Looks like the other thread has been locked because it was at page 11.

Anyway, I have a general question for anyone who might be able to answer it.

Why is there so much talk about Kevin Love leaving at the end of this year? Is there some friction with him and Lebron? He seems to be fitting in pretty well.

I'm asking because I've seen things like the quote below that puzzle me.
ESPN Cleveland:
Windhorst: "The #Cavs don't treat Kevin Love how a mid-market team would treat a free agent to be."

ESPN Cleveland Twitter

Windhorst is a fat worthless leech trying to instigate

I saw on the espn ticker that Enes Kanter of the Jazz isn't happy with his role and is asking for a trade. I know nothing about the guy except that he was the #3 pick a couple years back and he is over 7' tall. So I ask:

1 - Is he a guy who could be that other big man that we are looking for?
2 - If the answer to #1 is yes, what would it take to get him and do we have enough to trade?

Kevin love is slowly realizing he needs to be like Bosh.

going from the Man to another option. once he's fully into that role, all will be well.

i'm happy that love is finally playing some damn defense now.

From what I saw last night, Kevin is learning how to "get his" and the team is also learning how to "get him his".

I know the media will want to create tension that Kevin is unhappy or might leave and that media angle won't be resolved until the day he actually resigns, but I'm starting to see how he'd be happy here with this current role.

We all knew it was going to take time for the "Big 3" to learn how to play. And it didn't help that Lebron was out for 2 weeks too.

I hope his eye is okay. That looked like it hurt, a lot!

Once KLove learns when to work the post and when to work the outside he will be fine. He's still adjusting and it is taking more time than it took Irving. I just don't see where KL would go... LAL? more like LOL.

Our Center:

On a different note, I would completely agree with YTown's assessment of the game last night.

When they are playing team basketball and defending well, they can make a game a blow out real quick.

That was the first game I got to see since the first Cavs/Heat game.

Agreed 100%. When there is ball movement on the offensive side, they generally are able to get consistent good looks in terms of scoring too.

Kevin is finally starting to come around here. His defense has improved, and I feel a few good scoring games from him will get his mojo going on the offensive side!

JMO

I think most of it is the media trying to instigate crap. They can't go with the narrative of LeBron leaving for New York or LA, so they've moved onto Love.

LA media and fans are trying to convince themselves that Love is absolutely coming this summer. I mean he played college at UCLA... He MUST want to play for the Lakers.

Honestly, I think the situation is so dire in bigger markets like NYC and LA, that the media is doing whatever they can to keep the fan base interested for next year.

Statistically Love is very close to where he has been in the past, with the exception that his shots are off by about 5 attempts per game, which has affected his ppg. He was up around 18 attempts per game, which is where LeBron is, and Griffin and Melo and Rose and Durant.. now he is back down around 13...

If he expected to come to Cleveland, with LeBron and Kyrie and still get to shoot the ball 18 times per game, then the whole problem is his own unrealistic expectations.

I think it's less UCLA and more his santa monica roots, but I just don't see it. The only LA team that would fit would be the clippers and they already have their power forward, so there is no room for him. The Lakers are such a mess I couldn't see any quality players going there unless its just to get paid.

On the flip side if all KLove cares about is a payday then I'd rather he go to LA, but I think he wants desperately to win a title.

If Kevin only cares about getting paid, he's stay in Cleveland. Can't the Cavs offer him that additional guaranteed year that the Lakers couldn't?

If he cares more about playing in Cali than money, then I have no problem with that. Its up to him. The Cavs took the chance he'd leave by trading away Wiggins for a guy with a 1-year contract. It's on them, not Kevin.

I hope he understands his best option to win a title is here in the short term. I say "short term" because who knows what the Lakers will look like in 1.5 years. Maybe they get KD and trade for someone else. But yes, the Lakers are trash this and next year for sure.

...additionally, why go to the western conference? Stay in the east to make the trip to the Finals easier. Assuming winning was the #1 reason to sign somewhere.

Can't be stated enough. It's really, really, really hard beating Lebron. It's a monumental task trying to beat him 4/7 times. Look at the teams that have beat him in the playoffs-

2014 Spurs = NBA Champs

2011 Mavericks = NBA Champs

2010 Celtics = A game 7 from winning a title

2009 Magic = Made it to the NBA Finals after shooting the games of their lives.

2008 Celtics = NBA Champs

I have to laugh, because even if the Lakers get really lucky, what are they going to look like in 3 years?

Cleveland will still, almost certainly, still have Lebron, Irving, and probably Mozgov as well. Will the Lakers find a way to add a better "big 2 plus big- 3rd" that Love can join? The Cavaliers will be built around Lebron, Irving, Love, and Mozgov. The rest will change, but that is a really nice nucleus to have. I cannot see any way that even a team like the Lakers manages to come anywhere close to that in the next 2-3 years.

I also want to say something about Love. He has improved so much defensively that it's incredible. He was always a flat out awful defender, and he is actually approaching average right now. By this time next year, he may actually become a better than average defender. Man, that is just incredible! His opportunities are down with playing on such a talented team, but he does not have to carry this team. If he has a massive ego, and has to be the top scorer, then maybe he leaves, but I don't get that from him. I think that he knows that he can be a great teammate, a great defender, and still be a valuable piece of the offense, and yet not have to be THE offense. I would guess that he will wind up somewhere around 20 PPG this year, which is one heck of an "off" year ..... as he starts hitting closer to his career average in shooting in the 2nd half. (2 or 3% above where he is at right now) he has fit in really well.

I also love the way JR Smith has fit in. He had 7 assists yesterday. I am going to repeat that. JR Smith had 7 assists. He only scored 10 points, and he had 7 assists. This is the guy who was a ball hog, and a "chucker". He is also playing great defense. He also has extremely quick hands on defense, and can steal a ball before the other guy realizes he has moved. lol He has been a great addition to the team as well.

My concern is that I don't know how we hold on to everyone next year. I really, really like this team, and think that they have just about everything a team could want and needs.

Hey guys...

Had a lil convo at work today and want you people's feedback too. As the team stands right now, who is the weakest player on the Cavs?

People here in L.A. really want Kevin Love and then Durant the next year. The legitimately think it is going to happen because "Lakers." They don't understand that the team is a mess and no one wants to deal with the Buss family (and/or Kobe to a lesser extent).

Laker fans can't imagine their team bad because they have never been bad.

Jr has said it himself, he just needed to be in a better environment where he could focus on just basketball.

of guys that get any minutes, thats easy dellevedova. Guys like miller, haywood, jones, are worthless, but they don't get any minutes so you can't really say they are weak.. Its why we have the worst bench in the nba. I really hope griffin has some magic dust left to sprinkle on the bench. I would say for playoffs our 1-7 are the best in the east

My sports app for my phone, theScore, just informed me that Kevin is expected to play tonight. Good news.

And I think Butler is out for the Bulls.

Della

and even then...dude got skills. he brings energy.

With a win tonight we clinch the season series.

I somewhat agree ... Like you're saying, it depends on what you are talking about with the original question. Worst on the team period? Probably Haywood or Mike Miller. Of guys that play meaningful minutes, then probably Delly, but he's your 8th guy on the bench.

Of the starters? Probably JR.Smith ... and if he's your worst starter, you're doing pretty well.

The weakest guy of the rotation players is Delly. Everyone else has their pros and cons, but Delly can get bullied by bigger guards, and offers no offensive value. But still, he's the guy you love to root for. He's a tough kid.

Everyone else seems to fit in perfectly with the roles. It's pretty cool.

Lebron not looking too hot tonight. 5 of 12 so far with 5 turnovers. -17 on the plus/minus. Got beat on the defensive end a few times too.

Fortunate to only be down 7.

I think we were down by 15 at one point, and Lebron went to the bench. We went on a pretty good run after that. Hopefully Lebron can find his A-game in the second half.

Lebron has looked bad tonight.

Kyrie has looked worse.

Lebron struggled tonight, Kyrie got DOMINATED, our shooters did nothing. Just a bad night it happens.

a know a lot of teams struggle with back to backs, but man, we really look sluggish every back to back game we have.

Back to back, with travel, against a pretty good team too. It happens.

Shumpert got too aggresive tonight. Jr struggling too.

It looks like we checked out for the All Star break a day early.

Man, James is way off. If he needs another break, I hope he takes it. If he has to take off the All Star game, then so be it.

I do think that the break may do Love some real good with his eye, his back, and any other creaks he has right now. I think that the break comes exactly at the right time for him. The Cavaliers are off until the 20th, in DC.

thoughts on this game...lebron shouldn't be PG as much as he is, sure he has good vision but he has horrible ball handling skills and forces things..He's a big reason we lost tonight, that and noone did squat..Rose is so much a more complete PG than kyrie. I'd love kyrie to get to rose's level but I don't see it happening. Kyrie needs crazy handles to shake people..rose probably has the best first step in the game.

I kinda knew when I saw TT was starting it was a loss..has anyone actually focused on him during games..especially on defense...he literally acts like he has no idea where he's supposed to be.

One note on our bench, besides being the worst in the nba, I don't understand how Harris can't find minutes up here..he's a better shooter than anyone we currently have on the bench and he's got decent size and pretty athletic..i mean how much worse can it be to give him minutes over miller and jones.

Going into the allstar break with a loss isn't a great thing especially losing a game you could have one if anyone acted like they cared..but a nice break, get healthy and come back and start the push.

I still don't think Chicago could beat us in 7, but snell pretty much locks lebron down better than anyone else in the east, its going to be good to have a big 3 against chicago in the playoffs, we'll need people to take turns shouldering the load.

If the NBA truly wanted a quality product, they do away with these. A back-2-back at home is bad enough, but with travel? Come on.

I know everyone has them, but it's just poor planning on the NBA.

Same goes with the NFL too. Thursday night teams should always be coming off a bye.

As someone who has had to travel with a basketball team, I agree with this 100%.

God i can't stand the bulls and their fans.

Wow did we just play like crap last night. Total crap. Not even worth commenting any further than that.

I just checked the standings and couldn't help but notice this:

7th seed in the East: Charlotte Hornets 22-30
7th seed in the West: San Antonio Spurs 34-19

I say in regards to the NBA shortening their season, I would keep the length of the season, and basically just eliminate the amount of games that cause back to backs.

After looking at the Cavs schedule, you could drop down to 70 games, and at least guarantee that no one has a back to back at any point..

I would agree with that.

Amare got bought out, would like him as a 2nd center.

Amar'e cannot play defense. He can score off the bench and that's it. There are already rumors that he is headed to the Mavericks.

Yeah, I would love him on offense, but I don't know about his defense at all.

It doesn't look like the Cavs are an option anyway. I don't see how Stoudemire can play over Love, Thompson, or Mozgov and those are the only three "bigs" that should be playing at all.

Yeah, the only real other big we would possibly "need" is an emergency type big at this point. (and we really have that in Haywood right now, as he can play some defense in the crunch)

Garnett appears to be going back to the T-wolves. Dragic is going to the Heat.

Well, he can provide leadership anyway.

Tons of trades today.

OKC got Kanter from Utah. That is a nice add for them. They gave up Perkins in the deal, and he is evidently going to be bought out by Utah.

I suspect that several players will be bought out over the next couple of days. I wonder if any could be a good fit for the cavaliers?

The Sixers continue to build assets, getting the Lakers (1-5 protected) and Thunder (1-18 protected) picks.. Also JaVale Macgee..

Bout loads of picks, and cap room.. they had to give up MCW, but I don't think that's a big killer, he's an acceptable PG.

Not sure I understand this one. He could have been bought out and then gone to a few possible contenders to play 10-15 mins a night. But to WANT to go to Minnesota and play for the worst record in the West? Hrmmmm....

It's a good story to close the loop and return home I guess. Just a little confusing.

I read something about the Sixers possibly buying out McVale. Along with the Jazz buying out Perkins, that could be 2 decent backup quality bigs on the market.

Well, if nothing else, he'll be loved by the people there. (especially after Love forced his way out of town) I still think, as you said, that I would go to a contender if I were him.

To be fair, he's already won a ring, so he's probably just looking to play out his final days with his original team and then head into retirement.

Here's the full list of trades that happened:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/nba-exploded-one-craziest-trade-213418342.html

* Washington gets: Ramon Sessions
* Sacramento gets: Andre Miller

Swap those former Cavalier PGs. lol

I like Bill Simmons most of the time.. but holy crap do I hate him occasionally.

Boston is in "great shape" because they have Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Marcus Smart? Really? Dude is the worst when it comes to being a homer..

And apparently Miami is now a contender because they added a PG. Ignoring the fact that Dwayne Wade is falling apart, and their Center has never consistently shown he can be good for more than a few games.. But they have Chris Bosh!

Phoenix is pathetic

I love what OKC did

I think that OKC and Portland really helped themselves. Portland added a nice player who can backup the 2 or the 3 in Affalo, and Alonzo Gee, who will be asked mainly to play defense there in a backup/shutdown role, in which he should do really well.

I think that they, and OKC, both helped themselves a great deal.

I will add that I really don't understand what the Sixers are doing with dumping Michael Carter Williams. Man, they add young players with assets they have, and then they trade away those players for assets ......

How many draft picks can they use in any given year?

