Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Miami Heat had already beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers twice this season, but the Cavs had not lost at home since January 7, and that trend continued as they evened the season series with Thursday's 114-88 romp.
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving gave the visitors too much to handle, even with a modest 23 points apiece. Solid efforts from Hassan Whiteside and Luol Deng could not sustain the Heat.
The Cavaliers pushed their home win streak to 17 games despite having Kevin Love (back) rooted to the bench. The Heat suffered a gut punch in the second quarter when Dwyane Wade sustained a left knee bruise and exited the game—he did not return.
Here are grades for all key players from what devolved into a second-half blowout.
| Kyrie Irving | A- |
| LeBron James | A- |
| Iman Shumpert | A- |
| Timofey Mozgov | B |
| J.R. Smith | B |
| Rest of Team | B |
| Dwyane Wade | Incomplete |
| Luol Deng | B+ |
| Hassan Whiteside | B+ |
| Tyler Johnson | B |
| Goran Dragic | B- |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James, Power Forward
With a first-quarter jump hook in the lane, LeBron James passed Patrick Ewing for 20th place on the all-time scoring list. Ewing played 1,183 career games; Thursday was LeBron's 907th. On deck at Nos. 19 and 18 are logo silhouette Jerry West and Spike Lee nemesis Reggie Miller.
James looked to be in full control for much of the game, rising above his competition without seeming to break a sweat (even without a headband). He got to 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting and flirted with a triple-double on eight boards and a team-high seven assists.
He also blocked a game-high three shots, which he'll probably razz his friend "Mozzie" (aka Timofey Mozgov) about.
Before the game, LeBron discussed the possibility of playing Wade and the Heat in the first round of the playoffs, telling the Associated Press, via NBC Sports: "Just to go against a champion, a competitor like himself and that franchise. Obviously I'm not there yet, but I am kind of in playoff mentality."
But with the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics nipping at them, the Heat have a lot of work to do to secure even the No. 8 seed, let alone No. 7 to likely face the Cavs.
Grade: A-
Kyrie Irving, Point Guard
Kyrie Irving played through an illness Thursday. He also weathered a tongue-lashing from LeBron at the end of the first half, which could have had something to do with Irving's missed step-back jumper with 26 seconds remaining.
And yet, Irving played a whale of a game on its own merit, let alone considering that he was ill. He produced stats on both ends of the floor, tying LeBron as top scorer with 23 on 8-of-17 shooting. While his five dimes came along with four turnovers, he atoned by pilfering four steals. The Cavs generated 12 steals altogether, which account for three-fourths of the Heat's turnovers.
Grade: A-
Timofey Mozgov, Center
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a—Mozgov! When a lob goes up for the stout Russian center, look out below.
While logging a relatively quiet 23 minutes and getting swooped on by Whiteside a couple of times, Mozgov put up a useful outing of seven points, eight boards and a block.
It's a shame the alley-oop was only worth two points.
Grade: B
J.R. Smith, Shooting Guard
On an evening when he didn't have his deft shooting touch working, Smith still managed to make contributions in other areas. While missing eight of his 12 shots and seven of his 10 three-point tries, Smith also delivered four assists and two blocks.
He's flourished since arriving in Cleveland from the New York Knicks, but tonight, it was a different ex-Knicks' turn to share the spotlight with LeBron and Kyrie.
Grade: B
Iman Shumpert, Small Forward
Iman Shumpert beat the buzzer in the first quarter for his second field goal of the game. Then he dropped nine points in a breakout second quarter, a considerable outburst for a guy averaging 7.7 points per game on the season and just 6.5 per game in 32 contests as a member of the Cavaliers.
The reliable wing defender with the towering flattop, known as "Shump" to many, had his best game with the Cavaliers with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He also snatched four steals, both stripping dribblers and intercepting passes like a free safety.
Grade: A-
Rest of Team
Tristan Thompson owned the boards. No mortgage—he just plunked down cash and owned them. In 29 minutes, Thompson ripped down a game-high 15 rebounds, seven more than any other player. He personally account for five offensive boards, while the Heat managed eight as a team.
