Game Thread | Game #58 | Cavs @ Pelicans | Feb. 10, 2023

[MirORich]

That last 3 minutes is going to convince JBB to keep playing his starters too long in games like this.

To be fair though, it is why you don’t pull starters in at 8, 7, 6 or 5 minutes. NBA teams can go on massive runs in 5 minutes. Unless you’re up 30 or more and the other coach has pulled all their best players, you don’t pull all your starters at 6 minutes w a 20 point lead.

What JBB did tonight was pull Mitchell first and let Garland, who barely broke a sweat in the first half manage thing until it hit about 2.5-3 minutes left

 

[bushwick_bill]

There really has been nothing fun about this season, this team and it is a direct result of JBB...

Great Cabs win... That is 5 in a row...

 

[wuck]

To be fair though, it is why you don’t pull starters in at 8, 7, 6 or 5 minutes.

I'm not complaining. But it was a little funny how NO pulled their starters with 3 mins, and only then did JBB follow 20 seconds later.

I was surprised they played an 8-man rotation tonight, but LeVert's good play (and everyone's good play) made that easy. I thought Neto would get some minutes with Garland out.

 

[Pierre Pan]

Great team win; one of the best performances from start to finish.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

The bad news is that we cracked a bit when Garland wasn't in and they started pressuring the ball. Mitchell just isn't a good enough ball handler to beat pressure while trying to run an offense.

But the good news is we'll have Rubio for the playoffs, and he's the perfect antidote for when that happens. There were a few moments when I thought calling on Neto earlier may not have been a bad idea. He settles people down.

 

[Melancholy Jaques]

Pelicans got a nice Ingram/Murphy wing combo though. If Ingram can be that 25+ ppg wing like Tatum, then Murphy has the talent to be as good as Jaylen Brown.

I know he's only 25, but I think we know who Ingram is and he isn't going to be a 25+ wing unless he is on a shit team that let's him shoot all he wants. He's a nice player, not a star you can build a team around

 

[Cavatt]

Defense was special tonight. Amazing these guys have upside there

 

[jjvors]

Individual stats:

Starters:
Okoro 7-0-0 with a steal in 28 minutes
Mobley 28-13-2 with 4 steals and 2 blocks in 36 minutes 13-18 fg
Allen 20-11-4 with 2 blocks in 31 minutes 8-11 fg
Mitchell 30-5-3 with 1 steal in 33 minutes His 19th 30 point game 12-21 fg, 3-9 from 3.
Garland 11-2-7 in 23 minutes

78 points from Mobley, Allen, and Mitchell. That's something they can do every game.

Bench
LeVert 13-6-9 with a steal in 31 minutes A very good point guard performance off the bench.
Wade 5-2-0 with 2 steals and a block in 26 minutes He's still recuperating from his injury and getting used to playing.
Osman 4-2-2 in 22 minutes Didn't have his shot but it didn't matter. He added energy
Stevens 0-0-0 in 3 minutes
Neto 0-0-0 in 3 minutes
Lopez 0-0-0 in 3 minutes

 

[Pierre Pan]

Mobley has truly hit another gear of late. It gives me chills to think about his future

 

[Dr. Claw]

I love it when the Cavs can exploit mismatches like they did tonight. Both Mobley and Allen destroyed.
Refs tried to take Darius out, but he wouldn't be denied.
We got the real Donovan Mitchell again.
And Caris Levert had a great night.
Wade needs to work on his shooting. Had a lot of "Okoro" style looks and was missing a good deal.
Not much to complain about. 5 in a row. This team is starting to play or one another in a good way.

 

[J_J]

Most important stat? @RonG is an undefeated 5-0 on the season in games he attends!

Pls go to every playoff game @RonG

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

We've been playing pissed off since that Memphis game, and that's a good look for us. Every win by double digits.

 

[Real Deal]

Mobley has truly hit another gear of late. It gives me chills to think about his future

@bleedwineandgold03 still isn't seeing it. That post is forever bookmarked

 

[jjvors]

Cavs on the NBA stat board:

REBOUNDS​

---

1.	Jalen DurenDET	17
2.	Robert Williams IIIBOS	16
3.	Brook LopezMIL	15
4.	Evan MobleyCLE	13
5.	Torrey CraigPHX	12

FANTASY POINTS​

---

1.	Jalen DurenDET	68.9
2.	Joel EmbiidPHI	65.2
3.	Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderOKC	63.1
4.	Derrick WhiteBOS	62.6
5.	Evan MobleyCLE	61.6

 

[MirORich]

I'm not complaining. But it was a little funny how NO pulled their starters with 3 mins, and only then did JBB follow 20 seconds later.

I was surprised they played an 8-man rotation tonight, but LeVert's good play (and everyone's good play) made that easy. I thought Neto would get some minutes with Garland out.

Yeah, I think if we were struggling or needed a change of pace we would have rolled in Neto for some minutes but since the guys who are going to be playing the playoff minutes together we’re rolling, their just wasn’t a need.