Game Thread | Game #62 | Nuggets @ Cavs | Feb. 23, 2023

[Ohioplayer00]

And? He’s averaging 22 pts and 8 assists. Kyrie blows on defense too. As do many others…

So he scored 22 but his man s ores 30 and that’s okay??? Darius loses track of his man on defense way too much and that makes everybody scramble to cover his man and after everybody scrambles and leaves their man to cover for Darius somebody (like Porter and Murray) get left wide open in the corners for threes!

 

[Ohioplayer00]

He's not being a sieve, he's just physically outmatched against a bigger Murray.

No he’s a sieve….he’s not being physically outmatched. Watch him. He loses sight of his man on defense too much. He doesn’t position his body to see his man and the ball and then turns his head allowing his man to go back door or slide to the corner. Which makes everybody else to scramble to cover for him.

 

[Dr No]

We need.nore shooting for sure, but tonight the shooters we do have (Garland, Mitchell) shot 3-13 on 3s. That's a loss against a top team.

This was 2 very good NBA teams. Our stars were not as good as their stars tonight. Game. Had our stars been good, we win.

 

[BiGZD]

He was out of the rotation BEFORE Kevin Love was removed. 4 games in a row now he hasn’t played in the last half. And less than 10 minutes.

That's the fucked up thing his finally fully healed and JB plays him like 6-8 mins in game. Like seriously how the fuck are suppose to get into rhyme in that short of time, also why is this idiot dead set on an 8 man rotation during the reg season. Fire this dumb POS already.

 

[BiGZD]

He was shooting 40% from 3 before he got injured, and if you're going to cancel out his best game given the sample size, you should just cancel out the sample size.

He literally is the only hope at a NBA starting level SF/Wing on this team. He was playing excellent before he got hurt but JB is a fucken moron so he keeps plugging that brick layer Isaac in the starting lineup

 

[Cavatt]

Cavs played the better game. Could not close again. Got sped up and didn't run the offense at the end.

The way the refs protect Jokic around the rim is disgusting. He should have fouled out.

 

[Medina smoke]

can we go back to shooting 3 right behind the line instead of two feet off , I’m sure that can improve our percentages . Whole team is turning into DM

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Fedor hit the nail on the head:

Cleveland went just 6 of 19 from the field and 2 of 7 from 3-point range while committing five turnovers during the final 12 minutes.

Denver, meanwhile, was 10 of 21 from the field and 5 of 8 from deep in the fourth, showing its mettle and maturity when it mattered most. The Nuggets made the plays -- and shots -- the Cavs couldn’t.

And...

The Cavs entered Thursday’s game against Denver with a specific game plan: pound the ball inside relentlessly...After tallying 60 points in the paint through the first three quarters, the Cavs had just eight in the fourth...Mobley went just 0 of 2 from the field [and one was a tip attempt on a teammate's missed shot].

Thursday night wasn’t a one-time deal...Cedi Osman and Caris LeVert get nearly as many fourth-quarter shots as Mobley and there are 117 NBA players who average more fourth-quarter attempts.

How is it possible that this 7-foot unicorn, who is unfazed in the biggest moments and even earned the nickname “Fourth Quarter Ev” because of his late-game success at various points this season, keeps getting ignored?

“That just comes with knowing each other in late-game situations,” Mitchell said. “It’s all about knowing each other and getting better.”....

[Mobley] didn’t score in the fourth quarter. He took just two shot attempts. Rarely even touched the ball.

“That can’t happen,” All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said following the 115-109 loss. “That starts with myself and Darius (Garland). We’ve got to get Ev the ball."

They did say that Denver was fronting Mobley in the 4th quarter and trying to keep the ball out of his hands. My comment is that the Cavs were 3-for-16 on 3's at halftime. If they had made a few more 3's in the first half (or the second), it wouldn't matter that Mobley didn't score in the 4th.

 

[kidduck]

Cavs played the better game. Could not close again. Got sped up and didn't run the offense at the end.

The way the refs protect Jokic around the rim is disgusting. He should have fouled out.

Jokic is a great player who has absolutely mastered the subtle push or hold to gain
an advantage. Definitely part of his repertoire.

 

[shoes22]

This was 2 very good NBA teams. Our stars were not as good as their stars tonight. Game. Had our stars been good, we win.

The thing is, that’s not entirely true. Mobley was absolutely fantastic tonight and he couldn’t get the ball in the 4th.

 

[kidduck]

The shadow of doubt/panic that strikes the Cavs down the stretch
in this kind of game is getting repetitive and ominous .

I get that most of our guys still have to learn how to cope
as pressure and significance of games increase.

But where is the steadiness from JBB. No kudos for him
on this game.

 

[CavsKermit]

The thing is, that’s not entirely true. Mobley was absolutely fantastic tonight and he couldn’t get the ball in the 4th.

At a certain point in the fourth quarter tonight, Denver basicslly played a box and one and put 4 defenders in the paint. The Mitchell three attempt with around 30 seconds, they essentially had one perimeter defender split between him and Garland. First time I've seen that.

Normally, whoever *guards* our SF pinches down and then abandons that player altogether as soon as ball enters the paint, but defenders stay up on Garland and Mitchell when they're out at the three point line. We end up with 4 defenders in the paint because whoever is assigned to the guy driving stays with him on the drive. I'll have to go back and watch the tape, but I wonder if Malone told his team to stop going over picks in the 4th.

The Cavs either have to get back to trying to get Okoro going from 3 earlier in the game, or they need to start closing with Wade. Otherwise, you need both Garland and Mitchell to have good shooting nights on the same night to get anything approaching adequate spacing and that's going to be really hard to do four times in a seven-game series.

 

[Jscc]

No he’s a sieve….he’s not being physically outmatched. Watch him. He loses sight of his man on defense too much. He doesn’t position his body to see his man and the ball and then turns his head allowing his man to go back door or slide to the corner. Which makes everybody else to scramble to cover for him.

Then you aren't really watching him outside of last night's game.

 

[kidduck]

Bickerstaff lamented the fact that they were so successful in the paint through the first three quarters and abandoned what was working for them down the stretch.

“(It’s) understanding where your strengths are versus your opponent that night. We had an advantage in the paint tonight,” Bickerstaff said. “We need to continue to attack the paint and put pressure on the game and make them have to make an adjustment before we kind of let them off the hook.”

I say Denver did make the adjustment and Cavs didn't.

Amazing how JBB never admits his own failings.

 

[Ohioplayer00]

Then you aren't really watching him outside of last night's game.

I watch him every game and his defense is the same. He consistently loses his man on defense every game. Watch him tonight…not just when his man has the ball. When he’s off the ball and watch how his man moves away from him and because he doesn’t position himself right on the floor he loses sight of his man.