Game Thread | 2021-2022 Season | Game #81 | Cavs @ Nets | April 8, 2022 | 7:30 p.m.

[RchfldCavRaised]

If you weren't interested in having a political discussion, you shouldn't have injected it into your post.

He literally said "stylistically" not "politically" in the very next sentences.

 

[buzzdog]

And I need Mobley to get shots and looks all night. I need him to come out going hard at the basket and that to be the plan. I don’t care if he ends up 2-10 and it backfires. If we don’t try to establish him as an offensive threat that they have to deal with early and often…and continue pressing that all night….it’s going to contribute negatively to Okoros ability to attack. It’s going to lead to these one pass around perimeter catch and shoot threes that Love and Markannen love to launch. It will lead to Garland over dribbling and having guys draped all over him every time he jets towards the rim. Mobley has to be a force offensively and defensivsly(not worry about that…he will be a force defensively all night regardless) for us to play at our best.

Okoro can back cut Kyrie all day if Mobley gets the ball in the middle of the court. Kyrie is an undisciplined ball watcher and will gamble towards Mobley for steals. Mobley can drop it over his left shoulder for an open reverse layup for multiple assists tonight probably.

Get the little line drive hook going. The drop step into a shoulder into an upright 8 foot hook. The up and under off the glass he started doing around Christmas…the stop and pop from 12 feet. The conceded elbow jumper. A turnaround fadeaway or two if he’s feeling it. My favorite move where he goes right into the teeth of the paint, middle near top of the restricted zone….going left to right where he just lightly bumps into the dudes chest, and use his elite other worldly quick twitch jumping ability to straighten up, jump up and float in a 4 footer. Money in the bank. Then when they start doubling him, and they will, BOOM….Okoro back cut….handoffs to Garland or Levert two man game coming off of a flare screen then dive for lobs or give them the wide open middie, or a simple post kick to Lauri or Love who swing it once or twice to turn a good look into an open look into a wide open look…BANG…and I would throw in Cedi coming off a screen like Korver because it worked earlier this year but I don’t trust Cedi to carry the jockstraps at this point. Maybe a little high-low action to a sealed Lauri for an interior dunk…or Moses Brown if they play any minutes together. Hopefully Love stays on the perimeter to catch and shoot/swing because I’m sick of his turnovers.

Mobley is the key to a win. If he starts playing his game like listed above, all things that we know he can do……Garland is going to flat out dominate. He’s going to be efficient. He’s going to score at least 25 and dish out at least 12. And LeVert is going to be somewhere around his patented 18-5-5 give or take a couple of each stat.


Patty Mills has killed us this year. Need someone to stay attached to that dude. Where’s Windler? He won’t lost Patty if you throw him in and tell him to not lose him. And if Windler gets 5 open looks today I bet at least 3 are splashing through. He’s too pure of a shooter to miss 10-15 good looks in a row.

It's a nice vision you have for Mobley's game at this point, almost a utopian wish-list. For him to put very much of that together on his first game coming off injury against a potential play-in nemesis on their court might be just a bit over the top, expectation-wise.

For him to do that on any consistent basis will be a nice goal for next year though. I don't see it happening tonight.

 

[2 For The Brew]

To me this game comes down to Isaac Okoro.

If he attacks and goes THROUGH Irving on offense, we have a chance.

If he is passive AND giving up buckets on the other end, even if they are tough buckets, we lose.

It’s simple.

We can’t play 4 on 5 in his minutes anymore

Cavs lose, it's all Okoro's fault. Ok then.

 

[mAo_mAo]

Cavs lose, it's all Okoro's fault. Ok then.

Rch’s point is that we cannot allow to be playing 4 on 5 on offense. This is the most problematic part of having Okoro in the starting lineup.

If he attacks Kyrie early on and hopefully have him in foul trouble we would have a fighting chance, imo.

 

[2 For The Brew]

Pure shooter has as many made 3s since January 19th as Ben Simmons and yours truly - zero.

Dude has put up 17 threes and missed them all.

He's had a couple of good defensive games lately and earned the JYD chain but right now Okoro is actually a superior three point shooter in games and that's sad.

 

[2 For The Brew]

Rch’s point is that we cannot allow to be playing 4 on 5 on offense. This is the most problematic part of having Okoro in the starting lineup.

If he attacks Kyrie early on and hopefully have him in foul trouble we would have a fighting chance, imo.

