Cavs Win: Random Thoughts After Beating the Magic

The Cleveland Cavaliers were victorious last night against the Orlando Magic. Some random Cavs thoughts after the win.

Nothing is certain with this team

Timofey Mozgov didn’t play in the Cavs last game. Then started tonight and played his regular minutes. No report that this was to rest him or due to an injury. Who starts at center (seriously, the starting lineup for the East’s top and the third best team in the entire league isn’t set?!?) is up in the air.

They came out flat, let Victor Oladipo have a career game and then took over the game late to get the win. From game to game and quarter to quarter, we have no clue what to expect from the Cavs.

Kevin Love, who has vacillated like the team since Tyronn Lue has taken over, didn’t play in the 4th quarter. While he was ill earlier in the day, his lack of minutes seemed due to performance/coaches decision more than his illness.

With the Cavs, life is like a box of chocolates… We never know what we are going to get.

LeBron James seemed to be coasting

After taking a game off, LBJ played 36 minutes last night. His stat line was fine (18 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 4 turnovers) for any normal human being but he seemed to be saving himself. After the reported drama the game before, hopefully more on that later today, LeBron seemed to make sure to keep the ball in Kyrie Irving‘s hands.

LeBron picked his spots, ended up with a -5 plus/minus (same as Love’s) and should be well rested for tonight’s game against his old friends, the Miami Heat.

Channing Frye has earned a role

Shortly after the Cavs acquired Frye from the Magic, many questioned the move and/or Lue’s use of the stretch 4/5. In one stretch, Frye only played 11 minutes over 4 games. While technically the Cavs only gave up two 2nd round picks for Frye, the corresponding move of Anderson Varejao and a 1st Round pick was costly.

Over the last few games, Frye has proven his worth. Much like it was with James Jones last year, when Channing shoots we all (including his teammates now) expect it to go in. Last night, Frye was 4-6 from deep with 14 points. His play allowed Lue to keep Love on the bench.

Since that 4 game stretch with only 11 minutes total, Frye has played very well. He has made 19 of 31 shots from deep, a 61% clip. That includes two games of going 5 – 7 from deep.

Wherever the minutes end up coming from, Frye has earned his time on the court. He can play the 4, a small ball 5 and can pair with Tristan Thompson or Timofey Mozgov well in the frontcourt. A Love/Frye big group could be deadly on offense but struggle on defense.

Either way, Frye has earned a role.

Timofey Mozgov may be losing his role

Mozgov’s season has been close to a disaster. Last night was a microcosm. He had a huge putback dunk but seemed out of it most of the time. Catching the ball on simple passes overwhelms him. He is often a step or two ahead or behind but rarely does he jump on time, shoot on time, cut on time.

In his 13 minutes, he was a game-worst -14 plus minus. That included moving into position to stop Love’s drive to the basket, where Timo fouled Love on his shot attempt. Sadly, even as inept as NBA refs can be, Love didn’t get the foul call.

Mozgov’s lack of confidence is clear. His teammates show very little confidence in him as well. While Timo can still be helpful, at what point does Lue pull the plug on Mozgov?

Kyrie Irving’s explosion is back

When Lue talks about getting up the court fast, Irving is the one who can get it done. Last night, Irving looked like old school Ty Lawson getting the ball up the court. Until he tired a bit late in the game, Irving received the pass and took off down the court. Even if he didn’t get the initial pass, Kyrie didn’t hang back for the ball, he went forward.

Irving has shown his explosiveness returning over the past month but last night was especially impressive. He was non-stop go for his time on the floor. While not perfect, he dove on the floor, got to the rim, put defenders in a blender and played solid defense. He was the only Cavs starter with a positive (+7) plus/minus.

When Irving can go like he did last night, LeBron can sit back a little bit, Love can be sick and Timo can be lost. Against the best teams, the Cavs need a better night from their starters. Against lower level teams, even with Oladipo having a career game, Irving plus bench can equal a win.

Makes Cavs fans wonder about a health Irving (Love would have been nice too) in the NBA Finals last year.

Victor Oladipo had a night, is what we wish Iman Shumpert was

The Cavs passed on ‘Dipo in favor of Anthony Bennett. We all know how that worked out. In all fairness, the Butterfly Effect if we had drafted the Indiana shooting guard would be interesting.

Last night, he showed the Cavs once again they made a mistake. Much like in the NCAA Tournament, where the underdogs give the big boys everything they can handle, Victor was up for this night. He showed off his outside shot, his ability to get to the rim and his defensive abilities.

More from King James Gospel

45 points. 5 rebounds. 3 assists. 3 steals. 2 blocks. 6 – 7 from 3 point range. 16 – 22 from the field.

The Cavs only wish Iman Shumpert would have half the game Oladipo showed last night. Not a slight on Shump but his lack of career development is a little disappointing. Injuries can be blamed a lot but a concern none the less.

Was asked on Twitter whether ‘Dipo was auditioning for a trade to the Cavs. I’m sure many players would love to play on a winner, and yes he would be a great starting 2 guard for us. He is signed through the ’17-18 season and would be a Restricted Free Agent after that. It would take quite a haul, or a 3 team type deal, to get him to Cleveland.

If the Cavs decide to move Kevin Love, getting ‘Dipo somehow would be a way to mitigate the loss of talent. Obviously this would likely be a part of a multi-team deal. Other than that, hard to see the Magic moving on from him easily.

What random thoughts did you have from the Cavs win last night?