Cavaliers sputter vs Pistons

    The Cleveland Cavaliers stumbled out of the post-All-Star game gate as they lost for the second time this season to the lowly Detroit Pistons in Detroit, this time by a 106-103 score.

Lauri Markkanen led Cleveland with 22 points in his return to the lineup with Brandon Goodwin the secondary scorer with 15 points.

Cleveland will go home Saturday to play Washington in the first of a three-game homestand.

Swashbucklings

1) Lauri Markkanen played well in his return to the lineup for yet another shorthanded Cavalier club after missing eleven games and kept the Cavaliers in the game in the fourth quarter as Markkanen scored eleven of his twenty-two points in the period.

2) Cleveland played the game without Darius Garland and Caris LeVert, leaving them shorthanded in the backcourt.

Garland's absence is part of the team's plan to manage Garland through his back issues but LeVert suffered a foot injury in practice and Cleveland is going to have to either add more production from their frontcourt or hope that someone from the second team is able to take advantage of their increased minutes.

3) The one problem that I wondered about when the Cavaliers added Caris LeVert instead of Buddy Hield was LeVert's tendency to get injured.

Sometimes players just find a way to have fluke injuries happen to them.

It's not deliberate but some guys do find odd manners of getting injured.

4) Cleveland can't really complain about the production of Brandon Goodwin (15 pts 5 assists) and Rajon Rondo (12 pts 9 assists) in the place of Darius Garland but it isn't realistic to expect both of those players to play that well every night.

If they could, you have replaced Garland's numbers if not his presence but that is asking a lot from a player that was playing in the G League earlier this year and a thirty-six-year-old fading veteran.

5) The Cavaliers slipped to fifth in the Eastern Conference with the defeat and while they almost seem assured of a postseason berth, that entry isn't guaranteed to be out of the play-in portion.

Only the top six avoid the play-in portion and currently, only two games separate the fifth place Cavaliers and the seventh-place Toronto Raptors.

That's the difference in playing those extra games and adding more mileage to players' legs after a long season and getting a break to prepare as those playoff games are taking place.

Cavaliers let off the gas, lose to Detroit.

   The Cleveland Cavaliers reversed their play against the Milwaukee Bucks in their last game as they scored the first fifteen points of the game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

Then as the Bucks did in Cleveland, the bottom fell out for the Cavaliers as the Pistons outscored Cleveland by fourteen points in the fourth quarter to ease past the Cavaliers 115-105.

The loss stopped Cleveland's winning streak at three, dropped their record to 30-20 on the season, and was only the 12th win for the lowly Pistons.

Darius Garland led Cleveland with 24 points with Evan Mobley adding 18 in support.

Cleveland returns home tonight to face another lottery-bound team in the New Orleans Pelicans.

Swashbucklings

1)  J.B. Bickerstaff stated after the game that the Cavaliers "thought it was going to come easy" and after the first quarter, I think the coach nailed it head-on.

It did seem that the intensity was waning, especially on the defensive end of the court where the Cavaliers definitely seemed to be a step slow.

2) Detroit's starters couldn't have hit the ocean with a shot in the first quarter but their second unit was a key factor in not allowing the game to get too out of hand.

Frank Jackson scored fifteen of his nineteen points in that quarter to single-handedly keep the Pistons from falling behind by twenty or more.

3) The Cavaliers are the team that is supposed to be built on defense and the edge that comes with that but it was the Pistons that were the more physical and rougher team defending in this game.

You could almost say that the Pistons got away with too much grabbing and holding if the Cavaliers didn't often use the same tactics.

4) Cleveland held Cade Cunningham without a point in the first half but the top overall pick from Oklahoma State would finish with 19 points and a triple-double with ten assists and ten rebounds.

5) Dean Wade finished with 14 points and was four of five from beyond the three-point arc but Wade doesn't present the matchup problems that Lauri Markkanen can and defensively Wade is far from a force.  

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? 

Cavaliers power past Pistons 122-107

    Collin Sexton scored 29 points and Andre Drummond notched his usual double/double of 23 points and 16 rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers broke a two-game losing streak with a 122-107 win over the Detroit Pistons in Cleveland.

Cleveland returns to the .500 mark at 9-9 and will be back Friday in New York at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks.

Sorry, I missed the Cavaliers' close loss to the Lakers and the Devils' loss to the Flyers on Tuesday.

Just had too much to do in an attempt to get back to normal living again!

Swashbucklings

1) Collin Sexton's 29 points was a bit of a return to normalcy after scoring 17 against the Lakers and 13 in that awful loss to Boston.

2) Sexton hit 10 of 14 shots and when you can have your shooting guard shoot that high in percentage, you'll win your share of games.

3) The difference between this team and the most recent editions of the Cavaliers, they have managed to do the first thing that rebuilding programs show that things are heading in the right direction- beating teams equal or worse than you at home regularly.

When you can begin to do that, that is the first step in creating the culture of winning.

4) The Cavaliers actually trailed in this game at the half, but outscored Detroit by seventeen in the second half.

The Pistons are a bad club, especially so when Blake Griffin isn't playing, but they are like the graveyard of draft busts- Jahil Okafor, Josh Jackson, Isaiah Stewart to name just a few.

