Game Thread | Game #74 | Cavs @ Nets | March 21, 2023 | NBA-TV

Has anyone noticed how bad Claxton is at defending the pick and roll? Gives up a wide open 3 every time because he drops so low. Will be unplayable in a series.

Okoro wasn't out there guarding some elite level scorer or playmaker. He can't be getting 4 fouls in 20 minutes.

Rich said:

Okoro wasn't out there guarding some elite level scorer or playmaker. He can't be getting 4 fouls in 20 minutes.

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Mostly ticky tack stuff, the refs just kept calling us for fouls when the offensive player initiated all the contact on drives. Mobley and LeVert got at least a couple like that too.

All the grief & griping about the last five minutes is understandable, but let's not make a the basis for some grand narrative. I'd rather watch highlights of Donovan Mitchell showing little regard for human life.

Now for the 2nd half.
3Q
Both teams missing shots, then Mitchell gets a 3 point play. Left handed layup on the right sight, drew a foul. Cavs still haven't allowed a shot after 3 minutes in the 3rd quarter.
Now Garland draws a foul and gets a bucket. Their guards can't stop our guards. 8-0 Cavs in the 3rd.
Cavs up 15. They've only given up 3 points in the 3rd.
Mitchell with a 3 and then a beautiful pass to Mobley for a dunk.
Cavs offense is really clicking. JA gets a 3 point play. Allen adds to both the offense and defense.
Donovan adds another 3 for a 24 point lead.
Bridges with 16 points on 16 shots.
Garland hits some 15 footers. Cavs up 88-67
LeVert hits a 3.
Nets close with a 12-3 run to close to within 13.
LeVert hits a 3 at the buzzer.
Up 16
4Q
Donovan Mitchell with a stupendous dunk wakes up the arena. Then he hits a 3.
Claxton with an obvious offensive foul. Their coach challenges it and loses. One of the stupider challenges I've seen.
Osman with a 3. Claxton with another offensive foul, drawn by LeVert. Cavs up 21
Nets start coming back with drawing fouls. Then O'Neal hits a 3. Then we commit a turnover.
8-0 run by the Nets cuts it to a 14 point lead. A 3 by Johnson makes it 11-0. Cavs timeout, up 11.
Cavs defense lead to a 24 second turnover. Then we commit a turnover.
Then a foul when Mobley and Sharp collide heads.
LeVert with a steal and Mitchell draws a foul to break the 11-0 drought.
We commit another foul. Under 3 minutes left.
We commit another foul. Cavs up 11.
Allen draws a foul on the offensive boards. Cavs up 12 with 1:49 left.
We commit another foul.
Nets have missed four free throws in the 4th.
Mitchell draws a foul in the backcourt. Cavs up 8.
Then we commit a turnover. Then a foul.
AC "Cavs have taken their feet off the pedal."
Nets close within 6. we draw the foul in the last 25 seconds. 3 possession game after LeVert's free throws.

A good victory, tainted by easing up in the 4th.

Don with the JYD and a highlight video:

KilgoreTrout said:

He PLAYED big!

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Hubbard was 6 8, about 220 or so. He rebounded like Rodman and had a nice jumpshot. He was averaging about 20 ppg when he got a bad injury and retired.

Cavs make the NBA stat boards:

POINTS​

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REBOUNDS​

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BLOCKS​

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THREE POINTERS MADE​

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Rich said:

Okoro wasn't out there guarding some elite level scorer or playmaker. He can't be getting 4 fouls in 20 minutes.

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Has anybody noticed how in the past few games Okoro is not moving his feet and is getting blown more often than not??? What’s up with that? Did he all of sudden forget how to play defense. He’s committing stupid fouls because he’s not moving his feet!

2 For The Brew said:

We’re 8th out of 30 teams in defensive RB %. Hardly awful.

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Then , that’s a statistic which has a poor correlation coefficient for rebounding performance. Looking at our 7 games in March, we‘ve been outrebounded in 6 of them, by margins of 49-34, 46-33, 40-30, 43-40, 46-34 and 37-32 (Nets, Sixers, Hornets [twice] and Heat [twice]. The only game that we had more rebounds than our opponent was against the Wizards.

The comparison of this Cavs group to the Lillard-McCollum Blazers team is a lazy analysis that focuses on one attribute: the heights of the starting backcourt. Mitchell has 4+ inches in standing reach on both of these dudes, 15+ pounds of muscle, and more athleticism than either of them. I was worried he might be too small until I actually saw him play on a nightly basis. And yeah, of course, there's that whole two freakishly athletic, skilled 7 footers thing.

The Cavs can absolutely win a title or two with this group, if these guys can maintain their health and they follow a typical development curve.

Peacedog said:

The comparison of this Cavs group to the Lillard-McCollum Blazers team is a lazy analysis that focuses on one attribute: the heights of the starting backcourt. Mitchell has 4+ inches in standing reach on both of these dudes, 15+ pounds of muscle, and more athleticism than either of them. I was worried he might be too small until I actually saw him play on a nightly basis. And yeah, of course, there's that whole two freakishly athletic, skilled 7 footers thing.

The Cavs can absolutely win a title or two with this group, if these guys can maintain their health and they follow a typical development curve.

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My sentiment exactly.

The only thing that holds this team back is lack of motion in offense and shooting from the players outside the core. The defense is taking this team where it's going. Darius and Donovan are a unique duo in the back court. On paper, especially in a conference like today's East, a team with this makeup should not be on pace for 50 wins under "conventional wisdom".

Look at Atlanta. Quality wings all over the place and All-Star grade backcourt. The most mid record, and they fired their coach....

I have only a few complaints about this team:
- overhelping in the paint, and double teaming unnecessarily on defense. in general, fighting motion offenses.
- late in games with the lead, settling for contested long-range shots instead of just running sets to find any type of scoring.

everything else is in "is what it is" territory given the roster.

Great to see JA back. He was sorely missed. And since the Cavs have dealt with small ball lineups in his absence, there is an opportunity to use the Twin Towers in creative ways now.... staggering Mobley and Allen when they switch lineups. LeVert continues to play playoff basketball. This is allowing more use of Cedi, who has been doing quite well in this opportunity.

We need to play a complete game. We allowed the lead to dictate our emotions. We allowed a big play to dictate our emotions instead of doing the job and finishing the game the way we need to finish the game. - JBB after the game

Sounds like he's saying that after the Mitchell dunk the Cavs figured the game was over. The Cavs are the worst of the top four teams in the East by far in "crunch time". They need to get better at closing out wins.

JMoneyYourHoney said:

Mitchell helping us get past the rudderless Nets in a regular season game is not going to make me change my stance on the trade.

It was an impulsive, shortsighted move from an ownership and front office tandem foaming at the mouth for us to be Portland East, a perennial playoff contestant powered by undersized guards with no hopes of ever actually contending for a championship.

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Got to disagree with this when Mobley continues to develop. The guards and Mobley make a pretty good big three especially when garland and Mobley are still growing their game. Then you throw another damn good big in there like JA
This teams to find a decent wing who can shoot