Whistles cost Cavaliers in 112-108 loss

     It was a playoff atmosphere in Cleveland Sunday night and it was a rough physical game like you would see in a postseason encounter.

All the ingredients were there for an exciting, closely matched game- except for one- the consistently inconsistent officiating and the Philadelphia 76ers took advantage in a 112-108 win for the visitors from Pennsylvania.

Darius Garland led the Cavaliers with 23 points with Caris LeVert adding 19 to lead Cleveland, who fell 2.5 games behind Chicago for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference and watched idle Atlanta cut their lead to 1.5 games for seventh in the conference.

Cleveland will visit Orlando on Tuesday to start the final week of the season.

Swashbucklings

1) The Cavaliers had plenty of reason to question the officiating and J.B. Bickerstaff claimed his team was robbed by the officiating in the post-game press conference.

Bickerstaff may be right but that's not going to stop the inevitable fine that I'm sure will be levied by the league, the only question will be the amount.

2) The biggest play in question was a late drive by Darius Garland that saw him fouled by Joel Embiid and a no call that resulted in the Sixers up two and the ball with less than a minute remaining.

It's not unfair to ask for some consistency in the officiating- you made that call all night and with the game in the balance, the whistles were put away and that is defined by an abbreviation that starts with B and ends with S.

3) Joel Embiid and James Harden shot 32 free throws in the game.

The entire Cavalier team shot 31-As the home team!

Usually, one could understand the home team shooting a few more free throws but two players on the visitors?

4) Cleveland did receive a nice night from Caris LeVert, who hit seven of fourteen from the floor.

LeVert's play has been erratic since arriving from Indiana and the Cavaliers will need to hope that he can play well in the playoffs.

5) Joel Embiid finished with 44 points and 17 rebounds and while the officials had a little to do with those numbers, the absence of Jarrett Allen was likely the largest factor.

Embiid is a terrific player and possibly the league's MVP but these were the optimum circumstances for such a great night.

Cavaliers Crush 76ers 118-94

     The Cleveland Cavaliers continued their surprising start with their third win in as many games as Cleveland cruised past the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 118-94 in Cleveland.

Andre Drummond led the Cavaliers with 24 points and 14 rebounds with Collin Sexton contributing 22 points for the victorious Cavaliers.

Cleveland will attempt to grab another victory on Tuesday at home against the New York Knicks.

Swashbucklings

1) Andre Drummond is a center that seems to be out of vogue as a post-playing big man, but what places him out of what teams are looking for is what makes him so effective.

Drummond's post moves are antiquated compared to today's centers, but basic can be quite efficient.

2) Philadelphia played without Joel Embiid in the pivot and that aided Drummond in his big game, I'm sure, but this was a blowout from the start.

The aging Dwight Howard was no match for Drummond and I'm not sure that Howard at this stage of his career will be a good replacement for the fragile Embiid on nights that Howard will be needed to replace him.

3) Kevin Love left the game in the second quarter after re-injuring the calf that caused him to miss the opener and much of the preseason.

4) Can the Cavaliers continue their run of fine play with the rash of injuries that have occurred in each of the first three games? 

Take this into consideration, the Cavaliers has lost a player to injury in each of the three victories-Kevin Love against the Sixers, Isaac Okoro to a foot sprain against the Pistons, and Dylan Windler's broken hand in the opening win over the Hornets.

With those three and Kevin Porter Jr. continuing to work his way back into playing shape, the Cleveland lineup is already thin...

5) Cleveland's largest lead was 32 points and it could have been worse had they not emptied the bench in the fourth period.

I'm not sure this is sustainable even without the injuries, but under J.B. Bickerstaff's team basketball concepts, the Cavaliers thus far have been fun to watch.