Game 61 | Cleveland Cavaliers @ Memphis Grizzlies | March 1st, 2014 9:00 PM ET

[OptimusPrime]

I don't think Bennett is somehow a Randolph-stopper, but I agree that Brown needed to find productive minutes from the bench in order to win tonight, similar to what he got from them in the second half against OKC.

Well of course. Randolph might have dominated Bennett like he did Thompson and Zeller. But it was worth a shot, wasn't it? Randolph is too strong for our other bigs, Bennett is the strongest of our bigs. Instead of standing there with his mouth open and a blank stare on his face, Brown could try something that there is reason to think might work better.

 

[Rainman]

No, it's laughable to suggest that Bennett, the guy who just sort of smiled as James Johnson waltzed around him for an easy dunk, would have somehow done a better job at stopping those Zach Randolph mid-range fallback jumpers. I watched him hit three straight, and everyone of them either Zeller or Thompson were as close as could be w/o fouling. That's just what really good offensive players do.

Not saying AB should be in there but TT couldn't do anything one on one. If that's the case why didn't Kyrie step up the offense game?

 

[CosmoKramer]

That's exactly what I'm judging him by because those are the types of guys he's going to have to deal with come playoff time. He'll put a body up in most situations and that's good enough but will he succeed when it counts? I think there's room for improvement. This board riots over Tristan opinions. You'd think he's the next Olajuwon.

There's room for improvement in every single one of our players on the defensive side of the ball.

And people defend Tristan because he's the most under appreciated Cav, he puts up a 18-7 on 8/10 shooting and people bitch about AB not getting enough minutes. I can't wait to read how AB's a better player because his plus/minus was better tonight.

 

[Rainman]

I don't think Bennett is somehow a Randolph-stopper, but I agree that Brown needed to find productive minutes from the bench in order to win tonight, similar to what he got from them in the second half against OKC. I had more of a problem with him not trying to salvage things when Memphis went on the huge 3rd-quarter run. I don't know if he could have found an answer (Memphis had five guys who played really well) but that seems like a lost opportunity.

In the end, the Cavs lost a game to a strong Western Conference team on the road when they couldn't sustain their effort for both halves. Not enough talent on the floor, not enough stamina. They need to win some of these rough games, and they'll have their chance again very soon.

I agree but for those of you that think this team will slip into the playoffs with the schedule faced ahead! There is a better chance of being a lottery team at this point. It's sad but true.

 

[wuck]

Well of course. Randolph might have dominated Bennett like he did Thompson and Zeller. But it was worth a shot, wasn't it? Randolph is too strong for our other bigs, Bennett is the strongest of our bigs. Instead of standing there with his mouth open and a blank stare on his face, Brown could try something that there is reason to think might work better.

Maybe. I was more disappointed with the 35 minutes Brown gave to Jack. Onauku might be even stronger than Bennett, although less mobile.

If you're going to roll the dice and hope a rookie contributes, I would also like to see Karasev get some time as a spot-shooter. Or put Onauku in there and see if his strength can do something against one of the Memphis bigs. I think all of those moves are long shots, though. I'm not sure any moves would have been enough, considering how well (in the end) the main Memphis players performed. None of them were getting stopped consistently, although some of their final stats were padded by the last few minutes.

I don't think Brown did as much as he could, but I don't think there was a magic bullet somewhere. Could definitely have tried to shake things up when they were going awry in the 3rd. That was like watching a car crash in slow motion.

 

[WellYouNeednt]

CosmoKramer,


We want to thank you for your original name and avatar.

Sincerely,

RCF Senior Management

 

[Rainman]

That's exactly what I'm judging him by because those are the types of guys he's going to have to deal with come playoff time. He'll put a body up in most situations and that's good enough but will he succeed when it counts? I think there's room for improvement. This board riots over Tristan opinions. You'd think he's the next Olajuwon.

Playoffs? You talkin' about playoffs?

 

[CosmoKramer]

I agree but for those of you that think this team will slip into the playoffs with the schedule faced ahead! There is a better chance of being a lottery team at this point. It's sad but true.

We haven't seen Andy, Dion, or CJ play with Hawes yet. The March schedule is absolutely brutal, but we just have to beat Atlanta/Detroit for the 8th seed. I'm still holding out hope.

 

[Rainman]

We haven't seen Andy, Dion, or CJ play with Hawes yet. The March schedule is absolutely brutal, but we just have to beat Atlanta/Detroit for the 8th seed. I'm still holding out hope.

Hope is dim and they will be slaughtered by Indiana.

 

[CosmoKramer]

Hope is dim and they will be slaughtered by Indiana.

I don't think they'd win the series, I'd be thrilled if we won a game against the Pacers. Making the playoffs after such a pathetic start would be great for such a young team. I'll take a first round beating and the #15 pick over no playoffs and #12.

 

[DatDudeZ3]

I thought we played well, and I also thought the injuries caught up to us and we started getting tired after 4 games in 5 nights with all the guys out. If we would have been healthy, that would have been another W. It's disappointing our guys got injured for the stretch run and when we were playing our best ball. I figured we would lose for the reasons i mentioned above.

Our guys gave great effort, played hard, just didn't have the energy to keep it up for 48 minutes. It's just frustrating with these injuries, we could have had a chance to win every single game we have played since the all star break.