Official Game Thread: Hawks at Cavaliers

[lethalweapon3]

“We plan to go by, ’Donius!’ What do you think, Trae? Kinda catchy, huh?”

 

Eastern Conference Contenders! Boston… Milwaukee… Brooklyn… Philadelphia… Miami… but, don’t forget about Cleveland! The Cavaliers made the big move of this offseason by acquiring Dejounte Murray to balance the backcourt with All-Star Darius Garland. Oh, and you can never count out Toronto…

That’s the story we would have heard, in an alternate universe. Trae Young gets to woo his high-scoring All-Star buddy Donovan Mitchell to Atlanta at the end of June, thanks to Trae’s Hawks parting ways with three young players, three first-rounders and a pair of pick-swaps. Cool story, the NBA punditry would say. But right now, we’re turning our attention toward where Kevin Durant is about to land.

A couple months later, the Cavs give up three firsts, one not even their own, with just one swap, and a disposable veteran contract for one of the league’s premier two-way guards in Murray, and Cleveland PBO Koby Altman would be credited with The Deal of the Century. Trae and Spida will score in bunches, the NBA consensus would concede in conciliatory fashion. But, but, what about backcourt defense? And depth, what with the extra players heading out?

Murray and the defense-challenged Garland, meanwhile, would be heralded as the new best backcourt in the East, a lock to surge the Cavaliers into the Play-In-free upper crust of the NBA East. They’ll vault well past Young and the core of a team that bounced them from the Play-In here at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse this past spring, even with Young’s Hawks now co-led in the scoreboards by Mitchell.

Why were, and are, the reactions to the actual trades of these 26-year-old stars so divergent, at a national scale? As the re-tooled Hawks and Cavs tipoff for the first time in the real universe tonight (7 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM, BS Ohio), I reintroduce to you the all-too-familiar Benefit of the Doubt, generated by a player who no longer suits up here.

Overinflated preseason prognostications are de rigueur in the fashionable NYC and LA basketball markets. Outside of there, and Boston, your reputation as an oft-bungling franchise that, in modern times, can’t ever win The Big One precedes you.

For those of us old enough to recall, San Antonio and Dallas used to look on with scorn as their Texan rival, Houston, was heaped praise for whatever moves they made. Golden State needed something of a seismic effect to shed its decades-long standing as a laughingstock in the deep shadow of the Lakers.

But the moment you break through, and achieve one (1) NBA championship, especially if you overachieved in some manner to get it done, the BOTD is bestowed upon you, and it takes many moons before you can shake it off. Toronto gets it. Milwaukee gets it. Miami never lost it. Cleveland gets it.

Altman wasn’t sure he would ever get to enjoy the warmth of the BOTD aura LeBron James left behind in his wake. Not before a Cavs fanbase that was satisfied with riding out the Sexland portmanteau, with the help of some young promising big men like rookie Evan Mobley, Lauri Markkanen and Jarrett Allen. Cleveland was already satisfied with riding Kevin Love’s contract into the sunset. So, the thinking went, grow the club under the watchful eye of another uncertain commodity, coach JB Bickerstaff, and see what awaits in a couple seasons on the other side of Love’s mega-deal. Maybe keep Altman around, or maybe move on.

Then the 2021-22 season began, with the Cavs getting an unexpected boost from Ricky Rubio. Injuries to Collin Sexton and Rubio put Garland on with elevated usage, and he delivered at an All-Star level. Markkanen seemed to plug the gaping offensive talent hole at small forward. Mobley and Allen put a lid on the defensive rim, and Bickerstaff’s Bucks raced to a 19-12 start. Unexpectedly, the LeBron-less playoff drought looked to be in jeopardy. Here come the BOTDs!

More injuries slowed Cleveland’s roll, the Cavs backsliding to a 25-26 season finish and losses to the Nets and Hawks in the Play-Ins. The response from Altman’s front office this summer was to add more offensive firepower, but with more efficiency, as Bickerstaff fine tunes the defensive approach. Robin Lopez was brought in with the returning Rubio, while Sexton and Markkanen and 2022 first-rounder Ochai Agbaji were the player prices to pay to win the sweepstakes for Mitchell.

The rave reviews looked warranted as Cleveland (+6.7 Net Rating, 3^rd in NBA) sprinted to an 8-1 start to this season. Garland (last 4 games: 35.0 PPG, 56.4 3FG%, 6.8 APG) has overcome an injury and early shooting struggles to get the double-barreled backcourt with Mitchell (early career-highs of 29.9 PPG, 5.8 APG, 40.5 3FG%) blazing. With Mobley and Allen on patrol, opposing offenses know that won’t have a second chance to make a first impression (NBA-lows of 10.8 opponent second-chance points per-48, 43.9 opponent paint points per-48).

