Monday NBA Roundup: Cavs vs. Wizards Has Potential to Be Epic Playoff Series
It's far too early to know which matchup we'll get in the Eastern Conference Finals, but after watching the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards slug it out during an instant classic on Monday, we know which one we want.
Cleveland prevailed in overtime, notching a thrilling 140-135 win behind 32 points and a career-high 17 assists from LeBron James, who capped a breathtaking fourth-quarter sequence with a banked-in fallaway three to improbably force overtime.
Kevin Love, who fired the full-court setup to James on that fateful play, pumped in 39 points and grabbed a dozen boards amid reports from Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that James was pushing the Cavs to trade for Carmelo Anthony—even if it meant losing Love.
No surprise the Cavs downplayed the possibility of moving Monday's leading scorer:
James was more forthright in his dismissal of the idea:
The Wizards got 41 points and eight assists from Bradley Beal, and John Wall provided 22 points, 12 assists and four rebounds in the team's first home loss since Dec. 6. During that two-month span, Washington morphed from a lottery lock to the hottest team in the league, climbing into the upper reaches of the battle for home-court advantage in the East.
This was a contest defined by highlights, and James' remarkable game-saver came after a series of made shots in the final period—each of which felt like a dagger.
James countered Wall's off-the-dribble jumpers and driving layups with three straight threes down the stretch (banker not included), and whenever Beal added to his total, Cleveland had an answer.
No assessment of the contest would be complete without a nod to the layup James missed before hitting his incredible game-tying trey:
Nobody likes "that was a travel" comments from the peanut gallery...but that was a travel. Though any assertion the missed gimme was a form of karma loses steam in light of LeBron's heroic heave on Cleveland's next play.
If there's a Basketball God, he was fine with the walk. Obviously.
We've gone overboard on the highlights, but we need more because Cleveland's most remarkable feats may have come after that terrific fourth quarter, when (are you sure you're ready for this?) James fouled out.
In the extra frame, Kyrie Irving traded buckets with Beal and Wall, ultimately nailing the decisive shot from a location that will cause digestive issues in Golden State Warriors fans.
We can't count on individual heroism and unparalleled shot-making drama during a hypothetical (fingers crossed) postseason meeting between these two teams. But there's more to this pairing. There are matchups that inherently lend themselves to intrigue and beg for back-and-forth counters.
Washington targeted Irving relentlessly on defense, forcing him into pick-and-roll coverage and working him in isolation.
It's difficult to imagine a tougher assignment for a suspect point guard defender than Wall, who ruthlessly capitalizes on every mistimed opponent's blink with rocket-fueled takeoffs around screens, full-court transition sprints and devilishly clever half-court deception in the lane.
Irving had his hands full, got exposed several times...and then got it all back with his own unstoppable late-game offense.
In response, Cleveland attacked Otto Porter in the pick-and-roll game and took advantage of Kyle Korver's spacing by seeking out Tristan Thompson on drives to the open lane.
These are precisely the kind of tit-for-tat exchanges that make for iconic postseason series.
That's not to say the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors couldn't harass the Cavs a little, maybe even make them sweat. But what are the odds either of those matchups produce reactions like this?
This face-clutching disbelief is what we need—especially after two straight postseasons of the Cavaliers cruising through their half of the playoff bracket.
"We know which team we have to chase in the East," Wall told reporters before the game.
Here's hoping they catch them—preferably sometime in late May.
You Did It to Yourselves, Mavericks
With talent like his, Nikola Jokic would have reached this point eventually. But as Jokic was helping his Denver Nuggets to a 110-87 win over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Monday, it was hard to avoid wondering whether the Mavs were indirectly the authors of their own destruction.
After all, they're kind of responsible for creating this monster.
Jokic permanently joined Denver's starting lineup after the Nuggets fell to Dallas on Dec. 12. The first-unit shakeup has worked out well for the Nugs, who moved a game-and-a-half ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers (and three full games ahead of Dallas) for the No. 8 spot in the West with the victory.
Jokic scored 13 points and had nine assists in 24 minutes of the blowout, and as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post explained during his recent report on the center's star turn, the Nuggets got their new cornerstone in the best way possible: "They didn’t even have to sweat out using a high first-round pick for him, hoping that kind of pick 'hits.' Nope. A ton of scouting, a dash of faith, and a little bit of luck have put the organization on the doorstep of watching a second-round pick become the face of the franchise."
In games that face (and the rest of him) have played , the Nuggets are 13-9 since Dec. 15, with Jokic averaging 20.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists on 62.1 percent shooting. Denver has been 7.3 points per 100 possessions better than its opponents with him on the floor in that span.
This is partly because he's talented, but also partly because he is a basketball philosopher without equal.
Marc Gasol's reign as the best passing big man in the NBA is finished, and though Jokic's suspect defense makes him something of a one-way threat at this juncture, there's no denying his net-positive impact. And let's not forget to price in some natural improvement for a guy who turns 22 in a couple of weeks.
Dude's nearly a whole year younger than Joel Embiid.
Dallas has made a real push toward that eighth playoff seed since getting healthy and turning the point guard gig over to Seth Curry. But Jokic and this new version of the Nuggets, whom the Mavs kind of helped create, don't look ready to relinquish that spot.
Things Could Be Going Better for the Knicks
With the Los Angeles Lakers—a team boasting a tidy 5-23 road record—in town, the New York Knicks were sure to take care of business. Maybe they'd even win handily enough to quiet the incessant chatter about lack of commitment and impending personnel moves.
