Game 29: Cavs @ Mavs 12/14/2022

[ijspeelman]

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[jbk1234]

I feel like DFS isn't nearly as good as the T&T board makes him out to be.

[ijspeelman]

Getting a little worried about how many open threes we are giving up. Mavs are not making us pay and they have the ability to.

[ijspeelman]

Mitchell is feeeeeeling it. 10/11 with 25 points.

[ijspeelman]

Welp, the Mavs did start making their threes, but we still (most likely) held them lower than 100.

Luka kept hunting for Mobley? It never worked so I don't know what was going on there. I liked the Allen moments guarding Luka as well. Luka did have a rough game, but I think we did a play a big part in that. Stevens and even Mitchell with good one on one moments with him.

We've been using Mobley more offensively and he's been producing. I'm loving the passing.

Very happy Garland got to sit in the fourth and hopefully get rest for the two games coming up (little biased bc I will be at the next Mavs game).

[JujitsuFlip]

They beat the tough teams and lose to the scrubs.

[ijspeelman]

They beat the tough teams and lose to the scrubs.

The scrubs won't be in the playoffs

[ijspeelman]

Getting a little worried about how many open threes we are giving up. Mavs are not making us pay and they have the ability to.

Just something fun I wanted to look at after the fact, Mavs average 21 wide open threes per game at 38% efficiency. In this game they had, 21 wide open threes at 42.9%. In the first, they were only shooting 33.3% and had 6 (thus why I made my comment above).

Even with them being lights out on their wide open opportunities, we held them to 90 points.

To me this is because the Mavs normally shoot 25.7 shots within 5 feet of the basket and we held them to only 19.0 of these shots. They did shoot a much lower efficiency than normal on these shots as well going from 65.9% to 52.6%.

[JonFromVA]

Welp, the Mavs did start making their threes, but we still (most likely) held them lower than 100.

Luka kept hunting for Mobley? It never worked so I don't know what was going on there. I liked the Allen moments guarding Luka as well. Luka did have a rough game, but I think we did a play a big part in that. Stevens and even Mitchell with good one on one moments with him.

We've been using Mobley more offensively and he's been producing. I'm loving the passing.

Very happy Garland got to sit in the fourth and hopefully get rest for the two games coming up (little biased bc I will be at the next Mavs game).

It seems likely Luka was hunting for Mobley to try to foul him out, as long as Allen and Mobley were on the floor our defense was killing the Mavs. We're back to #1 in the league in defense after the game (BBR).

Once Dallas got sick of watching Mitchell kill them, they started doubling him and rather than try to make the homerun pass, Mitchell just tossed it to Mobley and let him dissect the 4 on 3. Glad to see it because just throwing the ball to the open man (aka Stevens or Okoro) let's the defense force the action through our worst offensive player.

I'm fine with Garland dialing it back and not trying to keep up with Mitchell. Keeping the turnovers down was helpful, and the team as a whole only had 6. Whatever is going on, the game will come back to him in time; and having the highest scoring back-court with the slowest pace in the league is probably not healthy.

[ijspeelman]

Last fun stat from this game: the Cavs (95.5) and the Mavs (95.9) are the two slowest pace teams in the NBA. This resulted in a 87.6 pace which made our 105 points a 119.8 offensive rating.

[jbk1234]

They beat the tough teams and lose to the scrubs.

They tried coasting for three quarters against the Spurs and got caught slipping. Part of the problem is that JBB needs to go deeper into his bench so that these guys don't rest on the court.

[JonFromVA]

They beat the tough teams and lose to the scrubs.

They tried coasting for three quarters against the Spurs and got caught slipping. Part of the problem is that JBB needs to go deeper into his bench so that these guys don't rest on the court.

Gotta say these reviews which coaches like to save until the 4th quarter are taking so long, it's got be as good as sitting a player for 5 minutes.

Also, the Cavs are back to having the top ranked defense in the league after this game. If we can keep that up, it begs the question who's our DPOY candidate?

[jbk1234]

They beat the tough teams and lose to the scrubs.

They tried coasting for three quarters against the Spurs and got caught slipping. Part of the problem is that JBB needs to go deeper into his bench so that these guys don't rest on the court.