Man, I am looking at the "Future trades" site, and before today, I think, (I didn't check out today's trades) Philly had 3 extra 1st round picks coming, and, I think, 13 second round picks. Man, if that were the NFL draft it would be incredible ..... but 2nd round picks in the NBA are almost never much. It is great to have assets, but if all you do is rotate them, what good are they really? It's great to have picks, but sooner or later a team needs players.

I do wonder who is going to score for them after today's trades? I also wonder who is going to play PG for them? (I am still trying to process all of today's trades) OK, they did trade for a PG, in Isaiah Canaan, but he's not much.

I guess they are in complete tank mode again.

Brandon Knight is really good.

On SVP&Russillo yesterday, an NBA trade analyst said that the Sixers could have 8 picks in this draft depending on how some of the teams finish. What are you going to do with 8 picks? And yes, why did they just trade two of their valuable young players?

Man, forget about my failed dream of being an NFL punter...I want to be the GM of the Sixers. You get 100% support from the owner to trade away everything you have, collect picks that probably won't turn into anything, and be terrible on the court night after night.

It's being reported that Chris Bosh might have blood clots in his lungs and <b>could</b> be out for the season. Of course, the latter half of that comment is meaningless, his health concerns are the priority.

Get well soon big man. Hope to see you in the playoffs so we can tear you up.

Yeah, I heard about that this morning. That's scary. Jerome Kersey just died from that earlier this week. Hope he gets well. That must suck for the Heat though. They just got Dragic in a trade and now they lose their best player for the season.

Wow, I hope that he will have a full and rapid recovery.

Heat want to pay Dragic 20 mil a year. Good luck keeping Whitesides. Miami now has to (unfortunately) completely change their defense without Bosh. They can't trap or guard the pick and roll.

Whiteside is under contract for the league minimum next year. After that the cap will go up a ton and everyone will be afford anyone (basically).

GO CAVS!

John Wall is tremendous, but is anyone else noticing a huge differece in athleticism between us and Washington?

Kyrie just made me physically jump up from the couch..

Kyrie is just incredible on offense. Him backing down wall made my jaw drop. He's got a complete offensive game.

Wow Kevin Love just missed a totally open dunk. How the hell could he miss a dunk, he's freaking so tall...

He didnt even seem to try to dunk it.. he was just ganna drop it in two handed, and either the rim knocked it out of hi hands or he just lost the handle..

Kyrie's reverse layup was pretty sweet.

Kevin Love is 6'7" on a good day. That is tall, but not for NBA standards. He still should have made the dunk.

Perkins got bought out? Wouldn't mind him as a #2 center.

How exactly did he got basically his entire NBA career with everyone thinking he was 6'10?

Then a random promo pic of him standing head to head with Derrick Williams comes out and the internet explodes..

Hell I think hes still 6'10 in NBA2k15..

Cavs are faster than the Wizards and stronger than the Raptors. Those teams don't worry me at all.

NBA on ESPN &#8207;@ESPNNBA 9m9 minutes ago
Stat of the night: Cavs beat Wizards by 38 Pts, largest margin of victory for road team over a home team this season.

we keep playing like this and its gonna get ugly for teams in the playoffs.

Why, oh Why did I have to miss this game?

Paul Pierce got destroyed by Lebron. Really happy with the way minutes worked out. Lebron only played 25 minutes, nobody played more than 32. Kinda sad that's the only stat I pay attention to in the regular season.

The measure the dude at the combine and he was 6'7". It's that simple. NBA players have been lying about their height as long as the league existed.

Regardless, still should have been able to slam that one home. He looked like he blew both his knees out when trying to attack lol.

Cavs played strong last night. I thought the bench played decent too.

in 2009, I watched literally every single Cavs game. I don't know how I did it, but it was fun, but also made the series against Orlando that much worse..

Then I was in Basic/AIT for 2010 playoffs..

Then I was home for the 2011 season.. I watched the first game, seemed fun.. Hey maybe it won't be so bad.. Then the first Miami game happened.. And it seemed to go straight downhill from there.. I did catch the Miami game that we won, where Ryan Hollins went off on them.. that was fun at least..

Then we got Kyrie, and we still sucked.. Last year was almost worse, because they were trying SO HARD to make the playoffs.. they just were not a good team..

Then this offseason happened.. and it almost seemed to easy.. We're a good team again.. Bam.. Yeah we struggled early, but we've made great moves, and bam, we're almost a great team already..

Maybe I'm just trying to protect myself, I have ESPN updates on my phone for Tipoffs and Final Scores, but I don't feel the NEED to watch every game this year..

I was at my dads the night the streak started, against the Lakers, and he asked if the game was on TV, and who they were playing, and I said LA.. and he said "Oh, not even worth watching"

I will watch every playoff game. I will be invested. But part of me wonders if I'm all in as I was in 2009.

It's not the same. There's something different. It doesn't feel like it's going to mean the same, as had they won the first go round with LeBron..

I hate Rashard Lewis.

Those Orlando scrubs fell off the face of the earth after that series (with the exception of DH obviously). Mickaël Piétrus isn't in the league. Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis and Hedo fell off a cliff. A streaky jump shooting team got insanely hot for a series.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--ca...310057-nba.html


Sources: Cavaliers emerge as frontrunners to sign Kendrick Perkins

By Adrian Wojnarowski
Yahoo Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers have emerged as the strong frontrunners to sign center Kendrick Perkins, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Perkins and the Utah Jazz are proceeding on a contract buyout that could be completed as soon as Saturday, sources said.

Perkins is leaning toward signing a deal with the Cavaliers, but has yet to make a final commitment, sources said.

Oklahoma City traded Perkins, 30, to the Jazz as part of package that sent Enes Kanter to the Thunder on Thursday.

Perkins’ talents have diminished in the past few years, but his toughness and leadership still makes him a valued presence in contending locker rooms. Perkins has played 13 NBA seasons, including eight with the Boston Celtics and five with the Thunder.

Kyrie / Delly
Smith / Shumpert
LeBron / Marion
Love / Thompson
Mozgov / Perkins

That's about as good and well balanced of a roster you can reasonably ask for.

I may consider Ray Allen.. just so I don't have to even see Marion's name on a depth chart..

Wow, that would be incredible for our front line depth.

https://twitter.com/royceyoung

I was hoping we'd snag him.. we need toughness..all our bigs are soft as charmin. Mosgov got abused by nene and gortat last night. Hopefully having perkins will show these guys how to set a hard screen and how to be nasty under the basket. I can't see any negatives to bringing in perkins. Now thompson don't have to play the 5 and we can watch our bigs minutes down the stretch. I really hope this happens. Now all we need is shuttlesworth and I think we will be fine. I was worried about delli as our backup PG but blatt has rotated shump/lebron/delli in that role where delli dobn't have to play alot of minutes there...I'm ok with that.

Not too many guys can out physical Nene and Gortat, especially Nene. Guy is a tank. Very happy with our possible rotations. TT can just focus on PF and doing what he does.

I can't stand Perkins---------when he is on the other team-----but, I think I would love him on the Cavs. LOL

He is mean. He is tough. He never smiles. He is kinda dirty.

Just what we need.

Perkins is just about the worst player in the NBA. If he plays more than five minutes a game something went seriously wrong.

I have a real problem with the thinking that Mozgov is "soft as Charmin". I think that is a ridiculous statement.

Are there some players he will have trouble with? Sure. Most players have a type they might struggle with, but to say that he is a soft player defies reality.

Just because you have a problem with it doesn't make it less true...he's a finesse guy, he gets pushed around by physical centers..I know he's your golden child, I still think we paid too much, but I like mosgov, I like that he's athletic and has a mid range jump shot, and he plays good help defense and rotates to the weak side very well. But two things stand out to me when watching him..he has horrible hands and he gets pushed around easy. The soft comment stands for me...now he's not TT or Andy soft, but he could be alot more physical given his dimensions. I simply believe its because he's never been asked to play that style. Which is why I like the perkins deal. He is possibly the most physical/nasty center in the game. He sets bone jarring screens and gets his moneys worth on fouls. I think Mosgov could learn how to use his body better watching Perk. Perk is going to be huge come playoffs. I thought getting a backup center was more priority than anything and we have that addressed. The rest of the NBA just got put on notice when driving the lane.

Perkins? He can't even get off the ground he is one of the worst players in the league.

Wow just keep LBJ on the bench. We are destroying this team, rest him up!

The Knicks are sad ...

welp.....so what you guys think?

2nd seed or 3rd seed?

I can't believe we are only up by 24. Come on guys, get it together.

This team is so talented, and Mozgov has given them such a physical presence inside on defense that it has completely changed the whole defensive mindset.

I think that we will make it to 2nd in the East.

i guess to be fair, lol, they are playing without Melo. so...there's that i suppose.

JR Smith becomes "JR Smash".

That was purty.

Yeah, great toss up by Iman and an even better finish by JR. Whew we!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Freaking sick!

I'm really liking this little stretch since we've picked up Mosgov and Smith. Lebron and Love have to be averaging their fewest minutes in their careers. I don't think Lebron has played more than 30 minutes in the last three games dating back to before the All Star break. This could pay some serious dividends when it comes play-off time!!

Kendrick Perkins to take physical on Monday, could play Tuesday against Detroit | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/...t_story_package

NEW YORK -- Free agent center Kendrick Perkins is expected to arrive in Cleveland on Monday to take a physical and sign his contract with the Cavaliers, I'm told.

If all goes well, there's a chance he could join his new team in Detroit for Tuesday's game against the Pistons. He did not accompany the team to New York.

Perkins, 30, was recruited with the intentions of providing the team with a legitimate backup center. A game against the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 12 proved that if Timofey Mozgov picks up some early fouls, the Cavaliers have a huge conundrum on their hands.

Head Coach David Blatt has shown that he has very little faith in using seven-footer Brendan Haywood and he opted to go with a thin, 6-8 small forward in James Jones to guard Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson.

Obviously that plan failed, but Jones tried his very best.

Ever since the additions of Mozgov, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, Cleveland has transformed into a tough, rugged group. Perkins will only makes matters worse for the opponent.

Did anyone see the tweet from LBJ to Perkins? LeBron said something about Perkins being his "muscle." LOL

Man, I can't believe anyone would be against this move. He is just what we need. I always hated the guy because of how physical and dirty he was against us, but now that he is on our side.........I'm lovin' him.

PS, link to video of Iman to JR for the reverse oop!

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-bask...shumpert-at-msg

dude, even the knick fans had to cheer for that one. all you here was "OOOOOOOOOOOOO"

Smith's numbers in New York and Cleveland are pretty similar. I wonder what changed people's opinion of him.

I watched a few games when he was still with the knicks.

he plays defense way harder since he's been here.

also, i think his 3 point average went slightly up, on top of this style of offense suits him way better, and he's overall less selfish...or just doesn't have to be on this squad.

His flaws got masked on a better team

Okay ... pick between these two players:

Player A:
58.8% FG / 66% FT
11.1 Rebounds per 36 mins
0.6 Steals per 36
2.1 Blocks per 36
14.0 Pts per 36
45% Opp FG% at the Rim
18.9 PER
2.65 WAR
+0.66 Real +/-

Player B:
57.5% FG / 52.7% FT
12.3 Rebounds per 36
0.7 Steals per 36
1.5 Blocks per 36
18.3 Pts per 36
45% Opp FG% at the Rim
18.1 PER
1.74 WAR
+0.34 Real +/-

Player A was traded for 2 late first rounders.
Player B was traded for 3 first rounders and 6 players.

I notice you didn't mention Love's three pointers or passing skills. . .

That's because Dwight Howard doesn't hit three pointers.

This makes me feel dumb.

He is playing really good defense here in Cleveland, and he is also playing within the offense, moving the ball effectively and such. The word on him was that he was a head case, and a selfish player, and that has not been the case.

He has gone from 1.9 turnovers/game to 1.1, despite playing more minutes. He has turned up the defensive pressure. He has roughly twice as many steals/game in Cleveand as he did in NY. He has also done his best to fit into the offense. He is a really effective running mate for Lebron as well.

I know that I thought that he would be a guy who might help some off the bench, but I worried about his attitude. He has been absolutely a perfect teammate from all reports though.

I've periodically followed the team this season. It's fun to watch them gel like this. They're out there having fun at this point.

There was an article, might've been discussed on here, about how JR isn't as distracted in Cleveland as he was in the Big Apple. Sure, there's "nightlife" here but not what he was used to in NYC. That probably factors into a lot.

He also said that he enjoys playing in Blatt's offense, and hated playing in the triangle. He even went further, and said that it would be hard for NY to find players willing to play in the triangle. Kind of interesting. He really dislikes that offense.

The triangle offense worked in Chicago and L.A. because it had players such as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, etc.

It is an archaic offense that doesn't take advantage of the current NBA rules. The league has passed it by.

What do you guys want to see the rest of the regular season? I just want Blatt to get his rotations down and rest guys. With the way we're playing I bet we finish 3rd at worst only behind Toronto and Atlanta. Toronto having HCA doesn't scare me because I think we'd crush them. Just do NOT slide into the 4th / 5th spot.

I agree Candy. I don't know that we can improve our seed a whole lot, and who really cares? If you are really the #1 seed, do you really need to be seeded as such?


Start cutting some minutes and as you said, start working on your lines. Now we need to figure out where Perkins fits in.


