Sunday, December 27, 2020

Cavaliers rally twice,Push past Pistons in Double OT!

   The Cleveland Cavaliers twice rallied from deficits that seemed to have them headed for the loss column and rebounded for a 128-119 double-overtime win over the Detroit Pistons in Detroit.

Collin Sexton scored 32 points to lead the Cavaliers in the win with Andre Drummond adding 23 points and 16 rebounds in his return to Detroit for the first time since the trade that sent him to Cleveland.

Cedi Osman scored 22 points off the bench and Darius Garland scored 21 points with 12 assists to help the Cavaliers to their second win in as many games.

Cleveland returns home Sunday night to host the Philadelphia 76ers.

Swashbucklings

1) The Cavaliers scored the final eight points of regulation to force the game and into overtime and fought back from a nine point deficit in overtime to force a second overtime.
When you are drawing on the "Building a Culture" theme that rebuilding teams invariably do, these are the games that makes teams begin to buy in.

2) Andre Drummond struggled in the first half in his return to Detroit and made only one shot, but Drummond hung around, didn't sulk and finished with the stat line of 23 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, four steals, and three blocks.

3) Drummond's shot selection can be frustrating at times, mainly because he seems to be trying to show that an old school big man can change into a more modern one, but one thing about Drummond's game that is underrated was pointed out by Austin Carr- Drummond is able to contest smaller men defensively outside the paint.
Twice in the final few seconds of the first overtime, Drummond put enough pressure of ballhandler Derrick Rose to cause miscues that resulted in possession changes without the Pistons even attempting a shot.

4) Cedi Osman was tremendous coming off the bench, hitting four of six from three point land.
Osman might be a player that develops into a catalyst as part of a second unit when he can use his specific strengths in shorter minutes.
Think of it as similar to a baseball pitcher that struggles as a starter, but improves as a reliever because he can throw his best pitches all out because he doesn't have to go through the lineup multiple times.

5) It's the little things that can show how highly a player is thought of.
Isaac Okoro didn't score a point, missed all four shots, but still played forty-two minutes and it was Okoro on the court in crunch time as Okoro cut off the baseline and forced the Pistons into a 24 second violation with five seconds to play in regulation.

6) Collin Sexton continues his smoking shooting performance hitting 15 of 23 from the floor.
Sexton hit two of three from three point range as well and in his first two games, Sexton is shooting 79 percent from the distance...

7) Darius Garland hit all three of his three-point attempts and finished nine of fourteen with his thirteen assists.
Garland seems like a different player in these first two games and even though the sample size is small, Garland's chemistry with Collin Sexton is much improved.
Is it sustainable? Let's see what happens when the opponents improve as they will tonight against Philadelphia.

8) Kevin Love and Dante Exum each returned from injury after missing the opener in Cleveland.
Love scored 15 points in 38 minutes as a starter, while Exum scored four in thirteen minutes of play, mostly in the first half.

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