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Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.
Jason Lloyd's final thoughts
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AZCavs
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I think going from the putrid Knicks to a team that has championship aspirations and playing with LeBron, Kyrie and Love certainly helps attitude and motivation.
You can tell he wants to win. Sure he wants to contribute. Everybody does. But even on nights where he looks awful shooting the ball like he did against Utah, he didn't sulk. He continued to play ball with energy, grab seven rebounds, dish out three assists and play effective defense.
That's why he's so much better for this team than Dion was. Not even the possibility of winning a championship and becoming immortalized by potentially being a part of a city's first championship squad in 51 years was enough to make him buy in. Not even the best player on the planet could make him buy in.
I'm not trying to make Dion the lone scapegoat, but the team's collective body language has been more positively noticeable since the trade. It's surprising that J.R. Smith is one of the reasons why. He is exactly what Dion was supposed to be.
raisen
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CLEVELAND: Thirteen thoughts for 13 rebounds from Kevin Love in an impressive 108-98 victory Sunday over the Oklahoma City Thunder…
1. LeBron James began the day seventh in the league in Player Efficiency Rating, or PER, which combines all of a player’s statistics into one number. He’s second in the league in scoring and his team can’t win when he doesn’t play.
2. So why, exactly, is he never mentioned in the MVP race?
3. It’s striking to me how little consideration James is receiving when discussing the top candidates this season. The Cavs are 24-12 when he plays and 1-8 when he doesn’t. If the definition of the MVP award is a player’s value to his team, I’m not sure how much more proof is necessary. That .667 winning percentage when he plays matches the Wizards’ winning percentage this season – and they’re ranked second in the East.
4. James is averaging 30.3 points and shooting 51 percent since taking two weeks off. He seems re-engaged, presumably because he’s healthy and GM David Griffin gave him the pieces he wanted in a big man and help on the wing.
5. In fact, James is starting to soften his stance on the Cavs’ outlook. For months, any time the idea of the postseason was mentioned, James immediately dismissed it with some variation of, “we’re nowhere good enough to worry about the playoffs.” When I revisited the topic with him after this win, however, his answer started to change.
6. “There’s such a long road ahead of us, I’m not going to get too ahead of myself personally. As the leader of the team I understand how important each day is,” James said. “But we’ve improved mentally more than anything. Obviously we added some great pieces in Shump, J.R. and Mozzy. We’ve played some great basketball as of late.”
7. With nearly three months left in the regular season, that’s as close to an endorsement as you’re going to get from him.
8. This was one of the more impressive victories of the season with this disclaimer: This was the Thunder’s final stop on a five-games-in-seven-nights trip through the Eastern Conference. The last game is always difficult on tired legs. But the Cavs played well.
9. They held their fourth consecutive opponent under 42 percent shooting, the first time that has happened all season. Forget all the other numbers. That’s the most important.
10. In four games this week, Cavs’ opponents shot 39.8 percent – sixth in the NBA. This is the same team that began the week ranked 29th in defensive field-goal percentage. Take it back all the way to the road win against the Lakers and the start of this six-game winning streak and opponents are shooting 42.8 percent, which ranks eighth.
11. I’ve written it all season and will continue to write it until my fingers bleed – the Cavs have no chance of winning a championship without a top 10-12 defense. And right now, for the first time all season, they are finally defending like a top 10 team. As Iman Shumpert gains more of a role on this team, that should only continue.
12. Not to get too far ahead here, but the only game that should challenge the Cavs in the next 10 days is a home game against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. The other opponents between now and a visit from the Clippers Feb. 5: the Pistons, Kings, Timberwolves and 76ers. Somehow the Cavs have already lost to three of those four, but the way they’re playing now they should get all four of them.
13. Cutting these short tonight. Cavs are taking Monday off except to fly to Detroit for Tuesday’s game. Something tells me this one won’t end in a 23-point loss to the Pistons.
Talk to you Tuesday from the Palace.
http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland...r-98-jason-lloyd-s-13-final-thoughts-1.561397
1. LeBron James began the day seventh in the league in Player Efficiency Rating, or PER, which combines all of a player’s statistics into one number. He’s second in the league in scoring and his team can’t win when he doesn’t play.
2. So why, exactly, is he never mentioned in the MVP race?
3. It’s striking to me how little consideration James is receiving when discussing the top candidates this season. The Cavs are 24-12 when he plays and 1-8 when he doesn’t. If the definition of the MVP award is a player’s value to his team, I’m not sure how much more proof is necessary. That .667 winning percentage when he plays matches the Wizards’ winning percentage this season – and they’re ranked second in the East.
