Cleveland Cavaliers Preseason: What we learned vs the Indiana Pacers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are still looking for their first preseason win after losing to the Indiana Pacers 106-102 on Friday night.

Cleveland started out fast and got out to a 20 point lead midway through the second quarter. But just like their first preseason game on Wednesday, the reserves couldn’t hold onto the lead for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The starters looked impressive in the two and a half quarters they played. Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade stole the show again on Friday night. Rose looked excellent in the 14 minutes he played finishing with 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting, including 2 three-pointers. He ended the game as a +17 for Cleveland. Wade led the team in scoring putting up 20 points on 10 of 14 shooting. Starting Jae Crowder continues to look like the right call as he finished up with 17 points, 2 assists, and 6 boards.

• LeBron James is taking the cautious approach with his ankle. James sat out Friday night after spraining his left ankle on September 27th. James participated in practice on Thursday, but he still isn’t expected to play in the Cavs next preseason game on Sunday afternoon. Considering all the new faces the Cavs have added, I would expect him to play at least one preseason game. However, it’s always best to err on the side of caution when it comes to James’s health.

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• Rose continues to impress. One of the biggest themes throughout training camp is the resurgence of Rose. Seemingly all of the Cavaliers’ players and coaches have talked about just how explosive Rose has looked in training camp. They weren’t lying. Rose has looked like his former all-star self through the first two preseason games. The former MVP was getting to the basket with ease on Friday night. He has taken advantage of the wide driving lanes that the Cavs’ three-point shooters are providing. What’s most encouraging about Rose’s driving is his ability to pass out of it. He isn’t necessarily looking to score every time he drives, which forces the defense to choose to protect the rim or guard the three-point line. Rose has shown flashes of brilliance, but his usefulness in Cleveland will be predicated on how he plays with LeBron. James dominates the ball and Rose needs the ball in his hands to be effective. He has never been a great off-ball scoring option. Rose’s ability to adjust to playing alongside James will determine just how good he will be in Cleveland. It looks like we’ll have to wait until Tuesday to see those two on the court together for the first time.

• Wade can still finish above the rim. Last April we saw Wade miss a breakaway dunk in a playoff matchup against the Celtics. That guy looks a lot different than the one we saw on Friday night. He turned back the clock by completing a couple vintage Wade dunks. The most impressive of which was a reverse dunk between two defenders. Hopefully, we get to see a couple more dunks like this from Father Prime.

•  The offense is running through Kevin Love. Love struggled shooting in the two and a half quarters he played. He finished with just 9 points on 4 of 12 shooting. His biggest impact on the offensive end came through play-making as he finished with a team-high 5 assists. Cleveland is running their offense more through Love in the high-post than they ever have. This allows him to survey the floor and either attack the basket or find the open man. Love found the open man more often than not on Friday night. The most under-utilized aspect of Love’s game the past three seasons has been his excellent passing. The Cavs seem to be making a concerted effort to change that.

• Other notes: Iman Shumpert and Cedi Osman also missed the game due to injury. Neither injury appears to be too serious at this point. Playing with pace has been a point of emphasis throughout the preseason. The Cavs’ offense is playing at a much faster tempo than it has in recent years. Jae Crowder continues to shine. The spacing he provides the starters is incredible. Crowder and Love’s ability to knock down 3’s is arguably the biggest factor to why Rose and Wade are playing so well. The spacing they open up by forcing both of the other team’s bigs to guard the perimeter is invaluable.

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The Cavs will look to get their first road preseason win on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Washington to take on the Wizards.