Game 49 | Cavs (28-20) @ T-Wolves (8-38) | January 31, 2015 | 8:00pm EST

My comments about Wiggins had diddily shit to do with tonight's game. Tonight's game didn't tell us anything about the long term
implications of that trade.

Regardless, excellent win. The Heat 4th quarter d comparison made upthread was the right one.

Time to sum this up.
First of all - my prediction was right, Cavs by double digits.
The guys were visibly tired and didn't put a lot of effort on D. But I knew that the minute we switch it on it will be easy. Seriously, Minny is a team of scrubs with all of their decent players injured. Once we turned on the D they were ghosts.
Blatt coached this game and used his talent well. That fourth quarter was great. Of course having LeBron doesn't hurt.
10 in a row now, baby. 8th game in a row where we keep opponents to less than 100. It is a great sign that even in such a shitty defensive game like tonight we still did it.

About the Love-Wiggins debate. It is so old and irrelevant. I couldn't give half a shit about indiviual performances. I root for the Cavs and all I want is the W. Love is a Cav and he helps us get those. Be it with rebounds, points, D, outlet passing etc. You can't have 3 players scoring 30+ each game. You seriously think that if Wiggins was a Cav he would put up such numbers night in and night out? With LBJ scoring close to 30 every game? With KI and LBJ I would be surprised if Wiggins averaged 15ppg with the Cavs. And without his scoring his is basically worthless.
So right now Love is the better fit for this team. He can play second and third fiddle and clock a 50-55 double doubles a season. That's what our team needs and that's all I care about. Wins are more important than any individual. See DET and Josh Smith.

This is the type of game you usually lose. 4th game on 5 nights on the road.

Blatt and the Cavs were smart enough to play it close until the 4ht and give effort then. If we go 100% all game we lose our legs and lose this one.

Well Played and well coached.

It's pretty clear we never intended in keeping Wiggins when we drafted him. Or should I say when Minnesota drafted him for us. People actually think he was going to play here.

CbusCavs said:

Thanks Phil Savage. Are fans not allowed to question a trade?

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If you think the motivation behind the posts referenced were in questioning the trade and not hating on our players and pushing agendas, then I'm not sure you're living in reality, Sir.

Kevin Love had 14 points, 3 assists, and 17 rebounds all within the flow of the game. Nothing about his performance justified the attacks he was getting about his play tonight.

Andrew Wiggins had 33 points, 1 assist, and 1 rebound. He disappeared in the 4th quarter.

Looking at the stat sheets, who did more of the little things to help their team win and played more team ball?

The Oi said:

That's the general impression on the board and certainly in here over the game.

There were like two guys that could acknowledge that claiming the Wiggins/Love trade in 10 years looks hugely favorable in Minny's favor doesn't mean:

(A) you hate Love
(B) you root against Love
(C) this year or game has anything to do with it
And
(D) ur an idiot if u like Wiggins better thin Love

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It'd be a lot easier to stomach the Wiggins fans/Love haters if they were at least able to form decent arguments. I've very rarely seen any compelling arguments on this board from the anti-Love crowd.

Love puts up big numbers on a bad team that wins 40 games, and they're empty stats. Wiggins puts up nowhere near the same amount on an 8-win team, and he's the next coming of Jordan.

People pick and choose what they want to acknowledge rather than look at the whole body of work. That's why it's impossible to take some of these people seriously and why so many of them come off looking like total idiots, because most of them look like they have the same "herp derp, the Cavs got fucked in that trade, even if you post a logical argument as to why you disagree I'm just gonna bad rep it and act as though it never happened" attitude.

Marcus said:

It'd be a lot easier to stomach the Wiggins fans/Love haters if they were at least able to form decent arguments. I've very rarely seen any compelling arguments on this board from the anti-Love crowd.

Love puts up big numbers on a bad team that wins 40 games, and they're empty stats. Wiggins puts up nowhere near the same amount on an 8-win team, and he's the next coming of Jordan.

People pick and choose what they want to acknowledge rather than look at the whole body of work. That's why it's impossible to take some of these people seriously and why so many of them come off looking like total idiots, because most of them look like they have the same "herp derp, the Cavs got fucked in that trade, even if you post a logical argument as to why you disagree I'm just gonna bad rep it and act as though it never happened" attitude.

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Yeah well...fuck those guys.