4. James is averaging 30.3 points and shooting 51 percent since taking two weeks off. He seems re-engaged, presumably because he’s healthy and GM David Griffin gave him the pieces he wanted in a big man and help on the wing.
5. In fact, James is starting to soften his stance on the Cavs’ outlook. For months, any time the idea of the postseason was mentioned, James immediately dismissed it with some variation of, “we’re nowhere good enough to worry about the playoffs.” When I revisited the topic with him after this win, however, his answer started to change.
6. “There’s such a long road ahead of us, I’m not going to get too ahead of myself personally. As the leader of the team I understand how important each day is,” James said. “But we’ve improved mentally more than anything. Obviously we added some great pieces in Shump, J.R. and Mozzy. We’ve played some great basketball as of late.”
7. With nearly three months left in the regular season, that’s as close to an endorsement as you’re going to get from him.
8. This was one of the more impressive victories of the season with this disclaimer: This was the Thunder’s final stop on a five-games-in-seven-nights trip through the Eastern Conference. The last game is always difficult on tired legs. But the Cavs played well.
9. They held their fourth consecutive opponent under 42 percent shooting, the first time that has happened all season. Forget all the other numbers. That’s the most important.
10. In four games this week, Cavs’ opponents shot 39.8 percent – sixth in the NBA. This is the same team that began the week ranked 29th in defensive field-goal percentage. Take it back all the way to the road win against the Lakers and the start of this six-game winning streak and opponents are shooting 42.8 percent, which ranks eighth.
11. I’ve written it all season and will continue to write it until my fingers bleed – the Cavs have no chance of winning a championship without a top 10-12 defense. And right now, for the first time all season, they are finally defending like a top 10 team. As Iman Shumpert gains more of a role on this team, that should only continue.
12. Not to get too far ahead here, but the only game that should challenge the Cavs in the next 10 days is a home game against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. The other opponents between now and a visit from the Clippers Feb. 5: the Pistons, Kings, Timberwolves and 76ers. Somehow the Cavs have already lost to three of those four, but the way they’re playing now they should get all four of them.
13. Cutting these short tonight. Cavs are taking Monday off except to fly to Detroit for Tuesday’s game. Something tells me this one won’t end in a 23-point loss to the Pistons.
Talk to you Tuesday from the Palace.http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland...r-98-jason-lloyd-s-13-final-thoughts-1.561397
Last edited:
Lee
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Green Lantern
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I heard Doug Collins say something interesting yesterday when Paige Steele and Jalen were on.
He said that he hadn't heard any rift between the players and Blatt.
What he heard was that they thought the team was flawed. Well that makes some sense.
He said after the trades were made they feel better about the team.
They should , it's actually a different looking team with more of the right parts.
That was a big win yesterday.
He said that he hadn't heard any rift between the players and Blatt.
What he heard was that they thought the team was flawed. Well that makes some sense.
He said after the trades were made they feel better about the team.
They should , it's actually a different looking team with more of the right parts.
That was a big win yesterday.
raisen
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Cavs 103, Pistons 95; Jason Lloyd's 17 final thoughts following Cavs' seventh-straight win
By JASON LLOYD Published: January 28, 2015
AUBURN HILLS, MICH.: Seventeen thoughts for 17 free throw attempts in a 103-95 win over the Pistons on Tuesday…
1. Since last Monday’s win against the Chicago Bulls, the Cavs are holding opponents to 40.2 percent shooting. That’s third-best in the league behind the Wizards and Hornets. They’re holding opponents to 93.8 points, which ranks eighth and their plus/minus of plus-17 is third behind only the Warriors and Clippers..gif "Celb (13) :celb (13):")
2. In short, the Cavs have it rolling. We know this because they’re rolling even on nights when they’re not rolling. Like Tuesday.
3. Forget about the 103 points. The Cavs did not play well offensively. They only broke 100 for the eighth straight game because they scored 10 points from the free-throw line in the final minute when the Pistons resorted to fouling. Otherwise they shot 42 percent and missed a ton of open looks. Big deal. It happens.
4. But they won the game with another stiff defensive effort, by blocking four shots and holding the Pistons to 42 percent while forcing 18 turnovers.
