Cleveland Cavaliers' Big 3 Finally Clicking and Other Saturday NBA Takeaways
Don't look now, but the Cleveland Cavaliers look like they're gaining steam and heading in the right direction.
They don't have it all figured out yet, but the Big Three of LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving certainly look more comfortable collaborating and filling their respective roles. In Saturday's 109-97 win over the Indiana Pacers, the trio combined for 71 points, 14 assists and 22 rebounds.
Frank Vogel's gritty squad fought back from a 19-point first-quarter deficit to keep things interesting midway through the game, but the Cavs' starting unit presented too much firepower throughout the third quarter and cruised to a decisive triumph.
Most notable among Cleveland's stars was Love, whose play has been intensely scrutinized during the Cavs' slow start this season.
The supremely gifted power forward was confident and aggressive during Cleveland's offensive sets. He made the Pacers pay with some pick-and-pop triples, pump-faked to open up driving lanes and also connected from mid-range. His final line included 28 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals.
"I think Kevin has been doing a great job contributing to what we’re trying to do," coach David Blatt told Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal after the win. "For him and for others, the points will come. I’m not at all concerned about that. I’m concerned about us playing good basketball. … He’ll score his points."
Love's defense has been the brunt of jokes throughout his career, including this year in Cleveland. Against Indiana, he had a strong defensive night, as he was engaged in the post and snagged a couple of steals. Blatt praised the big man's stoppage (via ESPN's Dave McMenamin):
Irving also enjoyed a solid outing, as he struck a nice balance between scoring (9-of-17, 24 points) and facilitating (five assists, one turnover). His forays to the bucket were largely unsuccessful, but he found a slew of mid-range and perimeter jumpers in rhythm.
Kyrie was also the recipient of several King James dimes, including this brilliant no-look pass:
Speaking of LeBron, he got almost anything he wanted against the Pacers, especially with Roy Hibbert sidelined. James finished with 19 points and seven assists in 32 minutes. His mid-range shooting was spotty, but he feasted going to the basket and served as a terrific quarterback for much of the game.
James' decisions and playing style have always been hyper-analyzed and often over-criticized, and this year is no different. Saturday's win was an example of how he can be an aggressive driver and a competent distributor for this Cavs bunch.
And more importantly, it was the latest demonstration of the Big Three's ability to coexist and even flourish together. They're not going to combine for 70-plus points every night, but it's clear that they're relying less on stagnant iso-ball and more on balanced spacing and continuous movement.
During Cleveland's current three-game win steak, David Blatt's boys are averaging 24.3 assists, compared to just 10 turnovers per game. This efficient sharing of the rock has resulted in 109.3 points per game as they overwhelmed their Eastern Conference adversaries.
After such a turbulent start to the Cavaliers' season, everyone wondered when they were going to start looking the part of a top-tier unit. Their miniature win streak, including Saturday's win, was a big step toward finally achieving a contender's style of play.
They're still a few rungs from where they need to be come springtime. For example, Blatt must figure out the optimal bench chemistry and rotation, as evidenced by the bench being outscored 52-16 by the Pacers' heavily used reserves.
Nevertheless, Cavs fans will take the positives, especially when it involves the Big Three clicking.
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Written by Featured Columnist Stephen Babb
MCW's Triple-Double Not Enough for Sixers' First Win
Reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams tallied 18 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists in the Philadelphia 76ers' 110-103 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night, proving his best efforts may not be enough for the Sixers to avoid the worst kind of league history.
The Sixers set a franchise record for the worst start to a season, going 16 games without a win since opening the season with a 103-91 loss to the shorthanded Indiana Pacers on Oct. 29. Should Philadelphia fall to 0-18 after its next two meetings with the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves, the Sixers will tie an all-time worst mark set by the New Jersey Nets in 2009.
Having tied the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers record 26-game losing streak a season ago, the 76ers are starting to make a habit of this whole historic futility thing.
Hornets Struggles Not Over Yet
The Charlotte Hornets don't look like the same team that snagged the No. 8 seed out East last season. They dropped their ninth consecutive game by a pretty telling 105-75 margin to the Atlanta Hawks. There's not much silver lining to a game like that, and head coach Steve Clifford is pointing the finger directly at himself.
"You have to give a professional effort. That was not a professional effort, and that's my responsibility," he told reporters after the game. "Effort night in and night out is always going to be the responsibility of the head coach and the best players. The basic nightly intensity of your team comes down to that, and I'm the person most responsible."
Atlanta led by as many as 44 points in the third quarter, adding insult to the injury of Charlotte's now-dismal 4-14 record.
Maybe the Pelicans Aren't Who We Thought They Were
The New Orleans Pelicans' postseason hopes seem pretty well-founded given the season Anthony Davis is having. But the 21-year-old's 30 points and 13 rebounds weren't enough to avoid an 83-80 loss to the now-10-5 Washington Wizards.
"We're definitely frustrated," Davis told reporters after the game. "We gave away a couple of games we could have won. We have to find a way to get up out of it. We're playing our hearts out."
This marks New Orleans' third consecutive defeat and puts the club at 7-8, dropping it below .500 for the first time since its 1-2 start. There's plenty of time to make strides before the playoff race reaches its final turn, but the Pelicans will have their hands full with both the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings looking to end playoff droughts of their own.
Clippers Returning to Form
Winners of their last four games (and six of their last seven), the Los Angeles Clippers have improved to 11-5 and perhaps they've hit their stride in the process. Blake Griffin's 28 points led the way as head coach Doc Rivers' club bested the Utah Jazz by a final score of 112-96.
Coming off a franchise-record 57 wins, L.A.'s early results have been a bit mixed. Seven of the Clippers' 11 wins have come against sub-.500 teams, and the offense hasn't been as consistently potent as it was a season ago.
The momentum the Clippers are currently building may change that.
Harden, Rockets Keep Rolling
Is anyone carrying a team as single-handedly as James Harden is right now?
Still without starters Dwight Howard, Patrick Beverley and Terrence Jones, the Houston Rockets claimed their 13th win of the young season with a 117-103 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks. Harden handled business in a big way, tallying 34 points, six rebounds, eight assists and four steals, while converting nine of his 14 field-goal attempts (and 12-of-13 attempts from the charity stripe).
Now the league's third-leading scorer (with an average of 25.2 points through 17 games), Harden has kept the Rockets among the Western Conference elite, despite this summer's departures of Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik. Between the new-look supporting cast and early injury trouble, Houston's bearded leader is seriously earning his superstar credentials at the moment.
Quote of the Night
Has LBJ developed an unguardable secret weapon? He may have, per his comments (via McMenamin):
Sometimes it's hard to know if he's joking.
