For once, the score does not actually reflect how close the game was. We're pretty used to seeing the Cavaliers trail by a bunch of points and then close the margin in the fourth quarter to make the game look way closer. This time, however, we actually had a pretty fun, competitive game until the final 6 minutes or so. At that point, the Heat started hitting more shots and the Cavs couldn't hit anything. The lead ballooned and the result is a misleading 16-point final score.
Cavs Leaders: Points: Jamison, 25; Rebounds: Varejao, 11; Assists: Irving, 6
Quick Thoughts:
We need a shooting guard. Badly. With Daniel Gibson and Anthony Parker still hurting, the Cavs had to play Alonzo Gee at SG and it didn't go particularly well. It's not that Gee is that terrible at that spot, it's just that we need him to play elsewhere. When Gee has to play shooting guard, he can't come off the bench to play small forward behind Omri Casspi. It just creates unfortunate mismatches in other places. It makes Luke Harangody and Christian Eyenga play significant minutes. Nobody wants that. Chris Grant better sign a D-Leaguer who can play shooting guard soon.
Prepare yourselves for the least subtle hint of all time.
*COUGH*HEYCHRISGRANTSIGNMANNYHARRISPLEASE *COUGH*
For one night, I missed J.J. Hickson. This isn't a call to get him back or that I regret the Casspi trade, so don't shoot me. All I'm saying is that with Tristan Thompson still out, we missed having another low-post presence. Even if Hickson is terrible, he's way way better than Ryan Hollins or Luke Harangody. This feeling will certainly go away once Tigger gets healthy, but it's apparent that we are missing a big body that isn't the worst basketball player in the league.
We need a competent wing scorer. Without anybody who is truly a threat on the perimeter, it allows a defense to completely focus on Kyrie. Normally, this doesn't really matter because when you try your hardest to stop Ky from scoring, that usually involves double-teaming him. Once you do that, he does a really nice job of finding the open man and making the opponent pay by distributing. In the rare case that a team can effectively defend Irving with their best wing defender, it causes a problem for our offense. This doesn't apply all that often but there are certain guys who are big wing defenders that are also quick enough to mostly stay in front of Irving. The Heat put LeBron on Kyrie in the fourth quarter last night. The Sixers could move Iguodala onto Irving. The Grizzlies could use Tony Allen on Irving. You get the idea. If we had an effective wing scorer, the Cavs could make their opponents pay for moving their best defender onto our point guard and exploit a mismatch elsewhere. Omri Casspi and Alonzo Gee does not get the job done at this point.
Notable Performances:
Kyrie Irving didn't play particularly well. He had trouble getting into the paint and when he did get there, he couldn't finish. His jumper wasn't falling and he turned the ball over too much. That being said, he finished with 16 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds. The 5 turnovers aren't good, but we'll see much better performances from the rookie. When you say? My guess is tonight against the Clippers.
I think I need a new section in my recaps for Anderson Varejao. His performances are not notable in the sense that he does the same thing every night. He goes out there and leads the team in hustle, defense, and rebounding. He grabs double digit boards, is a pest on the offensive glass, and scores some points down low. If he starts raining threes and drops 40 points, that would be notable.
Antawn Jamison doesn't give a shit about proper shooting form. He will take literally any shot and prefers not to be looking at the basket when he does so.
Fear The Sword's Player Of The Game
Alonzo Gee is quickly becoming one of my favorite players. First off, he never stops. You could tell that the Heat announcers had no clue that Gee was a viable NBA player and were constantly shocked at how he hustled on every play. He's got a quick first step and showed off a series of nice moves to get to the basket. If I'm not mistaken, he utilized a pretty spin move to get to the basket on one occasion and a filthy eurostep on another possession. His jumpshot is a work in progress, but he's definitely progressing into a solid player. He's got a prototypical NBA wing body with excellent athleticism. If he were an NBA prospect, I think scouts would be drooling over his potential. He's just 24 years old and