2024-25 Season | Game #54 | Cavs @ Raptors | Feb. 12, 2025 | 7:30 p.m.

MirORich said:
Cavs locking down the top seed in this Eastern Conference with only three truly serious teams is about as close to essential as it gets.
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Agreed - which is why I cringe when I saw an article or podcast today that suggested the Cavs believe they have wiggle room right now to play with games.

If we're 6 games up a month from now, then yes I agree. But with 28 games left and Boston looking great, I want that 1 seed.
 
Nice win by the Cavs. I thought Strus would be out but he started and hit four 3's in the first six minutes to get the Cavs going. They had a 38-point lead halfway through the 3rd quarter then started coasting.

A complete game by Evan with 12 points, 15 boards, 5 assists, and 2 blocks plus multiple altered shots resulting in misses. Strus was +33 in 26 minutes.

The Cavs only made 34% of their 3's and missed 35 of them, but still got 131 points. They were 30-for-46 on 2's. For some reason DM and DG were off, combining to shoot 3-for-17 on 3's. But Hunter is now 7-for-13 on 3's since the trade.

Tyson only got called for one foul away from the ball instead of 3 or 4. Baby steps.

Scottie Barnes was a -32 in 33 minutes. Wow. Barrett can really score; he had 27 points in 28 minutes on 18 shots.

I think the Raptors could be pretty good next year with Quickley at PG, Poeltl at center, and Barrett, Barnes, and Ingram on the wings. That is a unit with length and a lot of shooting ability. They also will get a lottery pick.
 
Wham with the Right Hand said:
I think the Raptors could be pretty good next year with Quickley at PG, Poeltl at center, and Barrett, Barnes, and Ingram on the wings. That is a unit with length and a lot of shooting ability. They also will get a lottery pick.
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Unless they get Cooper Flagg, Toronto will win less than 30 games again next season. Even with Flagg, they're probably no better than a play-in team.
 
Cement said:
Agreed - which is why I cringe when I saw an article or podcast today that suggested the Cavs believe they have wiggle room right now to play with games.

If we're 6 games up a month from now, then yes I agree. But with 28 games left and Boston looking great, I want that 1 seed.
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I wouldn't interpret it that way.

The Cavs are absolutely playing to win. And thankfully they have so much depth and talent that they can do it while also doing two important things:

1: Keeping their main guy's minutes down so that when we reach the playoffs, they are starting out fresh, not still recovering from large minute fatigue and wear and tear

2: Trying many different defensive schemes, so that they have lots of data on which lineups do well with which schemes and so that when they have to keep teams off balance in a playoff series, or move away from a scheme that's getting exploited, they'll be moving to schemes they've not only practiced, but also implemented many times in real game flow already.
 
Knicks' bench had 14 points in a 53-minute game. The Knicks' starters played 84% of the minutes.

The Boston-New York series should be a banger. Hopefully it goes seven and the winner is beat to shit after it's over while the Cavs have been off for five days.

The starters for both teams are going to play a lot of minutes in that series.
 
  • The ‘en fuego’ phrase is the only way to describe Max Strus starting out the game. He had 12 first quarter points on 4-for-7 shooting from three-point range, and all four of them came within the first five minutes of the game. Strus outscored the Raptors himself 12-9.
  • De’Andre Hunter started last game with Strus out but with Strus back healthy it shifted Hunter to the bench. With Dean Wade out, it made sense for Hunter to fill in forward minutes off the bench but when everyone is healthy after the All-Star break it’ll be interesting to see where this goes.
  • The right answer is Hunter, but it may be delayed a bit to give deference to Strus being a trusted veteran on this team. After the game, Kenny talked about Strus’s lineup data with the core four. Strus with the core is 90th percentile in point differential per 100 possessions this year but 52nd percentile last year.
  • At least for this game, Strus was doing everything he could to show he deserved to remain starter moving forward. 5 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal will also help.
  • Strus had a pass early and a pass later that showcased his underrated playmaking skills off the dribble and his ability to be a secondary playmaker at times. If there’s one way Strus has a leg up on Hunter, it’s his ability to keep the ball moving and make a play for others. Strus has a career 12.6% AST% compared to 7.2% for Hunter.
  • Where Hunter can capitalize on his strength is defensively. The Cavs brought him in to help provide length and a bigger body to guard some of the players they expect to play in the playoffs – OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Paul George, etc. RJ Barrett had two shots early on over Strus that might not have happened with Hunter. Length matters and the problem with Strus defensively has never ever been anything he can control and it’s something Hunter inherently has a lot of.
  • After Strus got hot from deep early, Sam Merrill checked in and poured on a few early as well. Merrill started the season looking like he lost his shot but over his last 5 games he’s made 21 3PM and is shooting 52% from long range. With Caris LeVet elsewhere and Hunter getting some backup four minutes, it does create an opportunity for Merrill to continue to get spot duty off the bench. And if he can continue hitting shots like he has, it may be more than just spot duty.
 
I honestly think TT had money on the game. I remember he is a part of some gambling bullshit. With his basket he covered the spread and the 4th quarter spread.
 
Jscc said:
He moves like he shouldn't be in the NBA but then does these superhuman skill moves and the ball goes in.

I will never understand the alien biology of Luka or Jokic.
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Powered by vodka, cigarettes and rich Slavic foods. Zero muscle definition but, much like their hearty hunter/gatherer ancestors, can skewer a field mouse from 500 yards with a toothpick and a rubber band.
 
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