2023-24 Season | Game #69 | Heat @ Cavs | March 20, 2024 | 7:00 p.m.

[Tlyons]

Can’t compare Garland to Brunson. They aren’t even playing the same sport at this point. One is a MVP candidate, one is a candidate for worst contract in the league going forward.

Please get it together, DG.

 

[redruM]

Ok let me rephrase that some of us are real fans and dont live off the sweat of LeBrons nuts. Is that clear or do u still have the taste of salt on ur tongue?

I apologize for that Akronite (I too am from Akron) I was out of line with that response. I guess it was the heat of the moment. My punishment is Im going to refrain from posting 4 awhile. Probably in my best interests

 

[Smooth]

Dwell in your penthouse, make love to your model wife and watch sports leisurely. Dont judge the rest of us who live and die by this team even though we are the bad fans

Don't gotta tell me twice!

 

[CavsKermit]

Two years ago Lauri played 30 minutes a night and scored all of 15 points per game.

Niang tonight outscored the average Lauri game from two years ago. Sam Merrill tonight was more of a threat than anybody on that team.

For fuck’s sake Jarrett Allen had a 20/20 game, Caris LeVert was able to break down the defense just fine, and Okoro was 50% from the field. These are just massive excuses.

When Mitchell’s healthy, Garland struggles because he’s got to share the floor with an MVP candidate. When Mobley is healthy, spacing is to blame.

When Garland gets handed the keys to the kingdom and can’t take Jovic off the dribble, it’s Okoro’s fault. Cmon man.

Brunson is lighting fools up with his whole team
injured, but Garland can’t be expected to shoot 40% against a Heat team starting Thomas Bryant and the corpse of Patty Mills?

Lauri was a better player than Niang then and is a better player now. LeVert, who was also on those teams both seasons, had 5 turnovers and 16 points on meh shooting despite Spo tilting the entire defense towards Garland. We went out and traded for LeVert, flawed as he is, because the Cavs had no answer once opposing teams starting doubling Garland two seasons ago. This is not a new problem.

Despite being defended that way, which Garland's critics never bother questioning why the opposing team does, Garland had 9 assists, a single turnover, and 20 points.

You want to talk Brunson, go watch what happened to the Knicks in the playoffs last year when Spo tilted the defense towards him. Their entire offense collapsed. It matters.

We lost this game because we couldn't get stops in the final two minutes. We were winning and we managed to put points on the board. But without Mobley and Wade, the Heat scored on every possession.

 

[-Akronite-]

I apologize for that Akronite (I too am from Akron) I was out of line with that response. I guess it was the heat of the moment. My punishment is Im going to refrain from posting 4 awhile. Probably in my best interests

Never been to Akron. Just where my favorite pair of nuts dropped.

 

[wuck]

This “not ok” language makes me think of a schoolmarm or particularly annoying HR person. People are adults here and should be able to take some back and forth in a passionate game thread. Over policing can be just as bad as under policing

the words "over policing" and "game threads" do not reflect any moment in the history of RCF, including tonight.

no one has been banned nor is anyone on the edge of being banned. i ask that people try not to direct their energies towards other posters, that is it. i have no problem if you think it is annoying. as mods, sometimes we're a little annoying. i don't think i am particularly annoying, however, except when it comes to porter's minutes.

we are not over policing today, nor have we overpoliced all season, and i can say that has been true for me for the past ten years.

i freely admit i was an overpolicer ten years ago, as dozens of banned posters could tell you if the were still here. and some posters here probably remember. it was a bit wild-west in those days. i feel and remain proud that i had merrill qualities when it came to bans in my youth. i am the george niang of overpolicing now.

 

[Cavatt]

Lauri was a better player than Niang then and is a better player now. LeVert, who was also on those teams both seasons, had 5 turnovers and 16 points on meh shooting despite Spo tilting the entire defense towards Garland. We went out and traded for LeVert, flawed as he is, because the Cavs had no answer once opposing teams starting doubling Garland two seasons ago. This is not a new problem.

Despite being defended that way, which Garland's critics never bother questioning why the opposing team does, Garland had 9 assists, a single turnover, and 20 points.

You want to talk Brunson, go watch what happened to the Knicks in the playoffs last year when Spo tilted the defense towards him. Their entire offense collapsed. It matters.

We lost this game because we couldn't get stops in the final two minutes. We were winning and we managed to put points on the board. But without Mobley and Wade, the Heat scored on every possession.

I'm not that confident bearing this team if we matchup with them in the playoffs. They just execute while the cavs make mistakes. Maybe the guys are too young I don't know. I really don't want to be down about this, but the team can't seem to be bothered about playing the bad teams.