It's all looking up IMO. Funny, a month or two ago people were thinking Blatt needed to go, but he stuck to what he does, kept teaching and harping, and the players are now buying in. We made some solid moves that will both help the here and now and the future and the Cavs are now looking like the team everybody hoped for out of the gate.

We can beat anybody if we keep playing like we have, and I suspect we will. The guys now believe in the coach and the other players. A strong combination.

I want to keep everyone healthy without screwing up chemistry. I do think that we can make a move and get to the 3rd, or maybe even the 2nd spot in the East, and I want to sit as high as possible. No one knows how the Hawks will do when the playoffs roll around. Will they be able to handle the pressure, or will they be a one and done? If they are, then I want the Cavaliers ready to have home field advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Cavaliers have been almost unbeatable at home, so I want that advantage as long as possible.

You're right Peen.

I'd gladly sacrifice maybe a spot or 2 in conference standings if it meant resting the Big 3 and letting guys get healthy. Lebrons got a LOT of miles on him.

lol swear to god the only thing more entertaining than mosgov dunking the ball is the sideline antics lol. Miller and Shumpert are so damn funny.

Gotta treat this as a grind out game in the playoffs.

Did anyone see Kobe on jimmy kimmel? I loved his reaction to his teammates celebration!!

Lebron is struggling shooting and he still attacks as hard as he can.

Was a tale of two halfs. We couldn't buy a bucket in the first half, and came out firing the second half. Love especially. Good night for him! I think we were down by 13 at one point and came back to win by nine.

Rose needs knee surgery. It's gonna come down to him if he wants the meniscus removed or repaired.

So who had Game 57 in the pool?

I had game 5 in one, and 7 in another.. does that count?

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story/_/i...table-uncertain

Derrick Rose to have knee repaired

CHICAGO -- Bulls guard Derrick Rose has a torn meniscus in his right knee and will undergo surgery, the team said Tuesday.

More from ESPN.com
Derrick Rose's latest knee injury seems unreal, and that kind of bad luck shouldn't come with the territory for any athlete, Jon Greenberg writes. Story

The Bulls thrive in the underdog role, but without Derrick Rose, that's all this group likely will ever be, Nick Friedell writes. Story

Kevin Pelton examines how much the loss of Derrick Rose to another knee surgery will hurt the Bulls' chances. Insider Story

Stats & Info: Impact on Rose, Bulls
SportsNation: NBA players react
Rose reported earlier in the day with right knee pain. An exam and subsequent MRI confirmed the tear.

A timetable for Rose's return will be determined once he has surgery, the team said. The Bulls and Rose decided to fix the meniscus tear instead of cutting the damaged part out in order to elongate Rose's career.

The 26-year-old was averaging 18.4 points and 5.0 assists in 46 games this season.

The general feeling within the organization from several team personnel on Tuesday night was one of disbelief and sadness after all the rehab work Rose put in over the last two and a half seasons.

The torn meniscus is the same injury he sustained in Nov. 23, 2013 against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Rose tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Game 1 of the 2012 playoffs against Philadelphia.

The 2011 NBA MVP then missed the entire next season and played in only 10 games before the previous right knee injury shelved him for the rest of last season.

This season, Rose was scratched for one game last month for soreness in his left knee and missed four games in November with a hamstring injury.

It's unclear when Rose re-injured the knee. He appeared to be rounding into form last month, averaging 22.6 points over his final 14 games before the All-Star break, but he had struggled since returning to the court after the time off.

After Climbing High, Rose Has Fallen Hard
Since his MVP 2010-11, when he played in nearly every game, Derrick Rose has struggled to stay on the court and when playing has seen a dip in results:

2010-11 Since then
Pct of games 99% 33%
PPG 25.0 19.5
APG 7.7 6.1
PER 23.5 18.5
Rose had eight points on 1-for-13 shooting while playing almost 33 minutes in Monday night's 87-71 victory over Milwaukee. He averaged 10.7 points on 23.5 percent shooting in Chicago's first three games after the break.

It's quite a blow for the surging Bulls, who have won six of seven and appeared to be picking up steam after a tough stretch.

The impact was also felt in Las Vegas, where the Bulls' odds to win the title plummeted from 8-1 to 20-1 at the Westgate SuperBook.

Chicago had been one of the most popular bets at William Hill's Nevada sportsbook, where only the Golden State Warriors had attracted more futures bets than the Bulls. With Chicago falling, the Cleveland Cavaliers' odds improved from 3-1 to 5-2 at the SuperBook. The Atlanta Hawks went from 7-1 to 5-1.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, who had three surgeries to repair a torn meniscus, was among those expressing disbelief over Rose's injury.

"I was speechless," Westbrook told NBA-TV. "It's so tough for a guy like that who plays so hard and has to go through it again and again and again."

LeBron James and Paul George were among many players reacting to the news on Twitter late Tuesday.

________

Thanks bulls, made the road to the finals a bit easier for us. sucks for D rose though, hopefully he can recover.

The Bulls are the team I hate most in the NBA. An argument can be made they are our closest rival. But I can't help but feel bad for this guy. Man, his career might be in jeopardy.

Thankfully we came out a different team in the second half.

I DESPISE the bulls. They're the one team in this town I cannot stand. Fans, players, media, etc... They're all awful.

With that said, who didn't see this coming?

The sad thing is, we were gonna clown them in the playoffs anyway, but now bulls fans will play the "minus D-Rose card"

Tomorrow should be an unbelievably fun game.

The Bulls might be better off without Rose at this point. He was taking a ton of bad shots and even his good shots didn't have much of a chance. Now they can pound it with Noah, Gasol, and Gibson while spreading the floor.

Steph Curry's shot is...man dude just makes it look sooooo easy. what a game right now!! Finals preview?

If we stick Lebron at PF, Warriors have nobody that can physically guard Lebron

There's not a basketball team on the planet that can stop lebron when he's in a zone like this.

Kyrie's shoes may be not to my tastes, but the commercial is kinda funny... "only took 9 takes"... lol

I kinda agreed with what Barkley said. I'd LOVE to face a jump shooting team like Golden State and Atlanta. You can usually beat them at the free throw line if you're a slashing team. We've MADE 13 more free throws than they've attempted.

The Cavs' (and everyone else's) worst nightmare in the playoffs is the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol and Z-Bo can punish everyone down low, Conley is a pest, Allen is a lockdown defender, and they have the outside shooters now that they haven't had before.

The problem for the Grizzlies is that they are probably going to face the Thunder in round one and Westbrook is probably the best player in the league right now.

I can't wait for the playoffs. They're going to be great.

I think sometimes us fans under appreciate how great Lebron is. Did anyone at any point tonight feel like Golden State could stop him? He just TORCHED the #1 defense in the NBA like it was nothing.

I agree. Memphis and San Antonio would be a problem for us.

What a win for the Cavaliers tonight! T%hey made the team with the 2nd best record in the NBA look like just another team.Their defense was incredible, after a rough 1st quarter. They gave up 33 in the 1st quarter, but then only 23, 22, and 21 in the 2nd-4th. That is impressive. They held Golden State to only 42% shooting for the game, and allowed only 99 points. (and Golden State is the top scoring team in the NBA, averaging 110 per)

What a great game for the Cavaliers. I am really excited about how this team is coming together. (and they all seem to really enjoy playing together)

Outstanding win. Hope Irving's shoulder is okay. LBJ just unstoppable. Completely unstoppable.

If you're not happy with yesterday's win, then I'm not sure what to say to you!

Exactly. Yesterday's win inked a big ol' "LEGIT" stamp across our team's chances. Lebron has always been unstoppable. It seems like he's the only one who really stops himself at times ... when we get games like the one against Boston in the 2010 Playoffs or the recent game against Chicago.

I think the great thing now is that we have the two major things we didn't have when we had Lebron pre-2010 ... Legitimate "other" go-to guys that can put up points if needed in Kyrie and Love. And two enforcers in the middle in Mozgov and Perkins.

No Lebron and no Kyrie tonight against the Pacers. This is a big test for the rest of the guys, to out together a solid outing and get a win without all of our pieces. Cavaliers are up 42-41 in the 3rd right now.

Last night was a good win, hopefully gets people off GS jock for awhile...they may be a good team, but they aren't built for playoffs..I can see both them and atlanta being first round exits. Not saying they will, but if it happened it wouldn't suprise me too much. Jump shooting teams don't make it far in the playoffs. See the Suns of old.

The game tonight resting lebron on night kyrie hurt...not sure I like that, actually I hate that, especially against the team that snapped your win streak..I'd want to stomp them. Especially when your backup pg is dellevedova and having nothing else behind him..you basically said to the team...go out and earn a paycheck tonight, I don't expect you to win. Also messes with the chemistry. I think unless someone is genuinely hurt, they should play..even at reduced minutes . So tonight is a loss. I hope irving's injury isn't too bad.. I'd really like him to really hit the weights this offseason...he still has too much baby fat and isn't built for the contact he takes. He's a guy that an injury really hurts because we have nothing behind him. I thought I read he'd be evaluated again sunday in houston. Thats better than saying he's out extended. I imagine its more soreness than anything.

23 games left. Time to tighten everything up, get people healthy and push.

Hard to run any NBA offense without your 2 top PGs.

Our biggest problem tonight was shots just wouldn't fall. We had pretty good defense. I like how Della was running the O. Just a bad shooting night.

And it was still a close game.

Just to note: Since the infamous "bowling trip" we are 18-3 ... all 3 of those losses were on the road during the second game of a back-to-back. And the teams we beat the game before were the Clippers, Heat and Warriors.

But we were supposed to fire Blatt, make LeBron play basketball, and just ignore this team needed a tall piece and time to gel...

I just saw an article saying that Baron Davis might want to come out of retirement and play for the Cavs. Anyone think he would fit with this team now?

He'd fit in as well as a square peg fits into a round hole.

I don't think so. He is a very head-strong individual. We have enough of those and just got rid of one.

He had a good partial year when he played for the Cavaliers, and he was an excellent teammate for those on the team. He was willing to start, or back up, no matter to him. Mo Williams was our PG at the time, and he was fine with coming off the bench behind him. I would think that he would be more than fine coming off the bench behind Kyrie.

The biggest question for me, just like it would be for Ray Allen at this point, is condition. These guys can play basketball every day and still never reach the level of an NBA game. However, if we got the same Baron Davis who played in Cleveland, then that guy could be a huge help as a backup.

Blatt used Shumpert in the PG role against the Pacers, and that could bear watching. Shumpert can guard just about anyone, and he is quick, He's 6'5", and would have a size advantage over many PG. He scored 14 Pts, had 10 boards, and 2 assists. He also turned the ball over 5 times, but the Pacers are a really good defensive team. I think that Blatt may try to give him some work in that ball handling role when Kyrie and Lebron take a breather.

The Cavs should probably never have both LeBron and Irving on the bench at the same time, unless they are blowing out their opponent.

Well, Lebron said something about his back stiffening up the night before, so he had to sit, and Kyrie had to have an MRI, IIRC. I doubt it would have happened otherwise.

Right. I am talking about when both are healthy.

Yeah, I don't think that they should both sit on the same night if both are healthy.

This is what is known as the "Scott Brooks."

I'll be kinda shocked if we don't pass Toronto at some point. There offense looks pretty bad right now.

Irving out again today... hopefully we can put together a strong four quarters and get back to winning!

I think we end up #2. It would take an epic collapse of the Hawks, and probably the Cavs taking every game seriously to pass them.

I get the feeling the Cavs could care less about seeding. I don't think there is one team in the east that truly scares them. There's probably 1 or 2 teams that wouldn't mind avoiding, but really they will be favored over every single team in the east in any kind of series.

lebron having a terrible night at the FT line

interesting game though

Dellavedova!

LeBron is so freaking good. That P & R with Thompson was a thing of beauty.

Yea, he started at the wing dribbling and I said, "he's shooting"...was def wrong about that

Harden just forearmed Thompson in the face on that foul..

James Harden is also freaking good.

It looked like Smith thought he had help at the rim. Either that or he is horrible at defense. Or both.

That was some great help defense from Terrence Jones on the LeBron drive.

Well have chance to win it at the end

Not a fan of the Blue and Yellow btw...

I just had a flashback to 2008...

Ugh.

Someone in the production truck needs to turn their mic off during commercials..

LeBron playing hero ball is not working. The Rockets help defense has been great.

These guys can't buy a bucket to save their lives!

James Harden just grabbed LeBron and pulled him into him..

Missing Kyrie is really showing.

what the heck was that no call on the LeBron/harden scruff??? how wasn't it a foul on either or at least a travel?

what an epic battle between james and harden.

can't believe harden didn't get called for an offensive foul, he clearly hooked lebron.

That was a weird. Something had to be called. Either a foul on Harden or LeBron or travel. Bad reffing.

Wow.

lebron's missed FT's the entire game cost us the game.

They seem to be really uptight today, never got into a rhythm the entire game.

No P & R for Love in OT? What's the point of having him on the floor?

LOL! LeBron grabbed his left arm!

https://twitter.com/haralabob/status/572176469964800000

I think Harden hooked LeBron looking for the foul..

Jesus what a choke job

Watch the Vine I posted. LeBron grabbed Harden's left arm.

The ref botched it either way. And the Cavs got the ball.

The Cavs offense was horrible the last two minutes of regulation and overtime.

Let Love shoot this one. The Rockets will never expect it, as he hasn't touched the ball in ten minutes.

He bricked the last 3 touches he did have.

