Cavs Lose in Columbus; 3 Takeaways
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Memphis Grizzlies tonight in Columbus, Ohio. The Cavs fought back in a very plodding, somewhat boring game but fell short as the Grizz put the team away late, 91-81. The Cavs have not won a game yet in preseason as they struggle with injuries and balancing rest and getting players into rhythm.
Three Takeaways from Tonight’s Game:
1 – When the Cavs Top 4 Guards Are Out, The Offense Stagnates: Somehow even worse than last year’s NBA Finals, the Cavs were without Kyrie Irving and his backup Mo Williams as well as Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith, one who would start and the other who would be his back up. Without them, Matthew Dellavedova and Richard Jefferson started. The team relied on LeBron James to create and ball movement to facilitate offense.
When it was crisp, this went well. Far too often the offense bogged down and LeBron looked frustrated. A lot like the Finals.
2 – The Battle For Roster Spots Is Real – While reports have come out that Joe Harris is going to make the team, his play says something different. He went 1 of 6 form the floor, including 1 of 5 from long range. He did have 2 rebounds and 5 points but his play leaves something to be desired.
Quinn Cook looked quick and decisive once again, though his boxscore, 5 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds, doesn’t jump off the page. Austin Daye doesn’t look like he can guard a parking cone, the Grizz abused him in the post late in the game, but he hi two shots, including a 3 and is very confident shooting.
Jared Cunningham jumps off visually. He is quick and explosive. He got to the line 10 times while struggling from the floor, 3 for 8. He is aggressive but has a plan to finish when he gets to the rack.He also contributed 2 assists and 1 steal to go along with his 13 points, one behind LeBron for team high.
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As many as 3 roster spots could be open with Tristan Thompson still not signed and Harris struggling. What once was thought to be a fight for 1 spot may be much more wide open. It is getting interesting.
3 – J.R. Smith is A Character – If you haven’t seen the photo that I captured, click here. The official story is that Smith bought the cotton candy for golfer Jason Day’s son, and had some for himself. Either way, JR is a treasure to cover and is a lot of fun. His cotton candy purchase is the only real story coming out of tonight’s game. It is fun and made for a fun quote from Head Coach David Blatt who said he didn’t know about it and joked that the team would do what they do, not comment while they gather more information.
All and all a quite (and quiet) boring game.
What are your takeaways from tonight’s Cavs loss?