Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Postgame Grades and Analysis
Currently enjoying their best stretch of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers got it done again Wednesday night against LeBron James' former team as they beat the Miami Heat—who were without Dwyane Wade (hamstring)—113-93.
The Cavaliers exploded out of the gate, shooting 70 percent to the tune of 38 first-quarter points. Though Miami found its way back on track in the second period, Cleveland's hot start was ultimately too much for the Heat to handle.
Top-notch play from the Cavs' big men ultimately allowed them to pull away. However, the loss of Kevin Love (eye injury) in the third quarter taints an otherwise brilliant victory.
| LeBron James | A- |
| Kyrie Irving | B- |
| Timofey Mozgov | A+ |
| Tristan Thompson | C |
| Rest of Team | B- |
| Chris Bosh | D+ |
| Hassan Whiteside | A- |
| Luol Deng | B |
| Shabazz Napier | B |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James: A-
Out of the gate, LeBron James was an absolute madman. Breaking down Miami's defensive schemes with ease, the superstar forward carried the team as both a scorer and facilitator. Attacking the rim relentlessly, he both opened up the perimeter for his teammates and found opportunities for himself.
His second-quarter effort paled in comparison, with James' play lacking the ferocity that characterized his opening period. He shot just 2-of-7 and began settling for long jumpers and effortless passes. Expectedly, Cleveland suffered during LeBron's lull.
Both he and the team picked it up in the third quarter, and he finished the game with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. While he never matched the level of production that guided the Cavs through the opening minutes, he was able to accomplish enough in that timespan that it didn't really matter.
Kyrie Irving: B-
On some nights, Kyrie Irving carries the team on his shoulders with a superstar performance that puts him in the best-1-in-the-league discussion. On other nights, he helps the team most by serving as a secondary ball handler to LeBron and a reliable three-point shooter. Tonight, it was definitely the latter.
Three of his five field goals came from long range, with two occurring during the shooting onslaught that was the first quarter.
Finishing with 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting, the night was hardly memorable, though his play didn't hurt the team in any way.
Timofey Mozgov: A+
Timofey Mozgov has come a long way from his days as "the guy who got posterized by Blake Griffin."
Since Mozgov was traded to Cleveland, the team has taken off. His impact was shown in full against Miami, as Mozgov dominated the interior, establishing himself as a premier offensive option in the post.
He was also the team's primary defensive anchor and played a large role in stifling Miami's offense in the opening quarter.
In the end, he notched a game-high 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting in one of his best offensive nights of the season.
Tristan Thompson: A
Tristan Thompson isn't the go-to offensive option that James, Irving and Love are, though he managed to contribute admirably on the scoreboard, leading the team in scoring at the half with 13 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting. He finished the night with 17 points (7-of-8 FG) and nine rebounds.
While the Cavs didn't work the offense through him, Thompson played off his teammates and proved to be a driving factor behind Cleveland's early lead.
He continued his strong play throughout the night, playing well on both ends and providing the team with a spark in the second unit.
Rest of Team: B-
Before exiting the game in the third quarter with an eye injury, Kevin Love offered a solid performance. He was particularly effective in the opening quarter, where he continued his run as one of the league's best first-quarter players. He led Cleveland with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting as he created mismatches with both his floor-stretching aptitude and his ability to post up smaller players.
The only other two impact players were J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, who filled their role-player roles nicely. They shot 4-of-10 (10 points) and 5-of-7 (13 points) respectively despite doing little to stand out.
Miami Heat
Chris Bosh: D+
Chris Bosh may be an All-Star, but his performance against Cleveland was hardly All-Star caliber. The Miami leader struggled to the tune of 15 points on 5-of-17 shooting and just three rebounds. He also had a team-low plus/minus of minus-26.
The Heat desperately needed his services in the opening quarter. His invisibility resulted in the double-digit deficit from which the team never fully recovered. He watched from the bench as Miami made its big second-quarter run and failed to get anything going afterwards as the Cavaliers ran away with the win.
With All-Star weekend nearly here, Bosh would do well to forget Wednesday's atrocious offensive display.
Hassan Whiteside: A-
In the opening quarter, Hassan Whiteside's impact was minor on both ends. He wasn't the post anchor that the team has come to expect and was relatively quiet offensively.
In the second period, however, Whiteside helped spark a 21-7 run as Miami cut a 26-point Cleveland lead down to 11 by the quarter's end. The run occurred immediately after Whiteside's insertion into the lineup, and the emerging big man's presence changed the game's dynamic on both ends. Cleveland found itself struggling to get easy looks inside while Whiteside spearheaded Miami's scoring onslaught from the post.
He was also effective in controlling the glass—particularly on the offensive end, where his activity kept many Heat possessions alive.
Ultimately finishing with 17 points and 14 rebounds, he was Miami's best player and the driving force behind their only quality stretch.
Luol Deng: B
Luol Deng got off to a slow start, doing little to help Miami's struggling first-quarter offense as he logged four early turnovers.
He came alive afterwards, providing the Heat with a lethal perimeter threat who contributed with his long-range scoring and his ability to open up the paint for Miami's guards to drive and its bigs to work. He scored a pair of crucial threes in the squad's second-quarter run and ended with 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
Also noteworthy was his defense in the second quarter, though he couldn't maintain that effort down the stretch. While there was not much middle ground in his night—depending on the quarter, he was either great or a liability—the result was a middling performance in which he struggled to find consistency.
Shabazz Napier: B
Sure, the Heat's current roster couldn't touch last year's with a 10-foot pole. Nonetheless, Miami fans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic. One is the presence of emerging stars like Shabazz Napier, who appear to be talented long-term players capable of carrying Miami through the post-LeBron (and eventually, post-Dwyane Wade) era.
Though Napier has struggled to find consistent court time for a while, he is beginning to emerge as Miami's best option at the point guard position. Perhaps more so than any other contest this season, Napier proved himself as a legitimate starter Wednesday night.
He drove to the rim with veteran confidence, creating scoring opportunities both for himself and his teammates. He picked apart Miami defenses, drawing defenders and kicking to open teammates around the court. He notched eight assists, and while he scored just six points, he offered a glimpse into his potentially bright future.
Rest of Team: C+
Mario Chalmers had 18 points, though it was one of those "wait, he scored 18!?" games rather than a dominant effort that strongly benefited Miami. He shot 6-of-16 and had just three dimes.
The second unit was even more quiet, combining for a mere 20 points and going 7-of-16 from the floor. Worth noting, however, is Udonis Haslem's plus-12; he was the only Miami player to log a positive mark in the column due to his presence on the court during the team's big run.
Up Next
The Cavs have one more contest before the All-Star break. They'll travel to Chicago on Thursday to take on the Bulls in the second half of the back-to-back. Though Chicago has struggled against top-tier teams as of late, the duel still offers a glimpse into a potential Eastern Conference finals matchup.
Afterwards, the team will break for All-Star weekend. LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Matthew Dellavedova will participate in the festivities, with both James and Irving set to appear in the All-Star game. Irving will also be featured in the Three-Point Contest, while Dellavedova will make an appearance in the Rising Stars Challenge as a last-minute injury substitute, per Chris Haynes of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer.
Miami won't play again until February 20, when they host the New York Knicks. During All-Star weekend, only Chris Bosh (All-Star Game) will make an appearance. Dwyane Wade was also selected to play in the big event but will sit out as he recovers from his hamstring injury.
