David Blatt's shining moment and Tristan Thompson excels as a starter: Fedor's five observations
By Chris Fedor, Northeast Ohio Media Group
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The only way for the Cleveland Cavaliers to get the sweltering heat off themselves and head coach David Blatt is to win games. They did just that, finishing a tough Western Conference road trip with back-to-back wins for the first time since before Christmas.
It's one thing to beat the Lakers, a team with one of the worst records in the NBA. But Friday's 126-121 win against the Clippers, a very tough team, is as good as any win on the resume, especially given the circumstances and the drama that has surrounded this team recently.
The shorthanded Cavs improved their record to 21-20 and 20-12 with LeBron James in the lineup.
James was brilliant in his third game back from knee and back injuries, scoring 32 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out seven assists.
Kyrie Irving led all scorers, finishing with 37 points on 12-of-18 from the field in 41 minutes. With Kevin Love nursing an achy back, Tristan Thompson started at power forward. He scored a season-high 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Here are five observations from the Cavs' most recent win:
A new LeBron – James was clearly bothered by a pair of injuries in the first half of the season. Despite having good numbers, the look on his face, his effort level and lack of explosiveness showed a player who knew he wasn't at full strength.
So James took two weeks off, the longest stretch of missed games in his career, and has returned a different player.
It's been more than the highlight reel dunks, the scoop-shot layups, dagger threes and slick passes. It's been his body language, aggressive mindset, the look on his face and newfound athleticism. Simply put, he looks like LeBron James again.
The suffocating expectations can be tough to handle but James appears to be having fun again.
He's been celebrating after plays, dancing on the sidelines, jawing with the opponent, smiling, communicating with his teammates and firing up the bench. James even praised Blatt after a brilliant out of bounds play late that led to a basket.
The other change for James has been on the defensive end of the floor, an area of his game that has been questioned at times. He fought and hustled, even taking the challenge in the post at times against bruising Blake Griffin and lengthy DeAndre Jordan on Friday night. James defended Chris Paul on Los Angeles' final possession, a three-point attempt, but still recovered and hustled to grab the board.
If the Cavs are going to reach their ultimate goal then James needs to buy in to Blatt, continue to improve as a leader and play like the four-time MVP.
With a young and relatively inexperienced team it's up to him to show the way, a challenge he said he welcomed in his letter announcing his return. Everyone on the court is looking to him for guidance. This three-game stretch where he is averaging 33.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists, and showing a new attitude, needs to be close to his norm for the rest of the season.
Irving relishes the challenge – Irving has been compared to Clippers point guard Chris Paul for quite sometime. They both have nifty handles, can score inside and outside, played college ball in the ACC and were both coached by Byron Scott at one time.
Paul is a better passer and better defender, but there are some similarities.
Playing against Paul seems to motivate Irving, who scored 37 points and dished out five assists on Friday night. He also made 12-of-18 from the field.
After his most recent outburst, Irving is now averaging 27.0 points and 7.0 assists while shooting 46 percent from the field against Paul. The most important stat is Irving's win total. Irving, who has played three full games, is now 3-0.
Flourishing as a starter – Staying ready has been one of the themes for the Cavaliers this season. With the myriad of injuries, Blatt has been forced to shuffle players in and out of the lineup and change up his rotations. Thompson stepped into the starting lineup on Christmas Day following the injury to Anderson Varejao. But the trade for big-bodied Timofey Mozgov put Thompson back as part of the bench unit.
He has had a solid season, averaging 9.6 points and 8.0 rebounds. He has also become one of the league's best offensive rebounders.
But when starting, Thompson has been a different player. He got the call once again on Friday night, this time in the place of injured Love, and Thompson finished with a season-high 24 points to go along with 12 rebounds.
In 10 starts this season, Thompson is averaging 13.6 points and 11.7 rebounds.
He won't make an All-Star game anytime soon and may not be worthy of a reported $52 million contract he turned down this off-season, but Thompson understands his role, makes winning plays, does the dirty work and brings hustle and energy every time his number is called.
Blatt's shining moment – Blatt's offense was referred to as "borderline genius." He was considered a brilliant basketball mind overseas, able to adapt to his personnel. But the European coaching legend hasn't impressed in the first half of the season.
He is still getting used to the NBA game. He is still a stranger among players and opposing coaches. He is going through the natural growing pains of a first-time head coach. There have been, and will continue to be, times when it makes sense to focus on his shortcomings.
But Friday night was not one of those instances. In fact, it was Blatt's best performance and possibly an enormous stepping-stone.
With rumors swirling about his future and him having to fend off questions before and after games, Blatt did a few things to show why the Cavs made him their third coach in the last three years.
First, he helped his team get back in the game in the third quarter with a Hack-a-DeAndre strategy. The defense was too generous again, giving up back-to-back 30-point quarters to open the game. Los Angeles' offense showed no signs of slowing down in the third quarter so Blatt sent Jordan, who is a 40 percent free throw shooter, to the line repeatedly. It worked.
Jordan made 5-of-12 from the foul line in the third and the repeated fouls forced Doc Rivers to take one of his best players out of the game. Without Jordan's defense and rebounding, the Cavs finished on a 13-9 run to get within three heading into the fourth quarter. It also allowed Blatt to get extra real-time rest for some of his players on the second night of a back-to-back on the road.
Then came the play of the year.
The Cavs were leading, 119-115. There was less than a minute remaining. They had just called timeout to set up a sideline inbounds play. Blatt had James inbound the ball and he rifled a pass to an open Thompson for the layup and foul. Thompson completed the three-point play, giving the Cavs a seven-point advantage.
Blatt knew the defense would key in on Irving so he used him as a decoy to draw to defender. Griffin hesitated and left Thompson open as expected. The play design led to the bucket and James pointed to Blatt, acknowledging the head coach for a great play at the perfect time.
Blatt pushed the right buttons and his late-game strategy helped get a second straight win. It's those kinds of moments that can galvanize a disjointed team and help Blatt earn the trust of his players.
Speed kills – The Cavs have been searching for an identity all season. It's not defense where the team is far too inconsistent, giving up 121 points to the Clippers, 15 more than their season average. It's not on offense when too often the ball sticks and the Cavs revert to hero ball.
If they'd be willing to stay committed to it, pushing the pace will give them quite an advantage.
The Cavs scored 24 fast break points and turned 13 Los Angeles turnovers into 21 points. Irving can be dazzling in the open floor and James is like a freight train. Running helped the Cavs get some easy buckets, finishing at 55 percent from the field.
The 126 points are the second-highest total of the year. There's no reason this team shouldn't be playing running more.
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