cavaliers rose to the Celtics challenge hanging around with the Celtics. With Boston unable to separate themselves from the Cavaliers, they saw Cleveland take a late 4th quarter lead and down the stretch the Cavaliers made huge plays on both ends of the court to secure the win.

Kyrie was able to switch into Mr 4th Quarter mode as well as he made some enormous plays in the final stanza. He made a hustle steal off a Rondo attempt to save the ball and turned it into an uncontested layup, and he added two huge layups in the final minute to seal the victory.

Don’t overlook the night Tristan Thompson had either. The Celtics frontcourt may not be the feared defensive machine it once was, but Thompson was still active and able to chip in 21 points and 9 rebounds. But the night belonged to Irving who finished with 40 points and 5 assists. It’s really hard to use words to describe just how good Kyrie was in this game. He just continues to get better and to amaze and to give Cavaliers fans a glimpse of a brighter future.

Rondo paced the Celtics with his typical stat stuffing effort with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists and Kevin Garnett added 16 points. Paul Pierce continued his shooting woes and despite hitting his first two shots finished 3-15 from the field for 12 points.

 

1 2 3 4 T
BOS 27 26 20 17 90
CLE 31 23 16 25 95

 

Boston

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Rajon Rondo
 G 37:39 7-17 0-2 3-4 -10 3 13 8 5 0 0 0 2 17
Avery Bradley
 G 25:39 2-4 2-2 1-2 -5 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 3 7
Kevin Garnett
 C 30:40 5-13 0-0 6-6 -3 0 5 3 2 1 5 0 3 16
Paul Pierce
 F 36:49 3-15 1-4 5-6 -8 4 7 7 4 2 0 3 0 12
Brandon Bass
 F 27:33 4-7 0-0 0-0 -7 2 6 1 2 0 0 2 2 8
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 32-84 7-17 19-22 16 48 24 16 5 8 7 18 90
Percentages .381 .412 .864 Team Rebounds: 7
Jared Sullinger
 26:17 5-11 0-0 2-2 -4 5 10 0 0 0 1 1 6 12
Jeff Green
 21:21 1-3 1-2 2-2 +7 0 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 5
Jason Terry
 19:46 2-5 0-2 0-0 +4 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 4
Courtney Lee
 14:16 3-9 3-5 0-0 +1 1 3 2 0 1 0 1 2 9
Leandro Barbosa
 DNP – Coach’s Decision
Jason Collins
 DNP – Coach’s Decision
Chris Wilcox
 DNP – Coach’s Decision

Cleveland

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Kyrie Irving
 G 37:55 16-24 1-3 7-7 +11 0 3 5 5 2 0 1 5 40
Dion Waiters
 G 33:19 3-12 1-4 0-0 +8 1 2 3 0 1 0 1 1 7
Tyler Zeller
 C 37:45 2-10 0-0 2-2 +5 3 10 4 2 0 3 2 6 6
Tristan Thompson
 F 39:39 9-18 0-0 3-3 +9 2 9 5 1 1 1 3 3 21
Alonzo Gee
 F 30:56 3-7 0-1 4-6 +8 1 6 2 0 1 0 0 2 10
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 37-82 2-12 19-22 8 39 28 13 7 7 8 22 95
Percentages .451 .167 .864 Team Rebounds: 9
Luke Walton
 18:00 3-3 0-0 1-2 +2 1 3 7 2 1 0 0 0 7
Shaun Livingston
 17:39 0-2 0-0 2-2 -6 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 2
Daniel Gibson
 14:59 0-3 0-3 0-0 -6 0 2 1 1 1 1 0 3 0
Omri Casspi
 9:48 1-3 0-1 0-0 -6 0 3 0 1 0 1 1 2 2
Kevin Jones
 DNP – Coach’s Decision
C.J. Miles
 DNP – Coach’s Decision

 

 

 

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On the Cavaliers and the Prospects of a Failed Rebuilding Process

January 8, 2013 by 104 Comments

Sometimes you think you know something. And then someone really smart says something that challenges what you think you know, and it makes you look at the subject from an entirely different point of view. And when the context changes, you can sometimes be surprised at what you learn.