It is crazy how is they don't have either Mobley or Wade it seems like the defense doesn't work

 

[Futuredome]

If Mitchell doesn't come back healthy, we are screwed no matter how consistent Garland is.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

Wow. What a terrible loss. Really came up small when it mattered.

That sequence from 1:24 to :39 was just awful.
Rozier: 4-point play
Cavs: Shot clock turnover
Butler makes jumper

4-point lead goes to 2-point deficit.

We are getting the Knicks again.

 

[Cassity14]

Lauri was a better player than Niang then and is a better player now. LeVert, who was also on those teams both seasons, had 5 turnovers and 16 points on meh shooting despite Spo tilting the entire defense towards Garland. We went out and traded for LeVert, flawed as he is, because the Cavs had no answer once opposing teams starting doubling Garland two seasons ago. This is not a new problem.

Despite being defended that way, which Garland's critics never bother questioning why the opposing team does, Garland had 9 assists, a single turnover, and 20 points.

You want to talk Brunson, go watch what happened to the Knicks in the playoffs last year when Spo tilted the defense towards him. Their entire offense collapsed. It matters.

We lost this game because we couldn't get stops in the final two minutes. We were winning and we managed to put points on the board. But without Mobley and Wade, the Heat scored on every possession.

Teams pressure Garland because he handles it poorly.

They’re also doing it less lately than they did in the past. Why? Because he isn’t able to reliably punish switches. Houston and Miami have both recently dared him to take a big man off the dribble, and it has worked wonders.

They pressure him when Donovan Mitchell is on the court with him. Why? Because more often than not it leads to a poor possession.

You can move the goal posts as much as you want, but Darius Garland has played exactly one objectively great game this season.

Try as you are to explain it away, that fact remains.

If a max contract offensive player needs to have great offensive and great defensive players around him to be expected to win games like tonight, that’s not a great sign.

I noticed you never responded to my question in the Garland thread. Curious as to why.

 

[CavsKermit]

Teams pressure Garland because he handles it poorly.

They pressure him when Donovan Mitchell is on the court with him.

You can move the goal posts as much as you want, but Darius Garland has played exactly one objectively great game this season.

Try as you are to explain it away, that fact remains.

If a max contract offensive player needs to have great offensive and great defensive players around him to be expected to win games like tonight, that’s not a great sign.

If that's why you think teams pressure Garland, then we have a fundamental difference of opinion. I think they do it for the same reason they did it two years ago, the Cavs (presently) have nothing without him. Every time he rests, we look like a lottery team, and frankly, without three starters, Wade, and Garland, that's exactly what we are.

 

[Cassity14]

If that's why you think teams pressure Garland, then we have a fundamental difference of opinion. I think they do it for the same reason they did it two years ago, the Cavs (presently) have nothing without him. Every time he rests, we look like a lottery team, and frankly, without three starters, Wade, and Garland, that's exactly what we are.

This isn’t new. Teams have blitzed, pressured, and doubled Garland since the Cavs got Mitchell as well.

He’s not supposed to be a decent player. He’s supposed to be an all star that elevates his teammates. He’s currently a far, far cry from that, as evidenced by you blaming his teammates (who outplayed him tonight) for Garland’s continued struggles.

 

[Futuredome]

Wow. What a terrible loss. Really came up small when it mattered.

That sequence from 1:24 to :39 was just awful.
Rozier: 4-point play
Cavs: Shot clock turnover
Butler makes jumper

4-point lead goes to 2-point deficit.

We are getting the Knicks again.

No, the Knicks will be the 3rd seed

 

[CavsKermit]

This isn’t new. Teams have blitzed, pressured, and doubled Garland since the Cavs got Mitchell as well.

He’s not supposed to be a decent player. He’s supposed to be an all star that elevates his teammates. He’s currently a far, far cry from that, as evidenced by you blaming his teammates (who outplayed him tonight) for Garland’s continued struggles.

See, if you think Garland's teammates outplayed him tonight, I'll just say we're just seeing very different things and leave it at that. The only player who even has an argument is Allen, the Heat didn't really double him, and he can't run an offense.

As far as blaming Garland's teammates, the Heat tilted their entire defense towards Garland tonight. The only poor defender they had on the floor was Rozier, and whoever he was guarding, it wasn't Garland. So I do expect guys like LeVert and Okoro to be more impactful when the defense is keying on one guy or trying to hide poor defenders on them.

Now, they are who they are in terms of playing off-ball, so I'm not shocked, but there are a ton of opportunities for both of them when Garland is being defended that way, and they're rarely taking advantage of them. It's why we went out and got Strus last summer.

 

[kidduck]

Chris Fedor @ChrisFedor

about 1 hour ago

Tough shots or not, we have talked all season about #Cavs in late-game situations. Tonight, Miami scored on its final five possessions and won the last 2:04, 13-6.cleveland.com/cavs/2024/03/c…