The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to get the bitter taste out of their mouths with a 106-76 win on the road against a perennial Western Conference power in the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Cavs dominated this game from start to finish. They beat the Grizzlies in every facet of the game. Here’s what we learned from the Cavaliers dominating performance in Cavs Vs Grizzlies
1. The Cavs bench could be a strength.
The bench was an area of concern for most of the season last year. It really became an issue in the Finals against Golden State. That was arguably the biggest advantage the Warriors had over the Cavs.
Fortunately that hasn’t been the narrative through the first two games. On Wednesday night the Cavs combined for 50 points off the bench. That number is inflated some because the starters didn’t play most of the 4th quarter, but that doesn’t take away from how effective they were.
Richard Jefferson continues to look impressive off the bench. He contributed 15 points and was 3 for 3 from deep. Jefferson gives the second unit instant scoring which is something they struggled to find last season. Jared Cunningham carried his impressive scoring from the preseason into the game against Memphis. He added 15 points, most of which came in garbage time. However, he did show that he has the speed and athleticism that could work it’s way into the rotation.
The bench looked good in Memphis, and they’ll look even better when Kyrie Irving comes back and Mo Williams is added to the second unit, not to mention Iman Shumpert‘s addition at some point. Not trying to look to far ahead, but the Cavs’ bench could be one of their biggest strengths later on in the season.
2. Kevin Love looked comfortable in the offense two nights in a row.
Love played well again on Wednesday night. He led the team in points (17), rebounds (13), and shot attempts (14). I’m fine with him taking the most shots on the team, especially with Irving out. Cleveland appeared to make a concerted effort to get him involved in the offense early and often. Hopefully that continues to be a focus of the offense.
3. The Cavs can beat a solid team by 30 when LeBron James has an off night shooting.
LeBron didn’t have his best offensive game on Wednesday night. He finished with only 12 points on 4 of 13 shooting. To put that in perspective, Matthew Dellavedova had as many points in almost half the minutes.
While we never like to see LeBron struggle, it’s good to know that Cleveland can still win when he does. He doesn’t have to be the focal point of the offense night in and night out for the Cavs to win games. James has teammates like Love, Jefferson, and Mo Williams that can pick up the scoring for him. The Cavs will try to limit LeBron’s minutes this year and having a supporting cast that can provide consistent scoring will allow them to do that.
4. The Cavs are a bad matchup for the Grizzlies.
There were times in Tuesday’s game in Chicago where the Cavs looked a step to slow. However that wasn’t the case in Memphis. The Cavaliers were able to run the Grizzlies off their home-court with their speed. Cleveland burned Memphis’s defense time and time again in transition. The Cavs speed and ball movement led to open 3’s that the Cavs were able to knock down.
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The Grizzlies are an outstanding defensive team, but you wouldn’t know that from the last three times they faced the Cavaliers. The Cavs now have won the last three games against the Grizzlies with the average scoring margin of over 18 points a game. Cleveland’s ability to rebound, move the ball, and attack in transition have led to the lopsided scores against Memphis.
The Cavs will look to build on this success when they make their home opener Friday night against the Miami Heat. That should be a good matchup.
What did you learn in Cavs Vs Grizzlies last night?