5. “We couldn’t make a shot to start the game but that’s what we’ve been talking about,” LeBron James said. “You have to be able to rely on your defense to be able to get stops until your offense gets some type of rhythm.”
6. Only James and Kyrie Irving ever really developed that rhythm Tuesday. James scored 32 and Irving matched his season high with 38, including 16 in the fourth quarter. They combined for 70 of the Cavs’ 103 points on a night no one else was giving much offensively.
7. J.R. Smith missed his first seven shots and ended the night 2-for-11. Kevin Love shot 3-for-11. The rest of the Cavs’ starters (outside James and Irving) combined for 18 points and 16 rebounds. But the Cavs gutted out a win because they defended.
8. David Blatt refuses to give specifics about the defensive turnaround. Asked about it again tonight he said simply: “Tactic, principles, personnel and commitment.” But the pick-and-roll scheme the Cavs have used to fuel this turnaround does a better job of cutting the floor in half. Teams talk all the time about swinging the ball from side to side offensively. The Cavs’ defense right now is preventing that from happening.
9. How good is this team right now? So good that apparently the opponents are no longer even worrying about Kevin Love, who struggled through another tough shooting night. He made only one basket in each of the first three quarters and went scoreless in the fourth when Irving and James combined for 26 of the Cavs’ 28 points.
10. “Everybody did a pretty good job on Kevin Love tonight, I thought. I thought we defended him pretty well,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. “That’s how talented they are. You go into a game and, I don’t know, Kevin Love’s been an All-Star for what? Three, four years? You don’t even talk about him in your preparation hardly. That’s how good the other guys are.”
11. James had an injury scare late in the third quarter when he landed awkwardly after going up to defend a shot from Jodie Meeks. James was flat on the ground for a few minutes – while Pistons fans booed – flexing his right wrist and rotating it to make sure it wasn’t broke. When he did stand up he came out of the game, but returned minutes later to start the fourth. James broke his left wrist in an AAU game while in high school when he was undercut while going up for a basket. He had flashbacks to that play Tuesday night.
12. “I broke my wrist before landing on my wrist like that,” James said. “Tonight I was on my way to either falling on my face or using my hands. My arms both of them numbed up and I was a little scared. I was trying to brace my fall on my hands.” No medical tests were needed, he said, because he returned and finished the game.
13. Andre Drummond blocked six shots tonight for the Pistons, but Irving gave him his own rejection after the game. Drummond sent a clubhouse attendant to the Cavs’ locker room to get an autographed jersey from Irving. But Irving told the attendant he’d already given his jersey away.
14. Irving was huge for the Cavs in the fourth quarter. His 3-pointer with 1:05 left, after Drummond missed two point-blank shots at the basket, was essentially the winner. It put the Cavs up 10 again after the Pistons had a chance to cut the lead to five.
15. “He’s an All-Star player,” Blatt said. “And I sure hope he’s there because he sure deserves it.” The All-Star reserves will be announced Thursday.
16. Big game Wednesday against the Blazers, who have been in Cleveland for a couple of days already after their game against the Knicks was cancelled because of the blizzard. The Blazers lead their division and are currently third in the West. They hammered the Cavs during the early days of the season, but this is a much, much different looking Cavs team.
17. James said the other day the Cavs are mentally tougher now. He expanded on that tonight. “A team can make a run on us and we won’t crack like we did earlier in the season,” James said. “That comes with games, it comes with being together and experience. Even tonight with Detroit they made a little run, we held serve and made plays, got enough stops, got to the free-throw line and made shots. That’s just all part of the process.” Talk to you tomorrow from the Q.
http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland...lse&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
By JASON LLOYD Published: January 28, 2015
AUBURN HILLS, MICH.: Seventeen thoughts for 17 free throw attempts in a 103-95 win over the Pistons on Tuesday…
1. Since last Monday’s win against the Chicago Bulls, the Cavs are holding opponents to 40.2 percent shooting. That’s third-best in the league behind the Wizards and Hornets. They’re holding opponents to 93.8 points, which ranks eighth and their plus/minus of plus-17 is third behind only the Warriors and Clippers.
2. In short, the Cavs have it rolling. We know this because they’re rolling even on nights when they’re not rolling. Like Tuesday.
3. Forget about the 103 points. The Cavs did not play well offensively. They only broke 100 for the eighth straight game because they scored 10 points from the free-throw line in the final minute when the Pistons resorted to fouling. Otherwise they shot 42 percent and missed a ton of open looks. Big deal. It happens.
