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LeVert and Mitchell are game time decisions.

Knicks will still be without their entire starting frontcourt in OG, Randle, and Robinson.

We look awful so far. The play from the Cavaliers so far is unacceptable. The opposing team doesn't have Robinson, Anunoby, or Randle, and they just lost Brunson. Cavaliers should be DESTROYING the Knicks right now.

Iwasawitness wrote:We look awful so far. The play from the Cavaliers so far is unacceptable. The opposing team doesn't have Robinson, Anunoby, or Randle, and they just lost Brunson. Cavaliers should be DESTROYING the Knicks right now.

That was a crazy looking injury, just saw the video.

I don't think the Cavs are winning this game. And it's pathetic that I'm even saying that. This is easily our worst loss of the season if we don't win this. Even the Portland one doesn't compare.

Hart always stuffs the stat sheet vs the Cavs.

Completely out physical outclassed out coached out played what an embarrassing loss.

Absolutely a sign of things to come in the playoffs

This is easily the worst loss of the season. The one against the Trailblazers doesn't come close to matching this.

Thibs has zero respect for Okoro and Wade as shooters.

jbk1234 wrote:Thibs has zero respect for Okoro and Wade as shooters.

Thibs owns Jb

JujitsuFlip wrote:

jbk1234 wrote:Thibs has zero respect for Okoro and Wade as shooters.

Thibs owns Jb

Thibs is clearly willing to play with a flank undefended, the key for the Cavs is to find a way to get a player there who can hit his shots.

Also, to get TT back or sign Cousins off the PR squad.

Our defense was really depressing me. Until we can impose our will on D, our ranking won't much matter.

I felt like our defense was pretty solid. The Knicks hit a bunch of 911 three point attempts and some of those came from unlikely sources. Our rebounding was suspect, but again, some of those were really long rebounds off of badly missed threes.

But you're not going to play Merrill, CPJ, or Niang major minutes and impose your will on anyone. It appeared to me that Garland was clearly fouled, by two players, on that drive late in the 4th which resulted in a jump ball. That concerns me in terms of trend lines. If we can't have the ball in Garland's hands in late game situations, because the opposing team is going to get away with fouling him, we become much easier to defend.

Also, Josh Hart had 18 defensive rebounds. He's 6'4". Maybe get a body on him. On that note, it's time for Niang to follow his shot more. It's not like he's any use in transition defense anyway.

JonFromVA wrote:Our defense was really depressing me. Until we can impose our will on D, our ranking won't much matter.

That's pretty much how I've felt. Idc where we finish, just want the easiest matchup in the 1st round. If the Knicks can beat us without 4 starters, i for sure don't want to meet them again.

I just want to note that a) the Cavs' offense was missing 4 of its top 5 ballhandlers from the beginning of the year (with two of those being game-time decision scratches) and b) the defensive gameplan was probably focused around Brunson and it went out the window as soon as he got hurt. If we looked aimless out there at times, it's probably because we were, and for logical reasons.

toooskies wrote:I just want to note that a) the Cavs' offense was missing 4 of its top 5 ballhandlers from the beginning of the year (with two of those being game-time decision scratches) and b) the defensive gameplan was probably focused around Brunson and it went out the window as soon as he got hurt. If we looked aimless out there at times, it's probably because we were, and for logical reasons.

The Knicks are the team that should have looked aimless, they were missing 5 starters including their PG.

Did we play Garland too many minutes? Miss getting Garland off the ball playing with another playmaker? Did we need more hustle and rebounding?

Then why did JBB play Craig Porter Jr only 8 minutes?

He won't even play Damian Jones as long as Mobley and Allen are available. Not even just to see.

IMO, the Cavs are becoming too predictable on defense. You drive, our defense collapses, you kick it out. If you want you can force a switch and pull one of our bigs out to the 3pt line. If you miss, go attack the boards.

toooskies wrote:I just want to note that a) the Cavs' offense was missing 4 of its top 5 ballhandlers from the beginning of the year (with two of those being game-time decision scratches) and b) the defensive gameplan was probably focused around Brunson and it went out the window as soon as he got hurt. If we looked aimless out there at times, it's probably because we were, and for logical reasons.

Lol always an excuse for something, smh.

Rubio was never going to play on this team, why you always include him as a conversation point is wild to me. Plus idk if a lot of people here would put TJ over CPJ.

Missing Mitchell hurts but it's not like the Cavs were playing a fully healthy squad... Cavs with 3 of the core 4 should be able to steamroll any team who is missing their top 4 players. If not, it just leans even more in to the fact that this team construction is flawed.

Also, Jb should be able to adjust on the fly and for 5 seasons he has shown he is just incapable, hence the zero post season success under him, guy gets out coached by literally everyone.

JonFromVA wrote:

toooskies wrote:I just want to note that a) the Cavs' offense was missing 4 of its top 5 ballhandlers from the beginning of the year (with two of those being game-time decision scratches) and b) the defensive gameplan was probably focused around Brunson and it went out the window as soon as he got hurt. If we looked aimless out there at times, it's probably because we were, and for logical reasons.

The Knicks are the team that should have looked aimless, they were missing 5 starters including their PG.

Did we play Garland too many minutes? Miss getting Garland off the ball playing with another playmaker? Did we need more hustle and rebounding?

Then why did JBB play Craig Porter Jr only 8 minutes?

He won't even play Damian Jones as long as Mobley and Allen are available. Not even just to see.

IMO, the Cavs are becoming too predictable on defense. You drive, our defense collapses, you kick it out. If you want you can force a switch and pull one of our bigs out to the 3pt line. If you miss, go attack the boards.

CPJ posted a negative +/- again so I'm not sure more is going to mean better, especially on a night when the Knicks bent the entirety of their defense towards Garland which opened up opportunities for his teammates that simply weren't converted.

One thing the Cavs need to consider is whether they want certain players, looking at Niang here, to follow their shots. He's not helpful in transition defense anyway and in a game where Hart is just gobbling up the misses, it might help.

JujitsuFlip wrote:

toooskies wrote:I just want to note that a) the Cavs' offense was missing 4 of its top 5 ballhandlers from the beginning of the year (with two of those being game-time decision scratches) and b) the defensive gameplan was probably focused around Brunson and it went out the window as soon as he got hurt. If we looked aimless out there at times, it's probably because we were, and for logical reasons.

Lol always an excuse for something, smh.

Rubio was never going to play on this team, why you always include him as a conversation point is wild to me. Plus idk if a lot of people here would put TJ over CPJ.

Missing Mitchell hurts but it's not like the Cavs were playing a fully healthy squad... Cavs with 3 of the core 4 should be able to steamroll any team who is missing their top 4 players. If not, it just leans even more in to the fact that this team construction is flawed.

Also, Jb should be able to adjust on the fly and for 5 seasons he has shown he is just incapable, hence the zero post season success under him, guy gets out coached by literally everyone.

Well, there was a reason I singled-out our defense and not our offense. There are reasons our offense might struggle, but we play our two bigs for defensive purposes and Okoro, Wade, and Strus were all there to help them out. If the second best defense in the league can't dominate a front court consisting of a guy we released so he could sign with the Clippers, a guy the Knicks received as salary filler, and the 58th pick in the draft ... it seems like we have a problem.