Tornicade said:

Spoiler: in ten years

In ten years Wiggins most likely wont be in Minnesota

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Truth

Rainman said:

I'll take a proven all star with no playoff experience over a unproven rookie 8 days out of the week.

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There was another path, but its LeBron James world and we all live in it. Cavs went with the James "Big Three" concept, with the guy who he played with in the Olympics, the best PR move. It truly is water over the damn--except for the multi-year MAX money some want to pay to Love. I, for one, don't see it yet from KLOVE.

It your world James, now own it. What's done is done…the onus really is on James, Love and the current crew to GET THE JOB DONE.

And BTW, James did that tonight--he stood up for his boy when the chips were down and brought home the win!

Cavs are now 2.5 games back of the third seed in the East. That didn't take long.

David. said:

I'm not a very positive or happy person, but I am just genuinely so happy I have the Cavs team I grew up with back.

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You should change that.

tocov said:

Time to sum this up.
First of all - my prediction was right, Cavs by double digits.
The guys were visibly tired and didn't put a lot of effort on D. But I knew that the minute we switch it on it will be easy. Seriously, Minny is a team of scrubs with all of their decent players injured. Once we turned on the D they were ghosts.
Blatt coached this game and used his talent well. That fourth quarter was great. Of course having LeBron doesn't hurt.
10 in a row now, baby. 8th game in a row where we keep opponents to less than 100. It is a great sign that even in such a shitty defensive game like tonight we still did it.

About the Love-Wiggins debate. It is so old and irrelevant. I couldn't give half a shit about indiviual performances. I root for the Cavs and all I want is the W. Love is a Cav and he helps us get those. Be it with rebounds, points, D, outlet passing etc. You can't have 3 players scoring 30+ each game. You seriously think that if Wiggins was a Cav he would put up such numbers night in and night out? With LBJ scoring close to 30 every game? With KI and LBJ I would be surprised if Wiggins averaged 15ppg with the Cavs. And without his scoring his is basically worthless.
So right now Love is the better fit for this team. He can play second and third fiddle and clock a 50-55 double doubles a season. That's what our team needs and that's all I care about. Wins are more important than any individual. See DET and Josh Smith.

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Disagree with scrub part, this team has nice building pieces

Tornicade said:

Spoiler: in ten years

In ten years Wiggins most likely wont be in Minnesota

Click to expand...

Will probably come back to CLE once his contact is up

CommD said:

About as well as Love did in six years with MIN.

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About as well as KG for most of his Minnesota tenure?

As well as Paul Pierce before KG and Allen?

As well as Kyrie the past three years.

Wiggins will be a great player. Awesome. But he is a TWolve, not a Cavalier.

Wiggins not being on the Cavs not be something that prevents the Cavs from being in the best position possible to win a championship.

And perhaps we could have done it with him here, but we'll never know and he'll never be here so the obsessing about it and the knocking Love for it are pointless if you are actually a Cavs fan

Winning 4 in 5 nights and winning the last one on the road -- I'll take that anytime, anyhow.

30-11 in the 4th quarter. 30 is great and all, but that 11 is superb. Big efforts when it counted.

I thought it was interesting how Blatt went to Miller and, for even longer, Dellavedova in the 4th. You have to find the minutes somewhere during these crowded stretches of the schedule, especially when Shumpert is turning the ball over too much, and Smith is looking lost on defense (tonight, not always). Dellevadova played the last 9 minutes against Portland, too. It's hard not to put him in there when he defends hard and takes care of the ball, even though his deficiencies are of course evident. Kevin Martin didn't look like he enjoyed being pestered, I'll say that. Dellavedova also knows how to get the ball to LeBron quickly.

Wiggins has got some skills! I don't care if he wore down. I wanted the Cavs to keep him, but I finished the grieving period a long time ago. At this point I wish him luck when Minnesota is playing someone else. He looked super through 3 quarters.

At least we got rid of Bennett. I think he played tonight but I didn't notice anything except one really big screen that knocked a few of Love's teeth loose.

Cavs got away with a game where they were casual for 3 quarters and let their superstar and their team defense take over in the 4th. I remember a lot of games like that 5-6 years ago. I don't know if it's a bad sign that they pulled it off with such ease that they'll just do it again versus other undermanned opponents. I guess we'll see on Monday.

Just want to say: great 4th quarter by Tristan. But the Cavs still need a backup C... What they did tonight is not exactly sustainable.