I love the WFNY Podcasts that Craig is doing, and by far my two favorite episodes have been the two Brian Spaeth conversations. I don’t know Brian, save for a few Twitter interactions and one email interaction in which he sent me a promotional copy of his movie “Who Shot Mamba?” (which is genuinely funny and really stupid at the same time…it’s great). But I follow him on Twitter and read his website. He has a lot of interesting things to say and generally looks at things from a perspective different from my own.

But what I really remember the most about Brian is his old sports blog, Yay Sports!. Yes, a long time ago (in internet time) Brian wrote this really great basketball blog and I vividly remember reading it, laughing a lot, thinking about basketball from a different perspective, and just being happy that this guy was a fellow Cavs fan. [Read more...]

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The Fine Line Between Losing with a Purpose and Just Plain Losing

January 4, 2013 by 11 Comments

Kyrie Irving is seeing plenty of extra defensive attention this season

It’s no secret that what happens in the 4th quarter often defines a basketball game.

One of the more common criticism of basketball, particularly in the NBA, is that the first 3 quarters are irrelevant and all that matters is the 4th quarter. If someone doesn’t enjoy just watching the game of basketball itself, I can see how they would feel that way. In the NBA, it seems like everyone goes on a run and no lead is safe. Winning and losing frequently comes down to late game execution.

Last season, the Cavaliers were often an exception to the rule. It seemed that the 4th quarters rarely mattered and the most important quarter was the first. Indeed, how the Cavaliers played in the 1st quarter was often the defining quality of the game. It was hard for that team to come back from early deficits and 4th quarters usually involved opponents giving the tail end of their bench some quality playing time.

But in those few games where the Cavaliers came out playing good basketball in the 1st quarter, they would often find themselves in the game in the 4th with a chance to win. These became Kyrie Irving’s moments. It was where Mr. 4th Quarter was born. As fans, we had ultimate confidence that if the bench could somehow just keep it close, within 5 points or so, that when Kyrie Irving checked back in he would find a way to win the game for Cleveland. [Read more...]

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Is There Any Hope Beneath the Frustration for the Cavaliers?

December 19, 2012 by 24 Comments

I keep trying to tell myself to remember that it’s still early in the season. And then I quickly try to forget that fact.

It’s far too early in the season to be this frustrated. Particularly when none of us expected the Cavaliers to be any good this season anyway. I predicted before the season that this Cavaliers team would be absolutely atrocious on the defensive end. So why am I so frustrated and angry when my watching it come to fruition on the court? I don’t know.

Here’s what we do know, though. The Cavaliers are 5-21 on the season. In his 2+ years at the helm, Byron Scott now has a record of 45-129. That’s a win percentage of 25.86%. The Cavaliers’ win percentage this season is 19.2%. Only one team in the NBA has a worse record than Cleveland. The Cavaliers are 23rd in scoring, and 23rd in opponents’ scoring. 26th in offensive efficiency and 27th in defensive efficiency. 27th in eFG% and dead last in opponents eFG%. They have exactly two players with an Efficiency Rating about 13 (where 15.0 is average). [Read more...]

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Box Score: Lakers 94, Cavaliers 100

December 11, 2012 by 12 Comments

What a night for Cleveland sports.

First, Kyrie Irving came back for the Cavaliers.

Then, while the game was going on, the Indians made what appears to be a stellar trade.

And then, just for good measure, the Cavaliers beat the Lakers.

It was evident from the beginning just how much Irving was missed. Kyrie wasted no time in making his impact felt and the Cavaliers opened up a huge 54-39 lead at the half. The Lakers would fight and claw their way back into this game, and they set up an awesome 4th quarter showdown between Kyrie Irving and Kobe Bryant. In the end, the Cavaliers made just enough plays down the stretch to hang on and get the win.