When your best player is whatever's left of Derrick Rose, Jerami Grant (who is playing well, averaging close to 25 points a night) and Wayne Ellington, you have problems.

5) Taurean Prince continues to be a pleasant surprise as part of the trade with the Nets, Prince looks relaxed and more like the player that put up good numbers in Atlanta and not the disappointing free agent signing that played in Brooklyn.

Prince finished with a line of 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks in thirty minutes of action and looks to be cemented as the top option on the wing off the bench.

6) Speaking of Brooklyn, the Nets are rumored to be in talks for both or one of Andre Drummond and Javale McGee.

I'm not sure what of value that can be obtained from the Nets, since their end of the three team trade involved first round picks or swaps for the next hundred years it seems, but they do seem interested in adding a big man since they had to lose Jarrett Allen to land James Harden. 

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.

Cavaliers trade for Andre Drummond

The Cleveland Cavaliers were expected to be sellers at the trade deadline if they participated at all.

Kevin Love would be an addition that most teams would normally be interested in but after the Cavaliers
signed him to a four-year extension in the off-season for over 100 million, contenders simply didn't want or couldn't swallow a contract of that size.

Tristan Thompson is in the middle of his best season as a pro (11.9 PPG and 10.2 RBG per game) and with his contract expiring at the season's end, Thompson was thought to at least bring a second-round pick or two, or even a young player with potential in return for a contender.
I would have thought the market for Thompson would have a few teams kicking the tires and some team making a trade for Thompson would be more likely than not.

So, of course, since they are the Cleveland Cavaliers and as a firm member of the Cleveland sports family- A team with the worst record in the Eastern Conference (13-39) and second-worst in the league holds on to Love (as expected) and Thompson (a mild surprise) and trades for another big man that can be a free agent at the end of the season and loads up at one position.

Cleveland added center Andre Drummond from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for John Henson, Brandon Knight and a second-round pick in 2023 (Either the Cavaliers or the Warriors pick that Cleveland holds, whichever is lower).
Drummond is averaging a career-high 17.8 points a game and is grabbing 15.8 rebounds, which currently leads the league in that category.
The 6'10 pivot is in his eighth season since the Pistons selected him in the first round in 2012 after Drummond played one season at Connecticut and Drummond has led the NBA in rebounding in the three previous seasons as well as the current one.
Drummond has a player option for 28.5 million for 2020 and he'll make the decision on if he wants to look around in the off-season or pick up the option and return to Cleveland.

Here's the good news:
Cleveland gets a player averaging close to 18 and 16 a game, which is always going to be an improvement when you are a bad team.
Drummond shoots a high percentage and doesn't have a tendency to take a ton of bad shots.
Drummond also is a decent rim protector, ranking tenth in the league in blocks and will be moving to a team that has the least amount of blocks in the league.
The cost was next to nothing- two veterans with expiring contracts that had missed time with injuries
(Henson averaged five points in 29 games and Knight 4.9 in 15 games) and one of those second-round picks that almost always is more valued for their ability to make trades than the actual player selected with them.

Here's the bad news:
Drummond could accept the option and clog up any money that the Cavaliers could theoretically have for any other improvements.
Drummond is basically a better Tristan Thompson.
Yes, 18 and 16 is better than 12 and 10, but does Drummond make this team substantially better?
Suddenly at a time when the league is transitioning to a different game, the Cavaliers have four guys that play the same position that is beginning to become mildly devalued  (Power Forward/Center) in Drummond, Thompson, Kevin Love, and Larry Nance Jr and that raises the point of how to get all these players the minutes that you are used to giving them?
That's going to be interesting to watch that situation play out.

I'm not sure how or if Andre Drummond fits with the Cavaliers, but I'm Ok with this.
This trade boils down to this- the Cavaliers receive either a half-season or a season and a half if Drummond picks up his player option, to see if Drummond is part of the future of the organization at what will be in the end - a second-round pick, as Henson and Knight would have been allowed to leave at the end of the year anyway.
A second-rounder is a commodity to be moved about to attempt to make trades in the current state of the NBA, so if that's all it costs to take a test drive, I'm in.

Cavaliers polish off Pistons!

Kyrie Irving led the Cleveland Cavaliers with 31 points,but seemed to score some of them exactly when Cleveland needed them the most as Cleveland held off a determined Detroit Pistons team 100-98 in Auburn Hills.
LeBron James added 22 points and 11 rebounds in the victory that ended the first round series four games to zero.
The Cavaliers will have some time off before their next series and that time could be substantial as two of the other three series are tied at two games apiece with the other one being at two games to one and playing their game four tonight...

Swashbucklings

1) Kyrie Irving was clearly the star of this game and not as noted,just for the 31 points scored-but for when he scored them.
Irving's roughly half court shot at the end of the third quarter visibly sagged the Pistons and even coach Stan Van Gundy..

2) The most impressive part of that shot was that it was a shot.
Most times when shots are made from such crazy distances it is more of a heave and throw with luck involved.
Irving took a straight jumper,which takes lots of strength in the arms and wrist.

