At the end of halftime, Coach David Blatt had an interesting comment about Kevin Love: “Kevin is physically in the best shape of his career. ”
That was statement proven true on Friday night as the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Miami Heat 102-92 in their opening game at the Quicken Loans Arena. K-Love beasted the boards as well as knocking down threes and threading precision passes. As a whole, the team played very well and distributed the ball brilliantly.
Here are three things that you can take away from the Cavs after this game.
1. Kevin Love is back and better than ever.
K-Love put up a double-double with 24 points, 14 boards, and added 5 assists and a blocked shot.
Kevin looks comfortable in the Cavs offense this season and looks much more at ease with LeBron by his side. He talked about leadership in an interview, and he mentioned learning how to become a good follower before he could become a leader. Love spent last season becoming a good follower, now he has arrived as one of the leaders.
It looks as though he finally fits in with the guys around him, and is poised to make a big impact on the Cavs this season.
2. LeBron’s back looks really good.
And when I say good I mean REALLY good. The Heat had no answer for LeBron James in the game, as LBJ went for 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. LeBron also looked like his old self as he shot 68% from the field. He bullied the Heat back and forth, over and over, post ups, floaters, hook shots, and layups, LeBron had the whole package tonight.
He said before the game he wants to play all 82 games. If that is the case, LeBron needs to be careful with his minutes and stay fresh for the playoffs. Needless to say, LeBron’s back looked great and he did a lot to squelch the rumors about his injury.
3. Matthew Dellavedova played a stunning game.
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While making plays he does not normally make. He showed a real technique and coolness with his passing game, racking in 10 assists and hustling everywhere on the court. Delly was a real spark plug for the Cavs off of the bench, and hit Tristan Thompson on three different alley-oops that were finished with monster jams. If Delly continues to play at such a high level, he could be a huge piece for the Cavs moving forward.
It was a great game on Friday night for the boys in the Wine and Gold. A great team win, that showed some of the true colors of the team.
Not only do the Cavs look eerily like the 13’14 Heat, they also look like a team without two of their best players. With Kyrie and Shump back from injury later in the season, the Cavs will be even better than they are now.
The team from Cleveland is in hot pursuit of that ever elusive title, and this season the Cleveland Cavaliers have a very legitimate shot at winning it.
What did you learn from last night’s Cavs Vs Heat?