Did Cavs Right the Ship Versus Nuggets?

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Denver Nuggets last night, 110 – 101 in an exciting game. The Cavs had big leads, big dunks and a scary fall, after a push, by Dion Waiters. The Cavs had more assists in the first quarter than they had in their entire game against the Utah Jazz.

Does all that mean that the Cavs have turned the corner?

No!

But that doesn’t mean this is something to be excited about. The same way there has been a ton of overreacting about the team’s early struggles, there likely will be overreacting to this win. Both overreactions are understandable, if misguided. However that doesn’t mean there isn’t things we can take from certain games, or even just a few games, it just has to be taken in context.

The Cavs haven’t righted the ship because it would be impossible to do in one game. There are also things that are concerning about the team’s performance that will continue to be cause for pause as they learn to play together.

They may not have righted the ship but they showed they know how to drive the darn thing and now just need to replicate over and over again

A series in the first half especially stands out. Dion Waiters pulled the trigger on a three pointer with time left on the shot clock and the offense not yet being run. LeBron James, on the opposite wing, threw his hands up a bit when Waiters took the shot. The shot missed and the Nuggets took the ball down to the other end of the floor. LeBron was nowhere to be found. Denver ran a play and James finally made it to the 3 point line by the time the ball was shot. Waiters did not take a shot within the flow of the offense and James showed little effort to return to the other end of the floor.

Waiters and Kyrie Irving still showed their propensity to dominate the basketball even though early in the game it was obvious that the ball and player movement were getting it done. It will be a tough transition for them as for both the ball in their hands has always been the best way for their teams to win. Much like many of us who know fast food is unhealthy and a bad idea but still go and get it, these two may know that ball movement is key but struggle to execute.

There were some great signs last night as well. When the offense was run the ball and player movement was stellar. LeBron seemed pleased when players took shots within the flow of the offense, even if they didn’t go in. The defense was rotating with high effort for most of the game getting the Cavs in position to get out and run.

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Many will point to the seven Cavs in double figures but I am more impressed with the solid rebounding done by the entire team. The starting five had 8, 6, 7, 7 and 4 while Tristan Thompson had 5 as well coming off the bench. That shows a total team effort to crash the boards. That the Cavs won while only shooting 26% from the 3 point line shows the team’s ability to win in multiple ways. The Cavs forced the issue, leading to 33 free throw attempts, and shot 48% from the field overall. Kevin Love was 0 – 5 from deep but still managed to get 19 point through plays in the post and free throws.

Overall the Cavs game showed marked improvement. Whether the attitude, effort and overall continuity will stay is up to them. With all the controversy swirling around this team a win last night was expected. They may not have righted the ship but they showed they know how to drive the darn thing and now just need to replicate over and over again.

What did you think of last night’s win?