Game Thread | Game #65 | Cavs @ Celtics | March 1, 2023 (ESPN)

[Jscc]

The Cavs also missed 8 free throws in a 4-point loss, including 3 by Garland.

This is the worst part to me. As bad as the other stuff may be, if they had hit just 5 more free throws, it's a 1 point win. These are professional NBA players missing practice shots.

 

[WellYouNeednt]

Personally, I hope they do give Windler a shot. Windler is an underrated defensive rebounder (much better than Wade) and Cavs can use that. Certainly can't do worse than Wade with shooting the 3..

 

[PIP]

I know the score was a little closer than the game itself — but I just want to point out that the Cavs are a bad matchup for the Celtics….

Very much like the mid 2000 Cavs vs Pistons…. Celtics are a better team, more experienced— this Cavs team can push them…

 

[Lurking Upvoter]

Mitchell: 44 min
Garland: 41 min
Mobley: 39 min
Allen: 39 min
LeVert: 33 min
Okoro: 16 min
Wade: 15 min
Rubio: 7 min
Cedi: 5 min

That’s just too much for the starters. We’re bad executing at the end of games as it is. Don’t add fatigue to it. But JBB has shown us he’s really going to shorten up the rotation as close to 5-6 guys as possible. Not excusable in the regular season. You gotta use your bench, idc how bad they are. Rubio should’ve played more. Coulda tried Lamar since we couldn’t get a stop in the 3rd quarter. Coulda kept Love too…

If i may project my observations onto JB: Rubio and Lavert don't play well together so JB has to choose one or the other. That's pretty tough with them being the 2 guards that play off the bench. IMO Rubio and Mitchell also don't play well together so that also makes it tough to get Rubio minutes. Rubio just isn't very effective if he's going to stand in the corner watching Mitchell (and Caris) dribble and DM is a guy that likes to feel his dribble for rhythm. That kind of leaves Rubio only playing well with Darius because Garland is great at using off-ball screens and the defense has to react to that--Rubio then uses the defense moving and reacting to get things going, bodies and the ball moving. When Mitchell plays with Rubio he doesn't run off screens at all, mostly just stands 10 feet beyond the arc waiting for Rubio's probing to accomplish nothing so he throws the ball out to Mitchell for a one-on-one attack.

Basically Rubio spends most the his time out there not touching the ball unless he's playing with Garland and he sucks as an off-ball spacer so i don't think he's going to (or even should) get many more minutes unless the team plays differently.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

Allen and shitting his pants in a big game. Name a more iconic duo.

JR and his soup?

 

[KilgoreTrout]

I think the 2024 offseason will be a big one for us. We'll be able to trade our 2024 first after the selection is made, and we could trade our 2031 1st. If we remove the protections on it that pick could be worth something. The Lakers got like 3 good role players this past deadline with 1 future pick and salary filler.

Then of course we've gotta prepare for the talent infusion of Luke Travers,

I like your style, @MrDonut, but why is your avatar a pastry that is not a donut?

 

[KilgoreTrout]

number 1 priority should be adding 2-3 shooters.. even over a new coach

Coach doesn’t play the shooters we have.

 

[MrDonut]

I like your style, @MrDonut, but why is your avatar a pastry that is not a donut?

Yeah that's kind of a personal question please respect my boundaries.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Rubio had 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 7 minutes. I thought he should have played more. He had no turnovers and no missed shots.

LeVert was a +11. Garland was +1 and everybody else was in the negative. I thought both Rubio and LeVert did a nice job off the bench, but they're both guards and we already had Mitchell and Garland. We needed a wing to step up.

Tatum had 41 points and 8 assists. Since at least a couple of those assists were on 3-pointers he was directly involved in about 60 of their 117 points. Just an amazing performance. JBB tried a number of different defenders to no avail. In the Celtics' 41-point explosion in the 3rd quarter he hit two 3's with Allen and Mobley right in his face. Not to mention he went to the foul line for 14 free throws. Tatum was clearly the best player on the floor - 41 points on just 21 shots plus the 11 rebounds and 8 assists.

Considering the Cavs were on the road and shot 31% on 3's against 50% for the Celtics its impressive that they only lost by four points, although to be honest the game was over when they were down by 16 with under four minutes to go. It was only a late flurry of 3's by Garland along with a couple of stops that made the game look closer than it was.

To beat the Celtics in Boston when Tatum is having a game like that is impossible unless you get everything right. That includes making 80% of your free throws and getting more than zero points in 20 minutes from Wade and Osman. You need more than 5 points from Jarrett Allen. You need all hands on deck.

 

[Cavatt]

Has Horford done this in any other game this year?

Nah season high

 

[ShawnKempIsMyDad]

This is the worst part to me. As bad as the other stuff may be, if they had hit just 5 more free throws, it's a 1 point win. These are professional NBA players missing practice shots.

This is annoying, but it is also one reason I am not too concerned about the loss. It's an easy thing to clean up and if the ball bounces another way once or twice, we could have won that game.

 

[Lee]

Just imagine what Steve Kerr could do with this team. That alone is a reason to move on from JB.

The offense can be so much better with far more open shots.

Kerr would have already benched Okoro for better spacing at the 3.

Who do you start for Okoro though?

Wade is our backup big, no one else can shoot. LeVert would be a mess defending 3's like he was earlier in the year.

Just not sure we have an option? Osmon? No thanks.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

Yeah that's kind of a personal question please respect my boundaries.

It just creates a good amount of confusion.

You call yourself MrDonut, but you LOOK like Monsieur Croissant!

 

[LeQuit]

Who do you start for Okoro though?

Wade is our backup big, no one else can shoot. LeVert would be a mess defending 3's like he was earlier in the year.

Just not sure we have an option? Osmon? No thanks.

The question why is Okoro even still here and wasnt traded while ago?Why do we have one of the worst bench in the league still and have not done a jack shit to make moves,not just a move?When you have old,ripped,stinky socks that you havent changed in years who do you blame for that?

 

[Lee]

The question why is Okoro even still here and wasnt traded while ago?Why do we have one of the worst bench in the league still and have not done a jack shit to make moves,not just a move?When you have old,ripped,stinky socks that you havent changed in years who do you blame for that?

Trades are a product of both teams agreeing. Our bench metrics are good based upont +/-, they are poor based upon scoring, its a bit weird, but at this point allot of that is on RUbio who is an outlier with his presence on the court being a plus when not scoring.

Not sure what you think they should do with Okoro. He is shooting about 40% on a few shots a game from 3 over the last 2 months, but you just dont cut him, and if we couldnt find a good trade partner, you keep him, develop him, and see if he becomes better, or then you trade him for more than a pair of socks.

Rosters take time to build, you need experience, assets and opportunity, I am glad you are not the GM, you have the patience of a 3 year old.