Game 34 | Pacers @ Cavs | Sunday, January 5th, 2014 | 6:03 PM ET

[OptimusPrime]

It's not a heat check possession, dammit. Learn the game before you type. PASS THE BALL

Dion was looking for the pass in the corner when he was dribbling under the rim. He always does. The Pacers knew it too as they were standing right for that pass. I don't care for his decision to shoot a fallaway 3, but he was looking to pass it before that. No one open or moving.

 

[SteelSmack]

Dion was looking for the pass in the corner when he was dribbling under the rim. He always does. The Pacers knew it too as they were standing right for that pass. I don't care for his decision to shoot a fallaway 3, but he was looking to pass it before that. No one open or moving.

And he almost knocked it down, it was in and out. Also, Dion played some sick defense. If people could really see the true value of a player on both ends of a court in some tangible way, they'd realize Dion is a lot closer to Kyrie in actual basketball value than most realize. Of course a rim protecting big would cover for a lot of Kyrie's shortcomings.

 

[DatDudeZ3]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Pacers&amp;src=hash">#Pacers</a>' Paul George, clearly annoyed, not pleased with relentless style of <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Cavs&amp;src=hash">#Cavs</a>' Matthew Dellavedova. &quot;He was doing too much,&quot; George says</p>&mdash; Sam The Bullshit Whisperer (@SamAmicoFSO) <a href="https://twitter.com/SamAmicoFSO/statuses/420015286952022017">January 6, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Really dude? That's the reason he shoved Delly? Because he was hustling and playing "too hard"?

 

[Rich]

Actually, I found this game oddly comforting. They played good defense and Dion had some nice plays. Agree that the inbound issues are frustrating, but overall think the team is improving.... Defense is much improved over the last few games.

I'm in a weird place. It's nice to see Zeller go out and grab rebounds like he couldn't do last year. It's nice to see Dion be the man in the 4th. It's nice to see Thompson outplay David West, again. It's even nice to see Bennett have, probably, his best game of the season. These are all comforting things.

And then there's the other part. The part of me that wonders why we didn't put some legitimate veteran players around these guys and give them more of a chance. Why we thought Earl Clark/Alonzo Gee would be a successful SF rotation. What this team could possibly do with some better veteran players. .500 maybe? And in the East that might be good enough for the 4th seed. Think about that, make just enough moves and this team could have had homecourt advantage this season.

 

[SteelSmack]

Bennett actually looked confident against a pretty good defensive player in Scola. For those that think he can't dribble, explain the 2 consecutive possessions that he took Scola to the hoop.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Sober. The front office is looking to blow this up as we speak. Dion will be safe, as will Kyrie.

If I could buy you a drink I would... Agreed, but I think both guards are too valuable to trade. They have that "it" factor especially in the 4th quarter, they just have a few things to learn.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

Clark and Gee a combined 0-11. Bennett goes for 6 and 3, with three turnovers, and runs circles around those guys.

Might be the worst SF rotation since Og and Thak played Caveball for the Neanderthals, against Homo Habilis, 150,000 years ago.

 

[Futuredome]

Bennett actually looked confident against a pretty good defensive player in Scola. For those that think he can't dribble, explain the 2 consecutive possessions that he took Scola to the hoop.

its there, we all know it is. you could argue with this team, that is true despite its faults. they just don't know how to win. same problem last year with less talent.

 

[MoGottiFor3]

I can't take anymore Clark or Gee, there's absolutely no way they finish this season with the Cavs.

 

[CleveRocks]

Clark has sucked hard, its true. But it looked like a good move when we picked him up, or at least an improvement over gee. As a small forward he held his own. But as Cavalier, he has been abysmal on both sides of the ball. Really he should be playing D league over karasev...

 

[Rich]

I can't take anymore Clark or Gee, there's absolutely no way they finish this season with the Cavs.

I'm with you. People that want to tank and just play all the young guys should want these guys moved at all costs. People like me, that what to see some wins, should also want these guys moved. These two have got to go. Soon.

 

[AvonCavsFan]

I read through this and I agree with a lot of what is said.

But to me our #1 issue is our head coach.

He is just not very smart.

For all the bitching about not having a SF or having the worst SF's in the league--we do have a small solution for it that is better than what we are doing. Start CJ at small forward. You solve a few issues for Dion and Kyrie--a floor spacer who the other teams have to at least stay close to. And CJ has been playing good D this year--he is going to be a player that the Spurs sign for cheap, give him his role and everyone will say--wow CJ is pretty good-why didn't he do that here?

We then need to put Dion back where he needs to be...starting. I don't give a shit if we have enough bench scoring---let's worry about starter scoring first. And what a f'n slap in the face it is to one our best players--two guys go down hurt and you still don't start. That is just fucking with him to fuck with him. If I was Dion I would have told Brown to go fuck himself. Sometimes you have to understand your players. It was Dion bobblehead night, Kyrie and Jack were out--we REALLY needed Dion--and we really needed him for 40+ minutes--you can't do that by sitting the bench to start the game.

Irving-Delly
Waiters-Delly
CJ-Karasev
Thompson-Bennet
Andy-Zeller

Trade Jack ASAP for whatever.

Those are the 9 players we play--and some nights it would be 8--if you stagger the minutes right you also keep a play maker on the court at all times. Teams DO play their best players 37 to 40 minutes in some cases, not sure if our coach knows this secret.

At this point I would root for us "tanking" (and many of you know I have hated tanking ever since it started--I think the treadmill of suck is the worst place you can be as a team), but the problem with tanking is I don't think the guy making the pick, nor the guy coaching them will optimize the tank.

Also to Moo-I was at the game and could see the entire floor from my seats--Dion WAS looking to make a pass when he dribbled baseline and back through--Indiana was playing for that corner three.

 

[KI4MVP]

Sober. The front office is looking to blow this up as we speak. Dion will be safe, as will Kyrie.

moo with his finger squarely on the pulse of the team I see