3) Kevin Love struggled with his offensive game (3 of 11 shooting),but grabbed 13 rebounds.
Love often times last year would fade away when his offense wasn't great,but this year's Love is able to make a difference in other ways.
Love's rebounding numbers were always large,but this season,it seems that he grabs the big rebound as well..

4) Detroit played a tough series and didn't back down.The Pistons might be one more player away from being a serious contender.
Now,do they have the means to obtain such a player? That's a different story..

5) Cleveland would play the Atlanta-Boston winner in the next round unless Charlotte (down 2-1) or Indiana (tied at two) pulls out their series.
If Indiana wins their series,the rest of the results are irrelevant and they would play the Cavaliers.

6) The importance of a sweep comes later in the playoffs when the legs get tired.
Every game that you can get by without playing it takes away the wear on the body and as the Cavaliers saw last season,avoids the risk of injury.
End series as quickly as possible sounds simple and it is,but it is important.....

Cavaliers pop Pistons,lead series 3-0

The Cleveland Cavaliers received twenty point plus performances from each of their big three and defeated the Detroit Pistons on their home court 101-91 and grab a three games to none lead in their first round series.
The 66 combined points was more than enough to push Cleveland to their third win in as many games and the Cavaliers will go for the sweep and a chance to rest up before the next round on Sunday night...

Swashbucklings

1) This won't be as detailed as usual.
I had a long day after work with a trip to a doctors 90 minutes away with my parents/
The resulting sleep day saw me miss the first half....

2) The big play that everyone is talking about is the long range,off balance shot with under a second on the shot clock three by Kyrie Irving that really shoved the knife in the Pistons heart.
That shot might have ended this series...

3) Was thinking again about the talented Andre Drummond of the Pistons and his horrible free throw shooting.
I know there is some amount of questions on the future legality of the "hack a horrible free throw shooter tactic",but for the Pistons,they have to wonder about building around a player that is not likely to be on the floor in crunch time because of that flaw.

4) I think Detroit has played the Cavaliers as tough as an 8 seed could play a 1,but they are about to be closed out.
You like to see sweeps in the early rounds-it saves the legs for when they are needed...

Cavaliers drop Detroit in Game Two

The Cleveland Cavaliers held serve in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs and dominated the second half in a 107-90 win over the Detroit Pistons at the Q in Cleveland.
LeBron James,Kyrie Irving and J.R.Smith all finished with over twenty points in the victory.
Cleveland leads the series 2-0 and travel to Detroit Friday for game three...

Swashbucklings

1) Cleveland hit 20 (Twenty!) three pointers to tie a playoff record.
J.R.Smith nailed seven of those to lead the Cavaliers,who shot 52 percent from long range.
You obviously cannot count on production like that every night,but even half that might go a long long way towards winning this thing...

2) LeBron James looked grimly determined in this one and showed why (in my opinion) he is still the best basketball player in the world.
The all around performance is why I rate him as number one as Stephen Curry may be an better offensive players and certainly a superior shooter,but I'll take LBJ as better rounded.

3) The Cavaliers did have issues at the five as Tristan Thompson got into foul problems early and Thompson and Timofey Mozgov combined for zero points in 22 minutes of play.
I don't expect the centers on this team to dominate offensively,but they'll have to do more than that eventually...

4) The centers (including Kevin Love playing there some) struggled against Andre Drummond on the defensive end as Drummond scored 20 points on eight of thirteen shooting.
Thank goodness that Drummond is legendarily awful from the free throw line and continued such in this game with a four for sixteen effort from the stripe...

5) Cleveland's defense might have struggled against Drummond,but they did improve against the three pointer as they held the Pistons to just four three pointers for a 23 percent evening.
Detroit is going to have to post numbers over fifty percent like they did in game one such as they did in game one to have a chance of stealing one of these games..

Cavaliers pop Pistons-win Game One

The Cleveland Cavaliers rallied late to pull away from the Detroit Pistons and win game one of their first round series 106-101 in Cleveland.
Kyrie Irving finished with 31 points with Kevin Love scoring 28 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Cavaliers.
Game two is Wednesday in Cleveland.

Swashbucklings

1) Tyronn Lue made one decision that paid huge dividends in the fourth quarter-moving Kevin Love to the pivot and Love was able keep the much slower footed Andre Drummond at bay,while Love drilled three pointers from the outside.
A tactical decision that allowed Love to roam and shoot with Drummond unable to challenge the shot...

2) LeBron James finished with 22 points,but also 11 assists,but was the main balhhandler in the second half.
James was back to what really is his best role-the point forward and the Cavaliers would be smart to use him in that role more often...

3) Kyrie Irving finished with 31 points and showed what I've always opined-Irving is a shooting guard in point guard clothing...

4) Tristan Thompson held Andre Drummond to 13 points after averaging 20 during the season.
If Drummond doesn't exceed his season (not notch stats below them) numbers,this is a short series...

5) Surprisingly DNP (did not play)? Channing Frye.
This could be due to Kevin Love's huge shooting day,but I hope that the Cavaliers don't glue Frye to the bench for the playoffs.
I think the former is most likely....