4. But they won the game with another stiff defensive effort, by blocking four shots and holding the Pistons to 42 percent while forcing 18 turnovers.
5. “We couldn’t make a shot to start the game but that’s what we’ve been talking about,” LeBron James said. “You have to be able to rely on your defense to be able to get stops until your offense gets some type of rhythm.”
6. Only James and Kyrie Irving ever really developed that rhythm Tuesday. James scored 32 and Irving matched his season high with 38, including 16 in the fourth quarter. They combined for 70 of the Cavs’ 103 points on a night no one else was giving much offensively.
7. J.R. Smith missed his first seven shots and ended the night 2-for-11. Kevin Love shot 3-for-11. The rest of the Cavs’ starters (outside James and Irving) combined for 18 points and 16 rebounds. But the Cavs gutted out a win because they defended.
8. David Blatt refuses to give specifics about the defensive turnaround. Asked about it again tonight he said simply: “Tactic, principles, personnel and commitment.” But the pick-and-roll scheme the Cavs have used to fuel this turnaround does a better job of cutting the floor in half. Teams talk all the time about swinging the ball from side to side offensively. The Cavs’ defense right now is preventing that from happening.
9. How good is this team right now? So good that apparently the opponents are no longer even worrying about Kevin Love, who struggled through another tough shooting night. He made only one basket in each of the first three quarters and went scoreless in the fourth when Irving and James combined for 26 of the Cavs’ 28 points.
10. “Everybody did a pretty good job on Kevin Love tonight, I thought. I thought we defended him pretty well,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. “That’s how talented they are. You go into a game and, I don’t know, Kevin Love’s been an All-Star for what? Three, four years? You don’t even talk about him in your preparation hardly. That’s how good the other guys are.”
11. James had an injury scare late in the third quarter when he landed awkwardly after going up to defend a shot from Jodie Meeks. James was flat on the ground for a few minutes – while Pistons fans booed – flexing his right wrist and rotating it to make sure it wasn’t broke. When he did stand up he came out of the game, but returned minutes later to start the fourth. James broke his left wrist in an AAU game while in high school when he was undercut while going up for a basket. He had flashbacks to that play Tuesday night.
12. “I broke my wrist before landing on my wrist like that,” James said. “Tonight I was on my way to either falling on my face or using my hands. My arms both of them numbed up and I was a little scared. I was trying to brace my fall on my hands.” No medical tests were needed, he said, because he returned and finished the game.
13. Andre Drummond blocked six shots tonight for the Pistons, but Irving gave him his own rejection after the game. Drummond sent a clubhouse attendant to the Cavs’ locker room to get an autographed jersey from Irving. But Irving told the attendant he’d already given his jersey away.
14. Irving was huge for the Cavs in the fourth quarter. His 3-pointer with 1:05 left, after Drummond missed two point-blank shots at the basket, was essentially the winner. It put the Cavs up 10 again after the Pistons had a chance to cut the lead to five.
15. “He’s an All-Star player,” Blatt said. “And I sure hope he’s there because he sure deserves it.” The All-Star reserves will be announced Thursday.
16. Big game Wednesday against the Blazers, who have been in Cleveland for a couple of days already after their game against the Knicks was cancelled because of the blizzard. The Blazers lead their division and are currently third in the West. They hammered the Cavs during the early days of the season, but this is a much, much different looking Cavs team.
17. James said the other day the Cavs are mentally tougher now. He expanded on that tonight. “A team can make a run on us and we won’t crack like we did earlier in the season,” James said. “That comes with games, it comes with being together and experience. Even tonight with Detroit they made a little run, we held serve and made plays, got enough stops, got to the free-throw line and made shots. That’s just all part of the process.” Talk to you tomorrow from the Q.
http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland...lse&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
Last edited:
NasstyNate
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I'm happy that this thread exists, but make sure to follow the links to the original website. Print journalism is obviously getting hit pretty hard, so we shouldn't be taking clicks away from Lloyd.
Toph
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Good point. Especially since Lloyd has really stepped his game up this year. He's a breath of fresh air compared to some other guys covering the Cavs.
supermario21
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Also Lloyd's final thoughts are not part of the paywall so follow him on twitter and get him his hits on the ABJ website.
shoes22
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The four letter network puts its emphasis more on entertainment as opposed to reporting facts, which is what Lloyd is good at.