|
Photo: AP/Jim Mone
In desperate need of a win, the Cavaliers faced a sight for sore eyes in the Minnesota Timberwolves. Cleveland used 48 percent shooting, including 56 percent shooting from three point range, and key contributions from their bench to grab a key road victory and calm some of the nervousness surrounding the team's early struggles.
You're hot and they're cold: The Cavaliers made themselves at home early on in the Target Center when they came out firing a scorching 9-for-15 in the first 8 minutes. Meanwhile, the T-Wolves shot just 3-for-13 in that stretch. The only person who had a good first quarter for Minnesota was rookie PG Johnny Flynn, who blew by Mo Williams on a couple of occasions for 7 first quarter points. Other than that, the Wolves shot just 7-of-21 in the first, while the Cavs raced out to a 52 percent mark (12-of-23). LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 11 first quarter points as the Cavaliers took a seven point lead.
Pavs faces Cavs: Our old friend former Cavalier Sasha "PLAY HARD AS WE CAN" Pavlovic was suited up for the T-Wolves tonight, and he got a chance to guard the man he all too often had to guard in practice all these years, LeBron James. Sasha had some minor success in attacking the basket (and yes, he finished his layups) and finished with 9 points on 4-of-7 shooting, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists in 20 minutes. My colleague J.V. wishes Pavlovic, his former favorite player, all the best with his new team.
Return of "Mo" Time: One of the more disappointing trends in the first two games was the lack of offense from Mo Williams. Tonight, the "Mo-Flo" was back and in full force. Williams used LBJ's customary rest to bring back the attacking, aggressive Mo that thrived in that same spot last season. Mo had 11 of his 20 points on the night in the second quarter, and he shot 6-of-15 tonight, but 3-of-4 from the land of three. Williams had been quite passive in his first two games, but tonight he showed a little more of that looseness and swagger that made him such an effective All-Star-caliber player. Hopefully, Mo recognizes that the early second quarter is STILL his time to score, whether or not Shaq is in the game.
Z adjusting: Mo wasn't the only guy to get back into the swing of things tonight. Big Z had a very effective night down low for the wine and gold. Ilgauskas was quite clearly pressing in finding his role off the bench, but tonight, James found him on several behind-the-back passes for layups or dunks. Z's outside shot hadn't been on yet this year, but he hit a couple of them tonight. In total, the Mighty Lithuanian shot 7-of-14 for his 15 points, adding five rebounds. Z played a key stretch of seven minutes in the third quarter after Shaq was hit with his fourth personal foul just two minutes into the second half. Many people are clamoring for an Ilgauskas trade, but I feel that is far too premature at this point. Sure, if Delonte West remains absent from this team, the O'Neal-Z combo isn't effective, and J.J. Hickson can't stay on the floor, it may be necessary to make a trade to improve the team involving Z, but this team that Ferry's put together in the offseason needs a chance to come together. Thinking about a trade this early is nothing but an overreaction. Z's started for his entire career, so I think he deserves more than three games to figure things out, and if tonight is any indication, he's still got some contributions left to make.
Defensive swagger: A key factor missing thus far has been the steals and defensive hustle that helped characterize the '08-'09 team. Tonight, the Cavalier defense got active into the passing lanes with 11 steals, and the Timberwolves turned it over 17 times in all. Anthony Parker, LeBron, and Boobie Gibson all had three steals each. Everything starts on the defensive end of the floor for the Cavs, because they can survive some sub-par shooting nights and still come out on top if they give their top defensive effort. After giving up two 45+% shooting nights to Boston and Toronto, the Cavaliers held the Wolves to just 42 percent from the field. Al Jefferson, a true star in the making, was held to just 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting, and kudos to Shaquille O'Neal for doing a solid job on Jefferson. The only player who seemed in his element for Minnesota was Flynn, who finished with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, but he had five turnovers and the team was a whopping -23 with him on the court.
Low on Diesel: Speaking of O'Neal, he wasn't heard from too much this evening. Shaq battled foul trouble the entire night as he missed a good chunk of the third quarter after picking up his fourth personal early on. Mr. Witness Protection was just 3-of-6 from the floor with 6 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks in just 19 minutes. The Cavaliers basically won this game by outclassing the Timberwolves, but they also won it by basically using last year's team. Neither O'Neal or Parker played a huge role in this one, and while that's okay for a single game, they need to get these new guys implemented into the new system. The three newcomers combined for just 16 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Shaq looks like he's pressing a bit with his shot, but his presence is profound nonetheless. When he gets the double team, he is improving on finding his new teammates, because Shaq has always been a great passing center. I have no doubt that Shaq will find his niche on this team, and when he does, this team will be a matchup nightmare, but the Cavaliers have to commit to feeding the big man. Also, it would be nice if O'Neal would make his first free throw as a Cavalier (0-for-8 in three games).
Floor Burns: In addition to better defensive discipline, the team also just put forth more flatout effort tonight. For four quarters, the Cavaliers made their presence known, and left no doubt that the T-Wolves were not getting back into this game. The play that signified this best was when Ilgauskas, then Varejao got tips out front then Mo Williams laid all out and threw the ball ahead to Varejao who finished the basket and was fouled. Those type of plays are not only highlight-reel material, but they're key to developing team chemistry and that swagger the team had last year.
A Nice Pair for Boobie: Daniel Gibson appears to back into the swing of things as well after struggling through all of last season with that nagging toe injury. Gibson has had back-to-back four three-ball games, and tonight he was 4-for-8 from three (his only shot attempts) for 14 points, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Boobie may not have a true position out there, but when he's hitting threes, you put LeBron at the point forward and you don't even worry about defined positions. With Mo and Boobie hitting shots (and one of them almost always open on the opposite side) and LeBron with the ball in his hands, the Cavaliers are hard to stop playing small ball.
 goes to: Mo Williams and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Two of the team's big three from last season came up huge in this contest. Williams hit three treys and shot 6-of-15 for his 20 points, 11 coming in the coming second quarter. Mo also had 6 assists and 0 turnovers. Z found his groove off the bench to the tune of 7-of-14 shooting and 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal. These two need to continue to cut out their piece of the pie even as the team tries to definte O'Neal and Parker's roles.
Team Grade: B+
Yes, it was the Timberwolves, one of the worst teams in the league last year, but the W is all that matters, especially a road W. The team shot 48 percent as a cure for what ailed them on the offensive end, and they were active all night on defense. The stat of the night is 35 bench points from the bench that struggled so clearly against Boston earlier this week. Minnesota, however, also had 35 points off the bench. 10-of-18 from behind the arc is a great sign for the team as well. They were one of the best three point shooting teams last year, and they need to continue to knock those open shots that LeBron creates for them down.
The Cavaliers have another back-to-back, and tomorrow night they return to the Q to take on the Charlotte Bobcats.
All for one. One for all.
Kirk
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 