Thompson also added eight points and a block. He got half those points on a couple of lobs, and one of them put an exclamation point on top of Birdman's head like a mohawk.
Matthew Dellavedova found a rhythm from downtown during the fourth quarter. He scored 14 points with the help of four treys in the fourth quarter. However, two of them came during the final minute with the Cavs up by 20.
Ex-Heat perimeter shooter James Jones started for the Cavs thanks to his LeBron James-insider status. He connected on one three-pointer but missed his other four shots.
Grade: B
Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade, Shooting Guard
Wade had fluid drained from his left knee over the weekend, but that did not seem to be a concern for coach Erik Spoelstra. However, he was dealing with a flu bug, something that's affected Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen recently.
Well, now the knee is a concern once again.
Wade crumpled to the floor during the second quarter in Cleveland and remained down for an entire possession. His right leg slipped on the floor and caused him to splay awkwardly, bending his left knee under him. Then Wade hobbled off to the locker room, and he was declared out for the game at halftime.
Wade ended with seven points and three turnovers in 13 minutes. With Chris Bosh (blood clot) done for the season, the Heat cannot afford to lose Wade for any stretch of games as they battle for a playoff spot.
Grade: Incomplete
Goran Dragic, Point Guard
Even though he had his assist game clicking, Goran Dragic struggled to provide the offense his team so desperately needed with Wade sidelined for the entire second half.
In his 33 minutes, Dragic went for 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting. He delivered seven dimes, but the Heat needed scorin' Goran, and he didn't show up in Wade's absence.
Grade: B-
Hassan Whiteside, Center
Whiteside continued his assault on the NBA with a pterodactylesque wingspan and frightening efficiency from the floor. He converted eight field goals from 11 attempts for his 17 points and eight boards.
And this is a guy who got 10 stitches in his hand just over a week ago. Despite wincing in pain, he seemed to forget about his hand when in midair, because he dunked directly on that hand more than once.
Foul trouble limited Whiteside's play slightly, but he's back to playing with a high level of confidence after the hand injury held him out of three games.
Grade: A-
Luol Deng, Small Forward
Deng put in work, but he just didn't get the support from the short-handed rotation. He equaled Whiteside's team-high 17 points and eight rebounds, and he logged nearly 37 minutes on the floor with the rest of the rotation all over the place.
Deng has also been dealing with a knee issue that kept him out of Tuesday's 95-81 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. With the injuries mounting for Miami, they'll be hopeful that Deng's knee can withstand such a workload.
Grade: B+
Tyler Johnson, Shooting Guard
Tyler Johnson did not get drafted out of Fresno State, but he caught on with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. Now he's playing big minutes in an April game with his team fighting for a playoff berth.
Johnson exhibited flashes of skill in numerous areas, scoring 11 points, dishing three assists and grabbing two steals in his 26 minutes. It's a great success story for a young man who looks like he's anticipating buying his first razor.
Grade: B
Rest of Team
Henry Walker started the game and recorded two steals, one three-pointer, one block and one assist before four fouls sent him to the bench.
Mario Chalmers tied Dragic on seven assists, but he also kicked away four turnovers to "lead" the team. Chalmers seemed to be facilitating other players, and he came up with six points and two steals as well.
One of those "Rio" facilitated was rookie James Ennis, who scored a dozen points in his 28 minutes off the bench. He got to the foul line and hit all five of his attempts.
Andersen has been usurped by Whiteside again, and he chipped in two points and three boards in bench duty. Michael Beasley missed four times on five attempts—sometimes it just "Beas" that way.
Grade: C+
Coming Up Next
The loss drops the Heat into eight place with an identical 34-41 record to the ninth-place Celtics.
Up next, the Heat face a back-to-back on the road against the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers starting Saturday. They return home for a make-or-break four game homestand against the Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic. Then they finish the regular season with a visit to the Philadelphia 76ers on April 15.
The Cavs have full control of the second seed, and they host the Chicago Bulls on Sunday and then visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. Only four games remain following that: a home-and-home against the Boston Celtics, then they host the Pistons and Washington Wizards to finish up.
