Come on Cavs, you’re better than this! Atlanta was embarrassing! – Terry Pluto’s Scribbles
Cavs #Cavs
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Scribbles in my Cleveland Cavaliers notebook:
1. Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s comments wandered in a needless direction after his team’s 136-119 loss in Atlanta Friday: “Just understanding a team who is fresh and newly motivated and being prepared to match that. I don’t think we matched that enough. We didn’t put up much resistance, especially in that first half.”
2. Understand that I really like the overall job done by Bickerstaff since he took over after the 2020 All-Star Game. Most fans and media members don’t fully understand how difficult it is in the NBA to get a young team to defend as well as the Cavs – or the keep the drama from ruling the locker room. He does both well. I have defended him fiercely, and will continue to do so unless I see a major problem arise.
3. Being fresh didn’t matter Friday. Yes, Atlanta had not played since the All-Star break. The Cavs played one game after the All-Star break, a 115-109 loss to Denver Thursday. That’s one game in a week. This was a back-to-back for Cleveland … so what?
4. Bickerstaff mentioned Atlanta being “newly motivated.” The Hawks were without a regular head coach! The Hawks fired Nate McMillan during the All-Star break. Former Cavs assistant Joe Prunty is the interim as the team is trying to hire former Utah head coach Quin Snyder. Motivation? How about the Cavs being motivated to keep a top four spot in the East and home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
5. The Cavs had a 14-10 lead in the middle of the first quarter. They then gave up 71 points in the rest of the half. That’s 71 points in 18 minutes!!! They were lazy on defense and refusing to move the ball on offense.
6. Bickerstaff told the truth when he said: “The game turned into a bunch of one-on-one battles that we lost. Not enough physicality, grit and determination to take those challenges. It wasn’t a lot of schematic things. Just guys being aggressive and attacking with us having little resistance.”
7. I could understand that if the Cavs were on their fourth game in five nights. They finished a packed part of the schedule by winning 7 of 8 games before the All-Star break. They know what they need to do. In Atlanta, they seemed to still be in a funk about blowing a lead at home and being outscored 15-4 in the final five minutes of Thursday’s loss to Denver.
8. Bickerstaff said: “There’s an identity we’ve tried to create and we know what Cleveland Cavaliers basketball looks like and it’s not easy. This league is unrelenting.”
9. Defense is what wins for the Cavs, who rank No. 1 in that department. But smarter offense can help the defense. Jacking up quick 3-pointers (especially when shot after shot bangs against the rim) discourages the big men. They don’t see the ball. They struggled to get back on defense because those long rebounds make it easy for the opposing team to fast break.
10. In their losses to Atlanta and Denver, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have combined to score 72 points. They shot 28 of 48 from the field. Get them the ball more often!!!
11. Kevin Love played 22 minutes for Miami Friday. He missed all four of his shots. He had eight rebounds and four assists. He will receive a chance to revive his career with the Heat.
12. The Cavs need more from their bench. Caris LeVert played nine minutes, didn’t take a shot. He was invisible on the court. In his last eight games, he’s shooting 40% (19% on 3-pointers) and averaging 6.8 points. That’s in 25 minutes a game. This man can score. Not sure why he has become so passive, but it’s a problem.
HEAR ME TALK: I will be speaking at the McKinley Library in Niles on March 7 at 6:30 p.m. It’s free!
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