June 19, 2013

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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Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to Cleveland Far From a Sure Thing

June 21, 2012 by 34 Comments

Is the sequel to this photo getting closer to reality? Perhaps.

On Wednesday, as word broke of the New Orleans Hornets and Washington Wizards trade, there was a lot of instant analysis being done in the media and in social media outlets as well.

One of the main assumptions everyone seemed to jump to was that this trade signaled Washington’s intent to draft Bradley Beal at #3. On Twitter in particular, Cavalier fans erupted in celebration. With so many whispers out of Charlotte indicating that Thomas Robinson was the direction they are leaning, this meant Michael Kidd-Gilchrist appeared to be falling into Cleveland’s lap at #4.

Could this really be happening? Could the player so many Cavs fans 1 coveted all along really be sliding down to Cleveland? A cause for celebration indeed! [Read more...]

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  1. as well as Cavs writers on this site [back]

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Cavaliers Close Out 1st Half of Season Against the Hornets

February 22, 2012 by 13 Comments

Things are less exciting without CP3 around

The Cleveland Cavaliers (13-17, 9th in the East) will close out the figurative first half of the season Wednesday night when the New Orleans Hornets (7-25, 15th in the West) pay a visit to the Q.

With All-Star break coming up this weekend, the Cavaliers have an opportunity to head in with a boost of confidence on a 3 game win streak and winning 3 of their last 4. More importantly, with a win they would be at 3 games under .500, despite being hammered with injuries at different points to Anderson Varejao, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Daniel Gibson, and Anthony Parker. Despite playing only 3 home games in the first 3 weeks of the season. Despite having to play Miami three times, Indiana twice, Boston twice, Orlando, Dallas, Philly, Atlanta, both Los Angeles teams, New York, and Portland.

In other words, it wouldn’t have been wrong to expect a rocky start to the season, but the Cavaliers have dealt with a lot of adversity and handled it all in a positive way. They’ve weathered the ups and the downs, and they find themselves situated as spoilers, lurking just outside the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. [Read more...]

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Chris Paul and How the NBA Rumor Season Feels Dirtier Than Ever

December 7, 2011 by 52 Comments

Hey, did you guys hear about Chris Paul?  According to Adrian Wojnarowski’s reports from last night (probably via Paul himself or his agent if I had to take a wild guess) the Clippers and Golden State Warriors could “significantly raise their chances of keeping” Paul past this season if they also sign center Tyson Chandler.  For Wojnarowski and the rumor loving NBA twitterati it is business as usual.  They’re eating it up because this is just the type of “action” that they’ve been missing since the league was locked out.

Vince McMahon would be so proud.  Everyone thinks he is in the wrestling business, but so little of his hours and hours of programming is actual action taking place in the squared circle.  Yes, sometimes the fans are blown away by a “Hell in the Cell,” “Loser Leaves Town,” or “Ladder” match that sets the world on fire because it is such a spectacle, but without behind the scenes drama and serious mic time, there’s no way The Rock would have an acting career in Hollywood today.  Really, that was the only way for wrestling to go once the illusion of competition was dashed by the name “Sports Entertainment.”

The NBA relies on this non-action type of action as well.  Over the last decade the NBA has placed more and more emphasis on the off-season, trade deadlines and draft.  I’ll admit I’ve played with ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine too.  It culminated in this lockout which was supposed to be at least partially about competitive balance. To me, that meant doing away with some of the wilder and more brash kinds of player movement.  Say, the kind where a superstar player holds the league hostage by demanding a trade and then placing additional demands for the promise that he might just sign a long-term deal for the team that is willing to pay the price to bring him in. [Read more...]

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NBA Blog Previews: Southwest Division

September 27, 2011 by 8 Comments

 

It’s that time of year again. That time when NBA training camps get underway, preseason games are starting, and NBA previews are being made.

Other than the fact that an NBA season keeps seeming more and more unlikely, why should this year be any different? Sure, there’s no training camp and preseason, but that doesn’t mean NBA previews can’t still be done.

Things are just a little different this year. Rather than a true season preview, think of these as more of an offseason report. A state of the union address, if you will. [Read more...]

