Game Thread 2020-21 Season | Game #26 | Cavs @ Nuggets | February 10, 2021

Dr No said:

We are not a good matchup against Denver and have limited options. But I really don’t get the lineups JBB is trotting out there tonight. It’s like “Anybody wanna go in? - No not you, Wade - everybody else, go do something against somebody”

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He has NO clue. NONE.

The end of our bench doesn’t look a whole lot worse than the first 5. Stevens is the body and explosion you want from a SF. If he develops a 3 point shot he can play. Wade defends well and shoots well. If he can improve his handles and ball security he can play. Dotson can already play.

I missed my first Cavs game in its entirety this season tonight. Once I saw the score out the gate I didn't have much motivation.

I see Drummond only played 16 minutes. Please tell me he was benched.

And wtf happened to Garland and Sexton?

I'm not even going to waste time getting mad. They scored over 80 which was a legit worry with all that freestyling.
Can't really get hype over tanking, especially since this time around it was just so deliberate.
Guess this is a signal that the Cavs know they need more to really go hard for the playoffs.

Sucks, but eh. As long as the gamble works.

Dr No said:

The end of our bench doesn’t look a whole lot worse than the first 5. Stevens is the body and explosion you want from a SF. If he develops a 3 point shot he can play. Wade defends well and shoots well. If he can improve his handles and ball security he can play. Dotson can already play.

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I'm pretty sure Dotson would currently be a more productive player right now than Okoro and Garland.

CavsFaninNJ said:

And wtf happened to Garland and Sexton?

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Sexton really felt like he was iced tonight. Was taken out of lineups a lot and when he was in, barely got any shot attempts.

Dr. Claw said:

I'm not even going to waste time getting mad. They scored over 80 which was a legit worry with all that freestyling.
Can't really get hype over tanking, especially since this time around it was just so deliberate.
Guess this is a signal that the Cavs know they need more to really go hard for the playoffs.

Sucks, but eh. As long as the gamble works.

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They're not tanking but I guess this does make it slightly easier to cope.

redscoon said:

Windler’s release is so slow.

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I said this the first time I saw him play....he “rounds up” to shoot. It’s not a smooth shooting motion

Rich said:

They're not tanking but I guess this does make it slightly easier to cope.

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Ah yes, the "cope" construct. People only need to "cope" when they had expectations higher than was warranted. I did not, so I'm good. Others may need to look into coping mechanisms. This wasn't a serious game. They've played better basketball than this even with a massively depleted roster. This was as zero effort as it gets.

Rich said:

They're not tanking but I guess this does make it slightly easier to cope.

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Fellas we just need to take off the rose colored glasses! This team is just like not that talented! It is lacking a “star”! People can pimp Sexton all they want....he’s a very good player but he’s Robin waiting for Batman to come to this team.

We’ve played way harder with way less talent on the floor. Blowout are becoming more and more frequent. Granted, the level of competition has gone up, but the effort is trending heavily down.

That all too often means tuning out the coach or player discontent.

Nuggets first win in February. Nuggets announcer....wow Wade is a player!

The Nuggets recalled how the Cavs beat them twice last year and weren't going to let it happen again. They came out playing aggressive defense and the Cavs were not ready to compete. They committed six turnovers in the first seven minutes. JBB was so disgusted he pulled all five starters at 25-12. The Cavs were not playing much defense either as the Nuggets made their first 10 shots.

The Cavs missed their first 11 from deep and none of them were even close. Two of them hit glass and another was blocked. Yes, Windler's release is way too slow to get his shot off unless he has a LOT of room.

The Nuggets were going at Garland at every opportunity. They clearly saw him as the weak link of the Cavs' defense.

The Cavs were 2-for-17 in the first half on 3's. Embarassing. In fact, everything about this game was embarassing other than Allen and maybe Prince. The Cavs' starters were all between -22 and -28. Drummond managed to be -28 in only 16 minutes while Jokic was a +30 in 28 minutes. After 16 minutes of action JBB didn't want to see any more of Andre. Neither did I.

Ancient Paul Millsap, on his 36th birthday, had 22 points on 8 shots. He also had 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. Not bad for 27 minutes of action.

The Cavs ended up 8-for-37 on 3's. The entire second half was garbage time.

I'm really starting to wonder about the selections of Garland and Okoro, especially Okoro. It's painful to watch him shoot 3's. His shot is just as likely to hit the glass as the rim. Time to stop taking guys who are undersized for their position. I don't get taking a small 3 who has no offensive skills. Well, he did have two impressive dunks. He needs to take it to the hole more. Also, one rebound in 30 minutes? Really?

If I'm not mistaken Cedi has made 3 of his last 21 attempts from long range. Without an accurate 3-point shot he has almost nothing to offer.

It looked like the Nuggets were pissed that the local writer referred to them as "Joker and the Misfits" after Monday's game and said they have no chance at the post-season unless they trade for Bradley Beal. They came out like they had something to prove. On defense they doubled Sexton every time he got the ball, but just long enough to make him pick up his dribble, then the guy that doubled him quickly went back to his man. It was very effective and not just against Sexton. However, Sexton did have 8 assists which has to be a season high. His four points were definitely a season low.

It will be interesting to see if more teams start doubling Sexton and making him give up the ball, especially with non-shooters like Okoro, Windler, and Cedi on the floor.

Despite the blowout, JaVale McGee continues to play with enthusiasm and hustle. In 11 minutes he had 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocked shots, and an assist. I appreciate the effort.

I got tired of watching the Nuggets knock down one uncontested 3-pointer after another and listening to Austin Carr say, "Wow!" or "Man!" He was continually surprised they were making them. Dude, this is the NBA. Guys make uncontested three's all the time.

Jarrett Allen fought for an offensive rebound, got it, and laid it in with an and-one. Austin's comment was, "Hang around the basket long enough and something good is bound to happen!"

Wow. Man. That's some amazing insight.

Then there was John Michael. As the third quarter ended with the Nuggets up 100-66 Michael said in an excited tone of voice, "And we're on to the fourth quarter!"

Wham with the Right Hand said:

I got tired of watching the Nuggets knock down one uncontested 3-pointer after another and listening to Austin Carr say, "Wow!" or "Man!" He was continually surprised they were making them. Dude, this is the NBA. Guys make uncontested three's all the time.

Jarrett Allen fought for an offensive rebound, got it, and laid it in with an and-one. Austin's comment was, "Hang around the basket long enough and something good is bound to happen!"

Wow. Man. That's some amazing insight.

Then there was John Michael. As the third quarter ended with the Nuggets up 100-66 Michael said in an excited tone of voice, "And we're on to the fourth quarter!"

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Should have listened to the Nuggets announcers like I did. They actually were decent.