Cavs Vs Kings: 3 Things We Learned

The Cleveland Cavaliers resorted a state of normality at the Quicken Loans Arena on Monday Night, destroying the Sacramento Kings 120-100.

There has been plenty of question marks and drama surrounding the Cavaliers lately but not as much as the Kings. That showed on Monday Night, as the Cavs added to the Kings misery, who have now lost eight of their last nine ballgames. There is league-wide speculation that George Karl will be fired as Sacramento head coach in just a matter of days, as the Kings are searching for a panacea for their problems.

Enough about the Kings though, as the Cavaliers needed a nice, comfortable victory to smooth some concerns that have built up over the last week or so. The adjustment period Cleveland is undertaking to adapt to Tyronn Lue’s new offensive system has had some road bumps but you wouldn’t tell it from their performance against the Kings.

The Cavs improved to 7-3 under Lue and have now won seven of their last nine ballgames. As aforementioned, the Kings have dropped eight of nine and fell to 21-31.

LeBron James finally captured his first triple-double of the season, finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. James has missed that triple-double stat-line numerous times this season but that wasn’t the case against the Kings. No matter how many times James gets an ‘official’ triple-double, everyone knows he has the ability to put one up every single time he steps on the court.

Kyrie Irving continued his recent hot-streak, as he doubled-up with 32 points and 12 assists, connecting on 13 of his 21 field goal attempts. Irving also went 5-of-8 from downtown. J.R. Smith was even better from long-distance, draining six three-pointers on his way to 22 points.

The Cavs got Kevin Love back after he missed one game with a quad contusion. Love scored 11 points and pulled down six rebounds. Richard Jefferson was the only other Cavalier to reach double-digits, as he finished with 10 points off the bench in 17 minutes of action.

Rudy Gay and former Cavalier Omri Casspi led the Kings in scoring, both scoring 16 points apiece. All-Star DeMarcus Cousins struggled all night, ending with 14 points and eight rebounds.

Here are three things we learned from the Cavs win.

A Full 48

Cleveland has stressed multiple times throughout the season about the importance of not letting up during the full 48 minutes of a ballgame. Too many times the Cavs have built up a big lead only for them to fumble it away later in the game.

This wasn’t the case against the Kings though, as Cleveland did what they needed to do against a lottery-bound team and that’s play at a high level for the entire four quarters.

There was no third quarter letdown. There were no stretches where the offense stopped moving the ball. There were no possessions on the defensive end where players let up.

For the first time since the Cavs win over the San Antonio Spurs a couple of weeks ago, the squad put was able to put together a consistent, dominating style of basketball for the full 48 minutes.

Even in the fourth quarter, with the Cavaliers holding a big lead, Lue was still coaching his team, preaching the new offensive sets he wants the team in corporate into the offense.

This timeout from Lue is a sign of how serious he is about changing the offensive style for the Cavaliers and how he will take every single moment to improve the Cavs and work new habits into their mindset.

To be considered a serious championship contender, the Cavaliers will need to start playing more consistently and that includes playing at a high level for the full 48 minutes. The team was able to achieve this against the Kings and it is an imperative that Cleveland continues to perform for 48 minutes every night.

J.R. Swish…And D

Ever since coming over from the New York Knicks last season, Smith has been a mixed bag for Cleveland but no one can deny how well he has played over the last few weeks.

Smith has been absolutely smoking from beyond the arc, as he has hit 17 three’s in the past three games. Since January the 1^st, only Stephen Curry has hit more three-pointers than Smith.

Lue’s fast-paced offense fits Smith’s game perfectly, as it gives him the freedom to move off the ball and turn into a glorified catch and shoot shooter, where he is smoking hot. Smith is shooting 43.9% on catch and shoot three’s this season- a number that rises to 47.7% from January the 1^st.

Smith was once again on fire against the Kings, hitting 6-of-13 long distance bombs on the night but his defensive effort, not just this game but all season, has been a pleasant surprise for the Cavs. Lue spoke of Smith’s importance on that end of the floor after the game, per cavs.com.

"“The biggest thing I’m impressed with from J.R. is early in the season we put him on the toughest match-up, the 2’s and the 3’s, to give LeBron a rest and he took that personal challenge every night. Like I said, his body position a lot of times is not great but his giving the effort every single night on the defensive end and that’s what I’m more pleased of than anything. We all know he can score the ball and shoot the ball, so just defensively his intensity, a little bit better body position at times but overall effort is great and that’s what we want to see every night.”"

Smith has been a questionable defender during his career but as long as he is providing the effort and intensity he has on that end like he has all season, there is no reason why he cannot be a positive defender come playoff time.

Kyrie Heating Up From 3

Irving has struggled with his three-point shot ever since his return but you wouldn’t tell against the Kings.

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Irving came out and hit a three-pointer to start the game, which would be a sign of things to come, as that was his first of five long-distance bombs on the night. Irving looked a lot more confident shooting the three-ball against Sacramento, as he had his legs under him, shoulders to the target and more importantly, he was taking quality looks.

Under Lue’s new systems, Irving is thriving. He is being allowed the freedom to push the pace and attack the basket, which has opened up his outside jumpshot. Teams are now weary of Irving’s green light to attack the rim and this can sometimes force the defense to sag back on him to prevent the drive. This, of course, opens up the three-point shot for Irving and the way he shot them against the Kings, that is a dangerous option.