Game Thread 2019-20 Season Game #31 | Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics | Dec 27th, 2019

[KilgoreTrout]

Garland with 2 points (1-7 from the field) and 0 assists. Someone tell me, again, what I’m supposed to be so excited about? The dude has a major clunker like every other game.

 

[KilgoreTrout]

Start Exum and Sexton. Exum was actually USEFUL today - unlike Garland.

 

[Rich]

Boston (like most teams) is also an awful match-up.

Too big on the perimeter for our guards, and too fast for our bigs. We have, quite literally, no one on the roster capable of guarding players like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Kevin Porter and Larry Nance are the best shot, but they can't do it either.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Celtics came in 10-1 at home and did not disappoint. Tatum and Brown were too much for the Cavs, combining for 64 points as the Celtics scored 129, their third highest total of the year. Tatum and Brown went 24-for-40 and whenever the Cavs started creeping back into the game they just knocked down a few threes.

"The team without a shot blocker." - one of the Celtics' announcers describing the Cavs, who had 3 blocks to the Celtics 10. The Cavs' lack of rim protection was glaringly obvious.

Also obvious was the absence of Jordan Clarkson as the Cavs' bench had 3 points in the first half. With Exum in Clarkson's spot there was nobody who can create his own shot other than Porter, and he struggled against the Celtics' starters.

Garland had his worst game in weeks, going 1-for-7 with 2 points and 4 turnovers. He was also abused defensively and was a -21 in 28 minutes. He looked like a JV player who was mistakenly put in the varsity game. Love and Sexton had good offensive games, but Love was awful defensively, both in transition and in the half-court game.

The Cavs scored 117, which looks impressive against the #2 scoring defense in the league, but 27 points came in the last half of the 4th quarter after the issue was decided. One problem was Kevin Love hit six 3's while the rest of the team had three combined. When four of your five starters don't make a single 3-point shot it's hard to win.

Now the Cavs have to travel to Minnesota tonight and play the second night of a back-to-back on the road. The T-Wolves had lost 11 straight before winning last night in double overtime against Sacramento. I'll be watching the Buckeyes play Clemson.

 

[Dr. Claw]

Well.. that SUCKED.
Cavs fought back, but every time it got to 9, I'd turn my head and they were down 15 again.
I think team focus should be trying to get bigs that can do more and also defend. I was looking for Nance and Porter to get in the game at stretches, but it was too late. (Not to mention, I think this is where the league is going once we get over this Steph/Klay/Donkey horseshit, that's sure to return next season. Look at the Lakers, look at Miami, Philly, Toronto, all the good teams.... it's no mistake that they are pretty well-fortified in that regard).

Zizic is both victory cigar and acknowledgement of defeat.
Things got better with the Dellavedova lineup but it wasn't enough.


Not a good showing from Garland here. I think he would be much better in a game like this if our bigs were more versatile.
Love did well offensively, but the defense was ass juice to be expected. Opposing teams like Boston and Miami, who have bigs that can do more than average, will eventually kill the Cavs.

Liked Exum in the few minutes he played. Definitely more of a Dellavedova-like effect. Didn't go wild with the scoring, but came through. Played some defense.

On to the next. Get better.