Hayward's tune carries Jazz over Cavaliers

Seconds after LeBron James drilled three free throws in a row to tie the game,Gordon Hayward popped a jumper over Tristan Thompson at the buzzer to give the Utah Jazz a 102-100 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Salt Lake City.
James had drawn a foul on a three point attempt with three seconds remaining to draw the Cavaliers even before the game winner.
Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers in scoring with 34 points,while LeBron James added 31 in support.
Cleveland falls to 1-3 with the loss and finished the road trip Friday night against the Denver Nuggets...

Swashbucklings

1) No one likes a loss,but the Cavaliers did show me some hope in this one.
They were down by as many as 16 points and trailed throughout the game until the fourth quarter.
The team battled back and hung tough,which is a positive after the rollover in Portland.

2) Good news;Kyrie Irving finished with 34 points after a bad output in Portland.
Bad news;Irving finished without an assist.
I like my point guards to make others better and zero assists doesn't do that...

3) It's pretty apparent to me that LeBron James aggressiveness is what is going to make the difference in these "Adjustment Period" games.
When James has taken control of the game as the best player,Cleveland has an overtime win and a loss at the buzzer,when he has tried to involve the others as a passive leader,two blowouts losses have resulted.

4) Kevin Love was just two of ten from the floor on a 14 point night.
These games happen and Love did have eight boards,but again adjustment period....

5) David Blatt tried to mix things up with starting Shawn Marion and used Dion Waiters off the bench,
Marion didn't score a point in 24 minutes and Waiters added just five points in 13 minutes...

6) The bench only scored 13 points (Waiters 5 and Tristan Thompson's eight),but that could also have been that just three bench players players,the two mentioned and Mike Miller,who did not score...

7) Matthew Dellavedova sprained a MCL against Portland and will be out for a few weeks.
Cleveland will need to replace him as the backup point guard and soon....

Second half dropoff dooms Cavaliers in Portland

The Cleveland Cavaliers put forth a lackluster effort in the second half in Portland and as a result were trounced 101-82 by the Trail Blazers.
Kevin Love led the Cavaliers with 22 points and 10 rebounds,but only two other Cavaliers hit double digits and no one scored more than 11 points to support Love.
Cleveland will not have long to turn things around as the team returns to the hardwood tonight in Salt Lake City and the Utah Jazz...

Swashbucklings

1) The dip in effort was VERY noticeable to me in the fourth quarter.
I'm not concerned about wins and losses at this point,but LeBron James basically rolling over and labeling this as "breaking bad habits" of other players is an interesting,if perhaps flawed way of teaching.
If there is a plan for all of this,fine,I guess,but I'm not sure what lesson was being taught...

2) Just awful shooting in this one.LeBron James (4 of 12),Dion Waiters (3 of 11) and especially Kyrie Irving (3 of 17) were just filled with iron benders.
Part of this was (see number 3),but some of the problems were simple as good Portland perimeter defense...

3) However-Move the basketball!!!!
Very little ball movement and therefore very few easy layups,short shots from inside the paint and yes dunks.
Way too much clearing out and going one on one.
I'm a fan of moving the ball and creating easier shots,but there is one player in particular that just drives me nuts because he seems to hate doing that!

4) That player's name is Dion Waiters,who has all the talent to be a significant offensive contributor,but just might be the next J.R.Smith,who treats the basketball as a gift to be chucked away with a shot no matter how poor the percentage of the ball hitting the hoop is.
Waiters just frustrates me and I'm not going off the reservation here,but I'm not sure that he is going to be the type to be buy into winning over stats.

5) Kyrie Irving was dominated by Damian Lillard as Lillard made a statement against his being cut by FIBA coaches/officials in the summer World Cup.
Irving played great in that tournament,but many observers think that there could (no judging) been some favoritism toward Irving by his college coach in making it over Lillard or even keeping Lillard off the squad.
In any event Lillard controlled Irving off the dribble,most notably by driving right by him down the lane to start the second half with a thunderous slam.
Combine that with shutting him down defensively and...
Advantage-Lillard..

6) David Blatt is still learning too as his struggles in finding lineups that work throughout the game continue.
I'll pass Blatt though as he is trying different things,but he will learn and improve as the season continues....

Wake me when its over-Blues shutout Devils 1-0

Vladimir Tarasenko scored on the power play in the third period to break a scoreless tie and give the St .Louis Blues a 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils at the Rock in Newark.
Cory Schneider allowed the only goal and finished with 22 saves.
The Devils will have a rematch with the Blues in St.Louis Thursday night.

Hell Raisers

1) Frankly,this was one of the most boring hockey games that I've ever watched.
Not a ton of scoring opportunities for either team and just a dull game.
This was not one to give to flip a non-hockey fan....

2) On the game winning goal,Don't blame Cory Schneider-blame a usual whipping boy in Bryce Salvador.
Salvador put himself  in a position to not harass Vladimir Tarasenko,yet didn't give Schneider space to see the shot coming.
In other words,Salvador screened his own goalie.....