Gotta say these reviews which coaches like to save until the 4th quarter are taking so long, it's got be as good as sitting a player for 5 minutes.

Also, the Cavs are back to having the top ranked defense in the league after this game. If we can keep that up, it begs the question who's our DPOY candidate?

Allen.

[ijspeelman]

They tried coasting for three quarters against the Spurs and got caught slipping. Part of the problem is that JBB needs to go deeper into his bench so that these guys don't rest on the court.

Gotta say these reviews which coaches like to save until the 4th quarter are taking so long, it's got be as good as sitting a player for 5 minutes.

Also, the Cavs are back to having the top ranked defense in the league after this game. If we can keep that up, it begs the question who's our DPOY candidate?

Allen.

It is definitely Allen, but Mobley is nearly just as important. Can we just nominate both of them as a tandem?

[JonFromVA]

Gotta say these reviews which coaches like to save until the 4th quarter are taking so long, it's got be as good as sitting a player for 5 minutes.

Also, the Cavs are back to having the top ranked defense in the league after this game. If we can keep that up, it begs the question who's our DPOY candidate?

Allen.

It is definitely Allen, but Mobley is nearly just as important. Can we just nominate both of them as a tandem?

I wish because they really are at their best when playing together.

On Mobley's behalf, I'd point out he's right there in terms of blocks with Allen and it's debatable whether Allen is more flashy blocking a dunk attempt, or Mobley snagging the ball out of the air. Either way, those moments in the voters eye's may sway the vote.

I'm not sure who I like better out on a switch, but Evan being one of the league leaders in contested 3pt shots is something that stands out for a category dominated by wings.

One thing working against our tandem, is their weight - with Allen being only 243 and Mobley 215.

Our length and mobility are fantastic, but Allen is lighter than some PF's and Mobley is lighter than some SF's. If they can add strength and weight without losing mobility as they enter their prime, it's going to be something to see.

Anthony Davis managed to go from 212 up to 240 in just the span from 19 to 21 years old, and now he tops out over 250. Can Evan or Jarrett still take that kind of jump? Should they want to?

[jbk1234]

Allen.

It is definitely Allen, but Mobley is nearly just as important. Can we just nominate both of them as a tandem?

I wish because they really are at their best when playing together.

On Mobley's behalf, I'd point out he's right there in terms of blocks with Allen and it's debatable whether Allen is more flashy blocking a dunk attempt, or Mobley snagging the ball out of the air. Either way, those moments in the voters eye's may sway the vote.

I'm not sure who I like better out on a switch, but Evan being one of the league leaders in contested 3pt shots is something that stands out for a category dominated by wings.

One thing working against our tandem, is their weight - with Allen being only 243 and Mobley 215.

Our length and mobility are fantastic, but Allen is lighter than some PF's and Mobley is lighter than some SF's. If they can add strength and weight without losing mobility as they enter their prime, it's going to be something to see.

Anthony Davis managed to go from 212 up to 240 in just the span from 19 to 21 years old, and now he tops out over 250. Can Evan or Jarrett still take that kind of jump? Should they want to?

Mobley's a great defender, but Allen is the anchor for the Cavs defense.

[JonFromVA]

It is definitely Allen, but Mobley is nearly just as important. Can we just nominate both of them as a tandem?

I wish because they really are at their best when playing together.

On Mobley's behalf, I'd point out he's right there in terms of blocks with Allen and it's debatable whether Allen is more flashy blocking a dunk attempt, or Mobley snagging the ball out of the air. Either way, those moments in the voters eye's may sway the vote.

I'm not sure who I like better out on a switch, but Evan being one of the league leaders in contested 3pt shots is something that stands out for a category dominated by wings.

One thing working against our tandem, is their weight - with Allen being only 243 and Mobley 215.

Our length and mobility are fantastic, but Allen is lighter than some PF's and Mobley is lighter than some SF's. If they can add strength and weight without losing mobility as they enter their prime, it's going to be something to see.

Anthony Davis managed to go from 212 up to 240 in just the span from 19 to 21 years old, and now he tops out over 250. Can Evan or Jarrett still take that kind of jump? Should they want to?

