Instant Reaction: Cavaliers 109, Magic 100

Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

Final Outcome 

Down by as much as 14 in the first half, the Cleveland Cavaliers appeared to be on the way to yet another road loss against the Orlando Magic. But, showing a sense of resilience behind Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters, the Wine & Gold clawed back and kept the game close. And in the fourth quarter, they were able to pull away for good, beating the Magic by a score of 109-100. Irving led all scorers with 31, while rookie Victor Oladipo led the Magic with 26.

Key Play to the Game

With 7:05 left in the fourth quarter, Waiters hit an 18-foot jumper that gave the Cavaliers the lead for good. His bucket – part of a monster fourth quarter for the Syracuse product – was the play that finally got the Cavaliers over their road hump. It also is the kind of plays the Cavaliers will need to continue to make if they truly are going to be a playoff team when it comes to the end of the season.

Wine & Gold MVP

Let’s give it up the for the Cavaliers backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. Irving led the Wine & Gold with 31, while Waiters added 21 off the bench. On a night where no other Cavalier scored more than 10 points (!!!), they needed these two to deliver, and they did. Plus, both players are showing real improvement as of late. Irving finally has gotten into a groove after this awful start, while Waiters (looking comfortable coming off the bench) showed poise in shaking off an 0-4 start to finish strong and help the Cavs seal the win. Bravo, Cleveland backcourt.

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Coach Brown Breakdown

All in all, you have to like Mike Brown’s coaching job tonight. He didn’t stick with Andrew Bynum needlessly and stuck with a somewhat odd lineup that worked late in the game that carried the Cavaliers to their ninth victory of the season. He also (and perhaps more importantly) handed the keys of the offense over to Irving and Waiters down the stretch. As I wrote above, those two are the sole reason the Cavaliers were able to score over 100 points in Orlando. If Brown had tried to go another route (such as feeding Bynum possession after possession), maybe this game doesn’t turn out the way it did.

Up Next

Tomorrow, the Cavaliers take on the Miami Heat in South Beach.

It takes on  a special significance because LeBron James said if the Cavaliers win, he’ll return to Cleveland.

But in all seriousness, it’s a good test, albeit one the Cavaliers should (and probably will) lose. However, they are a better team than when the Cavaliers and Heat matched up a few weeks ago. Let’s see if the Cavaliers can come out swinging in round two. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. from American Airlines Arena.