The Cleveland Cavaliers seem like they’re finally putting things together. Coming off two straight wins in Los Angeles against the Lakers and Clippers, the Cavs had some momentum working in their favor when they headed back home.
That momentum didn’t fail them on Monday when they hosted the struggling Chicago Bulls on Martin Luther King Day.
When I wrote in my previous piece about the win over the L.A. Clippers being the biggest win of the season for Cleveland, I’d like to have that one back. I’m not downplaying that victory, not by a long shot.
But in that game, the Cavs were miserable on defense once again, giving up 121 points to the Clips, 15 points above their season average. That’s quite a difference when you talk about scoring averages.
Going back to Monday’s win over the Bulls, LeBron James and the Cavs got out to an early lead and never looked back. They were ignited by James and J.R. Smith on the offensive end, getting 26 and 20 points respectively. The final score ended up at 108-94, a convincing win for the Wine and Golders.
They’re now working with a three-game winning streak, and are in the midst of a four-game homestand that will only make things easier for Cleveland.
A big reason for the sudden turn around? One LeBron James feeling better than he has all season after missing eight games due to his knee and back injuries, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com:
“I know, for me personally, helped me out a lot,” said James, whose Cavs play the Bulls on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET. “I’ve felt better in the last three games than I did the whole season, the whole 30-plus games that I appeared in. We’ve had a 2-1 record since I’ve been back, so hopefully we can continue on that path.”
[…]
“We’re starting to pick it up and guys are starting to get healthy, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can become up until the All-Star break and even more than that,” James said.
He was certainly right on both occasions. James has looked spry, nimble and completely rejuvenated since his return, now averaging 31.8 points per game in the four games he’s played in.
James has been able to get any shot he’s wanted lately, Monday night including. He had multiple and-1’s, including a ridiculous swooping layup where he cut across the lane and made an acrobatic flip to get a bucket in the first quarter, along with a couple nice step-back jumpers. Check out the highlights below.
On the other hand, he talked about his team getting healthy and starting to pick it up, which he’s also right about.
Iman Shumpert was seen practicing and going through shootaround on Monday morning, and could play before the end of the homestand, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
PICKING IT UP
Like I said before, the Clippers win was previously the Cavs’ biggest win this season. After the trouncing of the Bulls, it stands out to me as their biggest and best win this year. Why?
For starters, let’s go with the defense. The defense seemed suffocating at times, compared to what you’re used to seeing in a Cavs game defensively. It was almost as if Tom Thibodeau and David Blatt had switched sides.
Cleveland held Chicago to only 37.5 percent shooting, while the Cavs shot 45.6 percent on the evening.
A huge part of that was recently acquired Timofey Mozgov, who finished the night with 15 points and 15 rebounds to go along with two blocks. He was in the lane bothering drivers on every play, altering the shots attempted numerous times. Matched up with Pau Gasol, Mozgov held the Spaniard to just 11 points and 11 rebounds on 4-of-14 from the floor.
Rebounding was another key to their success. They out-rebounded the Bulls 54-40 overall, and 20-11 on the offensive glass. Mozgov came down with five of those, and Tristan Thompson grabbed six on the night.
To sum things up, this performance by the Cavs was as complete a victory as possible. The defense was good, the offense was better, and it was a balanced attacked from the entire lineup. The Cavaliers starters all scored in double figures.
If I’m a team in the Eastern Conference, I’m paying close attention to the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the way things are starting to click on Lake Erie, LeBron James and Co. are looking like they’re ready to show their dominance and silence the rumors about an all-out dumpster fire.
All stats via NBA.com.