Game Thread | 2021-2022 Season | Game #60 | Wizards @ Cavs | Feb. 26, 2022 | 8:00 p.m.

[Wham with the Right Hand]

After stumbling out of the second “half” starting block the Cavs have a chance to get back on their feet against the Washington Wizards. The Cavs get a couple of breaks in that the Wizards played at home last night while the Cavs were off. Also, the Wizards lost 157-153 in double OT to the Spurs so they are going to be some tired puppies after playing 58 minutes and getting into Cleveland early this morning.

Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope played 46 and 43 minutes last night. Kuzma beat the Cavs with a 3-pointer earlier in the season. Hopefully he’ll be too tired by the end of tonight’s game to try that again.

The Wizards are 28-31. They made some moves at the trade deadline, trading starting guard Spencer Dinwiddie and backups Montrezl Harrell, Aaron Holiday, and David Bertans for Kristaps Porzingus and backups Ish Smith and Vernon Carey, Jr. and future picks. Porzingus is injured and has not played for them yet while Carey is not in the rotation. I believe Porzingus may be out tonight.

Since making these moves they are 2-3 with the wins coming against Detroit and Brooklyn, who were missing Durant, Irving, and Ben Simmons.

Bradley Beal, easily their leading scorer at 23.2 points, has been lost for the season with a wrist injury.

The last time these teams played was on Dec. 30 and the Wizards handed the Cavs their biggest loss of the season, 110-93, with Beal scoring 29 points. The Cavs were in the same position they’re in now - no point guards. Pangos and Nembhard combined for 5 points in 45 minutes. Unfortunately, Rondo just got hurt and now we're down to Goodwin and a 31-year-old they just signed off the street. Tim Frazier has played for eight teams in eight years with a total of 287 games. At least he's experienced.

Can you believe that after 59 games the Cavs biggest loss was by 17 points? And that’s with losing Sexton and Rubio for the year.

On Dec. 3 a healthy Cavaliers squad beat the Wizards in Washington, who came in 8-2 at home. The Cavs started Garland, Okoro, Markkanen, Mobley and Allen. Love and Rubio came off the bench. The Cavs were up by 27 points after three quarters and cruised to a 15-point win. That game makes me think of what could have been. Actually, it could still be. Rubio played 27 minutes and was a -4, going 3-for-11 from the field. Once everybody is healthy we’ll have that same lineup except LeVert for Rubio.

The Wizards were seen as going into tanking mode when they traded Dinwiddie and Harrell for an injured Porzingus and a couple of draft picks. They rank 21st in scoring for the season. With Beal, Dinwiddie, Harrell, and Holiday gone they lose 56 points a night so their ranking should be lower now. But they scored 130 in regulation against San Antonio last night. The Spurs give up 112 points on average. Kyle Kuzma had 36 points in 46 minutes.

So I’m not sure what to expect from the Wizards tonight. The Cavs need a plan for Kuzma, who in three games against the Cavs is shooting 56.1% overall and 46.4% on 3’s for a 19.7 average. He loves to shoot against the Cavs. The Wizards are missing three of their top four scorers this year in Beal, Harrell, and Dinwiddie. After Kuzma (16.3 ppg), their top remaining scorers are KCP (11.6 ppg) and C Daniel Gafford (9.0). On paper they don’t have much firepower but that didn’t stop them from scoring 130 last night plus an additional 23 points in two overtime periods.

The main thing for the Cavs is to regain the junkyard dog mentality they seem to have lost. Bickerstaff said they lost it going into the break and didn’t have it against Detroit on Thursday. They need to get it back now, especially with Garland and LeVert out. With a soft spot in the schedule the Cavs need to grind out a win here and there until DG and Caris return. They've lost three straight and dropped to fifth place with the Celtics, winners of 9 of 10, barking at their heels.

They also need to do better at the free throw line. I can’t stand it when they miss 11 free throws and lose by 3 points like they did Thursday. The Cavs are 24th in free throw shooting and they have nights where everybody is off at the same time. Since pretty much all their games are close, free throw shooting becomes more important.

Finally, Kevin Love needs to find some consistency; in his last five games he’s scored 7, 14, 2, 21, and 4 points. He’s shooting 36.6% from the field and 34.5% on 3’s in February. With Garland and LeVert out we need more scoring from him off the bench. In fact, everybody need to ratchet up their offensive game a notch.