LeBron missed like his last ten shots and they let him play hero ball.

Run some freaking plays!

Harden looks like the agressor in that clip, maybe LeBron went to hook, but when it wasn't immediately called, Harden dragged LeBron with him, and even pulled him BACK into him when James backed away...

If you grab the offensive player's arm that's a foul. Bottom line.

The Cavs fans have no grip on that play anyway as they got the ball two seconds later.

You're assuming LeBron grabbed Harden's arm..

When i watch it, it look to me like Harden hookes James' arm trying to get the foul called on him..

*shrug*

If you hook the defensive player that's a foul. Bottom line.

Harden did do that. . . only after LeBron already fouled him.

LBK and the foul line didn't go well together. Wished Love would have hit on some of the good chances he had on the three balls.

I wish we'd work the inside more if the shooting game isn't hitting.

All I know is that was the best NBA game I have watched in a long, long time.

It had a playoff atmosphere to it. The teams were going after one another. There were multiple twists and turns.

We lost, but I was very happy w/our effort and that was a delightful game to watch.

It was entertaining, no doubt about that. Both teams were playing with a lot of intensity and energy.

The crowd was very enthusiastic.

While I agree with the spirit of this post, I don't agree with the effort in terms of playing smart basketball. For some reason LeBron has been hell bent on being a one man show the last few games. For such a normally unselfish player, I don't understand what's driving him.

And I hate the body language between LeBron and Love. Actually I think it's non-existant. I look for them to be talking, high fiving, enjoying the success they've been having, and I just don't see it between them two. And why he wouldn't involve Love down the stretch in this game is bizarre to me, especially with Kyrie out.

I fear Love might leave after this year, and the Cavs might not have anything to show for it. There will be some fans who will think it won't matter, but they don't understand how well Love is playing. He's nearly a double, double every night. On a team with so many scorers, you need gritty rebounders, and he provides that. And his defense has improved. Defense is an effort and mindset thing, and the whole team has bought into that, including Love.

While I did enjoy the intensity of the game, the Cavs played dumb basketball, and I find that disappointing.

If Kevin wants to leave, and I can see why he might, winning regardless, I would use whatever picks I had to move up and grab Kaminsky and slot him in Love's spot..

I thought it was def. a game with a playoff feel. It reinforced my point that our bench is bad and needs to get better..we really miss kyrie when he's out. Not only as the PG, but as the closer..Lebron is about unclutch a superstar in the game. To be honest, if I could put the loss on one person it was lebron. Too much hero ball, turnovers, missed FT's it was maddening. I hate him as a ball handler..he has subpar handles, and he don't have the speed to blow by people anymore. he should have involved more people at the end. He was having a horrible night..no reason not to try to get love or jr involved..no coicidence that the lineup that brought the team back was with lebron getting his rest. Not normal most night, but they shared the ball and were playing defense. I still don't know if Houston could beat us at full strength in 7, but i think it'd take all 7. Especially when they get dwight back.

Not sure if anyone said this, but did anyone feel like the second half was coached by Mike Brown? In that, Lebron controlled every possession, drove to the hole as the other 4 just watched?

Where were the designed plays? Man, I hope that doesn't continue. Maybe it wasn't Mike Brown.....maybe it's Lebron.

Do you expect to be missing our PG and #2 scorer a lot in the playoffs?

Do you realize how small benches are in the playoffs?

Thats my point...we really need kyrie to make this work..our bench has Zero ability to pickup should a starter get hurt with the exception of TT. But to my point, statistically we have the worst bench in the NBA. A deep bench is essential to a extended playoff push, obviously not all 15, but 6-8,9, 10 maybe..and right now the only 2 I'm comfortable with is Shump and TT..the rest aren't playoff quality depth.

Exactly...lebron's ego loses too many games.. He needs to realize he has plenty of help now. Not sure if its just because kyrie was out or he was playing harden, but lebron cost us the game last night. And if I'm being honest. With Kyrie out, I rather have JR take a last second shot than lebron. The game boiled down to FT's. Lebron really needs to clean that up as much as he gets to the line. a 30mil a year player shouldn't be shooting 70%,,its unacceptable. And completely fixable. He was much better in Miami.

He shot 75.8% in 4 season in Miami..

74% in 8 seasons here..

Currently 71.6% this season..

Wait, What?? Lebron has made a TON of huge clutch plays. But he can also can't get out of his own way sometimes. I'd go with "he's the most jekyll and hyde superstar" in the game. Three of Eleven at the line is not acceptable. And the "hero ball" stuff needs to be controlled significantly. I get it if he's feeling it like in Game 5 of the Detroit series. But I think too often, he'll pound the ball for 23 seconds and hoist up a 22.5 foot fall-away 2-pointer trying to be a hero. And then if he misses, he tries it again attempting to get into a rhythm. I agree, it's maddening to watch.

yeah, you're exactly right...he's his own worst enemy at times..I think at times he believes in his hype too much.. This league is so much more talented and offensive oriented than ever before.. but Lebron tries to shoulder too much at times. I still think not replacing delly will come back to bite us. Hes just not nba quality. 3 points and 42 minutes last night. The other issue I had with last night is and well most nights since we traded away 2 first round picks is the lack of minutes Mosgov gets. Especially down the stretch when teams are going to try to get to the rim to draw fouls. I expected him to get starters minutes. He played 18 last night.

Anyone else see the tweet the rockets sent out last night saying Harden is the "New King James" I want to be mad, but I think its hilarious how delusional they are..you ask all the coaches in the league who would you rather build around lebron or harden.. I wouldn't think anyone takes harden..Lebron could score 30+ a night if he chose to, he rather get more people involved, last two games notwithstanding. Houston will see how Harden does in playoff ball when his soft-ass gets abused. And those open lanes he sees now ends with him on his 4th point of contact

Yeah but even the announcers said that Harden said he's trying more on defense!

MVP! MVP! MVP!

How can trying more be a bad thing? Harden is ridiculously good, did you see who he is playing with? Their second best player right now is probably Trevor Ariza.

He's not trying more.

He's trying. At all..

He never tried before.

To hilariously bad results.

So it's a bad thing that he is now trying on defense?

Technically? No.

Is it a good thing that he never tried before?

That was the other disappointing part about yesterday.

James > Harden

James + Love >> Harden

And the Cavs still lost. They were their own worst enemy.

I agree that Harden is ridiculously good. Not sure who I would rather have, Harden or Westbrook. Both ridiculously good.

Aren't we talking about this season?

Completely agree. I think those early playoff years unhinged him a bit. The press told him things like: "Jordan would never pass up a game winning shot" and he took over Game 5 against Detroit ... so now he thinks he can do it whenever he wants. Problem is, when he's not feeling it, he keeps trying to force the issue hoping he can get hot.


He's NBA quality. He's just not an offensive scorer. It's like saying Bruce Bowden only averaged 6 points a game, so he must of sucked. Delly basically defers to the superstars (which they want anyway), provides assists and puts up the occasional three-pointer (which he's 2nd best on the team in 3P%). He's mostly there to harass on the defensive end, which he does. For league minimum, you're going to be hard-pressed to find anyone that's going to replace what he does. The problem is when Kyrie goes down, he can't be expected to put up Kyrie-like offensive stats. But good luck finding anybody that will at a league minimum contract.



I don't get that either. I'm not sure if that's Blatt's call or what. It's not like Moz isn't producing though. His PER-36-Min averages are up there with the better centers in the league. He's just not getting the minutes for some reason. Maybe Blatt just doesn't want to risk wearing down his big man until the playoffs? Maybe he's not conditioned enough to play more than 24 mins a game? I hope it's not the latter.

MVP.. last two games against Curry and Harden (two of the three leading competitors for MVP). He got the best of Curry in a big way and would have probably gained ground on Harden too if he could have made some free throws (and I'm not just talking about the last 2).. 3 for 11 is something he should be able to do left handed with his eyes closed.

I understand that we are trying to keep people fresh, but Mosgov needs to be on the floor more.

I love Delly, dude is a bit underrated, however he doesn't have a consistent shot we can rely on right now. If he hits 40% of what he put up yesterday, we win that game against houston. When Kyrie is out, we are relying too much on lebron, and hoping streaky shooters like Smith and Shumpart can fill the void. Right now They are huge on defense, but we need more points out of them, at least with regards to Shumpart.

and we got to get Love involved more. The "clear the floor and let lebron drive to the rim" only worked because they didn't have Dwight out there. However, we also lost this game because James had hands down the worst FT line night of his career.

that was simply terrible.

Bulls are losing Butler for a bit now too..

Looks like harden got suspended a game for the nut kick...he should have been thrown out then...refs really love houston. But harden is a tool...not sure why we didn't use perkins a single minute. Nothing else to thump a few people around the rim...namely harden. Last night was one of the worst coached games by blatt in long time..Think he outsmarted himself

I don't think there's anything Blatt could have done. LeBron decided he was going to play hero ball.

thats when you be a coach and sub him out. If lebron is a team player like he says, he should have no problem with that, especially how he was playing. But I get what you're saying, most coaches aren't going to sub lebron..only a few could do it and get away with it. Don't think Blatt is in that league yet.

GO CAVS!

Welcome back Irving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad we finished early. Big 3 played less than 26 min each. That's huge for tomorrow.

And of the - what? 2? 3? - in NBA history that could've, zero would've.

Phil wouldn't pull Mike or Kobe if they were in a stubborn funk. Pat wouldn't pull Magic...

...you live and die with your superstars as a coach. That's just how it works.

You measure the coach by what he whispers in that guy's ear, not the obtuse bravery to sub a frustrated and ineffective best player on the planet for...what exactly?

That can work in most team sports.

But not at QB. And LeBron is about as QB as you get in the NBA

6/7 next games are on the road.

Actually, 9 of the 13 remaining games in March are on the road.

And it's a tough set of games too.

@Toronto
@Atlanta
Phoenix
@Dallas
@SanAntonio
@Orlando
@Miami
Brooklyn
Indiana (they seem to have our number)
@Milwaukee
@Memphis
@Brooklyn
Philly

LOL

https://vine.co/v/O0XL2upIu6a

"Who's this?"

Ha ha ha

Indiana has "had our number" because of us coming off of back to back games. I think we will blow them out next time we face them.

There's a reason Toronto has only beaten Lebron 1 time in 5 years. They have nobody that can physically guard him. No Kyle Lowry tonight.

there are also a whole slew of teams that would have our number if we sit LeBron and Kyrie

GO CAVS!

We can't just rely and expect Lebron to play like Lebron and bail us out.

WHY ON EARTH IS TRISTAN IN AGAINST VAL

Good God Blatt

He got tired of looking at Mosgov's shoes..

Words of advice for Toronto

http://youtu.be/py1WDlaIr9A?t=15s

@Toronto W
@Atlanta
Phoenix
@Dallas
@SanAntonio
@Orlando
@Miami
Brooklyn
Indiana (they seem to have our number)
@Milwaukee
@Memphis
@Brooklyn
Philly

Russell Westbrook is ridiculous. He might be the best player in the league when Kevin Durant isn't playing. I don't even know if he's human.

SportsCenter &#8207;@SportsCenter 3m3 minutes ago
What. A. Game! Russell Westbrook GOES OFF for 49 Pts, 16 Reb and 10 Ast as Thunder beat 76ers in OT, 123-118.

He had surgery on his broken face four days ago. Not human.

That is just incredible! Geesh. Scoring like that is impressive enough, but to then add 10 assists as well is amazing. Did he touch the ball and not have his team score?

Ben Golliver @BenGolliver · 2h 2 hours ago
Russell Westbrook first since Michael Jordan (1988-89) to get 4 straight triple-doubles. MJ had 10 in 11-game stretch

Westbrook is the most fun player to watch right now and it's not close.

He's probably just tired of hearing people say OKC should of kept Harden instead of him..

Well, they should have kept Harden over Ibaka.

But man, 49 points just days after breaking his cheekbone?! Dang! He's a hockey player.

That was a very entertaining game last night

He didn't really have surgery, they went in to do surgery and found this...

Web Page

lol, the mask is just for entertainment purposes.

Who should we expect him to play like?

The irony is that if the cap gets elevated like they're talking, they could of kept all four..

Or just not be cheap and keep all four and pay some luxury tax.. but whatevs...

They also could have amnestied Kendrick Perkins and kept Harden.

It is one of the dumbest trades ever.

Watching Dirk has got me thinking. Who would be on your "Mount Rushmore" of guys who made the NBA what it is today?

Oscar Robertson - I think of him as the Godfather of point forwards or "big guy with point guard skills." Definition of all around player.

Elgin Baylor - Pioneer of the aggressive, athletic, slashing attack style we see now. Invented the Euro Step.

Michael Jordan - Nuff said. Maybe more from a global marketing perspective than on the court. Turned Nike into an empire. Became a billionaire recently.

Dirk Nowitzki - Made the stretch 4 position coveted in today's league. Incredibly skilled offensive player that could post you up and take your big men out of the paint.


You could definitely include guys like Wilt, Larry Bird and etc.

No Mike D'Antoni? All these teams basically stole his offense (and then added to it) from when he was with the Suns.

I meant to go with just players, but you can definetly say Dantoni changed how offenses work. Definetly gotta include Don Nelson as well.

Moz is getting embarrassed. Team looks awful right now.