Mobley's a great defender, but Allen is the anchor for the Cavs defense.

Allen can't always be the anchor ... I could put together a low-light reel of all the plays where Allen is out at the 3pt line defending a P&R and someone who isn't Evan is left to try (or not try) to help in the paint.

We're weaker without Dean's length let alone Lauri's, but fortunately there aren't that many teams that can effectively pull both Allen and Mobley out of the paint.

[jbk1234]

I wish because they really are at their best when playing together.

On Mobley's behalf, I'd point out he's right there in terms of blocks with Allen and it's debatable whether Allen is more flashy blocking a dunk attempt, or Mobley snagging the ball out of the air. Either way, those moments in the voters eye's may sway the vote.

I'm not sure who I like better out on a switch, but Evan being one of the league leaders in contested 3pt shots is something that stands out for a category dominated by wings.

One thing working against our tandem, is their weight - with Allen being only 243 and Mobley 215.

Our length and mobility are fantastic, but Allen is lighter than some PF's and Mobley is lighter than some SF's. If they can add strength and weight without losing mobility as they enter their prime, it's going to be something to see.

Anthony Davis managed to go from 212 up to 240 in just the span from 19 to 21 years old, and now he tops out over 250. Can Evan or Jarrett still take that kind of jump? Should they want to?

Mobley's a great defender, but Allen is the anchor for the Cavs defense.

Allen can't always be the anchor ... I could put together a low-light reel of all the plays where Allen is out at the 3pt line defending a P&R and someone who isn't Evan is left to try (or not try) to help in the paint.

We're weaker without Dean's length let alone Lauri's, but fortunately there aren't that many teams that can effectively pull both Allen and Mobley out of the paint.

On those plays, yes. On all the other ones, he's the anchor, and when he's not available at all, it changes the entire dynamic of our team.

[ijspeelman]

Mobley's a great defender, but Allen is the anchor for the Cavs defense.

Allen can't always be the anchor ... I could put together a low-light reel of all the plays where Allen is out at the 3pt line defending a P&R and someone who isn't Evan is left to try (or not try) to help in the paint.

We're weaker without Dean's length let alone Lauri's, but fortunately there aren't that many teams that can effectively pull both Allen and Mobley out of the paint.

On those plays, yes. On all the other ones, he's the anchor, and when he's not available at all, it changes the entire dynamic of our team.

It is very nearly a perfect match for a modern defense. Allen is worse w/out Mobley and Mobley is worse w/out Allen (not that either are bad without the other).

I guess it matters more which you think has the role that impacts the defense more. No matter if Allen was the worst center or best center, he would always be a drop big and be targeted on PNRs by design. Obviously, Allen is elite at this which makes him that anchor. So, we get to see Allen directly contribute to defense whereas Mobley's contributions are little bit more hidden (not that its not obvious that this dude is an elite defender). Mobley has his elite weak-side help and is rarely a mismatch when switched. He's so fluid with his movement on defense that he can get burned and still recover. He's also incredibly smart and can sniff out breakdowns in defense incredibly well.

I just love watching these guys play defense.

[JonFromVA]

Mobley's a great defender, but Allen is the anchor for the Cavs defense.

Allen can't always be the anchor ... I could put together a low-light reel of all the plays where Allen is out at the 3pt line defending a P&R and someone who isn't Evan is left to try (or not try) to help in the paint.

We're weaker without Dean's length let alone Lauri's, but fortunately there aren't that many teams that can effectively pull both Allen and Mobley out of the paint.

On those plays, yes. On all the other ones, he's the anchor, and when he's not available at all, it changes the entire dynamic of our team.

What I'm saying is that it's Allen+Mobley that anchor our defense and the loss of either creates a weakness in our defense that most teams can attack. Allen covering for Mobley, or Mobley covering for Allen are both viable options - beyond that? It's a mess.

We need Wade back, we need Kevin knocking down 3's, and we should be dusting off Diakite or even Isiah Mobley to see if they can be a viable alternative when Allen or Mobley are off the floor. Save Lopez to bang with big C's or deliver fouls.

Otherwise Altman had better be on the phones.