With Goodwin starting at point guard with a 31-year-old backup just signed yesterday, the Cavs may not be in a position to beat anybody. What a golden opportunity for Goodwin, though. It's the chance of a lifetime for him.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

By the way, in Tim Frazier's last five games he's played 50 minutes and scored 0 points. His best game this year was scoring 13 points with 5 assists in 30 minutes against Milwaukee, going 5-for-8 from the field.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

With the Cavs' backcourt decimated by injury it falls on Allen, Mobley, Markkanen, and Love to step up and play at a high level to give the Cavs a chance to steal a couple of wins in the next week or two. The Cavs will also be counting on Cedi to help out at the 2 since Okoro can't play 48 minutes.

With Goodwin/Frazier at point guard and Okoro/Cedi at shooting guard for the next week or two the Cavs are very vulnerable. The front line is going to have to play out of their minds.

With Cedi having to help out at shooting guard I expect Stevens to get more minutes backing up Marky at SF.

 

[Dr No]

Finally, Kevin Love needs to find some consistency; in his last five games he’s scored 7, 14, 2, 21, and 4 points. He’s shooting 36.6% from the field and 34.5% on 3’s in February. With Garland and LeVert out we need more scoring from him off the bench. In fact, everybody need to ratchet up their offensive game a notch.

This would definitely be a good time for Kevin to regain his shooting stroke. I sound like a broken record, but this would also be a great time to find some better ball movement. We still have some shooters in Love, Markk, Wade, and Cedi, but none of them create their own shot. Without a creator to break down the defense, they need ball movement to get open looks.

 

[buzzdog]

This would definitely be a good time for Kevin to regain his shooting stroke. I sound like a broken record, but this would also be a great time to find some better ball movement. We still have some shooters in Love, Markk, Wade, and Cedi, but none of them create their own shot. Without a creator to break down the defense, they need ball movement to get open looks.

And to me this is 100% a coaching matter. When all your natural facilitators like DG and Rubio are out the scheme has to be what creates the looks. You can't rely on a point guard to break down the defense and create, it needs to be done with scheme, player and ball movement. This could and would be a positive if the coaches and team managed to figure it out. Unfortunately I'm not confident that our coaching staff has that ability in their DNA, You almost need more of a high school coaching mentality with structured sets being run, and our coaching philosophy seems to be to just roll the ball out and let players play. That only works if you have a Garland or a Rubio on the floor and if not there is impotent chaos.

 

[Heatcliff Check]

First things first:

OK, moving on...

Cedi having to help out at shooting guard I expect Stevens to get more minutes backing up Marky at SF.

Some weeks ago I wrote that the Cavs do have an emergency measure in their disposal to (slightly) improve spacing: separate Mobley and Allen as much as possible. I'm happy to see that JBB reads this board because he started doing that almost immediately. Mobley and JA are spending less and less time on the court together, which has noticeably opened up the middle for Evan. Unfortunately, his 1-on-1 game is still very much a work in progress (and that's putting it very politely), but it seems he's realizing he can create easy looks for others by driving to the middle and kicking it out. This is good. The perimeter guys have to make those shots, though.

Allen is still struggling. He does need space like Mobley, but he needs a capable PnR partner even more. Right now he doesn't have one. IMO, Jarrett was extremely lucky to get the All Star nod. All the backcourt injuries have really exposed him and he hasn't been able to elevate his game.

To return to the above quote by WWTRH: with the "double center" lineups seemingly dying a slow death, I see Lauri playing more and more PF the rest of the season, with Allen and Mobley alternating in the middle. As Cedi has to "help out" at the 2 (yes, I cringed as I wrote that), there could be lots of SF minutes for someone. Personally, I believe JBB will go with Wade there.

 

[KansasCavFan]

First things first:

OK, moving on...


Some weeks ago I wrote that the Cavs do have an emergency measure in their disposal to (slightly) improve spacing: separate Mobley and Allen as much as possible. I'm happy to see that JBB reads this board because he started doing that almost immediately. Mobley and JA are spending less and less time on the court together, which has noticeably opened up the middle for Evan. Unfortunately, his 1-on-1 game is still very much a work in progress (and that's putting it very politely), but it seems he's realizing he can create easy looks for others by driving to the middle and kicking it out. This is good. The perimeter guys have to make those shots, though.

Allen is still struggling. He does need space like Mobley, but he needs a capable PnR partner even more. Right now he doesn't have one. IMO, Jarrett was extremely lucky to get the All Star nod. All the backcourt injuries have really exposed him and he hasn't been able to elevate his game.

