Cavs Vs Jazz: 4 Things We Learned

The Cleveland Cavaliers won again last night, running their record to 7 – 1 by beating the Utah Jazz. Cavs Vs Jazz was an exciting game full of runs, dunks, young players and big shots. The Cavs scored 118 points, without Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert, against the best defensive team in the league. The Jazz are 1st in holding opponents under 90 points a game.

Not last night.

Here are 4 Things We Learned from Cavs Vs Jazz:

1. LeBron James is All Around Amazing

Obviously this is nothing new but last night was a clear game where LBJ showed his dominance all over the floor. His stat line is impressive: 31 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals. But it was the way that he was able to dominate that really stood out, especially in the 4th quarter.

LeBron ran the offense some from the point some while also playing off of Mo Williams at other times. He moved without the basketball, aggressively drove into the teeth of the league’s best defense and setup the offense for others. He looked quick getting up and down the floor and put the Cavs offense in position to excel.

He also did all the little things to help win the game. In the 4th quarter he tipped a rebound out of Gordon Hayward‘s hands, reestablished himself in bounds before collecting the steal. That led to another Cavs possession. Later he stepped in and took a charge from Rodney Hood during a critical part of the game. Tons of little things that don’t show up in his stat line, which is already impressive.

LeBron was that good last night.

2. Mo Williams is a Difference Maker

Just like LeBron, Mo had a great stat line: 29 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. You read that correctly: Little, older Mo Williams was 2 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists shy of LBJ’s great game stats. Williams was also efficient, only missing 1 of his 9 shot attempts and 1 of his 10 free throw attempts. He hit all 4 of his deep shots and led the Cavs with a +11 for the night.

With Kyrie Irving expected back sooner than later, Williams will be shifted back to the bench soon. In Irving’s absence, Mo has proven to be a true difference maker. He leads the team verbally, gets them in the right sets, scores and facilitates and maybe most importantly has the trust and respect of LeBron.

The Cavs are paying Mo peanuts compared to the production they are getting from him. The return of Irving will bolster the Cavs’ backcourt depth and give Coach David Blatt a ton of options.

Mo Gotti is giving the Cavs, and their fans, even more than they expected.

3. Do Big Men Matter?

While Kevin Love is going to get his minutes, and again chip in a “quiet” 22 points and Tristan Thompson‘s energy will always find some minutes, the Cavs have gone away from their bigs. The Jazz are a big team with Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert towering in their front court. This was seemingly the perfect game to use their big men depth.

Instead Timofey Mozgov played 19 minutes, Anderson Varejao played 6 and Sasha Kaun stayed on the bench. Even Tristan only played 28 minutes, only 2 more than Richard Jefferson and 5 more than Matthew Dellavedova coming off the bench.

While some of that could have been Blatt’s goal of countering the Jazz’s size with smaller, faster players, it is a concern. Mozgov has stated he playing time concern while Kaun can’t be excited about coming over from Europe to warm a bench seat game after game.

Mozgov was a huge part of the Cavs defensive turnaround last year. While he is dealing with some knee issues and a return to good conditioning, finding a way to get him and Varejao some consistent minutes will be important long term. Playing small can be fun and a great countermove but using the big men, and keeping them engaged, is also important.

Minutes get even tougher when Irving and much later Shumpert return. Blatt has to figure out how to involve his biggest of guys.

4. The Jazz Are Very Good

More from King James Gospel

The Jazz are a very good team. We already noted their defensive abilities but their depth of talent is impressive. Favors and Gobert were joined by Gordon Hayward, Rodney Hood, Alec Burks and Trey Burks in double figure scoring. Very talented players at every position on the court makes them a tough matchup.

The Jazz are going to make life difficult for many teams as they fight for a playoff position out West. It is quite possible that they would be the Cavs primary competition if they were in the weaker Easter Conference. They are that good.

For now, the Jazz will have to be excited about competing hard and almost pulling out a win against one of the top 2 teams in the league in a road game.

Keep an eye on the Jazz all season.

What did you learn from Cavs Vs Jazz last night?