Game Thread | 2021-2022 Season | Game #82 | Bucks @ Cavs | April 10, 2022 | 3:30 p.m.

[Wham with the Right Hand]

We finally come to the last game of the regular season. The good news is it won't be the last game of the year as it has been every year since LeBron left. The bad news is we play the Milwaukee Bucks, the defending NBA Champions and winners of 15 of their last 20 games and 8 of their last 10. The Cavs, on the other hand, have lost 17 of their last 25. These trains are going in opposite directions and fast.

The Bucks are in second place in the East, one game ahead of Boston. If the Celtics beat Memphis and the Bucks lose to the Cavs, the Celtics will finish 2nd due to having the tiebreaker advantage. Memphis is playing a meaningless game so I expect the Celtics to win. The Bucks need to beat the Cavs to hold onto second place.

If the Cavs win they hold onto 8th place (assuming the Nets beat Indy) and earn a rematch against Brooklyn on the road. If the Cavs lose they most likely will end up 10th.

Normally I would say the Cavs have no chance to beat the Bucks with Jarrett Allen out. However, injuries could be a factor. A report from SI.com says Giannis Antetokoumpo is "doubtful" to play. Another report says he is a game time decision. Giannis played 28 minutes against Detroit two nights ago with a line of 30/13/8 so he sure seemed healthy then. But if Giannis does not play it changes everything.

Kris Middleton is listed as a "game time decision". If he doesn't play that would be huge as well.

Brook Lopez was out for five months and returned four weeks ago. In his last four games he's averaging 18.5 points on 53.7% from the field and 43.8% on 3's. ESPN says he will not play today due to scheduled back maintenance. Lopez is 7'0", 282 pounds. The Cavs have nobody that can handle him physically. Lopez being out would be huge for the Cavs.

So at this point who knows? The Cavs are at home and gave the Nets a tough battle into the fourth quarter on Friday. If Giannis, Middleton, and Lopez are all out the Cavs will have a legitimate shot. George Hill and Grayson Allen are also out. And Bobby Portis, their backup center averaging 14.6 ppg, is also listed as a game time decision.

With so many question marks as to who is going to play for the Bucks this game is really tough to call. If everybody plays the Bucks are an extremely formidable team. Thursday they beat the red hot Celtics 127-121. The Celtics have the #1 scoring defense in the NBA, allowing 104 points per game, but the Bucks burned them for 127. They scored 127 or more points in each of their last three games. But if Giannis and Lopez are out the Cavs have a shot.

The Cavs signature win of the season was their 115-99 win at Milwaukee on Jan. 26. The Bucks had all their stars on the floor. Giannis, Middleton, and Holiday combined for 69 points on 25-for-43 from the field and 14-for-15 on free throws. But the rest of their team scored only 30 points on 12-for-37. Love and Cedi combined for 48 points as the Cavs' bench thrashed the Bucks' bench 57-15. The Cavs had Allen that game but not Markannen.

So this game could go either way depending on the Bucks' injury situation. However, we've seen plenty of games where one team's stars were missing but their reserves got a chance to start and had career games. So the Cavs are going to have to be focused and totally on point even if Giannis, Lopez, and/or Middleton are out.

The fact that the Bucks are resting Lopez might indicate they don't think it's that big a deal whether they finish 2nd or 3rd and the more important consideration is to have their stars rested and ready to play 40+ minutes once the playoffs start.

If the Cavs pull out a win they will most likely lose to Brooklyn Tuesday. I don't see Kyrie and Durant letting the Cavs steal a win and force the Nets to play another play-in game. So it will come down to a home game on Friday against the Charlotte/Atlanta winner. If the Cavs lose today they have to win against both Charlotte and Atlanta on the road in order to get in the playoffs.

The best thing might be they fail to qualify and keep their first round lottery pick.