To return to the above quote by WWTRH: with the "double center" lineups seemingly dying a slow death, I see Lauri playing more and more PF the rest of the season, with Allen and Mobley alternating in the middle. As Cedi has to "help out" at the 2 (yes, I cringed as I wrote that), there could be lots of SF minutes for someone. Personally, I believe JBB will go with Wade there.

Probably a decent plan. Dean is +30 in the last three games. Yes, all were losses. So while things are trending south, some are still doing their part.

 

[moohead]

Bottom line: Love no longer has a post game. Without Guard paint penetration, he has no perimeter availability. Frazier is a waste of time. Another PG you don't have to "guard" who can't beat anyone off the dribble. Cedi has the speed to turn the corner, but he is a turnover machine as a ballhandler. Okoro needs to drive the lane and pass to involve Lauri, Love and Cedi. The rest is to play frenetic defense. To hell with blocked shots. We need our bigs to alter shots then REBOUND. We gotta fight through screens. Stay in front of their man. Move their feet.

I am seeing the frustration building in Love. That's not good. I watched Rondo dribble off the first 12 seconds of every shot clock before passing (many times sideways or away from the rim). Allen needs to play harder. He's starting to loaf. Mobley needs to find his 15-17 foot looks. the paint is clogged.

Moo

 

[jjvors]

First things first:

OK, moving on...


Some weeks ago I wrote that the Cavs do have an emergency measure in their disposal to (slightly) improve spacing: separate Mobley and Allen as much as possible. I'm happy to see that JBB reads this board because he started doing that almost immediately. Mobley and JA are spending less and less time on the court together, which has noticeably opened up the middle for Evan. Unfortunately, his 1-on-1 game is still very much a work in progress (and that's putting it very politely), but it seems he's realizing he can create easy looks for others by driving to the middle and kicking it out. This is good. The perimeter guys have to make those shots, though.

Allen is still struggling. He does need space like Mobley, but he needs a capable PnR partner even more. Right now he doesn't have one. IMO, Jarrett was extremely lucky to get the All Star nod. All the backcourt injuries have really exposed him and he hasn't been able to elevate his game.

To return to the above quote by WWTRH: with the "double center" lineups seemingly dying a slow death, I see Lauri playing more and more PF the rest of the season, with Allen and Mobley alternating in the middle. As Cedi has to "help out" at the 2 (yes, I cringed as I wrote that), there could be lots of SF minutes for someone. Personally, I believe JBB will go with Wade there.

Huh. I had the opposite thought. I wanted Jarrett and Mobley on the floor together to maximize their defense and to play off each other in the key. I love Mobley at the high post or elbow and Jarrett lurking down low at the dunkers spot. I love to see them pass to each other on interior passing. It prevents double-teaming of either one.

But I'm not an NBA coach. That's only what I've observed this year that works really well.

 

[dms]

And to me this is 100% a coaching matter. When all your natural facilitators like DG and Rubio are out the scheme has to be what creates the looks. You can't rely on a point guard to break down the defense and create, it needs to be done with scheme, player and ball movement. This could and would be a positive if the coaches and team managed to figure it out. Unfortunately I'm not confident that our coaching staff has that ability in their DNA, You almost need more of a high school coaching mentality with structured sets being run, and our coaching philosophy seems to be to just roll the ball out and let players play. That only works if you have a Garland or a Rubio on the floor and if not there is impotent chaos.

To me it's 0% a coaching matter. You can't put a square plug in a round hole. I don't know if it's because "ball movement" is one of AC's catch phrases, but some on this board see it as a panacea. It's not. We often pass the ball all around only for someone to have to force up a shot against the shot clock because no one wants to shoot. That's because you can move the ball all you want, but if you are devoid of offensive weapons it's just too easy for the defense. No one guards Okoro, no one has any concern for Allen more than 5 feet from the basket, Wade is pretty much ignored, Mobley is covered but no one is overly concerned with his offense, and the defense encourages Rondo to shoot. Right now on the court offensively talent wise this may be the worst team in the league. Without Garland there is just no one on the court the defense fears which causes them to switch and be out of place. Having Markkanen back will help that a little but it's not really his game to pressure the defense. Unless Garland gets back soon we are destined for the play in.