But wear-and-tear ate at Bickerstaff’s rotations, beginning amid a West Coast road trip as the Cavs lost their next five games. Without either of Allen or Mitchell available, Garland poured on a career-high 51 points last week, but for naught, unable to close a 24-point deficit as Cleveland fell at home to Taurean Prince’s Timberwolves.

The Cavs have yet to see Rubio (ACL surgery recovery) return to action, and with Markkanen now showing out elsewhere, Bickerstaff is back to plugging the leak at the 3-spot. Caris LeVert (out, sprained ankle) has struggled at both ends of the court, so the Cavs coach is extending Lamar Stevens an opportunity to lock down his non-guaranteed contract with a spot in the starting lineup. The possible absence of Love (questionable, hairline thumb fracture), along with Dean Wade (out, sore knee) and Dylan Windler (out, sprained ankle) keeps the ranks thin behind the starters.

Injuries and illnesses seem to have beset the lion’s share of NBA teams and the Hawks (tied with Cleveland at 10-6) appear to be on the fortunate side, De’Andre Hunter’s questionable status due to illness and Bogi Bogdanovic’s extended recovery the sole blemishes on their pregame availability report. The Cavs righted their listing ship last night by cruising 113-87 past an injury-ravaged Miami team. That second win in Cleveland’s four-game homestand came two days after blowing a 12-point third-quarter lead, only to outlast the LaMelo-less Hornets 132-122 in double-OT.

Mitchell’s booms at postseason time factor into his higher expectations with Cleveland, relative to Murray. But the busts, by Donovan and his former team, should be considerations, too. Beyond BOTD, a better rationale for the louder hype around Cleveland’s enhancements is that there is a higher ceiling associated with Mobley and Allen than there is around Clint Capela and a currently out-of-sync John Collins. As an extension, there is room for Bickerstaff’s strategies and rotations to evolve, relative to Atlanta’s venerated head coach.

If Hunter is unable to go, Nate McMillan will rely more on rookie hero AJ Griffin (1-for-6 3FGs, but 8 of his 17 points in OT), who was stuntin’ like his daddy used to during overtime of Saturday’s wild finish in the 124-122 win against Toronto. Justin Holiday may get the veteran’s nod in the starting unit, but he has rarely been more effective on the defensive end than Griffin. If so, not enough to make up for Holiday’s 38.4 percent shooting from the field.

Young and Murray may be able to freely get over, around and past Mitchell, Garland and whatever help defenders come their way. When they find space, their interior floaters and jumpers need to be on-point tonight, lest the Cavs seize ample defensive boards and grind the game to a crawl with low-tempo clock and possession control.

Cleveland and Atlanta both have reasons to celebrate their teams’ biggest offseason moves. Although the scale of the reactions from the NBA world is markedly uneven, thanks largely to BOTD, the Hawks and Cavs can share equal joy that they stuck it to the Knicks. You’ll settle for Jalen Brunson and like it, New York.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

It's thumbs sideways for Love.

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Justin Time, for the Holidays?

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

3 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Knowing Nate, he'll start JHol to keep AJ in his bench role.

Just saying !

[terrell]

2 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Just saying !

If Jholiday starts, I hope he's hot because he aint afraid to let it fly.... lol

He can be so up and down.. Maybe this is an up day....................

[hylndr11]

oh lort dre

[benhillboy]

I surely didn’t think the Cavs were 8-game win streak out-the-gate good, but they fall somewhere between there and their recent 5 game slide.  I’m quite surprised Garland and Mitchell aren’t stepping on each others toes as the latter has an offensive rating far above his career norm.  They both benefit greatly on the other end with Mobley and Allen obviously (Love quietly an improved team defender).  But I’m anxious to see this Dean Wade kid, metrics on swole.

Edited November 21, 2022 by benhillboy

[marco102]

He always lights up the Hawks.

[JayBirdHawk]

4 minutes ago, benhillboy said:

But I’m anxious to see this Dean Wade kid, metrics on swole.

He's out!

[JayBirdHawk]

 OK Nate 

 

 

 

[terrell]

9 minutes ago, marco102 said:

He always lights up the Hawks.

That's why he's coming back tonight.. lol

[JayBirdHawk]

Well well well, Oh Look....it's the Rook!

 

 

[Dnice]

Love got aroused to see  Atlanta come in.

22 pts and about 42 % of 3s.

[Dnice]

Hawks already losing control. 

[terrell]

Garland going for 100... smh. 

[marco102]

43 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Well well well, Oh Look....it's the Rook!

 

 

Yeah, it's like Nate will play whoever is contributing to winning.

[Guest]

Getting ready to give up another opening 30+ point quarter.  Gotta' start out with a better plan/execution.  Damn...

[MaceCase]

A-Ho mushed him

[terrell]

Whats up with Trae missing FT's?

[terrell]

Murray needs to start playing like a true #2 if he wants a max from us....

He hasnt been very good lately...

Good to see JC shoot it with confidence..

We miss Dre tonight.. Cant hide Trae as well....