3) I really like Vladimir Tarasenko.
He is the type of young,offensive player that the Devils never seem to have and he seems to play with the kind of rage and desire that great players have.
Tarasenko attacks the puck,doesn't wait for it and I came away from this as quite a fan.

4) Jon Merrill was the young defenseman that was sat in this one,but this wasn't a Peter DeBoer decision.
Merrill had an injury,but no word on what it was or the length of time that he will miss...

5) Reid Boucher returned to Albany and Steve Bernier called back to the Devils.
I think that's a better call,
Bernier is much better suited to fourth line work and Boucher needs playing time on a top line...

6) Scott Clemmensen was placed on waivers and if he clears,he'll be the main goaltender in Albany.
I'd think that he should clear.
Keith Kinkaid was called up as the replacement for Clemmensen and makes me think that since Cory Schneider has played every game thus far that Kinkaid will play in one of the back to back games n Thursday in St.Louis or Friday in Detroit...

Will try to be back later with the Cavaliers loss in Portland.

Pretty? Nope,but Cleveland wins anyway 22-17

The game wasn't the most visually exciting and the competition wasn't strong,but the Cleveland Browns managed to do the important thing and earned the W with a 22-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Cleveland.
Brian Hoyer threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns in the win while Taylor Gabriel led the offense with five catches for 87 yards and a score.
The now 5-3 Browns travel to Cincinnati for Thursday football action in a game that should see just where the Browns stand after three games against weaker teams..

Brownie Bits

1) This post may sound a bit shrill for a team that won and considering how the Browns past has been,I may seem ungrateful.
However,this was not very well played.
Brian Hoyer threw for 300 yards and two score,but he was also picked off twice and continues to be very inaccurate throwing.

2) The play that I thought could cost the game when Tampa took the lead happened in the first half.
Hoyer under a medium rush has Ben Tate all alone on the far sideline and Hoyer uncorks a bad pass.
Tate did manage to catch the ball for a first down,but the ball was so badly overthrown that Tate's momentum drove him out of bounds on a play that he should have walked in for the touchdown.
Instead the drive stalled and the Browns settled for a Billy Cundiff field goal....

3) Brian Hoyer still is winning though and despite my frustrations over his inaccuracy,I still am not among the bunch calling for Johnny Manziel.
I just think for all of Hoyer's warts,Hoyer gives the Browns the best chance to win right now.

4) Last item on Brian Hoyer-Why the team doesn't do more hurry up is a question to me.
Hoyer seems so much more comfortable in the up tempo offense and as a result,his completion percentage improves....

5) The running game continues to be bad and much of this is the play calling.
The smallest of the group in Terrence West gets the majority of his runs between the tackles and Ben Tate,who is larger,but struggles to make people miss,seems to get his runs called on pitches and sweeps.
I'd reverse that and I didn't see Isaiah Crowell at all....

6) Terrence West may not have set the turf on fire with his running (48 yds on 15 carries),but he did catch a TD pass and his block on Lavonte David was just enough to give Brian Hoyer time to release the ball on the game winning pass to Taylor Gabriel.
Nice to see young runners realize there is more to the game than just having the football..

7) Very pleased to see the special teams have their best game of the season.
Billy Winn blocked a field goal,Craig Robertson deflected a punt (It only counts as a punt block,if it goes behind the line of scrimmage) and the return team managed not to turn the ball over! Good day!

8) Huge game from Donte Whitner (right after I cut him from my fantasy team) with a pick,a deflection,solid tackle numbers and a near sack of Mike Glennon.
I wish the Browns would blitz Whitner more often! He is big enough and quick enough to do that effectively...

9) Loved the Joe Haden batted pass to Whitner as well.
Haden has played very well in the last few weeks and with A.J.Green waiting on Thursday,the Browns are going to need Haden playing at the high level....

10) The offensive line is still struggling without Alex Mack in the run game,but I understand why.
Nick McDonald isn't Alex Mack.If he was,then he'd starting for someone else,not backing up in Cleveland.
That's what I hate about the new NFL coaches favorite phrase "Next Man Up".
Sounds great,but very seldom is said next man up nearly as good as the guy he replaced.
Expecting otherwise is silly and foolhardy...

11) Buster Skrine is often a player that brings good and bad thoughts to the field,but the 5'9ish Skrine is going to have no chance against a talented player with size like Tampa rookie (and 6'5) Mike Evans caught both Buccaneer touchdowns in finishing with seven catches for over 100 yards.
Skrine would have position and Evans would just go over him like a power forward leaping over a guard for a rebound.
Nothing that can be done about that and that is why we hope Justin Gilbert can develop into a solid corner where he has the size to deal with the Evans types and allow Skrine to cover the smaller slot receivers that do not physically overmatch him.

12) Finally,I'm scared.
Looking at those awful Tampa Bay uniforms scares me to death what we have waiting for us next year in Cleveland for the Browns changes.
I'll never figure out why teams try to fix what isn't broken,but those Buccaneer uniforms are just bad....