Anderson Varejao fell 1 rebound short of yet another double-double but finished with 20 points. CJ Miles, starting for the still injured Dion Waiters, had by far the best game of his career with 28 points. And Kyrie tied Miles for the team high with 28 of his own to go with his 11 assists and 6 rebounds.

Kobe Bryant was incredible as always with 42 points, but it really did feel like Kobe was playing by himself against the Cavaliers. Credit to Tristan Thompson for some good defense on Dwight Howard, and Tyler Zeller was especially impressive on defense in this game as the Cavaliers were content to force Kobe to do everything himself.

Huge win for the Cavaliers and a huge morale boost to do it with Kyrie Irving back in the lineup.

 

1 2 3 4 T
LAL 23 16 23 32 94
CLE 29 25 14 32 100

 

LA Lakers

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
K. Bryant G 40:43 16-28 3-9 7-10 -7 1 5 2 5 1 1 0 1 42
C. Duhon G 33:02 1-2 0-1 0-0 -2 0 3 2 2 1 0 0 1 2
D. Howard C 41:06 3-9 0-0 13-22 -10 6 20 3 4 0 0 1 5 19
M. World Peace F 35:37 5-12 2-6 1-4 -9 3 9 0 3 1 1 2 3 13
J. Hill F 25:33 1-6 0-0 0-0 -9 5 10 1 2 1 1 1 5 2
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 31-75 7-27 25-40 15 54 11 18 7 3 4 22 94
Percentages .413 .259 .625 Team Rebounds: 9
A. Jamison 29:21 3-10 1-6 2-2 +7 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 4 9
J. Meeks 21:17 2-6 1-4 2-2 -5 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 2 7
D. Morris 6:52 0-1 0-0 0-0 -2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0
D. Ebanks 6:29 0-1 0-1 0-0 +7 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
E. Clark DNP – Coach’s Decision
P. Gasol DNP – Coach’s Decision
R. Sacre DNP – Coach’s Decision

Cleveland

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
K. Irving G 38:14 11-21 4-6 2-3 +12 2 6 11 4 1 0 1 3 28
C.J. Miles G 37:11 10-18 5-10 3-4 +7 0 5 0 1 1 1 0 5 28
A. Varejao C 34:51 8-13 0-1 4-7 +9 2 9 5 1 3 1 1 4 20
A. Gee F 39:59 6-14 2-5 3-4 +5 1 5 3 3 1 1 0 4 17
T. Thompson F 33:36 0-3 0-0 1-4 +1 2 10 0 1 0 0 1 4 1
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 37-84 11-27 15-26 8 43 24 12 8 4 3 26 100
Percentages .440 .407 .577 Team Rebounds: 11
T. Zeller 27:08 2-6 0-0 2-2 +2 1 6 3 0 2 0 0 3 6
O. Casspi 11:50 0-3 0-1 0-2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0
J. Pargo 9:46 0-3 0-2 0-0 -6 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 0
D. Gibson 7:00 0-3 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
S. Samuels 0:25 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
K. Jones DNP – Coach’s Decision
D. Sloan DNP – Coach’s Decision
L. Walton DNP – Coach’s Decision

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Cavaliers Welcome Kyrie Irving Back as they Host the Los Angeles Lakers

December 11, 2012 by 2 Comments

Life without Kyrie Irving has not been fun. It was hard. How hard? The Cleveland Cavaliers (4-17, 13th in the East) went 2-9 without him. Sure, the Cavaliers are 2-8 with him, so there’s no evidence of the team being worse without him. But if you watched the 11 games he missed, you know the truth.

The Cavaliers score 108.3 points per 100 possessions with Kyrie on the floor. They score just 98.4 without him. It has been painfully obvious over the course of the past few weeks that without Kyrie Irving the Cavaliers just do not have the offensive firepower to win games.