Was just going to make a identical post. It looks like they are playing sloppy and now Atlanta's defense is starting to feed off it.

Not off to a strong start...

We look lazy. Turning the ball over, no movement on offense, not rebounding, and not making correct switches.

Hawks are shooting 68%

Jesus.

There is a reason they are the best team in the east.

I feel pretty confident in saying that any team shooting 73% is going to have a pretty nice lead.

Hawks are only up 12 even with their ungodly shooting right now.

We're getting into the lane and getting to the FT line. Keep this lead under 10 and I think we've got this.

Blatts retarded lineups cost the game. I think the only way we get out of east is if someone else beats atlanta. They are too strong to beat them 4 times..they play amazing together. And they destroy the cream puffs we have inside

This was one of the worst games I've ever seen Lebron play. Just a awful all around game. Kyrie and Love didn't do much either.

I don't like mosgov..he's soft, has horrible hands and has a worse gather than TT. I thought the trade was bad then and still do. He hasn't played well against any of the teams we are going to need to beat. I want to root for him, but I don't see anything special about him

Ironically I think the role players outplayed the Big 3.

one of the things I hoped lebron learned as he matured was knowing when he's hurting the team and keeps forcing it. He just keeps doing it. I've watched him stand there and make no attempt to go after a loose ball by him..maddening

I've been surprised by Jr's defense. He's pretty tenacious

Blatt has me baffled with his lineups. Totally went away from what got us the lead. Just because they go small don't mean you have to. make them change to match you.

He got took to school tonight. He needs to watch the game tape from tonight. Turnovers can be fixed. Refs change every game. However his poor effort killed us.

Jr defended his azz off tonight.

Showed a lot of heart tonight

Kyrie camped and shot jumpers. LBJ felt like passing to everyone except his own team. Love was a no show and got dominated on defense.

Kind of embarrassing, from what I have read. We got back to even later in the game, and then let it slip away again? It seems like the Hawks were composed and steady, and the Cavaliers looked like a team that had no idea what they were doing.

There is, however, a reason that the Hawks have the best record in the NBA.

If our 3 best players play like they did tonight in the playoffs, we're gonna struggle to get out of the 1st round. I'm just gonna chalk this up as a bad game against a great team.

I love how Jr Smith played tonight and that's about it.

Yeah watching last night and I think the only way we make it out of the east is if someone else beats atlanta for us. I'd take everyone of their players over ours Sans lebron. Ferry needs to be gm of year...not griffin. We are soft.. We got back in it and took a lead playing our normal defensive minded ball movement game...then Blatt decided to get cute and use a small lineup, something he's never done all year and we got thumped...no excuse for that...Thats when his assistants who are former nba HC need to tell him to just go with what works.

I really really hate lebron playing PG...he's a horrible ball handler, he makes delli look like Isiah Thomas. He needs to let the PG's run the offense and pass out of the flow of the offense, not bring the ball down, dribble for 15 seconds then try to set the play up...hate that..pure hate.

Love needs to play the same way he played in MN, and blatt needs to recognize we need him to play inside out..not play a stretch 4 game...thats not his game..He's a plus level post player with a 3 point shot.

Thompson has no idea how to play the 5 on defense...when he's in against a good PG, i just know what's going to happen. Teague abused kyrie and noone could defend the rim.. We haven't played Perk in 3 games...no idea why. And shroeder (who looks like a gremlin) just took delli to the shed.. Its why I would have loved to go after Will Bynum...he'd be a 1million x upgrade to delli. Delli looks like he's doing something because he flies around...but in actuality he don't do anything..he's constantly backpedaling. We have to find a way to minimize the effect of his zero talent.

This game was alot more of a litmus test than playing a Lowryless toronto team and we didn't respond well at all. Blatt needs to figure this out fast...his use of bigs is horrible. You trade 2 first for a guy and he don't get starter minutes or even play at the end to close out games...that don't necessarily promote confidence. We have to have a post game in the playoffs..we need to figure out how to manufacture one quick.

A reporter asked Lebron about his turnovers. His response-

"I suck."

Looks like tonight is "Get rid of your frustrations" night for the Cavaliers.

80-52 at the start of the 4th quarter.

And now the lead is down to 18.

Kinda wonder how much facing the Cavs took energy out of the Hawks for tonight.

They sat three starters, but it makes sense too. Most of our losses since mid-January were the second end of a back-to-back after a big win.

Toronto has fallen off a cliff.

4 players over 20 points tonight so far ... and Mozgov is sitting at 17.

*Yawn* Another day, another 33 point win ...... lol

Man, what a win for the Cavaliers. Dallas is not a pushover at home. They entered this game at 21-10 at home. They got run out of their own building today though.

Cavaliers now alone in 2nd with a 1.5 game lead over the Bulls, and a 2 game lead over the Wiz.

Man, imagine where we'd be if we hadn't lost so many games when Lebron needed 2 weeks off with his injury.

Lebron is going sans-headband now. Not sure why though. Maybe he feels like he can blend in with the rest of the Cavs and get a couple of calls to go his way?

Dallas is going to get smoked in the first round no matter who they play. Right now they would play Memphis, but they could even drop down to the 8th seed which would get them the Warriors. Ouch. I kind of hope they collapse altogether and we get Anthony Davis in the playoffs.

Dirk looks done and the Rondo trade has been really bad.

This was the only game I remember him without a headband



Damn Tony Parker was incredible.

Spurs are starting to get healthy and are playing better which is scary.

They are the sleeping giant. As always. Right now they would play Houston, who they would probably beat.

The West playoffs have lost some of their luster ever since Wes Matthews went down.

Spurs are like the Patriots... in week 4 last year people said the Patriots were done. But when a team has been that good for that long, I'll believe they are done when they aren't there at the end of the season, not in the beginning or the middle.

LBJ with no headband now is confusing to me lol. Another great win last night! Taking care of business!!!

If Kyrie takes the sleeve off, I won't know who is who out there.

They should all shave their heads and wear a sleeve on the shooting arm.

I wonder if that's what Lebron is thinking. Without the headband, it's hard to pickup where he is. Before he had that big white circle around him like he was a highlighted player in a PS3 NBA game. Now you don't realize it's him until he gets the ball and blows by a defender.

That was a headband? Crap, I thought it was a halo.

J/C ...

Something to make us feel a little better about our starting lineup:

I saw a Cavs highlight the other day on SportsCenter..

I was like daaamn who's that with the massive dunk..

Oh.. it's LeBron..

It looks really weird, and not just because the hair plugs are more noticeable..

He should embrace the hair loss and shave it. Of course, everyone would accuse him of copying MJ then.

And yes, I was watching the Mavs/Cavs game, and I'd lose where he was. "damn, sick pass TT! Oh, that was Lebron."

I guess he's sticking with it for now.

I mean, NBA 2K15 just did a roster update with him sans headband..

He's stuck with it now..

He's 30 years old. He doesn't need to wear a headband while playing basketball anymore. A receding hairline looks fine on a man. Going bald is fine too. It seems like everybody wants the Paul George hairline but personally I think it just looks goofy.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have a receding hairline.

I'm 28 and I have to shave my head already..

I can't afford nice hair plugs like the King..

Thankfully I started to buzz my hair before it began to recede! Power to the balding people!

I recently tried to grow it out, I wanted to get a fade..

Then I noticed the sides were growing much faster than the top..

Then I looked in the mirror.. And I could see the outline of my head.. through my hair..

Buzzed. Razor'd. And I just got a fancy new electric shaver to keep it nice and smooth..

Almost 50, full head of hair, almost no gray.

Yup.

About 10 years ago I started using the #2 attachment, then a #1, and now I'm rocking a tight #0.

I don't think my hairline has changed, it's just a lot thinner than before.

Be proud, rock what you have. Of course, that easy for me to say, I'm already married and 42.

I'm 29 and it is still thick on the top, sides, and even back. It's just the corners/sides that are going further back. As long as I keep my hair short it still looks pretty damn good (if I do say so myself.)

I actually stopped going to the barber. I just do 3 on top, 2 on the sides, 1 on the edges right before it starts looking sloppy although I've been doing 4/3/2 while it has been cold out. Saves 20 bucks every three weeks.

I started that for a while too...using different numbers for a faded look, but I got lazy and just went all one length everywhere.

I feel I'm more aerodynamic now too. I can run faster, swim faster, eat a burrito faster, type faster, and even fall asleep faster.

I use the #1 shoe for my clippers. I'd like to use the bare (shoeless), but they cut my scalp to ribbons - hurts like hell. Anybody know of a professional grade clipper that won't cut me with no shoe on it? I'm using a fairly cheap Braun clipper.

I can use mine without an attachment and have the lever set to the closest and it's fine on my skin (though I have caught my ear a few times).

Maybe find one that has a lever so you can cut a "long 0" to give you some extra room.

I bought mine 15 years ago. It's a loud, wired Braun. Check Amazon, there are tons of wireless head/beard clippers out there.

Since this is a basketball thread, here's a question: Is short hair always better for basketball players? Long hair is less common than in other sports but there are still players who rock it. Since all games are played indoors and players need to cool down and rehydrate, if players are really seeking out all advantages, they should go with short hair.

Ditto with the headband. I know it's not much but it's still a needless piece of clothing on his head. Anyone remember the cramps/heat game vs the Spurs where he was carried off the floor, headband and all?

(Yes I know I'm reaching a little bit here. Consider it a half-hearted attempt to merge the hair talk with something semi basketball-related.)

Hair doesn't seem to slow or overheat Shumpert. And that thing is TALL!

Plus it looks so cool that I hope he doesn't cut it.

But compare that to someone like Nene. You can't tell me that his body doesn't have to work a little bit harder to keep him cool with his long hair and beard, especially for a big man.

Interestingly enough, I think the opposite in some other situations.. e.g. cold weather baseball and football. As being cold negatively affects reaction time, players should be more inclined to grow out their hair and/or beards for playoff baseball and football.

LOL I admit I identify Shumpret using his hair haha. It's just easier than trying to catch a face or jersey #. Sticks out like a sore thumb haha!

I think it would be more difficult to play any sport with long hair flapping around, but that's just me.

As for the headband, I don't think there is any real net heat effect, but it's great for keeping the sweat from rolling down into your eyes.

Go outside with and without a headband covering most of your forehead. There absolutely is a difference.

I am under the impression that LeBron was wearing it for purely aesthetic reasons but obviously I have no way of knowing that.

My FAVORITE part of that, was when they got him to the sidelines.. People THROWING Gatorade bottles towards him..

Ya know.. For a commercial.. I mean.. to rehydrate..

Made me LOL.

I think I missed it, but why did LeBron ditch the headband?

The league wouldn't let him sew three together.

Ha ha ha...

Seriously, I thought he took it off after a bad shooting first half and has played well without it since.

I feel bad for those baldies.

I will be 52 nest month. I am a physical wreck, and badly broken down in general, but by gosh, I still have my hair, and it still looks good.

Parker is torching Irving.

Also, Leonard is a wrecking crew on defense.

Irving can make any layup.

Barkley is crushing Blatt.

If he got hair plugs, he needs to get his money back. Did he go to Wayne Rooney's doctor?

This is somewhat relative, but I can't believe how awful LeBron has been the last couple of weeks.

He doesn't pass the ball. Way too much ISO. Completely ruins the flow of the offense. Takes tons of bad shots.

He's supposed to be setting an example of how to play. He's doing the opposite.

He's been terrible. He might need another 2 weeks off.

I think it's also lame how Love just sits at the three point line all game. LeBron and Irving essentially ignore him on offense, and he never demands the ball. He's been a pretty big misfit on the team, and I think his body language is awful.

I'm starting to think two things about Love...a) he's a great player when he's on a bad team and b) he would prefer to be a great player on a bad team instead of a steady contributor on a great team.

Love is a great player. He is being completely misused.

You might be right, but even in the rare instances he becomes the focal point on offense, it just seems like it is so hard for him to score. There is nothing smooth or clean about his game. Even in the post he's just a bull.

He's a great passer. A great rebounder. I've seen him try really hard on D with the occasional exception like how he just watched Green on that reverse layup in the first half. But there is a such thing as great players on bad teams. Some guys just stand out more when they're on bad teams, and they are the focal point. They're not so good when they're not. That's what I'm seeing with Love. He's been marginalized and doesn't know what to do.

Now I know I'm being awfully critical. I'd like to see them get the chemistry figured out, and I hope Love resigns. They are a better team with him than without him. But he's been a misfit in a lot of ways. It's tough to watch especially when the risk of him walking away is very real, IMO.

If you're defending Kyrie you MUST take away his left hand. He's a freaking magician with it.

I can't recall a guy with as good of handles as Irving.

Spurs are schooling the Cavs on the right way to play.

Kawhi hacks like crazy

Iverson.

Could be prisoner of the moment, but I don't recall Iverson being as much of a magician with the ball.

Lebron is in a funk. Blatt needs to give him some time off before the playoffs.

KYRIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Irving is so good it's ridiculous.

This game has a feeling of that Game 6 in the Finals a few years ago. The Cavs were DONE, yet somehow scored like 8 points in the final minute and tied it up with a ridiculous 3. Plus Lebron is playing sans-headband. Hope they can finish this off!

This game is incredible

I wish that Kyrie would at least try. I mean, really, contribute darn it.

What happened there?

