Cleveland Cavaliers Get Much Needed Win Against Pelicans
The Cleveland Cavaliers end their two-game losing streak with a win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
It had not been a good 72 hours for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
First, they allowed a Charlotte Hornets team without Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson to play like they had Larry Johnson and Kendall Gill on Wednesday. Jeremy Lin had a flashback to his “Linsanity” days with the New York Knicks as he had clear lanes to the basket and scored 24 points.
Some of that can be attributed to Matthew Dellavedova being out, but most of it is because Kyrie Irving and Mo Williams struggle defensively. It was a team the Cavaliers should have beaten and they lost.
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They followed that up with a loss to the Boston Celtics on a buzzer-beater three-pointer by Avery Bradley. There was a foul called on J.R. Smith against Evan Turner with two minutes to go in the game. That foul led to an extra possession by the Celtics which ended up in defeat for the Cavaliers.
However, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the NBA ruled that the foul was an incorrect call on Smith. What good that does, eh?
The NBA's last two minute report is out for CLE-BOS. It determined that J.R. Smith's foul on Evan Turner was an incorrect call.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 6, 2016
The game should have never been that close in the first place. They dominated the Celtics in the first half, but just like the past few games, the third quarter and the bench scoring haunted them again. In the Cavaliers’ last three games, they have been outscored 82-61 in third quarters. A lot of it it seems to be mental.
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They either start making bad passes and turning the ball over or they go on long scoring droughts. It’s something that should not happen with a team as talented as the Cavaliers are.
That finally proved true on Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Cavaliers struggled offensively in the beginning, but they were finally able to turn it around in the second quarter.
With Kevin Love missing the game due to a quad contusion–which is 15.9 points per game out of the lineup, Smith made that up by scoring 20 points. He has been on fire since February began. He is averaging 17.7 points per game compared to his season average of 12.6. Smith is also shooting .500 from three-point range.
Besides Love, Smith might be the one that has benefited the most with coach Tyronn Lue‘s offense. When the ball is passed around the perimeter with correct floor spacing, Smith is sometimes left wide open to hit the easy shot. Under David Blatt’s system, he would do more isolation and have to create tougher shots.
The Cavaliers as a whole played much better. They were able to overcome a run led by Norris Cole–who had a career-high 26 points–in the third quarter and get the victory. They made all of their free throws going 7-for-7 from the line but they took 41 attempts from three-point range and only made 14 of them (30 percent).
It was only Game 49 of 82, but after two losses to inferior teams talent-wise, Cleveland had to come out and make a statement that the Cavaliers were still the best in the East. The problems the team is facing could be due to still adjusting to Lue or they might just be tired. I don’t think any team will benefit more from the All-Star break than the Cavaliers.
Some might view the All-Star snubs of Irving and Love as a negative, but I see it as a positive. Both players should rest up and get ready to make their run during the second half of the season. If I was LeBron James, I would give my spot up and rest. It would never happen, but it would be something for him to think about.
They have the Sacramento Kings on Monday and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday for the final battle of Kobe Bryant against James in Cleveland.
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In games that most thought the Cavaliers should easily win–it has been a challenge for them. These will likely continue to test the mental focus of the team, and to see if the continuity is growing within the players and offense.