 

[buzzdog]

To me it's 0% a coaching matter. You can't put a square plug in a round hole. I don't know if it's because "ball movement" is one of AC's catch phrases, but some on this board see it as a panacea. It's not. We often pass the ball all around only for someone to have to force up a shot against the shot clock because no one wants to shoot. That's because you can move the ball all you want, but if you are devoid of offensive weapons it's just too easy for the defense. No one guards Okoro, no one has any concern for Allen more than 5 feet from the basket, Wade is pretty much ignored, Mobley is covered but no one is overly concerned with his offense, and the defense encourages Rondo to shoot. Right now on the court offensively talent wise this may be the worst team in the league. Without Garland there is just no one on the court the defense fears which causes them to switch and be out of place. Having Markkanen back will help that a little but it's not really his game to pressure the defense. Unless Garland gets back soon we are destined for the play in.

I disagree. Yes having creators and facilitators helps create open shots spontaneously if the ball handler and a few other players on the floor are enough of a scoring threat to have some gravity to move the defense. But that's not the only way to move a defense. It does require guys like Markannen, Wade, Love and Osman to be able to shoot and make open shots from the perimeter. To get those open looks players have to move and cut, screen and run off screens. The ball needs to be passed inside, back outside, and side to side. Then when a player does get an open look he needs to take the freaking shot. Sometimes it might have to be a quick shot, or a shot with a hand in the face. Too often our guys won't take anything but a wide open look. Against a good tight defense there are few if any wide open looks, and players need to take and make shots that are less than wide open.

Too often our players stand still while Rondo or Goodwin would dribble down the clock, initiate too late in the clock. When they do move the ball there are opportunities to take shots that don't get taken because of a lack of confidence or just general hesitancy, and they keep passing it around until the shot clock goes off. Sometimes there are looks in the paint that don't go up because there's too much dribbling and pump faking instead of just going straight up or shooting off one dribble and a step to create space.

These are things that good teams do. Things that experienced teams do. These things put pressure on defenses and create driving lanes. It doesn't need to always be about one player creating the whole offense.

And yes these things can be coached and taught.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

I agree the offense needs to become more movement oriented and rely less on two-man games with Garland, at least until he gets back.

Goodwin is quick and can get to the rim but you don't want him doing a lot of dribbling. Keep the ball moving and players cutting around screens to get passes on the move. Okoro needs to attack the rim and draw the foul, pass to a cutter, or force the big to contest so Allen can get the put-back.

Love is being neutralized by defenders crowding him and preventing the jump shot; they know he can't dribble by them. He needs to find a way to counter that. Allen needs to start making strong moves to the bucket now that he's not getting easy dunks off lobs anymore.

The Cavs always have a big height advantage somewhere- last game it was Markkanen who was pinning his man under the rim and drawing fouls. Allen and Mobley can do the same thing. Just have to make the free throws.

 

[backstreet hooper]

So much negativity here on this board. Glass half empty. We don’t know how long Garland is gonna be out. Maybe not for long. LeVert will be back. So will Rondo. Might see a healthy lineup sooner than later. The Cavs got to the top part of the standings for a reason. … I am interested in seeing how Goodwin plays tonight. He’s been sitting on the bench so much that it’s not easy for him to get into full action. He has shown flashes of good play. I expect the Cavs will come out and play hard tonight.

 

[buzzdog]

So much negativity here on this board. Glass half empty. We don’t know how long Garland is gonna be out. Maybe not for long. LeVert will be back. So will Rondo. Might see a healthy lineup sooner than later. The Cavs got to the top part of the standings for a reason. … I am interested in seeing how Goodwin plays tonight. He’s been sitting on the bench so much that it’s not easy for him to get into full action. He has shown flashes of good play. I expect the Cavs will come out and play hard tonight.

When we have a well rounded roster I really look forward to watching games. When we have serious holes in our roster I'm almost starting to dread what we're going to see on any given night. Teams have adjusted to our tower city concept and we have yet to counter back, especially when Garland is out it's anybody's guess where our offense is going to come from with pretty much all our opponents crowding the paint and daring us to make outside shots. I have little confidence in our outside shooting but I know we have a few guys who can heat up on any given night. When they do, great. When they're throwing up bricks it can get fugly, and that doesn't bode well for when playoffs come around. Back when we had pretty good outside shooters like Korver and JR they would tend to go ice cold against playoff intensity defenses, and with this group I suspect it will be worse.

Other than that it's all buttercups and daisies.

 

[Futuredome]

bleak bleak