There is a flipside, though. The Cavaliers’ defense has unquestionably been better since Kyrie has been out. Indeed, in the 10 games Kyrie played, the Cavaliers gave up 100+ points 8 times. They’ve given up that many just 5 times in the 11 games without him. With Kyrie, the Cavaliers allowed opponents to average 50.32% from the field and score 102.70 points per game. Without him, opponents shot 46.15% from the field and scored 98.55 points per game. [Read more...]

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Cavaliers Road Trip Takes Them to Golden State

November 7, 2012 by 6 Comments

The Cleveland Cavaliers have played 4 games this season, and sit at 2-2. In 3 of the 4 games, the Cavaliers were able to feel good about the way they played. Only in the Chicago game last week could their effort and desire really be challenged. This is a good sign for the early season.

Tonight, as they continue their road trip by playing against the Golden State Warriors (2-2), the Cavaliers will try to keep the momentum going. One of the biggest positive for the Cavaliers is that 3 of their 4 opponents have been very good defensive teams this season. In terms of defensive efficiency, the Bulls are 1st, the Bucks are 3rd, and the Wizards are 12th. Only the Clippers (19th) fall in the bottom half of the league.

[Read more...]

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Cavaliers Look to Shake Off Rough Weekend with First West Coast Game of the Season

November 5, 2012 by 17 Comments

(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

It was a rough weekend for the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they dropped both of their games Friday and Saturday night.

The Cavaliers showed us two very different types of losses, though. Friday night against Chicago was a reprise of the song we heard so many times last season. The Cavaliers fell behind by 16 in the first quarter and never really appeared too interested in playing and fighting back.

Here’s an example of how bad things were Friday night. With 4:41 left in the 1st, Kyrie Irving hit a 10 foot jumper to pull the Cavaliers to a 19-15 deficit. Here’s how the remaining first quarter possessions for the Cavaliers went:

[Read more...]

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Cleveland Cavaliers Look to Move to 2-0 on the Season

November 2, 2012 by 13 Comments

On opening night, the Cleveland Cavaliers gave us all a glimpse of some of the highlights, and just a few of the lowlights, that we can expect to see this season. Friday night, as the Cavaliers host the Chicago Bulls, the question will be about consistency.

Against the Wizards on Tuesday, we what the Cavaliers can be. A persistent team capable of outworking their opponents in the paint with a strong backcourt duo to keep opponents honest. We saw some crisp passing, some good cuts off the ball, and just a fun style of team oriented basketball. [Read more...]

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ESPN Future Power Rankings: Cavaliers’ Future Is Looking Better

August 15, 2012 by 24 Comments

Back in February, ESPN’s Chad Ford and John Hollinger released the latest (at that time) Future Power Rankings. For those unfamiliar, the FPR examines every team’s roster strength, cap situation, front office prowess, market desirability, and future draft picks to decide which teams have the brightest future.

In that installment, the Cavaliers jumped all the way from 29th in the previous version to 18th. Obviously that jump was mostly 1 thanks to Kyrie Irving. Now that Irving has taken home Rookie of the Year honors and the Cavaliers added a couple more first round draft picks, the future in Cleveland should look even brighter.

Hollinger and Ford agree with that sentiment and they have moved the Cavaliers all the way up to 12th in today’s update to the Future Power Rankings:

It’s getting better, Cavs fans. After spending a season in the FPR basement following the loss of LeBron James, Cleveland suddenly sports one of the brightest futures of any team in the league.

Much of that has to do with the addition of Kyrie Irving. The top overall selection in the 2011 draft showed enough potential in his rookie season to make us believe the Cavs may have a future All-Star on their hands. The long-term futures of fellow second-year player Tristan Thompson and rookie Dion Waiters also look promising, and we believe Anderson Varejao still has enough juice to man the middle for the Cavs the next few seasons.

The team also has plenty of draft picks coming its way. The Cavs will likely have another lottery pick in 2013, and possibly again in 2014, and they own future picks from both the Kings and Heat.

They also have such a good cap situation going forward that we’ve ranked them second in money heading into the summer of 2013. Cleveland isn’t a top destination for free agents, but there’s no question the team has the flexibility to continue to add to its roster.