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Cavaliers Preview Game #11: Cavs at Hornets

November 19, 2010 by 4 Comments

Cleveland Cavaliers (5-5) vs
New Orleans Hornets (9-1)
New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA
Friday, November 19, 2010
8:00 PM EST
FSOH/WTAM

The Cleveland Cavaliers are about to find out exactly where they stand this weekend, beginning with tonight’s trip to New Orleans to play the Hornets. The Hornets are one of the NBA’s bigger surprises in this early season, and they are led by new head coach Monty Williams who is quickly proving himself to be an impressive figure. Of course, everything in New Orleans revolves around all-world point guard Chris Paul, and Monty Williams has found a way to utilize CP3’s skill set to involve the entire team, and the Hornets are suddenly winning as a team as a result. The Cavaliers will have their work cut out for them tonight, but tonight just might be the easier of the 2 games they play this weekend, with the red hot San Antonio Spurs looming on tomorrow’s horizon. It’s going to be a fun test for the Cavaliers tonight. [Read more...]

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Cavaliers Preview Game #58: Hornets at Cavs

February 23, 2010 by 67 Comments

Cavaliers vs HornetsNew Orleans Hornets (30-26) vs
Cleveland Cavaliers (43-14)
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
7:00 PM EST
FSOH/WTAM

This game could be somewhat of a formal introduction to Cavs fans on several fronts. First of all, it will be Antawn Jamison’s first game in Cleveland, as well as his first start for the Cavaliers period. Secondly, it could be our first look at Leon Powe in a Cavs uniform. Powe has been given the all-clear medically to play, and it’s now up to Mike Brown to work him into the rotation.

For all the insufferable panic coming from desperate Cavs fans the last few days (I mean, seriously, check out the Cleveland.com comments section or Twitter sometime…it’s not pretty), the fact remains that Cleveland has the best record in the NBA and a strong hold on the best record in the Eastern Conference. Sure, the last 2 games have been rough, but not unexpected. First of all, the Cavaliers had a chance to beat the Nuggets without Z or Jamison, so there’s no shame in that last whatsoever. Then, they lost to the Bobcats on a night in which Antawn Jamison had about as bad of a night as he’s had in 5 years. The Cavaliers lost to a team they simply don’t match up with well at all. Unfortunate, but not unexpected. Finally, they lost to the Magic when Vince Carter of all people went off in the 4th quarter. Again, the Cavs played poorly, but losing a tough game on the road in Orlando when you’re still not at full strength or comfortable with your new lineup is just not something to get too worked up about. Tonight’s game at home against the Hornets offers the Cavaliers an excellent chance to get things back on the right track.  [Read more...]

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Depleted Cavaliers Find A Way To Win

January 17, 2009 by 28 Comments

Cavaliers vs HornetsNew Orleans 78 Cleveland 92 [box]

It wasn’t always pretty. It certainly wasn’t easy. It was anything but conventional. But in the end, the one thing it was, was a win. On Friday night, the Cavaliers fought through all of their issues and circumstances to knock off the New Orleans Hornets 92-78. The win allowed the Cavaliers to remain the only team in the NBA to do 2 things. First, they’re the only team in the NBA who has not lost 2 games in a row yet, and second, they’re the only team undefeated at home. The Cavaliers’ 20-0 start at home marks the first time a team has won their first 20 at home since the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, a team that went on to win the NBA Championship.   [Read more...]

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Cavaliers Preview Game #72

March 26, 2008 by Leave a Comment

New Orleans Hornets logoNew Orleans Hornets (48-21) vs
Cleveland Cavaliers (40-31)
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
7:00 PM EST
FSN OH/WTAM

The Cavaliers are kind of getting close to being healthy. Daniel Gibson is starting to practice and should (hopefully) return to the lineup soon…possibly even for this game. But of course as soon as one is coming back, another one goes down. This time, it’s Ben Wallace’s turn as his back spasms are getting worse and he will likely miss this game. It won’t be an easy one with or without Wallace, as the Cavaliers take on one of the 3 best teams in the league in the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets feature one of the most exciting players to watch in the entire NBA in Chris Paul. CP3 is playing the point guard position better than perhaps any other PG in the history of the NBA this season. His numbers are through the roof, and the only person with a better PER this year than CP3 is our own LeBron. Hopefully it will be a fun matchup and the Cavaliers can start to find their groove, which is seeming so unattainable these days. [Read more...]

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