 

[InBoobieWeTrust]

The Bucks will be missing

Giannis
Middleton
Brook Lopez
Bobby Portis
Grayson Allen
George Hill

Furthermore, Jrue Holiday is likely only playing in order to try and achieve a contract incentive bonus. I’m not 100% clear on what the bonus he is after today is. Originally I thought it might be games played, but Bobby Marks reported that he earned his games played bonus during the Bucks last outing. So maybe it is related to minutes or some kind of other statistic?

But depending on what it is, Jrue could very well achieve his incentive early in the game and sit from that point on. That’s a pretty common thing that coaches do for their players even when they plan to sit them. Or maybe it’s something he will need to play all game and try to ball out to get to, lol.

Nonetheless, Jrue or no Jrue….there is no excuse for the Cavs today. They need to come out like they’re playing for their season, because in a lot of ways they kind of are. After two super disappointing losses in a row, they need to jump on this team early and keep the foot on the gas the entire rest of the way.

I was really annoyed that Mobley only had 17-7 against the Nets. He was 6-11 from the field, and got to the line 7 times scored 17 pts and dished out 3 assists. I just really felt like, particularly in the 4th quarter and a lot of this was on Rajon, Love and Caris to be honest..and the coach of course…but we should have been calling Mobleys number to bring us home. This young monster, ROTY, etc etc…has been honestly great closing games in the 4th qtr all year..when he’s been given the opportunity to…which has not been as much as he should have….aside from a couple bad free throw trips late in a couple games…maybe a couple ugly turnovers like every rookie EVER…but Mobley has seemingly been able to produce a tough bucket or draw the defense and make a tough pass…

Like Mobley makes that AMAZING block up 4 at the rim agains Edwards and Rondo rewards the young mans hard work by throwing a 40 yard pass ahead…I think trying to throw it to Okoro of all people…and Kyrie just stole it and they had a 4 on 3 I think it was and the lead was then 1 point just like that.

We should have taken that ball, gone down the other end, force a mismatch switch onto Mobley because that’s how the Nets defended all night and given him the chance to not only get the ball after a great defensive play but give the Nets what would have been a demoralizing bucket that may have even forced a timeout.

Evan had 11 shots and 7 FTA. The way he way playing he should have had at least 17-18 shots in the course of which he probably would have been up to 12-13FTA. He was too quick for Drummond, too big for Kessler Edwards, too strong for KD. He was playing so well. And we just treated him like an offensive afterthought. We were hunting threes which was fine when down 15 and needing a spark and fine when you’re on a run and getting hot…but once the quarter changes and the game gets tight and your big run finally ends without pushing the lead higher than 5-7…the defense tightens, the Nets adjust…and we needed tough buckets and Mobley was out there with Garland on the bench and Rondo/JBB couldn’t get dude one look in the post? Or at the elbow? Until we were down fuckin 8-10 after turnovers, tightly covered threes,covered floaters, a shot clock violation…etc

Evan came out ready to drop a cool 30-12-5 off a sprained ankle and we can’t get him more than 11 shots man. He had 0 turnovers as well. He was protecting the ball too! Dropping dimes. Grabbing 2 steals and 2 blocks and countless contests. Maybe he coulda rebounded a little better, but he should have gotten more than 11 shots man.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

I copied this from a poster (dms) in the Cavs Talk forum:

The Bucks only lose the tiebreaker with Boston if it's a 2 way tie. If it's a three way tie between Boston, Philly and the Bucks, Milwaukee wins the tie breaker. Philly has 2 home games remaining against Indy and the Pistons, and you'd have to think the odds are pretty damn good that the Sixers win them both which would guarantee the Bucks the 2 seed.

If Philly beats Indy today it's very possible the Bucks will decide to sit people tomorrow. The Sixers won't be resting people against the Pistons, they'd much prefer the 3 seed and the Bulls to facing the Raptors as a 4 5 matchup.

Philly beat Indiana and so assuming they beat Detroit today the Bucks would get the second seed even if they lose to the Cavs and Boston wins. Of course they don't know that Philly will beat Detroit, but it seems very likely.

