Final Score: Charlotte Bobcats hold off the Cleveland Cavaliers 90-84

Wow. Breathe in, breathe out. That game certainly did not go as planned. Despite great performances out of Tristan Thompson and C.J. Miles the Cavaliers were just not able to muster enough offense to pull out the victory over Charlotte.

While the defense looked good throughout the night, the Bobcats just came out with more energy and hit enough tough shots to hold off the Cavaliers and ultimately come away with the win. The Cavaliers must now bounce back from this letdown game as they face the Indiana Pacers tomorrow night.

Quick Thoughts:

1. The offense looks incredibly stagnant. The fact this team did not get a lot of time as a complete unit in the preseason ended up showing itself tonight. While it is obvious that this team has a lot of quality pieces, you can tell that there is still a feeling out process as the players try to figure out exactly what their roles are. Speaking of which...
2. While Kyrie had a more efficient game shooting the ball tonight, he really never seemed to be involved consistently enough in the offense. While having Jarrett Jack and Kyrie Irving on the floor at the same time gives the team two very good ball handlers at the same time; Kyrie Irving is not Stephen Curry, he isn't at his best when patrolling around the perimeter looking for spot up shots. Jack and the Cavaliers coaching staff may want to considering allowing Kyrie to initiate the offense more down the stretch of games so that he gets, and stays in a groove when it matters. This is not LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, there isn't a debate on who the closer should be. Kyrie Irving is one of the best crunch time performers in the NBA and needs to be allowed to do his thing.
3. On a way more positive note... Tristan Thompson continues to not make sense. He had 21 and 11 on 6/11 shooting and 9/10 from the free throw line. While he unfortunately was kept off the floor more than the team would have liked due to some questionable foul calls, he made a massive impact again tonight. He hit a few midrange jumpers, and when the defense came out to contest, he would put it on the floor and take it to the net. He had a costly turnover in the closing moments of the game, but with his second fantastic performance of the season, it is starting to look like time to throw out every notion we had of what his ceiling is and sit back and enjoy the ride.
4. C.J. Miles had a great game as well. While he has clearly been the best SF on the team so far this season, I still think his best role is with the second unit. But as of right now, there isn't another SF I want on the court at the end of the game on our roster.
5. Anthony Bennett is having a serious case of rookie nerves. He looked hesitant with ball and when he did decide to make a move it looked forced. I didn't mind the three point attempt he had in transition, but right now he needs to stop settling for a jumper, read the defense and take what they are giving. He needs to understand he doesn't need to go nova to help the team, he just needs to play within the offense and he will find his niche.
6. This is game 2 of the regular season. We are the youngest team in the NBA. These are games we absolutely have to win if we want to be playing in late April, but mistakes need to be made in order for the team to learn from it.