Understatement of the year! Kyrie is going full ridiculous again, and now Lebron has stepped up and drained some huge 3-pointers. The Spurs have looked pretty dang good as well. Just a heavyweight slug-out.

Nice three by LeBron

Just curious what is the Cavs high point gamr for a Cavalier?

One thing I believe about Kyrie is that he truly just wants to win and doesn't care how or who gets it done. When you truly buy in like that, things happen naturally for you. Every game I've watched this year he even puts forth the effort on D as well. He's bought in and loving that feeling that winning brings.

I think Kyrie just tied it at 57 ... I think Lebron scored that against Toronto in 2005 or so.

Actually, no ... he just broke it!

http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/history/individual_records.html

This won't be a popular opinion, but San Antonio is too difficult to beat playing good team basketball. The Spurs have perfected "team basketball." You need super human efforts by great players.

I agree. The win almost feels dirty.

On a side note, did they airbrush in LeBron's hair in that Kia commercial?

The Cavaliers were down 6 with 30 seconds left, and came back to tie it in regulation, and win it in OT.

Kyrie was just magnificent tonight! Wow!

I don't know how anyone can beat the Spurs in a 7 game series. It took a unhuman effort by a guy that could be the 2nd greatest Cavalier of all time when it's all said and done.

Not sure I'm going to get sleep tonight ... What a game!

Kinda makes you miss the good ol days of Samardo, Eyenga, Harangody and Joey Graham

Summary of Kyrie's Game tonight

Kyrie playing the way he did had to make Lebron feel confident. He knows he can trust Kyrie in crunch time.

great game, I turned over after the Buckeyes won and enjoyed every minute

Yeah, because he doesn't trust himself. People try to put Lebron in the same breath as Jordan, while Lebron continues to be a decoy when his team needs a buzzer beater, just like in Miami

Irving just ridiculous. Just flat out ridiculous. The shots he was throwing down in OT I mean, wow! What else can you say about that? Very entertaining game!!! Suspense was on edge throughout the entire game.

Wow, I can't believe the Cavs won last night! I watched bits and pieces of it and turned it off when Danny Green hit the corner three in the 4th Q that put the Spurs up by 9 or so.

I love Kawhi's game. He is just so well-rounded, so coachable, and makes LBJ work so hard to get even contested shots. That was something great to watch in the Finals, not so great to watch last night but that guy does not get nearly enough credit for being a great player.

I just love that we have 3 guys who can get the "tough as hell baskets" if we need them to.


That's talent.

Yeah LeBron and Irving are playing great and J.R. Smith has really stepped up his game since coming here from the Knicks.

In what way?

Defensively, in one way.

He has also been a great teammate since joining the Cavaliers.

It was a great game but it highlighted the Cavs biggest problem. The Spurs played a solid but not great game, the Cavs as a team played a solid but not great game... and it took an epic performance by Kyrie just to force OT... Kyrie would make a tremendously tough contested shot and the Spurs would go down and move the ball around and get a layup.... If we're honest with ourselves, what the Spurs did is far more sustainable and they will win that game 9 out of 10 times. Which is going to be the Cavs problem once the playoffs start, you can't count on epic individual performances to win playoff games.... at least not 4 out of 7. I think they can win the first couple series they will have on talent alone, but after that, if they can't play a little more team ball and get some easier looks, it's going to be tough.

I still think this team relies way too much on individual talent, beating a man one on one, and shooting contested 3s..

So now he's only horrible, instead of atrocious.

I think he is better than he was on the Knicks, but not by much.

Bill Simmons seems to be coming around on Kyrie:
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/nba-trade-value-sneak-peek-no-10-kyrie-irving/

To be fair, the Cavs have still really only been together (in their present form) for about 2 and a half months. They will move the ball around, but when it gets to crunch-time, they fall into the comfort of going ISO ... frankly, because they have two of the best ISO players in the game. I'm a little more concerned about them giving up open looks on defense. Hopefully they will continue to improve on both facets as the season goes on.

Kyrie is my favorite player. I went to bed thinking they wouldn't win. Wish I had stayed up.

LeBron is a huge problem right now. Too much ISO dribbling and trying to play one on one ball.

He's supposed to be setting an example. I guess he is, but the wrong one.

It was meant more as a joke than as a sincere basketball analysis.

warning: am going to make my already lame joke even less funny by explaining it

Candy made a comment about having three players who can get tough as hell baskets in an obvious reference to Lebron, Irving, and Love.

I agree with the first two being able to get tough as hell baskets but as I mostly see Love being used as a stretch four who gets many uncontested shots due to playing with James and Irving and being part of nonarchaic offensive system, I don't really see Love getting many tough looks.

J.R. Smith is obviously not at the level of any of those three players but he does create and hit some tough shots (it would obviously be ideal if he missed less shots as well but I don't think he has been terrible.)

Watching Tony Parker try to check Kyrie Irving last night was downright laughable.

It was a bit laughable the other way as well.

Bottom line, it was two great players going at each other and getting theirs. Sometimes that's just the way it goes.

I am more happy than anything that Kyrie kept coming back at him and took the challenge personally. Didn't back down at all. Didn't hang his head when Parker was schooling him.

In what way do you think that he is "atrocious"?

Defensively with the Knicks J.R. Smith was atrocious. He didn't even try and is not good defensive player to start out with. Now he at least tries, but is still not good.

Smith is the same player, he is just surrounded by players who can cover up his mistakes/not let him shoot the ball.

Smith has often been the best, or 2nd best defender on the court for the Cavaliers.

He has improved in steals, turnovers, points scored, and rebounds since joining the Cavaliers from the Knicks.

Smith is actually 1st in steals/game with the Cavaliers, by a large margin. He is playing his butt off on defense. He gets after his man, and even plays solid help defense. He has bought completely in to the defensive concepts and is a huge reason why our defense has improved so much since he, Mozgov, and Shumpert joined the team in those 2 amazing trades.

I agree that he is trying hard. That doesn't mean he is good.

Could be worse... we could have Larry playing at the 2... ;P

good enough that our team completely changed for the better when him and Mosgov came.

That's all that matters.

I like Jr Smith and appreciate what he's given us, but damn. Could you imagine a guy like Kyle Korver just camping at the 3 point line? Kyrie and Lebron attacking the rim would be giving Korver basically layups at the 3 point line. Not trying to disrespect Milsap and Teague, but Lebron and Kyrie are different beasts.

That's very similar to what the Heat ran with Lebron and Wade. Surround yourself with shooters. Allen, Posey, Jones, Miller, etc...

I think that's probably why Love has been around the perimeter so much. Hard for LBJ and KI to do damage when Mozgov + defender and Love + defender are clogging the lane.

Another great Cavs W today. Kyrie's streak of 3 pointers hit 11 (from Thursday night) he finally missed about halfway through.

I'm just so impressed with how he's carried himself. He knew he was scorching hot, but he didn't press the issue. No heat checks, no ridiculous shots 2 seconds after crossing half court. He shot his threes when it was the right play. He never stops doing what he does best, and what seems to be better than anyone else, and that's driving the lane.

Love got today off to rest his cranky back, and the team didn't miss a beat. I hope that we can find rest for him during the rest of the season, so that he can be as close to 100% for the playoffs as possible.

Rough first quarter, but thereafter we were playing good ball. Delabadova(sp) is getting comfortable launching that three ball as of late. Good win!

Shot almost 60% and 51% from 3.

And that was a bad shot. Should have never been taken, too early in the shot clock for a well contested off-balance 3 point attempt.

Looking like LBJ did indeed injure himself, or is very sore, when he hurt himself yesterday. His knee did indeed get underneath him when falling.

Hopefully it's nothing serious and really would like to see the King in tonight's lineup against his old team.

Miami is shooting a bunch of midrange jumpers. You can't ask for anything better than that. They're making them, but you definitely live with it.

If Double T keeps hitting those jumpers, it'll be a good night for him!!!!!!!

EEWWWWWW that mosgov dunk!!!!!

Freaking sick! Count the and one to boot! THROWING THE HAMMER DOWN!

Heat are outshooting us 61% to 37% and we're only down 5. Yeah, we're fine.

Birdman is mugging the hell out of us

The officiating in this game is incredible. There's no way to come back against the Heat if they're allowed to hack you every play.

man anything wade throws up is falling.

I'd say we are anything but right now.. No energy, no ball movement, stupid shot selection, and we can't protect the rim.. I really don't like Mosgov, if he was on any other team he'd be a nobody..you put a guy like whiteside on the cavs and oh man.. Didn't like the trade then and don't like it now. I think we got desperate. Shump and JR was an amazing trade and has worked great though.

I don't know why Jones gets so much PT...he's about as streaky as they come. I much rather see harris in. Lebron needs to realize he's not 18 anymore and can't take ANYONE off the dribble..his shot selection and floor game has not been at the level he normally plays. I think he needs another 3-4 games off after love comes back, maybe more. At this point we are in the playoffs, I'd lose the rest if we still got in and it meant getting ample rest. To be honest, I think if we have to go through indiana, we might not get out of first round anyways, especially with george coming back

Kyrie has gotta learn to fight through cheap shots from Chalmers. He's getting frustrated. Lebron just needs to rest, he looks exhausted.

We are getting dusted...

it happens...

Can't be 100% every night.

Miami is playing out of their minds. Just tip your hat and move on. We can't shoot and Miami can't miss.

It's the 4th game of a 4 game road trip ... we look tired, Kevin Love is out and we're not getting his rebounding help, we're not getting any help from the officials and Dwayne Wade is getting everything to fall. It's just one of those nights.

I was going to post, "Expect lead to show up letting us know how much we really suck", but it looks like he beat me to it.

Classic.

Honest to God though about doing the same

You don't like Mosgov, huh....who knew...

So what are your thoughts on Dellavedova?

Hey Adam Silver, get rid of road back-to-backs.

I normally bash a coach for sitting their starters, but Blatt should have sat Lebron and Kyrie.

Wade played like his 2007 form. Really bad performance by the Cavs, but they look exhausted. So glad there are no back to backs in the playoffs.

Miami played like it was their Finals (Revenge game) ... The Cavs played like it was their 4th game of a 7 day road trip with a back to back. It showed. Love was injured, Lebron was even injured (but he wasn't going to sit this one out). Irving had an off-night. Wade was playing like he had new knees again. The Refs weren't giving us any calls. It was just one of those nights. I'll live with it and move on.

Gotta give it to Miami, they were just playing lights out and everything pretty much was basically just going their way. I stopped watching early in the 4th,couldn't take the punishment.

They dipped us like chicken nuggets.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't we now have more home games than road games left this rest of the way out?Yep, 8 at home and 5 on the road.

Also ... if I'm not wrong ...... weren't 4 of our last 5 losses the 2nd half of a back to back? Yep, sure were. The other loss since January was to Atlanta. We only have one back to back left on the schedule for this year.

I've said this before..

But the NBA could keep the overall calendar length of the schedule, and just get rid of back to backs, dropping about 12 games, to 70..

The product they put out, which is already great, would be even better, long term..

But due to loss in revenue from tickets and TV games.. I doubt it ever happens..

4 of our 6 losses since Jan 15th were road-trip, 2nd-game of a back-to-back. The other two losses were a road trip loss to Houston in OT and a road trip loss to Atlanta, which was actually the first game of a back to back.

I also checked further, and .....

Kevin Love missed the games on 2/12 against Chicago, and yesterday's game. (both losses) Lebron missed the loss to the Pacers on 2/27.

Atlanta was a game we just lost. 1st game of a back to back isn't as important to me, because we didn't have worn down legs or anything in that game.

I don't understand the need for so many preseason games. Can't they just do the 1 in CBus and then start the year two weeks early which should eliminate the 4/5 stretch that kills teams.

Last night was ugly. Settling for jumpers instead of getting good looks via good defense and ball movement. Miami also played that game like it was game 7 of the finals. Great. Good for them.

No Love put us at a huge disadvantage on the boards, and the Heat could leave Thompson alone to double down on others. They would never do that against Love.

As nice a piece as Thompson is as a backup, last night really showed why he is a better backup than starter. He has limited range, and is better playing as an energy off the bench kind of guy.

Does anyone know if its possible to listen to the Cavs radio online?

I tried IHeartRadio but it just gives me a Triv show on WTAM or Sports Talk crap..

I'd rather listen to it online, while doing other stuff (play xbox) than have it on TV..

There was talk about reducing the season length, but like you said, I doubt that ever happens.

I'm just sick of the back-to-backs. Heck, the Cavs just played back-to-backs that were on the road! Come on.

This is where I'd like all the coaches to sit their starters on the 2nd game. FORCE Adam Silver to do something.

I don't think there is. I don't think NBA Broadband offers a service much like MLB does with audio for 20$ a year...

NBA Broadband as a whole has been a joke for years. There's a great Deadspin article about how the league just ignores it.

I don't get that. The NBA is such a beast, that if they could adopt what MLB does with MLB.tv or even what the NHL has with Gamecenter, their numbers would only grow. Instead it's ignored. I'm hoping Adam Silver comes around on it.

It also makes no sense that David Stern openly said he loves that the league is so available on Youtube. Game recaps, single play replays, fan made "mix" type videos, anything. He was on a Bill Simmons podcast some years ago and said they wouldn't chase anyone for copyright infringments and make them take the video down (much like the big bad nfl does) yet he never wanted to improve the coverage of the league live.

one thing I have learned this year is that whenever the cavs are on TNT or ABC?/ESPN, you can stream the game online via TNT's website or espn3.com. That will come in handy during the playoffs when those are the only two networks carrying the game. I believe the blackout rule cannot apply for locals either once the national networks get involved.