For the record, the Cavaliers rank 21st in players, 14th in management, 2nd in money, 20th in market, and 5th in future draft.

In many ways, the speed with which Dion Waiters gets in shape and acclimates to the NBA game will largely determine when the Cavaliers return to contention. Based on Hollinger’s schedule, the Cavaliers are sill 2 years away from being in the playoffs, which likely places them 4-5 years away from Championship contending.

No matter how far away the Cavaliers are, the good news for Cavs fans is that the rebuilding plan is in place, is being followed with patience by the front office, and according to ESPN, the future is looking good for our Cavaliers.

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Random Cavaliers Off-Season Thoughts

July 31, 2012 by 94 Comments

Now that Summer League has come and gone, things are probably going to be mostly quiet on the Cleveland Cavaliers homefront until training camp starts in late September/early October. Sure, the Cavaliers will likely sing restricted free agent Alonzo Gee at some point, they still have to decide whether or not to pick up Daniel Gibson’s team option (they probably will), and there’s always the chance of the Cavaliers being involved in some kind of trade. But for the most part, this is the quiet period for the team.

So in the meantime, while football is getting ready to start and baseball is going through all their trade deadline hoopla, here’s some random basketball thoughts to pass the time. [Read more...]

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Acquiring Andrew Bynum Might be Cavaliers’ One Shot at Building a Title Contender

July 20, 2012 by 69 Comments

An actual young All-Star could be Kyrie Irving’s teammate for the future.

There’s a story I remember from my childhood. It involves a man who is living in his house on the bank of a river. One day, a storm begins to build up strength and the rains begin to pour down. The newscaster on TV interrupts programming to warn those living on the river to evacuate because of the risk of flood. The man thought to himself, “God will surely deliver me from this flood.”

The rain continued to pour down and the water began to rise. The man had to move to his 2nd floor balcony as the first floor was now completely submerged. A neighbor who happened to have a boat was driving through the area looking for people who were stranded. He saw the man on his balcony and brought the boat over to offer him help escaping. “Thank you, but I don’t need your help,” said the man. “God will surely deliver me from this flood.”

The rain continued to fall and the water continued to rise. By now, the man had moved to his roof as the water had overtaken the 2nd floor of his house. A rescue helicopter was flying over the houses looking for people to rescue. Seeing the man on his roof, the helicopter sent a rescue diver down to get the man. “Thank you for offering, but I don’t need your help,” the man told the diver. “God will surely deliver me from this flood.” [Read more...]

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Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on the Cavaliers Is the Stuff of Dreams

May 24, 2012 by 120 Comments

MKG and Kyrie have been teammates before

Next Wednesday, in New York City, 14 ping pong balls are going to be placed into a lottery style hopper. A series of 4 number combinations are going to be drawn, and those numbers will determine the selection order of the 2012 NBA Draft. With nothing else of substance going on with the Cavaliers right now, most fans are left with just their dreams of how the lottery might play out for our beloved wine and gold.

The lottery isn’t quite as important this year for the Cavaliers as it was last year. Last year, with 2 lottery picks and a complete lack of talent on the roster, the lottery felt like a do or die scenario. Now, the Cavaliers already have their franchise player, which alleviates much pressure.

Never the less, the lottery will be important in determining how quickly Cleveland can get this thing turned around. [Read more...]

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Kyrie Irving Makes 1st Team NBA All-Rookie, Tristan Thompson 2nd Team

May 22, 2012 by 4 Comments

Not exactly breaking news here, but the NBA announced it’s All-Rookie teams today with Kyrie Irving leading the way in votes. The teams are selected by votes from NBA coaches and Kyrie Irving earned 58 points, most among all rookies. That total placed him on the 1st-team list where he was joined by Ricky Rubio, Kenneth Faried, Klay Thompson, Iman Shumpert, Kawhi Leond, and Brandon Knight. Yes, that’s 7 players, but the last 3 all tied for 5th place, so they all get 1st-team nods.

