2 sets of studly highlights for Cavs as a group in bashing of the Rockets

The Cleveland Cavaliers are making all of the NBA take notice with their newfound success this season. The Houston Rockets stood in the way of the young and energized Cavalier team both literally and figuratively on Wednesday evening as the Rockets were crushed 124-89 in a game that wasn’t even that close.

When you saw the Rockets only had 39 points four minutes into the third quarter then you know the other team is playing lights out great defense, regardless of the Rockets being severly shorthanded; the Cavaliers seized control from the jump. Cleveland also had 84 points at that point in the game when Houston had 39.

I’ve coached over the years and the game on Wednesday night reminded me of all those summer league games where one middle school group of players is crushing the other team like 50-4. That’s how this Cleveland team is starting to treat the competition this season.

Cleveland has been getting off to fantastic starts these last couple of weeks. In this game they went up 35-16 by the end of the first quarter. The Cavs had already knocked out the Rockets. Game, set and match. At halftime the lead went to 69-38. Having a 30-point lead in the NBA at halftime is pretty rare. If it’s happened in the past, usually the Cavalier teams of the past were on the losing end of that result.

Not this season. This season the Cavs are now 18-12 and cruising at the moment. Evan Mobley, the Wine and Gold’s star rookie big man, was out due to hip soreness, but this team is so deep and playing so well as a team that a loss of a player of Mobley’s stature can be absorbed by others.

I was supposed to come up with one stud and one dud for this game, but the outcome of the game required me to look at the broader scope of things for this team. When the team is up 94-50 at one point, it’s hard to key in on just one stud because everyone on the team is usually contributing. There simply isn’t a dud either with this team playing outstanding team basketball.

Instead, let’s highlight several big moments in the game that are studly in their own way. The Cavaliers game highlights are becoming “Top 10” material on a nightly basis.

The Isaac Okoro dunk into the Bermuda Triangle

Isaac Okoro has been playing some fantastic basketball recently. He scored 20 points in the game on seven-of-nine shooting from the floor. It helps too on that shooting percentage when the shots are dunks at the basket and he’s been doing a lot of that of late.

He and his teammate Jarrett Allen, one of the other Cavalier big men, were having a hoot playing catch at the rim in the game. Instead of Okoro lobbing passes to Allen, it was the reverse. Allen found Okoro streaking along the baseline twice behind the lax Rockets defense and flushed home two buckets.

But the best slam on the night for Okoro was when he took off from the free throw line and polarized three Rockets all trying to crash in at the same time to defend Okoro. It was a thing of beauty. Powerful and to the point. It was a Bermuda Triangle that Okoro flew through to the other side safely this time and left those Houston defenders dazed and confused.

The Jarrett Allen block

Allen blocks a lot of shots. In this game, he had a beauty early on. Houston’s Jae’Sean Tate tried driving down the lane and slamming home a dunk midway through the first quarter. Allen would have none of it as he literally palmed the shot and the ball landed five rows deep into the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd. Tate landed on his backside stunned by the powerful defensive move by Allen.

He had two blocks on the night and is averaging 1.4 for the year. He’s now had 16 games where he’s had at least one-to-two blocks. He’s had four games of three or more blocks already as well. He recently had a string of games, 10 out of 11 games too where he had a double-double in points and rebounds. In this game he had six points to go along with nine rebounds in only 18 minutes of playing time. When your team is up 44 points at one time, it’s nice to be able for the Cavs to give one of their big men the night off late.

Kevin Love goes for 15 points in 15 minutes

Can we all give another round of applause for the old timer on the team in Kevin Love? He has found his game again as the Cavaliers new bench go-to scorer and he has embraced the role like no other. In a limited role of 15 minutes last night, he threw in 15 points, six rebounds and another block. He’s moving with a new sense of purpose out there on the court and it’s fun to watch.

He and his teammate, Ricky Rubio, both of whom once upon a time played hoops together with the Minnesota Timberwolves, looked like a match made in heaven during stretches of the game. In one sequence Rubio and Love played a two-man game against the Rockets team, where both were getting the ball, dishing it back and then cutting through the defense a second time and finally able to draw contact on a shot attempt by Love on a pump fake going up to the rim. These two look like they are playing hoops down on the playground and just enjoying the game on a hot Saturday afternoon in the city.

A shoutout to the kid from Kansas, Dean Wade

With Evan Mobley sidelined, Cleveland went to forward Dean Wade for the start and the hometown hero of St. John, Kansas continued his impressive season with solid defense and he even got into the fun offensive show the team was putting on in the game. Wade finished with a double-double on 16 points and 10 rebounds. He led the team in rebounds for the evening.

Wade had been injured back in late November with a minor leg injury. He had been starting several games prior to that when the Cavaliers were without some other key big men because of their own injuries or from COVID-19 health and safety protocols. His defense was getting recognition at that point and he helped steady the ship when the team needed him.

He showed up again in this game and provided all those things a team needs to win. His defense is some of the best on the team and him adding some offense in the game against the Rockets was an added bonus.

He had been out of the eight or nine-man rotation that Cleveland has been running ever since he returned from his injury, so it was nice to see the Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff give him the green light in the game. Hopefully, this will get Wade some more consistent minutes.

All in all, not a bad night on the court for the Cavaliers. More nights like this, and the one stud and one dud will be more difficult to select, which is never a bad thing.