GO CAVS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hopefully Love with the rest has a great game! The Nets will be very hungry for a victory to keep their playoffs chances alive!

This game is insane. Mosgov has slammed the ball a million times. JR in the zone, heck everyone is in the zone.

Lots of unselfish play too, this game is just entertaining!

They looked a little slow to start out..

But once they got in rhythm Brooklyn didn't stand a chance..

Can't wait to hear about how terrible Mosgov and Dellevadova are though..

Cavs will destroy Indiana Friday

Great win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seven double digit scorers. WHEW WE!

Uggh ... These national "Kevin Love is leaving" story drive me nuts. It's like the media can never come with anything original, so the just jump back to the same old <INSERT GOOD CLEVELAND PLAYER WHO'S CONTRACT IS UP> and say how they are definitely leaving to go join the amazing franchises in New York and LA.


But yeah, let's look at all the great reasons Love would want to leave!

1) He hates the team. Because, uh ... well he never really said that. In fact, he said he was basically planning on staying long term. But yeah, his body language, or something?

2) He hates Lebron hogging the ball all the time. Of course! He must hate that! So logically, he must want to go play ball with Carmello or Kobe, because they have been such historically good setup men for their teammates.

3) He wants to be the MAN. Because, you know ... he practically begged Minnesota to trade him when he was the MAN there for years. Maybe he only wanted to whet his appetite for some winning basketball before going back to be a man on a non-playoff team again?

4) Because he wants a MAX contract ... Oh, except that Cleveland has his Bird rights, and can actually pay him a lot more than all those other teams could.

5) Because he wants to play on a HISTORIC franchise like the Lakers and Knicks. You know, because they've been so historically TERRIBLE this past year and teaming up with a 37 year old Kobe or a Carmelo Anthony that couldn't even get his team anywhere near the playoffs despite playing the first part of the season, is really going to get Love places!

6) Because he wants to move HOME, just like Lebron ... Well, except that Love spent the majority of his formative years growing up in Oregon, not LA. So I guess if the Trail Blazers want to clear a bunch of cap space, there's a chance for that ...

You forgot the one where the coach is horribly misusing him.

Because he's averaging only 2 points less and 1 rebound less than his usual career average ... despite playing with two other all-stars and winning more games by March than he ever did in Minnesota?

Yeah, he'll want to play in the triangle instead.

I think the real threat is going to be Boston. The Lakers are looming also.

If I were Love I would just use my player option and play out the 2015/16 season and then make my decision once I knew what everyone else was doing.

Also, if Duncan retires, Love would look very nice with the Spurs.

I think he's definitely opting into the 15/16 season. He would be stupid not to. The cap is going to blow up after that season, and he's going to get a much larger deal than anything he could sign if he became a free agent this off-season.

In 15/16 the cap is going up so much that technically any team could probably sign him to a max, so things might be much more up in the air then.

But I just hate hearing about how Love is definitely coming to the Lakers after this season because he has such strong "home" ties to a place he only lived in for one year of college ball and because playing with a 37 year old Kobe is going to be such an "improvement" over playing with Lebron and Kyrie.

I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that he opts in. I think he will opt out and, if he's smart, sign a one year deal with a player option with the team of his choice (like LeBron did). The big money is coming.

Love does live in L.A. during the off-season.

Kyrie looks really bad in this game. Lebron's not doing anything. Kevin Love has been quiet too.

what a game!!! 1 sec left!!

Jr Smith hustles his butt off every game. Just a shame he wasn't this way his entire career.

Pacers treated this like a playoff elimination game.

Well thankfully we had contributors outside of Irving and LBJ cause those two seemed outta it in yesterday's game.

JR gets into those zones, just give him the freaking ball!!!!!!! And yes, as stated above Pacers were playing like it was a elimination game!

glad delly provided that spark last night. That was huge

You probably never thought you would say something like that ever, huh?

I was surprised when I saw he was in double digits. That's probably only happened like twice this year.

I hate that the media does that too, but I'll admit to feeling that Love doesn't seem very happy in Cleveland. That whole fit out/fit in thing that LeBron did was completely bush league and the type of thing that could really alienate someone. It certainly doesn't help convince someone to stay.

The best hope is Love realizes he can only win a championship as a third wheel, maybe an outside chance as a second. He's not good enough otherwise. His best chance for winning is remaining in Cleveland.

It will be interesting to see what he does. That will tell you how important winning is to him.

J/C .....

Lebron played through being sick last night. Evidently he wasn't sure he was going to be able to go before the game.

The Cavaliers are officially in the playoffs after last night's win.

Man, at one point, after Lebron had to sit out a bunch of games to heal, we were in a position where we were out of the playoffs, and the team was at one game under .500. (18-19, IIRC) Blatt took a huge risk by sitting Lebron. The team went on the skids, but he took a long term view of things. Anyway, since we made the 2 big trades, and Lebron returned to health, we are, if I add right, 27-5. We are 2nd in the East, after being in 9th at one point. I think that Blatt deserves a lot of credit, and so does Griffin, because of the moves me made, and that he came out so fully in support of Blatt.

I do think that while Love may be somewhat frustrated, he had to know that he would have to give some if he was going to play with 2 other superstars. I do think that Love is playing better defense than he ever has in the past. I suspect that he did not like those games where he had to sit out the 4th quarter for defensive purposes, but I think that it has made him a better player.

On the offensive side, and as a rebounder, he is actually near his average. He averages 18.8 PPG, and 11.9 RPG for his career, and he averages 16.6 PPG and 10.2 RPG this year. His defense is much improved. While he has always been a well rounded player offensively, I think that he is a better all around player now.

People seem to think that Love will head off to LA, or NY, to start a rebuilding process with one of those teams. What sense would that make? He left a perpetual rebuild in Minnesota so that he could experience the playoffs. Why would he want to go back to the same position he was already in?

Anyway, I think that the media dislikes the idea that a great team could reside in someplace other than a media center. ESPN had a "Heat Index" when Lebron was in Miami. He is now in Cleveland, with arguably as good, or better a supporting cast, and do we see a "Cleveland Rocks" or such on ESPN? Of course not. They want huge ratings, and that means the greatest players in the biggest markets. Does the media pander to the bigger markets? Of course they do. They want the ratings.

Anyway, Love has so consistently said that he will re-sign with the Cavaliers that I cannot imagine him going back on that. I also cringed when Lebron made his fit in comment .... but I think that they are past that now.

jc

Steve Nash announces retirement

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story...nces-retirement

After a 19-year NBA career in which he twice won MVP honors, tallied the third-most assists in league history and assured his place in the Hall of Fame as one of the greatest point guards ever to play the game, Steve Nash formally announced he is walking away from the game Saturday in a letter published on The Players' Tribune website.

"The greatest gift has been to be completely immersed in my passion and striving for something I loved so much -- visualizing a ladder, climbing up to my heroes," Nash, 41, wrote. "The obsession became my best friend. I talked to her, cherished her, fought with her and got knocked on my ass by her.

[+] EnlargeSteve Nash
Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Steve Nash won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and '06 and finishes his career as the most accurate free-throw shooter in NBA history.
"And that is what I'm most thankful for in my career. In my entire life, in some ways. Obviously, I value my kids and my family more than the game, but in some ways having this friend -- this ever-present pursuit -- has made me who I am, taught me and tested me, and given me a mission that feels irreplaceable. I am so thankful. I've learned so many invaluable lessons about myself and about life. And of course I still have so much to learn. Another incredible gift."

Nash, who didn't play this season with the Los Angeles Lakers because of injuries, finishes his career with 10,335 assists, third-most in NBA history behind John Stockton and Jason Kidd.

"To now realize that it's over, it's really difficult to put it into words," Nash told ESPN.com's Marc Stein in a "SportsCenter" sitdown that aired after Nash's announcement Saturday.

"It's just a weird transition&#8206;. Every athlete goes through it. A lot of people say an athlete dies twice, and in some ways, without being salacious, that's true. If you want to enjoy and be happy in life, you have in some ways to say goodbye to your former self. And that's not easy, especially for guys. We're not the most communicative of the species. So it's hard to kind of put it all in perspective."

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper took to Twitter to congratulate the British Columbia product.


Nash is the most accurate free throw shooter in NBA history, edging Mark Price's career mark at 90.4 percent. And for nine straight seasons from 2001-02 in Dallas through 2008-09 in Phoenix, Nash quarterbacked squads that ranked No. 1 in the league in offense.

"When people ask me if I have a favorite game or play or moment on the court that stands out the most, I can't answer them," Nash wrote. "It all blends into one. What comes to mind are all the great teammates I've played with and the friends I've made through the years."

Nash Delivered Again And Again
Steve Nash finishes his career ranked third on the all-time assist list, trailing only John Stockton and Jason Kidd. The NBA's all-time leaders:

Players Assists
John Stockton 15,806
Jason Kidd 12,091
Steve Nash 10,335
Mark Jackson 10,334
Magic Johnson 10,141
Despite several health struggles late in his career with the Suns, the Lakers gave Nash a three-year, $28 million deal in 2012 and mortgaged their future by shipping four draft picks to Phoenix.

But Nash's tenure in Los Angeles was mostly miserable.

He broke a bone in his left leg in his second game and missed the next 24 in 2012-13. Last season, more health issues sidelined Nash for all but 15 games. And because of back, knee and hamstring issues, Nash played in just 65 of a possible 164 regular-season games the past two seasons with the Lakers.

"When I signed with the Lakers, I had big dreams of lifting the fans up and lighting this city on fire," Nash wrote. "I turned down more lucrative offers to come to L.A. because I wanted to be in the 'fire,' and play for high risk and high reward in my last NBA chapter. In my second game here, I broke my leg and nothing was the same.

"Last spring, when I returned to the court, I was given a standing ovation at Staples Center. It was a dark time in my career and that gesture will be one of my best memories. There's been a lot of negativity online, but in my nearly three years in L.A., I've never met anyone who didn't show me anything but love and support for my efforts."

The Lakers, according to Nash, have "for all intents and purposes" regarded him as retired since late October, when it was announced that &#8206;he would miss the entire 2014-15 season. The only reason Nash's retirement wasn't made official then, he said, was that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak asked him to delay the announcement until after the Feb. 19 trade deadline, so the Lakers could explore the trade market and see if they could acquire a future asset in exchange for Nash's expiring $9.7 million contract, which counts against the Lakers' cap.

&#8206;"I could have medically retired," Nash told ESPN.com. "But they asked if I'd consider just being out for the year. ... Really it was about giving them an opportunity to move my salary and improve their team.

"For them to trade me to improve their team was something I was completely on board with&#8206;. The organization's been unbelievable to me. ... How Mitch has treated me and the Buss family has been incredible. It was the least I could do."

Nash Has Hardware, But No Ring
Steve Nash has won two NBA MVP awards, but he never got the opportunity to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy -- just one of six former MVPs to have never won an NBA title.

Players MVPs
Steve Nash 2
Karl Malone 2
Charles Barkley 1
Allen Iverson 1
Derrick Rose << 1
Kevin Durant << 1
>>Active
Nash starred at Santa Clara before starting his NBA career with the Suns, who traded him to Dallas in 1998. He established himself as an elite point guard while playing for coach Don Nelson alongside Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley with Dallas.

"I remember when Dirk and I were nobodies," Nash wrote. "He used to say over dinner sometimes, 'How are us two stiffs gonna make it in this league?' Somehow we made something of ourselves. After all the wins and all the great times we've had around the world together, what really means the most to me are the late nights early in our careers when we'd go back to the Landry Center in Dallas, to play a few more games of HORSE and one-on-one."

Nash returned to Phoenix in 2004 on a lucrative free-agent deal.

The 6-foot-3 Nash won consecutive but unlikely MVP awards in 2005 and '06 -- one of just 10 players to win in back-to-back years -- as the catalyst for one of the most prolific offenses in NBA history under coach Mike D'Antoni. His playmaking and scoring earned him worldwide recognition and eight All-Star Game selections, including his final season with Phoenix in 2011-12.

"It will always hurt that Phoenix Suns fans didn't get the championship they deserved during our run," Nash wrote. "Yes, we had some bad luck but I always look back at it and think, I could've made one more shot, or not forced a turnover, or made a better pass. But I don't regret anything. The arena was always sold out and rocking. It was the time of my life. Thanks, Phoenix."

Nash said in his letter Saturday that he likely will never play basketball again.

"It's bittersweet," he said. "I already miss the game deeply, but I'm also really excited to learn to do something else."

Marc Stein of ESPN.com contributed to this report.

_____________

One of the greatest PG's ever.

But he straight up robbed the lakers with all that money he made and barely played

That Suns team with him, Amare, and Joe Johnson was crazy...

They got robbed in the 2007 playoffs when practically everyone got suspended simply by reacting to Robert Horry hip checking Nash at half court..

Nash and D'Antoni, together, literally changed the NBA forever.

In that it got a bunch of people a ton of big money contracts that became albatrosses for the teams that signed them? Then yeah, I guess.

