Cavaliers puncture Pistons 98-78

    The Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from a collapse that cost them a game against the Washington Wizards Wednesday and delivered a beating to the Detroit Pistons at the Rocket Field House in Cleveland to the tune of 98-78 in a game that wasn't that close.

Darius Garland led Cleveland with 21 points with help from Cedi Osman off the bench with 17 points for the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers host Boston tonight in the first of two games against the Celtics in a home and home series/

Swashbucklings

1)  The meeting was touted as the first meeting of the first pick in the 2021 draft (Cade Cunningham of Detroit) and the third pick (Cleveland's Evan Mobley).

Mobley finished with sixteen points and seven rebounds while Cunningham scored nine points and six rebounds and although they don't play the same position and would rarely defend each other, it'll be interesting with these two youngsters as the centerpiece player (for now) of two geographical and division rivals.

2) Cedi Osman was a player that many were counting out entering the season with the possibility of Osman playing elsewhere considered very possible, if not likely.

Instead, Osman has gotten off to a good start off the Cleveland bench, averaging just under ten points a game as he has improved his shooting to 47 percent from the floor and 41 percent from three.

It's only thirteen games into the season and the jury is still out to see if the improvement is sustainable but if Osman can shoot at this level consistently, he may have a long career as a versatile player for a second unit.

3) The Cavaliers weren't allowed to play Kevin Love as he returned from the league's Covid protocol program but Love was cleared to return to team activities and he was on the bench with the team during the game.

I'm not sure when they will play Love again but I would imagine he may need a few practices to roll back into normal usage on the floor.

4) Lamar Stevens was the first man off the bench, played one minute, and rolled his ankle, unable to return.

Stevens was announced as suffering a right ankle sprain and there is no word on how long Stevens may be out of the lineup.

5) One thing that I've noticed that is being to jell a bit is the chemistry between Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.

Garland and Mobley seem to connect on a higher number of lob/slam dunk combinations each night and these things naturally rely on chemistry, which needs to develop over time but this pairing appears to have it organically.

6) The Cavaliers victory cigar appears to be 7'6 center Tacko Fall.

Fall, who looks almost exactly like Manute Bol, (Bol was even slightly taller at 7'7) is listed at 311 pounds and looks like he weighs 150 pounds on his body frame.

Fall will likely be shuttled between Cleveland and G League affiliate Canton and played one game with the Charge, scoring 25 points on Thursday after playing about four seconds as the man covering the inbounder in the final seconds against Washington on Wednesday,

Fall is 25 and he might wind up being a one-dimensional last big man off the bench used strickly in situations for his size as he was used against Washington as the game evolves away from the traditional center but remember how Manute Bol suddenly became effective as a three-point shooter late in his career playing for Philadelphia?

Fall likely will never be more than he becomes right now but aren't those project types so interesting to try to develop in the hopes of finding some gold?