So the Cavs may have lucked out, but they still need to win the game. Apparently Milwaukee will not have any centers with both Lopez and Portis out. If Holiday just plays a couple of minutes to start the game they will be missing all their starters except Wesley Matthews. They also will be missing three backup guards (Hill, Grayson, Vildoza), leaving them with just Matthews and Connaughton among guards who normally play.

At center they'll just have Serge Ibaka and at forward Jordan Nwora. With seven guys out (counting Holiday) they will be playing guys who normally are not in the rotation.

So if the Cavs win they're in 8th place, assuming Brooklyn beats Indy in Brooklyn. That's good since they would be assured of two play-in games, with the second being at home. Winning either one puts them in the playoffs.

 

[cavsfever]

The Bucks will be missing

Giannis
Middleton
Brook Lopez
Bobby Portis
Grayson Allen
George Hill

Furthermore, Jrue Holiday is likely only playing in order to try and achieve a contract incentive bonus. I’m not 100% clear on what the bonus he is after today is. Originally I thought it might be games played, but Bobby Marks reported that he earned his games played bonus during the Bucks last outing. So maybe it is related to minutes or some kind of other statistic?

But depending on what it is, Jrue could very well achieve his incentive early in the game and sit from that point on. That’s a pretty common thing that coaches do for their players even when they plan to sit them. Or maybe it’s something he will need to play all game and try to ball out to get to, lol.

Nonetheless, Jrue or no Jrue….there is no excuse for the Cavs today. They need to come out like they’re playing for their season, because in a lot of ways they kind of are. After two super disappointing losses in a row, they need to jump on this team early and keep the foot on the gas the entire rest of the way.

I was really annoyed that Mobley only had 17-7 against the Nets. He was 6-11 from the field, and got to the line 7 times scored 17 pts and dished out 3 assists. I just really felt like, particularly in the 4th quarter and a lot of this was on Rajon, Love and Caris to be honest..and the coach of course…but we should have been calling Mobleys number to bring us home. This young monster, ROTY, etc etc…has been honestly great closing games in the 4th qtr all year..when he’s been given the opportunity to…which has not been as much as he should have….aside from a couple bad free throw trips late in a couple games…maybe a couple ugly turnovers like every rookie EVER…but Mobley has seemingly been able to produce a tough bucket or draw the defense and make a tough pass…

Like Mobley makes that AMAZING block up 4 at the rim agains Edwards and Rondo rewards the young mans hard work by throwing a 40 yard pass ahead…I think trying to throw it to Okoro of all people…and Kyrie just stole it and they had a 4 on 3 I think it was and the lead was then 1 point just like that.

We should have taken that ball, gone down the other end, force a mismatch switch onto Mobley because that’s how the Nets defended all night and given him the chance to not only get the ball after a great defensive play but give the Nets what would have been a demoralizing bucket that may have even forced a timeout.

Evan had 11 shots and 7 FTA. The way he way playing he should have had at least 17-18 shots in the course of which he probably would have been up to 12-13FTA. He was too quick for Drummond, too big for Kessler Edwards, too strong for KD. He was playing so well. And we just treated him like an offensive afterthought. We were hunting threes which was fine when down 15 and needing a spark and fine when you’re on a run and getting hot…but once the quarter changes and the game gets tight and your big run finally ends without pushing the lead higher than 5-7…the defense tightens, the Nets adjust…and we needed tough buckets and Mobley was out there with Garland on the bench and Rondo/JBB couldn’t get dude one look in the post? Or at the elbow? Until we were down fuckin 8-10 after turnovers, tightly covered threes,covered floaters, a shot clock violation…etc

Evan came out ready to drop a cool 30-12-5 off a sprained ankle and we can’t get him more than 11 shots man. He had 0 turnovers as well. He was protecting the ball too! Dropping dimes. Grabbing 2 steals and 2 blocks and countless contests. Maybe he coulda rebounded a little better, but he should have gotten more than 11 shots man.

