Final Score: Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 124-117

The Cleveland Cavaliers started their home-stand on a strong note, as they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 124-117. Lead by LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Jordan Clarkson, the Cavs offense was simply too much for the Bucks to handle.

There have been, and there will be, many books written about LeBron James. But there may not be a book more interesting than the one that explains why he hates the Bucks so much. James was on a mission to demolish the Bucks on Monday night. A rage that was amplified by a staggering number of missed calls by the officials.

That anger was channeled into productivity, as he put up a 40 point, 12 rebound, 10 assist triple double. He set the tone on both ends and was everywhere as he lead the team to a comfortable win over the Bucks.

Game Notes:

• It felt so good to see the Cavs be a force on the offensive boards again. Kevin Love set the tone early on, while LeBron James and Ante Zizic followed suit in crashing the boards. Beyond the obvious glee of seeing Love be assertive immediately, seeing this team realize some of it’s potential on the offensive boards was a breath of fresh air. Add Larry Nance Jr. and Tristan Thompson into the mix, and teams will have a lot of trouble keeping Cleveland off the glass.
• The Cavs were very effective offensively in the first half without getting out and running. Having Love’s spacing in the half-court was a part of that, but it’ll be interesting to see if they start adding pace as they get healthier. While Love isn’t exactly the most swift player, his outlet passes can help push the tempo and he’s a serious threat as a trailer.
• After going 0-3 from deep against the Lakers, Jordan Clarkson has shot 14-31 over the last four games. When he is feeling it from three, it makes the bench lineups far more potent offensively.
• The development from Ante Zizic this season has been truly remarkable. He came into the league with good hands and instincts, but clearly needed time to adjust to the NBA game. With each minute he plays, he seems to gain more confidence. He was a legitimate monster on the boards, creating opportunities for others even if he didn’t gather the rebound himself. In addition to that, he did a great job finding gaps in the defense and creating opportunities for himself with his positioning out of the pick and roll.
• Most importantly: