Isaac Okoro scored fifteen points to lead the remaining Cavaliers, who travel to Chicago for a meeting tonight against the Bulls.
I started this and forgot about it, so I am finishing it late to order to add to the archives.
Swashbucklings
1) There was a certain feeling of the Cavaliers finally slamming a past door behind them as Darius Garland representing the future of the franchise facing Kyrie Irving, the man who more than anyone represents the duality of the franchise.
2) Irving finished with 27 points and nine assists and played well in a season (four games thus far) that he is only allowed to play in road games in certain cities due to his refusal to take the Covid-10 vaccine.
Irving will always be a polarizing figure to me as I appreciate the role he played in the only Cavaliers title and hitting the shot that nailed down game seven against Golden State.
3) However, I also blame Irving (yes, even more than LeBron James) for the rotten basketball that has been played since James left (Irving forced his trade before the final James season in Cleveland) and Irving started that ball rolling.
Irving forcing the Cavaliers to make a bad trade ( with Boston bringing Isaiah Thomas, Jade Crowder, and a New Jersey number one that was used to draft Collin Sexton), leaving the Cavaliers undermanned for the final battle with the Golden State Warriors, and hurt the Cavaliers case to keep James.
4) But it was the play of Garland, who each time that Brooklyn made a big move had an answer for the Nets.
Garland's play with controlled abandon (which I realize makes little sense) saw him take almost every big shot down the stretch and outscored Irving eight to four in the final period.
5) I didn't see James Harden play in day-to-day action as much with his career taking place in the Western Conference until his trade to Brooklyn last season so some of his acting routine did take part off Flatbush but boy does the flopping routine get old.
Harden fell like he was hit by a rifle by Jarrett Allen on a three-point shot when replays showed that Allen never touched Harden, who was rewarded with three free throws.
6) Isaac Okoro returned to the starting lineup after coming off the bench previously after his elbow injury kept him off the floor for a few weeks with the injury to Lamar Stevens.
Okoro took on Irving defensively in the fourth quarter and held him to two of seven shooting including a possession in the final two minutes where Okoro was so stuck to Irving that after several attempts to shake the second-year man, Irving was forced to dish the ball off.
Okoro was drafted as an athletic player that had the potential to be a shutdown defender and he is showing signs of maturing into a defender of that level.
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