Yeah I know, but I took his literal words and summed them up for my amusement.

Okoro hasn't been well served these two years by playing him so much from his rookie season but it's our defense that has me concerned now. Okoro is actually a better shooter now than earlier this season but with Stone Hands Moses out there as well it's really more like 3 on 5.

Tough ask for this depleted team tonight.

 

[RchfldCavRaised]

Cavs lose, it's all Okoro's fault. Ok then.

Lazy strawman.

I would actually say its more coaching's fault if he's out there for 30+ mins and not being used effectively on offense, which would make his job on defense even harder, by way of giving his cross matchup the night to rest on defense and attack him more on offense.

Keep up Brew

 

[buzzdog]

My hopes and expectations for winning this game are pretty low. There's just such a significant difference in talent and experience, and both teams should be equally motivated. You can always hope our shooting is hot and their shooting is ice cold, that can happen on any given night. But even if that happened it's hard to imagine their stars wouldn't be able to overcome it.

 

[buzzdog]

Rch’s point is that we cannot allow to be playing 4 on 5 on offense. This is the most problematic part of having Okoro in the starting lineup.

If he attacks Kyrie early on and hopefully have him in foul trouble we would have a fighting chance, imo.

I get Rch's point and to be sure Okoro needs to do this with a vengeance if we're even going to have a puncher's chance. Not only that, but we'd need to execute a big chunk of what Boobie laid out. Mobley would need to put it all together better than he's shown in any single game of his rookie year. I just don't see it happening in Evan's first game back from the ankle sprain, and for that matter I'll be happily surprised if Even could pull this off in any of the remaining games.

I think Stevens is going to have to try to guard KD for significant minutes for us to have any chance as well, and he'll have to be physical as hell. KD would still own him but at least try to wear him out and use all available hard fouls. Okoro needs to be really physical with Kyrie on both ends. Drummond is going to bully whomever we have matching up with him.

My highest expectation is that we play them tough and don't cave. Show them we belong on the same court, and at least get a moral victory like we did against the Sixers.

 

[The Oi]

If you weren't interested in having a political discussion, you shouldn't have injected it into your post.

I read you. I’m not gonna push this one bc politics aren’t my cup of pee.

It’s a unique style, that’s all.

I’ve had people say my texts sometimes read that way (again stylistically) before and it’s true. I don’t write or talk that way so I think it stands out. Usually when I’m multi-tasking or have some out of left field thought I’m bouncing.

It was top of mind, so it read that way.

 

[foucault87]

As pro tank as I have been elsewhere, I really want this one. Screw Brooklyn. They are one of the most unlikable teams out there with Phi and Bos. I would say LAL, but I just feel sad for them now.

 

[2 For The Brew]

Lazy strawman.

I would actually say its more coaching's fault if he's out there for 30+ mins and not being used effectively on offense, which would make his job on defense even harder, by way of giving his cross matchup the night to rest on defense and attack him more on offense.

Keep up Brew

Partly coaching, partly Okoro not taking initiative (that might be coaching to some extent), injuries, long season for young team, KLove maybe running out of gas, etc.

Potentially being passed in the standings by the Nets after Game 81 outperformed preseason expectations, eh?

Anyway, we're in the play in and the Lakers will be done after Sunday, hopefully with 50 losses.

PLUS -- we'll have a shitload to talk about right here throughout the off-season. ONLY on RCF! What's not to like?

 

[2 For The Brew]

Prediction:

Refs will do us no favors tonight.

Going out on a limb with that one.

 

[backstreet hooper]

Great game plans in this thread from the Cavs fans who root for their team no matter what. As mentioned in earlier posts, relentless defense and getting hot from the 3-point line may be our only chance. My hope is that Garland (and LeVert) pays attention and knows where our 3-point shooters are before he starts attacking and while he attacks the rim. We can’t afford him to force it and miss a difficult shot or cause a turnover too many times with our shooters in a better shooting position. He needs to have a plan B ready - turn and pass it to an open 3-point shooter or someone else - in case his attack gets stopped. DG is young and talented. He’ll learn this as he matures. But I’d like to see him do it tonight.

 

[LutherRackley]

Prediction:

Refs will do us no favors tonight.

Going out on a limb with that one.

Everyone needs to face it, it’s going to be 8-on-5 basketball tonight.
The refs will obviously favor the Nets because the NBA wants it that way because Durant, World B. Flat and the Invisible Man (Simmons) are media darlings.