Buckeyes,Devils,Work and Johnstown?

I've gotta be honest.
I had a long day yesterday and even though it was fun,it had a downside-I watched the Ohio State beatdown of woeful Illinois,but I don't really remember much of it.
I was kinda out of it and didn't pay as much attention as usual,so instead of wasting my time with a recap of a lopsided win that I watched without my usual eye for detail,I'm going to pass.
Except for a second half clothesline by Cardale Jones on an Illinois defender that I haven't seen since the heyday of Stan "The Lariat" Hansen,there really wasn't much to report.
The 55-14 win was 31-0 at the half and served as a prep for the showdown at Michigan State.
Want more than that? I'm sorry,but read the link!


Same for the Devils,who I watched the first period before the Buckeyes game started,but managed to pull the Rachel Daily Double as Adam Henrique and then Adam Larsson scored in the third period to rally to a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Those are good things,but I had a good day as I spent the day in Johnstown Pa with my buddy Mike visiting his son John at his college there.
I was able to have lunch at Quaker Steak and Lube,always a plus,spent some time taking John around town to get things that he needed,but most importantly,I got to hang with friends.
It's a funny thing,despite me having gotten off work and still needing to go to work later that night,it still was a good time.
Johnstown was a good deal colder and an interesting town to drive through as we looked around the mountains,the old steel mills,railroad tracks and the fall colors.

I might have been tired and only half paying attention to the sports world,but it still was a pretty good day and thanks to Mike and John for having me.
I thoroughly enjoyed the chats of baseball and autographing with what I enjoy and what is eroding my interests.
Perhaps even a trip or two might have been hatched on this day,time will tell.

I have five days off (It's a miracle) and I'll be back with the Browns vs the Buccaneers,but I also have a special post or two planned!

Cavaliers top Bulls 114-108 in Overtime!

The Cleveland Cavaliers blew a lead,overcame a deficit and then outplayed the Chicago Bulls in overtime to even their record at 1-1 with a 114-108 victory in Chicago.
LeBron James led all scorers with 36 points with Kyrie Irving adding 23 points and Kevin Love notching a double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Cleveland takes a few days off before a trip to the Western Conference for three games in Portland,Utah and Denver.

Swashbucklings

1) The Cavaliers battled back from five points down with less than a minute to go and when you
can overcome deficits like that,that shows that character is building.
The problem was blowing a nine point lead to start the quarter.
I'll be saying that this is part of a process for quite a while and we will see ups and downs,but being able to hang into games like this against good teams makes one hopeful...

2) Kevin Love finished with 16 points and 16 boards,but he still seems to be struggling with the flow of the David Blatt offense.
Love often looked out of sync and awkward with shooting of 5 of 17 of the floor.
Sometimes,coaches with systems have to tweak things to get the best from their talent.
There is a long,long way before we get to that point...

3) LeBron James did against the Bulls exactly what he didn't do against the Knicks-drove to the basket with abandon.
James' game depends on the drive to force defenders to lay off and he was back to the usual against Chicago.

4) My player of the game isn't any of the mentioned players.It's Tristan Thompson,who was the main support off the bench with a powerhouse night.
Thompson finished with a double-double himself with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
The amazing thing was 12 of the boards were off the offensive glass against a team that is noted for being a strong rebounding squad.
Thompson might wind up being a player that is better suited as an off bench energy player to matchup against certain opponents and last night was a great game for the former Longhorn.

5) I was disappointed in Dion Waiters for the second game.
Waiters finished with 9 points on 3 for 10 shooting and still seems lost without the ball in his hands.
Waiters might (and I'm not leaping to a final judgement) be better suited to an off the bench role or more dramatically- a star on a team that features him with the ball.
Many,including me,have hope that Waiters would thrive as a secondary option,but thus far,the struggles are clear.

6) I missed a chunk of the fourth period as I drove to the road office,so I listened to the Chicago radio network and I heard the Bulls announcers complain about LeBron James getting all the calls.
They likely aren't wrong as that is the way the game is called in today's game,but a Chicago Bulls announcer complaining about the superstar status system?
They had that for Michael Jordan's CAREER and now they've found religion?

7) Before the game,Cleveland announced a three year extension for Anderson Varejao.
The extension is roughly for what Varejao currently earns and the final year is only partially guaranteed.
I'm not questioning the dollars,just keeping my fingers crossed for decent enough health.

8) Finally,this game was intensely played for a game that is the second of the season.
That intensity won't be revisited until they play again in January,but if that game is anything like the future battles-the likely Eastern Conference final just might be one for the ages....

Pigskin Picking Machine

This week's PPM

College
Ohio State over Illinois 34-10
Texas Tech over Texas 29-27
Washington over Colorado 42-14
Game of the Week
Auburn over Ole Miss 31-27

Pro
Browns over Buccaneers 24-17
Saints over Panthers 24-13 (Picked before game was played)

Game of the Week
Broncos over Patriots 40-36

Last Week; 4-3
Season: 50-18