Let's check in on that, shall we?
Oh. Oh no.
There's no way that lead held up. The Knicks have more pride than that, right?
The Knicks have lost six of their last seven games and have been in disarray for weeks.
If this isn't a mess, it'll do until the mess gets here.
Kyle Lowry Is Doing What He Can
You can't lay the Raptors' recent 3-8 stretch—which they improved to 4-8 by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 118-109 on Monday—at the feet of Kyle Lowry.
And while we're on the subject of body parts that cannot be questioned, how about Lowry's trusty right arm? You know, the one he's used to set the Raptors franchise record for made triples:
Take a seat, Morris Peterson. Lowry rendered your 801 career treys in Toronto obsolete with his 5-of-8 night from distance.
Over the last dozen games, Lowry averaged 25.8 points, 6.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds while posting just one of three positive plus-minus figures among Toronto players. (Patrick Patterson and Jonas Valanciunas are the other two.) But Patterson has been out while dealing with injuries, and Valanciunas spends plenty of fourth quarters resting. He logged an average of 12 fewer minutes per night than Lowry during the stretch in question.
Wall has been more spectacular of late, and Isaiah Thomas is on another planet with his fourth-quarter scoring. But let's not omit Lowry whenever diving into that "best guard in the East" debate.
Can I Interest You in Basketball Ambrosia?
The Utah Jazz smashed the Atlanta Hawks by a final of 120-95, completing a season series sweep with a second blowout. But the score is insignificant here.
What matters is a Jazz offense that has tended to sputter and spin its wheels (while impressively still ranking 10th in the league) tapping into some kind of altered state to produce the evening's most intoxicating set.
Do not speak to me of the missed shot. It is inconsequential.
Rudy Gobert liked it, and that's good enough for all of us.
If the Jazz juice up their attack like this more often and sustain their No. 3 rating on D, we've got a real powerhouse on our hands.
And if all we get is this one little hit of sweet, sweet passing nectar, well...that's fine, too.
It's Kickstarter Time
Maybe Pat Riley will get out ahead of this, but just in case the Miami Heat's team president is worried about other issues, let's put together a crowdfunded coalition to build a monument for Erik Spoelstra on South Beach.
He's earned it.
Because the Heat, once 11-30 on the season, didn't just win their 11th straight game via a 115-113 final score against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. They did it playing a roster whose inexperience and unheralded pedigree cannot be overstated.
Sure, Dion Waiters has been a delightful reclamation project. And Goran Dragic, who scored 33 points and handed out nine assists against the Wolves, has quietly been even better than his backcourt buddy. But when the Heat are extending double-digit winning streaks on the road with genuine NBA flotsam, you've got to credit the coach and the system in place.
So anyway, I'm thinking granite for the statue, but I'm willing to listen on quartz. Let's make this happen.
Not Today, Father Time
Vince Carter had four blocks in 24 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs. And no, the year is not 1999.
At 40, Carter’s continued effectiveness and bursts of athleticism are difficult to comprehend. It’s like he’s got some magic elixir. Or a deal with a certain proprietor of the underworld.
Or maybe he still works ridiculously hard.
Yeah, seems like that’s it.
Never stop, Vinsanity.
The Greatest Show on Hardwood
This'll sound like a strange pitch, but you need to be watching every Sacramento Kings game—if only for the sheer unpredictability.
This rough chronological recap should help you understand why:
The Chicago Bulls arrive to face a Kings team that lost to the lowly Phoenix Suns and beat the superhuman Golden State Warriors in its last two games. Jimmy Butler doesn't play. This game is already impossible to forecast.
The home fans boo with about seven minutes remaining in the third quarter as the Bulls build their lead to 27 points over the next few minutes.
DeMarcus Cousins and Matt Barnes both make physical contact with Bulls assistant Jim Boylen in a heated fracas.
After an incredible run, the Kings tie the game on a fantastic and-1 finish by Cousins with 30.8 seconds left.
Boogie misses the go-ahead free throw, after which Dwyane Wade drills a jumper to go up by two with 13 ticks remaining. Wade then steals an inbounds pass and streaks for a dunk to make it a four-point lead.
Cousins loses his cool and picks up his second tech of the game with 1.1 seconds remaining, giving him 16 on the season, which will trigger an automatic one-game suspension. Worse still, Cousins will now be subject to suspension for every two technicals he incurs for the rest of the season. That’s a big deal for a Kings team gunning for a playoff spot.
Got all that?
Takeaway: The Kings are never, ever boring.
Monday's NBA Scores
- Los Angeles Lakers 121, New York Knicks 107
- Indiana Pacers 93, Oklahoma City Thunder 90
- Cleveland Cavaliers 140, Washington Wizards 135 (OT)
- Detroit Pistons 113, Philadelphia 76ers 96
- New Orleans Pelicans 111, Phoenix Suns 106
- Miami Heat 115, Minnesota Timberwolves 113
- Toronto Raptors 118, Los Angeles Clippers 109
- Utah Jazz 120, Atlanta Hawks 95
- Denver Nuggets 110, Dallas Mavericks 87
- Memphis Grizzlies 89, San Antonio Spurs 74
- Chicago Bulls 112, Sacramento Kings 107
Follow Grant on Twitter @gt_hughes and Facebook.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated. Accurate through games played Monday.
