Game 61: Celtics @ Cavs 3/5/2024

[ijspeelman]

[JonFromVA]

The Celtics are on a 11 game winning streak and have been crushing opponents since the All-Star break.

Time for the Cavs to do something ridiculous?

I will say, for all the worrying about our lack of length at the SF position, we haven't been tested much by opponents with an elite SF. Even tonight facing Tatum, he may be playing PF.

It will be a big challenge for Garland and if he does find success, my fingers are crossed that JBB has come up with a plan for when the Celtics trap him.

[JonFromVA]

Here's the full injury report from this morning:

Injury report

Cavs: Caris LeVert (elbow), QUESTIONABLE; Isaac Okoro (elbow), QUESTIONABLE; Max Strus (knee), OUT; Donovan Mitchell (knee), OUT; Ty Jerome (right ankle surgery), OUT; Tristan Thompson (suspension), OUT.

Celtics: Kristaps Porziņģis (quad), QUESTIONABLE; Jaylen Brown (knee), QUESTIONABLE; Neemias Queta (knee), OUT.

[JonFromVA]

Hopefully, our 2-way players aren't committed to a Charge game. If they're available, can JBB actually avoid playing Emoni if Max, Caris, and Isaac can't go? What's he got to lose?

[JujitsuFlip]

Merrill getting the starting nod.

[JujitsuFlip]

Wonderful, apparently Mobley rolled the crap outta his ankle.

[toooskies]

Dean Wade plays so much better as a starter, and that transformation apparently occurred exactly when Mobley got hurt.

[Iwasawitness]

I'll be totally honest, I had 0 confidence in us winning this when down 19 at the end of the third with no Mobley. Wow.

[afarmenian]

Holy effing comeback......

[jbk1234]

Read on Twitter

[JujitsuFlip]

20 of his 23 in the 4th, Dean Wade saves the day!

[JonFromVA]

Garland tried to kill the comeback with his let me run the clock then give the ball to the other team offense, but Dean wasn't having that. Thank goodness for that final challenge, but why can't they just call Tatum for the push OR the kick?

Something just weird about this team. They aren't comfortable being a frontrunner. I was going to complain about how we stand around after a shot rather than attacking the boards, but at least Dean realized he didn't have to.

[JujitsuFlip]

I'll be totally honest, I had 0 confidence in us winning this when down 19 at the end of the third with no Mobley. Wow.

Pretty funny that the team seems to play better when it is only 2 of the core 4 out there.

[JujitsuFlip]

Apparently it's the Cavs largest 4th quarter comeback in franchise history.

[Iwasawitness]

It's weird that after having arguably the worst loss of the Cavaliers season, we immediately follow that up with arguably their best. No Mitchell, no Strus, no Mobley (well, during the comeback), against a big and on an 11 win streak Boston Celtics team up by 22 in the fourth quarter.

I know we've had some really bad losses this year, but notably, we've had some terrific wins too. Along with this one, we've had the two wins against Dallas, the one against the Clippers during the winning streak, the win against the Kings, the OT win against the 76ers (also without Mitchell), we've also beaten Denver, Milwaukee, and NY (we were missing Allen and Garland in that one too).

I can't deny what is in front of me. I've denied it for pretty much the entire season, but it's become clear: there are some fit issues here and that is definitely holding us back. BUT, with that said, the acquisitions that we've made, as well as the internal development of guys like Okoro (who has definitely taken a step this year), Wade and Merrill has made this a different Cavaliers team. Still very much flawed, and still very much beatable, but they aren't someone you can exploit nearly as much anymore. They have too many weapons on offense and still have an elite defense. They don't matchup well against certain teams, and the Knicks will still crush them in a 7 game series, but I like their odds of making a deep playoff run (as long as they avoid the Knicks of course) IF we can get back to full strength, Garland can find some semblance of his old self, and no more unforeseen circumstances occur (Thompson, don't get suspended again, we need your rebounding).

[jbk1234]

To my eye, a lot of the inconsistencies we've seen since the all star break are the result of crazy variances in terms of our role players' efficiency.

You have Wade and Strus winning games with heroic 4th quarter performances and then going 0-5 from 3 the next game (or two). You have LeVert shooting 1-21 from the field the two first games before settling down. You have Okoro going 3-3 in the first half before going 0-5 in the second half of the same game against the Knicks. Niang is consistently inconsistent. It's almost Cediesque.

Now this sample size is still pretty small so you can't rule out statistical noise, but it's really difficult to develop offensive continuity with these types of wild swings from your role players, especially when they're often all shooting poorly on the same night.

[JonFromVA]

Our bench guys bring energy and spacing. Telling a Dean Wade to just shoot it and then getting him the ball in spots where he can shoot is exactly how a coach/PG/gameplan can get a shooter going. That Jrue Holiday left him open and nobody boxed him out on the putback was tired, lazy, or indifferent. That Dean made all those shots was a miracle and yet we still likely lose if JBB had blown his last challenge, used his last timeout to buy some rest, or Tatum didn't choke.