I'm not sure how they changed the NBA though. Nobody has really successfully run their uptempo 7-seconds or less offense since it worked in PHX. And everyone from that team has really fizzled elsewhere.

talk about a sloppy game so far

The supposed "Spurs East" getting destroyed by the Spurs. You can't beat San Antonio with team basketball. They're too good at it.

I don't know what his % is, but does Love look bad shooting 3's? Unless he's open he bricks them. Even when he is open he still bricks some.

Glad we ended up pulling Away. our 3 point shots just started falling in the 4th QTR. bucks couldn't do anything to stop it.

I wonder what Greg Popovich would say about this. . .

8 behind ATL 7th best record in the NBA

Laid a spanking on them! I liked early in the game when JR kept slamming those three balls and forced them to take a timeout haha...

GO CAVS!

We are in.

Just wanted to type after waiting for years.

Go Cavs!

Crazy that Irving and Love have combined for zero playoff minutes.

Now, I just dream of the day where I will regularly be able to watch this Cleveland team on a Cleveland television station.

J/C ... Kevin Love was on Dan Patrick this morning. He admitted he's struggling a bit to find his role, but he did re-state his intention to resign with the Cavs after the season. I believe the (loaded) question was: "If you win a championship, are you more or less likely to re-sign for next year?" To which he answered something along the lines of: "Well winning helps a lot of things, but I plan to be a Cavalier either way."

I don't think Pop's system is the same as D'Antoni. Yes, it can be up-tempo. Yes he does encourage his team to make more than two passes. But D'Antoni was all about pushing the pace of the offense, scoring in 7 seconds, and not even really worrying about defense. The Defense was just there to grab the rebound/in-bound pass and get it back up the floor again quickly. Pops has a much bigger focus on Defense and using that defense to start things on offense, which just happens to up the pace. I don't think he modeled his system after D'Antoni, but just modified it so that he could keep pace and run with it if he needed to.

The only system that was really similar to D'Antoni's was probably Don Nelson's in Golden State. And notably, both he and D'Antoni are unemployed as NBA coaches.

It's not only about 7SOL, it's about the offensive sets, it's about playing small ball, it's about the pick and roll, it's about having a point guard who was a deadly shooter, etc.

All of that stuff existed before D'Antoni though. Maybe he made it more "popular", but I don't think offenses have been modeled exclusively after what D'Antoni did in PHX. I feel like if he was more influential, then he wouldn't be unemployed now and his teams wouldn't have been such failures after he left the Suns.

Kevin Love: "I plan on being a Cavalier either way"
By Ryan Mourton &#62993; @Ryan_Mourton on Mar 23, 2015, 1:28p 3


Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Love did a radio tour, hitting up Dan Patrick and Mike and Mike

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Have you heard that Kevin Love can potentially be a free agent?

Did you know that his role has been discussed quite often?

You probably have, so it won't be of much shock to you that when Love went on Mike and Mike in the Morning, and the Dan Patrick Show earlier today, he was asked frequently about both issues.

There is a portion of me that abhors transcribing these, because for his part Love has given every indication that he will be returning, but it's a story that won't go away until he formally is signed, and I get that. Please observe a small bit of tongue-in-cheekiness to my insights.

You can find full audio of both here (Mike and Mike) and here (Dan Patrick Show).

From Mike & Mike, when asked about how he feels about his role on the team:

KL - "I feel good, especially as long as we're winning....It's been a lot of fun being a part of this Cavs organization."

Fun is a word that is mentioned a whole lot. You might recall that our David Zavac asked Love whether or not he was having fun just this past Friday. Everyone is worried about how much fun Kevin is having, and whether the amount of fun is sufficient to keep him in Cleveland long term. We've become funologists, tinkering away at different fun metrics and developing body language formulas to calculate the true fun % of Kevin Love's season. According to Kevin, he is having fun. He didn't cite which fun statistic he used in the calculation.

Both Mike's were curious about how Love saw sitting out a few fourth quarters:

KL -"A lot of the times, it's been matchups...I think it's on me to do what's best by the team, and just try to be a consummate professional."

Does he mean this? I don't have no idea, honestly. Nobody knows. Does he REALLY as a star not worry about sitting on the bench? Mike Greenberg had the same line of thought, and pressed him in that regard:

KL - "Just knowing that it's for the greater good. If we have a chance at the end of the year to hoist that Larry O'Brien trophy then it's all been worth it.... There's been times this season that I've fought it, but then seeing the end result, that kind of changes everything."

Winning cures everything has kind of been a theme. Love said basically the same thing in an ESPN interview some weeks ago. He likes winning, and winning is fun, ere go this season has been fun. Maybe?

The Instagram photos were next, Mike & Mike (somewhat satirically) wanted to know what the deal was with LeBron and Kevin, and why he wasn't in the pictures. When asked "How is your relationship with LeBron":

KL - "It's fine. You know, we're not best friends we're not hanging everyday, but we see each other every day....I think our relationship is also evolving...I'm sure he'll have me in the next picture, but we'll see"

I don't have a whole lot on this topic. It's an instagram picture. Come on.

The Dan Patrick show was next. I'm not going to bore you with a ton of similar answers to similar questions. There are two that stood out here:

Dan Patrick offered Love a Mulligan, and asked him if he'd do the same thing:

KL - "Same thing."

DP - "The Same way?"

KL -"Same Way."

The money quote. The quote you all came here for though, came when Love was asked if winning a title would increase or decrease his chances of staying in Cleveland:

KL -"I plan on being a Cavalier either way"

To this day, Love has only said the right things. We can only take those words at face value. I don't know, and nobody else really knows what he plans on doing. That said, winning is fun, and he seems to be having fun. After years of hearing that Minnesota's losing culture was wearing on him, and he just wanted to win, it's a little odd that we're now discussing that he isn't having fun winning because he isn't playing the exact way he wants to. I really do understand that viewpoint, I just personally don't buy it. Love is in Cleveland, where he plays with two superstars, and will be looking at making $30 million a year in two years. I just don't see anything taking him away from that.

There is always the chance I'm wrong though, because just like you or anybody else, I honestly have no idea what Kevin Love is thinking. I am planning on seeing him in Cleveland for quite some time though.

http://www.fearthesword.com/2015/3/23/8278589/kevin-love-i-plan-on-being-a-cavalier-either-way

No one, no one, was doing what D'Antoni was doing. Where do you think all this emphasis on corner threes is coming from?

D'Antoni isn't coaching because the Lakers are still paying him huge amounts of money not to coach. My guess is that he will be the coach in Denver next season.

I heard the Mike&Mike interview with Love. I think it's as simple at the end of the season as whether he wants to compete for championships and make a crap load of money or if he wants to go somewhere he can average 24 ppg and play in the all-star game but lose and make a crap load of money.

That said, I do hope in the offseason that Blatt sits down the decision makers (LeBron... ) and they come up with a better way to utilize Love's diverse talent. I do not think they are getting the most out of him at this point.

I think Love is getting great looks game after game and people are distributing the ball to him, just he isn't cashing in any points.

Love wide open for three is not something I think is a sure three points. I think he has a role/fit here, he just needs to start hitting his shots. Especially when he's wide open. That's on him, not the scheme, the team, LeBron (lol) or any other factor, that's on him.

JMO

I know Love's numbers aren't there, and I know at times it seems like he doesn't fit, and then there's the whole 4th quarter issue, but they're just a way better team when he's out there, even if he's not giving you 26 and 12.

I also love how ESPN is really digging hard on this one. They love a good negative Cleveland story. Then you have the annoying Bill Simmons openly talking about how he can't wait to see him on this magical Celtics team that people think are great because they're almost in the playoffs in the eastern conference (ooh!)

Mike Greenburg really asked about Love not being in an instagram picture, and tried to turn it into Lebron and Love disliking each other. Never mind the picture that Lebron uploaded a week ago with the ENTIRE team on the plane ater a big win. They all looked genuinely happy to be around each other. A lot of guys said this is the closest team they have been on. Of course you'll never hear that one on Lame and Lame.

Seriously, take a shot every time Golic says "fantastic".

Here's a great breakdown of the Love situation:
http://www.cavstheblog.com/?p=32218

It even talks about the "myth" that Love doesn't play 4th quarters. I also love the graphic about media hyperbole.

Normally I like listening to Dan Patrick, but I just want to punch him in the head with this article every time he takes words out of context and makes up things that aren't even there. Oh, Kevin Love said explicitly he's going to be a Cavalier either way next season? LALALALALA didn't hear that! But he did say he'd pick Westbrook over Lebron for MVP this year (like pretty much everybody would) ... He Hates him! He's leaving next year!

Who - Where - What Time - Do The Cavs Play Tonight

8PM

Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis, Tennessee/ FedEx Forum

We play Memphis at 8 tonight at their place. Fox Sports Ohio.

Thanks Memphis and Dawg LB ... I love my Celtics (and they are looking better) but I really love watching this Cavs team, and if we (Celtics) can't win another title yet, then I hope he Cavs win it all ...

Man they are out there banging bodies tonight!! Real physical so far

Getting out of hand. Cavs are draining 3's

Kevin love obviously doesn't fit in with the cavs....

Yeah, it's a shame, isn't it. I know that the Grizzlies are glad that hes here, screwing up the works.

Man, this is the team that could go all the way in the playoffs. When they share the ball effectively, they are almost unstoppable.

Awesome game tonight. Probably one of our best displays of team ball all around. We need to keep working the passes like that. We look unstoppable.

I wish Love played like he did yday in every single game. We just went crazy. Yet another fun game watching our Cavs bully around people!

Dellabadova(sp) is getting very comfortable with those threes now. And I'm loving the unselfish ball movement. *best* friends or not, LBJ was finding Love and Kevin was rewarding with putting points up!

Go Cavs!!!

I think part of this Lebron vs. Kevin is all contrived. Maybe there's something there that's causing friction, but the fact that it's in the media tells me they're both talking about it to prove a point (and ultimately get closer and better). See Phil Jackson and the way he'd talk to the media to get his players on the same page.

The third quarter was just a thing of beauty. We went on something like a 20-2 run. I think just about all of those points were assisted. Guys were zipping passes everywhere, passing up decent shots for great ones. I think we had three or so alley-oops and a bunch of wide open 3's. K.Love was getting tons of good looks and nailing his shots. And then on the defensive end, Memphis just resorted to shot-chucking because they couldn't break us down. Closest to "Spurs"-ball that we've looked all season and it was against the 2nd best team in the West.

We've got 3 weak teams coming up (I think we will whoop Miami at home to send them a message).

Our remaining games are:

27th: @Brooklyn
29th: Philly
2nd: Miami
5th Chicago
8th: @Milwaukee
12th: @Boston
13th: Detroit
15th: Washington

Remember when people (and pundits) were talking about how tough a stretch the Cavaliers had after the All Star break, with all of those tough road games? Well, we have 8 games left at this point, and 5 are at home. Chicago looks to be our toughest challenges, and the Wizards game could be completely meaningless by the time it rolls around.

I seriously believe that we will win 6-7 of our last 8 games, and the ones we don't win will be because we rest our starters.

most likely we will be the 2nd seed, dunno if we can catch atlanta for the top spot.

that being said, i don't want us playing miami in the first round, as they are currently 7th.

i want us to see either boston or milwaukee, so i hope they play a musical chairs game and miami gets bumped one spot higher or lower.

Kind of a dumb question, but if the playoffs started right now, what seed would Chicago be? They'd be 5th correct? I ask because of the division rules.

3rd.

The 3 division winners are only garunteed at least a top 4 spot..

3rd.

NBA.com Standings

Which is how the NFL should seed their teams too (well, with the same high level theory). Winning your division should guarantee you a spot in the playoffs, but not a home playoff game IMO.

Ultimately, I think the NFL will do the right thing when they add the 7th wildcard team to each conference. You'll have the best team in the conference with a first round bye and all others have to play on wildcard weekend (2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, & 4 vs. 5). Each division winner will only have a guaranteed spot in the playoffs, not a home game.

Back on topic, while it would be nice to not have to face a healthy Wade, the Cavs will eventually have to beat four teams to win the title anyway, so why not the Heat as their first victim? And anyway, if you want to face the worst team, get the #1 seed.

I know it was sarcasm, but I don't think that's true, and I don't think you can use one game to support or not support that position.

In general, Love just doesn't seem very happy trying to figure out where he fits in. Even his post game locker room interview, he seemed somewhat unhappy. I don't think Blatt or LeBron do him any favors either trying to make him feel comfortable and figuring out how he best fits with the team.

Yesterday was a great example of what they could be. I hope Love remembers games like this when making his decision. I also hope the Cavs at least reach the Finals. If they do that, I think it will go a long way to keeping Love.

I think the Cavs are much better with him than without him. His rebounding and passing cannot be understated to how much value that provides the team. But I will say he doesn't seem to be all that happy. On the court, in interviews, etc.

I'm crossing my fingers it all works out.

I wouldn't put too much into Love's tone, demeanor, body language, or any of that.. He's just a different guy. Go back to his Minnesota days, or even in his interviews after arriving in Cleveland. He has never seemed all that comfortable in front of a camera.

For some who doesn't like to be in front of the camera, he sure is in front of the camera a lot.

What about being interviewed? When you're not having fun and goofing off.

Go watch his Cavs intro presser. He seemed incredibly nervous.

I have never got that vibe from Love. I think you are reading into things.

Ugh. I did not see tonight's game, but what in the world happened?