Levert has a higher usage rating than Mobley, which speaks to our offensive concept. (Although I haven’t broken out Mobley’s usage rating since the trade deadline, it seems like with a couple of exceptions like his great recent games against Denver and the Clippers it hasn’t change a ton since earlier in the season).

This goes to something Heat Check has said about trying to consciously organize our offense around Mobley in the high post. If we fail to systematically consider and integrate that more prominently next year I wonder if it will start to delay Mobley’s development as a player.

 

[cavsfever]

With respect to the Bucks sitting out a half of a dozen of their best players - they have no interest in winning this game. I would be astounded if we lost this game, but if we do it will be a disgrace.

 

[Phil Mixtape]

With how we're going i don't even like us against their backups today. These guys gotta stop feeling sorry for themselves and nut the fuck up the rest of the way. A big one from Evan today would be nice to stop the bleeding a little . . .

 

[Soar]

I mean we lost to Orlando (without Anthony, Wagner, and Carter so I don't think we should assume anything.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

I mean we lost to Orlando (without Anthony, Wagner, and Carter so I don't think we should assume anything.

That loss and the 106-103 loss to Detroit in late Feb really hurt.

 

[bushwick_bill]

Cabs don't win today they don't deserve to even be in the playin. That will be two horrible losses to a bunch of back-ups the last week of the season while trying to make the playoffs...

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Just win today and the Cavs will have two play-in games (assuming they lose the first one to Brooklyn) instead of just one. I would hate to be one and done. I would love to see a home game against Atlanta or Charlotte for all the marbles, especially if Allen is back by then. I want to see how they would respond.

Even if Allen doesn't make the play-in he could be back for a seven-game series against Miami. I would love to see the Cavs at full strength play four against Miami, even if they lose them all, just to see how Bickerstaff tries different lineups. We could see how different combinations work and exactly what the problems are.

It would give the decision makers a minimum of four games of extremely useful data for planning next season and a great understanding of what they need to do to catch up to the top teams in the conference.

The worst case is they lose both play-in games and get rewarded with a lottery pick. If they win today it's all good no matter what happens after that.

 

[cavsfever]

Cabs don't win today they don't deserve to even be in the playin. That will be two horrible losses to a bunch of back-ups the last week of the season while trying to make the playoffs...

Amen brother

 

[sailfish]

I hate teams resting starters. The Bucks are clearly trying to avoid the Nets and now I really want to see it backfire on them. This really spoils a lot of the drama for today’s games.

The Cavs will win this game handily, but beating the Bucks G-League squad isn’t much of an accomplishment. We’ll now have 2 shots at the playoffs and at least 1 on those will be at home. Even if we don’t beat the Nets, we should beat the Hawks or Hornets at home, in front of a raucous crowd.

 

[cliffdawg]

That loss and the 106-103 loss to Detroit in late Feb really hurt.

Was that the game we jump out to a 17-3 start if so I was fuming after that game, I think I stay away for a week from this site, because you fuckers would have made me more mad with your posts….lol

The Orleans game was similar fashion we were smoking them for over 20 most of the game and lost Rubio and the game…….both teams were playing with COVID players out but Orleans had a trash team out there that night…..

 

[daytripper]

I hate teams resting starters. The Bucks are cleverly trying to avoid the Nets and now I really want to see it backfire on them. This really spoils a lot of the drama for today’s games.

The Cavs will win this game handily, but beating the Bucks G-League squad isn’t much of an accomplishment. We’ll now have 2 shots at the playoffs and at least 1 on those will be at home. Even if we don’t beat the Nets, we should beat the Hawks or Hornets at home, in front of a raucous crowd.

Even at home I don't think the Hawks are any walk in the park. You know the refs are going to be giving Trae the benefit of the doubt on all foul calls. Okoro can't defend Trae either. Hopefully Cavs take care of business today which will guarantee them a home game assuming they lose the first play in against the Nets.

 

[bushwick_bill]

And I am over this lottery pick discussion. I want a 7 game series for this team...