As fun as the wins over the Celtics and Mavs were, we need a more repeatable way of getting more out of our roster. One thing of note is that Darius didn't try to do it all himself and in fact it was Caris who got Dean going by simply passing him the ball. Dean's first two shots in the 4th were made while being closely covered by Kornet. Shots he normally would just pass up and move the ball.

The way Kornet and Porzingis defend in space is exploitable, but we can't defend unless we force those guys out on an actual shooter. That's why sometimes both Allen and Mobley need to sit, even if it's just long enough for Wade or Niang to shoot the opposing big stiff off the floor like we once did to Jonas Valanciunis with Channing Frye.

[JonFromVA]

To my eye, a lot of the inconsistencies we've seen since the all star break are the result of crazy variances in terms of our role players' efficiency.

You have Wade and Strus winning games with heroic 4th quarter performances and then going 0-5 from 3 the next game (or two). You have LeVert shooting 1-21 from the field the two first games before settling down. You have Okoro going 3-3 in the first half before going 0-5 in the second half of the same game against the Knicks. Niang is consistently inconsistent. It's almost Cediesque.

Now this sample size is still pretty small so you can't rule out statistical noise, but it's really difficult to develop offensive continuity with these types of wild swings from your role players, especially when they're often all shooting poorly on the same night.

You know how you rule out statistical noise?

With consistency, repetition, and preferably not tired legs.

Want to know another way?

Create good looks for guys who don't miss good looks.

[jbk1234]

To my eye, a lot of the inconsistencies we've seen since the all star break are the result of crazy variances in terms of our role players' efficiency.

You have Wade and Strus winning games with heroic 4th quarter performances and then going 0-5 from 3 the next game (or two). You have LeVert shooting 1-21 from the field the two first games before settling down. You have Okoro going 3-3 in the first half before going 0-5 in the second half of the same game against the Knicks. Niang is consistently inconsistent. It's almost Cediesque.

Now this sample size is still pretty small so you can't rule out statistical noise, but it's really difficult to develop offensive continuity with these types of wild swings from your role players, especially when they're often all shooting poorly on the same night.

You know how you rule out statistical noise?

With consistency, repetition, and preferably not tired legs.

Want to know another way?

Create good looks for guys who don't miss good looks.

Yeah, but aside from seeing a little variance in how our role players are defended, and really it hasn't been much, I'm watching multiple guys go 0-5 on good looks for multiple games. There's a rushed shot or off-line pass here or there, but there are a lot more wide open looks that simply aren't being converted.

Tired legs is a fair point with Strus, Mitchell, and Garland, but as far as LeVert, Okoro, Niang, or Wade? That seems like real stretch given the number of minutes played.

As far as the latter, if you want the Cavs to adopt more Warriors type scheme for Merrill, then you should just say that.

[JonFromVA]

To my eye, a lot of the inconsistencies we've seen since the all star break are the result of crazy variances in terms of our role players' efficiency.

You have Wade and Strus winning games with heroic 4th quarter performances and then going 0-5 from 3 the next game (or two). You have LeVert shooting 1-21 from the field the two first games before settling down. You have Okoro going 3-3 in the first half before going 0-5 in the second half of the same game against the Knicks. Niang is consistently inconsistent. It's almost Cediesque.

Now this sample size is still pretty small so you can't rule out statistical noise, but it's really difficult to develop offensive continuity with these types of wild swings from your role players, especially when they're often all shooting poorly on the same night.

You know how you rule out statistical noise?

With consistency, repetition, and preferably not tired legs.

Want to know another way?

Create good looks for guys who don't miss good looks.

Yeah, but aside from seeing a little variance in how our role players are defended, and really it hasn't been much, I'm watching multiple guys go 0-5 on good looks for multiple games. There's a rushed shot or off-line pass here or there, but there are a lot more wide open looks that simply aren't being converted.

Tired legs is a fair point with Strus, Mitchell, and Garland, but as far as LeVert, Okoro, Niang, or Wade? That seems like real stretch given the number of minutes played.

As far as the latter, if you want the Cavs to adopt more Warriors type scheme for Merrill, then you should just say that.

I'm surprised you included Okoro as a player who shouldn't be dealing with tired legs, because anyone who works that hard on defense is going to eventually feel it.

I'd also suggest you pay less attention to total shots in a game and more attention to when and where the shots happen. Even a shooter with tired legs can start knocking down shots if you can get him a run of shots from the same distance or better yet the same spot.

As for Merrill, I'm not Mr Answer man on scheme, I just know they're wasting his time on the floor by not finding ways to free him up. You want to create shots for your best shooters, and that's typically not the guy the defense is leaving open.