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Totally unimpressed with the "new look" Cavs. They look like they would rather run and gun and try to outscore their opponent rather than out work or out execute them. Terrible D in the first half, decent in the third, then garbage D again in the fourth, led by Kyrie. I guess all the talk from Lebron about "defense wins championships" was just posing.
Good thing Lue is holding players accountable, I mean if you aren't going to sit Kryie for showboating and blowing a layup in transition helping blow a 12 point lead late, what exactly does holding players accountable mean? This Wolves team shouldn't be in the game late in the fourth, they aren't anywhere near experienced enough if the Cavs actually tried to play D for the entire game.
Oh, and I love the backtracking on the "not in good enough shape" comment from Lue. The announcers covered for the team by saying Lue meant that they were in good condition, but not quite enough for the faster pace they want to play. What a load of bull, I guess Lebron let someone know he didn't like that comment. Lue better watch out or he will be the next to go. Yeah, I am a little pissed right now. Whatever.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_i1vMK4XaPk

The Cavs were run out of the gym by the Warriors; like the Patriots, they don't slow down and let teams get into defensive sets. If you cannot play their pace, you cannot win against them consistently.

We aren't talking D'Antoni run and gun ball, it just looks like that 3 days into the process. Let's give them time and see if they can pick up the defensive intensity to match.


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I'm surprised at how hot of a topic this whole fast pace thing is. We were 28th in pace and we want to play faster, but it's not like Lue is saying we have to take shots before the shot clock hits 14 or anything like that. Let the team adjust and then judge it appropriately.

Our guys were not in running shape, especially Love and Kyrie.

I'm not at all sold on the idea of increasing the pace (I think we would have gotten swept by the Warriors last year with a similar approach even if totally healthy). But it's early and I think it's too soon to write of the idea completely

jbk1234 wrote:I'm not at all sold on the idea of increasing the pace (I think we would have gotten swept by the Warriors last year with a similar approach even if totally healthy). But it's early and I think it's too soon to write of the idea completely

Imo increasing the pace makes sense. Love's outlet passes become more lethal, kyrie has space, bron can run and create. Jr smith is used to taking shots early in the clock so it makes sense for him too.
What I saw against the suns was a lot of ball movement, guys (bron and kyrie) only occassionally holding the ball for extended periods of time. There were a lot of backdoor cuts, passes, pick n rolls in quick succession against rotating defenses etc.

For the cavs I think finding the right balance will be paramount. If they can find a nice blend of pace, pick n rolls, post ups by bron and love, then they'll be pretty formidable

While they looked better against the Suns, well....it was the Suns. At least the Wolves played OKC tough so maybe my rant was a bit premature. The next couple of games should be more of a test as to what we can expect going forward. But, regardless of how they respond to the increased pace they want to play, I think it plays into the Warriors strengths if they think they can outrun the Warriors.