Fellow top 5 pick Tristan Thompson earned enough points to make the 2nd-team. He is joined there by Chandler Parsons, Isaiah Thomas, MarShon Brooks, and Derrick Williams. Thompson was tied for last on the All-Rookie teams with Derrick Williams, the player many pegged as the best player in the draft prior to selection night. Interestingly enough, though, were it not for the 3 way tie on the 1st-team, neither player would have made 1st or 2nd team selections.

Irving’s 1st team selection is hardly a surprise, but a nice cherry on the top of a rookie campaign that was everything fans in Cleveland hoped it could be. Having Tristan Thompson also making All-Rookie designation only adds to the hope Cleveland has for its future.

[Related: Kyrie Irving Named to USA Basketball's Men's Select Team]

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Kyrie Irving’s Rookie of the Year Award Hopefully Just the Beginning for the Cavaliers

May 14, 2012 by 20 Comments

People talk about the worst kept secrets all the time. I’m not sure if this counts as a secret necessarily, but in what should be a surprise to absolutely no one, news leaked Sunday that the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving is going to be named NBA Rookie of the Year.

The official announcement isn’t going to come until Tuesday, and we can talk about Kyrie and what this award means to him at that time. Meanwhile, rather than waiting for the inevitable, now is a good time to talk about what this award means to the Cavaliers.

When LeBron James left Cleveland, we knew it was an end of an era. More than that, it was the end of the winning. No more playoffs, no more championship aspirations. Instead of playing with the trade machine trying to figure out who the Cavs could acquire to put them over the top, it was on to adapt and survive mode. The rebuilding process began almost as fast as the winning came to a stop. [Read more...]

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Stein: Kyrie Irving Could Make Team USA Roster

May 3, 2012 by 15 Comments

With the summer Olympics drawing nearer, things are heating up for Team USA’s men’s basketball team. Last week Team USA received their Olympic draw (oh joy, they drew Argentina). Now they are in the process of finalizing their roster.

The current roster includes Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin, Andre Iguodala, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Lamar Odom, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams. However, with injuries to Derrick Rose, LaMarcus Aldridge, Chauncey Billups, and Dwight Howard, the roster may need some tweaking before it needs to be finalized on June 18th.

With Rose’s torn ACL, he certainly will miss the Olypmics, opening the need for a PG. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, via Twitter, while the Wizards are lobbying hard for John Wall, he believes Irving may get the nod:

Some Team USA scuttle: Hearing Wiz lobbying hard to get John Wall added to roster, but have to believe Kyrie Irving is the guy IF a PG added

There is a bit of a twist here as Irving has previously said he would consider playing for Australia. Irving, whose father was playing professionally in Australia when Kyrie was born there, holds dual citizenship. After previously hinting at playing for Australia, Kyrie did say later in the season that he would focus instead on playing for Team USA. Originally aiming for the 2016 team, Irving’s Olympic dreams just might be realized sooner than he thought. It will be interesting to see what Team USA GM Jerry Colangelo decides to do with the roster over the next 5 weeks.

[Related: Sporting News names Kyrie Irving Rookie of the Year]

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Tonight We Say Farewell to the 2011-12 Cleveland Cavaliers

April 26, 2012 by 4 Comments

Media Day seems like just last week

The last time the Cleveland Cavaliers played on a Thursday was January 12th, the 3rd week of the season. You see, Thursday nights are typically the big matchup nights. It’s the night TNT has TV rights and other than their premiere games, there’s usually only one or two overflow games.

So it’s fitting, then, that the Cavaliers finish the season on a Thursday night in Chicago, buried underneath the hype and excitement of the NFL Draft. While Browns fans are anxiously greeting the newest members of their team, Cavaliers fans are saying goodbye to their players.

In a season in which the Cavaliers were mostly ignored outside of Cleveland, save for a handful of people who occasionally flipped over on League Pass to see what that Kyrie Irving guy was doing, the season comes to an end much in the same way it started…quiet, unassuming, and with more questions than answers.

[Read more...]

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