Running Thoughts - Cavs v. Nuggets
Posted December 19th, 2008 by Michael Curry
Running thoughts from tonight’s game:
- Z will start after being doubtful for tonight. It wil be interesting to see how he’s moving, as the Nuggets have solid, strong big men in Nene and Kenyon Martin.
- And before we begin, what a great game between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers tonight before the Cavalier game, with Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant exchanging big buckets. Bryant’s shot to tie was as far down inside the cylinder as physically possible without going in.
- So far Z has been fantastic, with 7 points as he works down low on Nene. Not sure if he can keep it up all night, but so far he is really making the Nuggets defense pay. And he hits another jumper, this one a 20-footer from the top of the circle, giving him 9 points.
- At the first timeout, the Cavs lead 17-12, and it’s all Zydrunas Ilgauskas, all the time.
- LeBron James then takes over, getting out in transition, where he is the most dangerous player in the league. LeBron is 4-for-4 from the field and has 9 first quarter points. Take that Dwyane and Kobe.
- Delonte West is overhandling a bit, but it seems to be by design. He has 6 points and 3 assist already, so it certainly isn’t a bad thing. Mike Brown obviously likes that matchup.
- ”Wally has been short on his shot for about 3 weeks.” - Hubie Brown I love Hubie Brown, he has the kind of passion for the game at age 75 that still amazes me. He’s certainly not one to shy away from hyperbole, and he’s never seen a timeout that he didn’t love, but he brings contagious enthusiasm every night, and I love it.
- LeBron with a brilliant play to get the hoop and the foul to end the first quarter, give him 14 points in the first as he is just obliterating the Nuggets defense right now. With 37 points in the first quarter, the Cavs have their highest-scoring first period of the season, and they are really clicking right now. At the end of one, the Cavaliers lead 37-21.
- Mo Williams dribbles into the lane, and the ball moves out to a wide-open Sasha Pavlovic, who knocks down the 3. The book on Denver must be that their guards do not defend the dribble well, because the Cavs are doing more of that then they have at any point this season.
- Well Sasha, you get one of those fade-away circus shots a season, and you just got yours.
- The next idea for the LeBron entertainment production company: Z, the story of a Lithuanian assassin with metal feet who comes to America to find love. Starring Jason Statham, with an animated Anderson Varejao as his sidekick.
- And Z keeps it raining, as he’s up to 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting.
- The Nuggets have started getting more aggressive, hacking at the Cavaliers and forcing the officials to call the fouls. So far they’re getting away with it. The Cavs are whining a bit, but so far they’re staying on point. And the officiating is getting worse all the way around, as they blow another call, this one on a ball out of bounds that leads to a Carmelo Anthony 3-ball.
- Any time Mo Williams wants to hit a wide-open 3, it would be appreciated.
- The Nuggets hang around to end the first half, cutting the Cavalier lead to 11, 64-53. Anyone watching this game should realize that the Nuggets are becoming a very good team, and are right there in the top five or six teams in the league. You don’t win easily in their home floor, and the Cavs are going to have to keep playing as well as they have in the first half if they want to win this game.
- Why isn’t Diddy’s vodka commerical in HD?
Second Half:
- The second half starts with a nice LeBron jumper, but then the Cavs offense gets a little confused and it turns into two transition buckets for Denver. The transition defense is the biggest weakness for the Cavaliers right now, and that’s where the Nuggets are at their best. The Cavs have to stay focused. This game is looking very reminiscent of the road loss to the Detroit Pistons earlier this season.
- Z for 3! It’s absolutely a gimmick, but it’s a fun one.
- LeBron is not disciplined at this point in the game. He has let the physical play of the Nuggets get him off rhythm, even as he’s having a great shooting night. He has five turnovers already tonight, after having just two in his last 4 games combined.
- Z with some more points. This has been the most game-planned game of the season, with the Cavaliers having a clear plan on how they want to attack the Nuggets with Z and with a lot of dribbling. Wonder why that’s the case.
- Another missed wide-open 3 for Mo Williams. Then Delonte West picks them up and actually knocks them down, stretching the lead to 18 again.
- Sasha is taking WAY too many jump shots tonight. I would like to see him be more aggressive, but the shots aren’t good right now.
- Anderson Varejao was not going for the ball on the foul that was called a Flagrant 1, so I guess I understand. I don’t agree, but I understand.
- Wally draws a charge with a great defensive rotation. I’m telling you, if he can do that, he’ll extend his career significantly. He can’t defend on the ball, but if he can be part of an effective team defensive scheme, his value is substantially increased.
- The Cavs held the Nuggets to just 12 third quarter points. Part of that was good defense, part of it was the Nuggets just missing a lot of shots. But the end result is that an 11-point lead at the half is now a 19-point lead, and the Cavs are looking pretty good. Cavs lead after three, 84-65.
- As a complete aside, Denver has the fourth-best record in the league at the moment at 17-8. But there are four teams in the West with 17 wins . The Utah Jazz have are 17-11, meaning they have played 28 games. By contrast, the Hornets are 15-7, which means they have played just 22 games. 6 extra games two months into the season seems like an awful lot of disparity in the schedule.
- Z with another 3-pointer, giving him 23 points for the night. Big night for Big Z, and you can see how big an impact he can have offensively.
- LeBron with back-to-back tough mid-range jumpers. Pretty, but not enough movement on the offensive end right now, as the Cavs seem to be trying to wait the Nuggets out. And yes, I’m absolutely nitpicking what is now 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists, with 11 fourth quarter points to help put the Nuggets away. I will say that LeBron was more aggressive on the boards tonight, and his rebound numbers show that.
- And Carmelo Anthony’s night is over after his sixth foul on an offensive push-off. He finishes with 13 points and 5 turnovers. The Nuggets aren’t beating the Cavaliers when Anthony plays like that.
- J.J. Hickson’s name is “Hixson” on the ESPN overlay. Guess that’s rookie respect. So is that block that he just ate.
- And that’s the end. The Cavs were just the better team tonight, and this is a very nice win on the road. These Nuggets have been playing very well of late, and the Cavaliers took them apart. Cavs Win, 105-88.
More to come tomorrow, but that’s it for tonight. In the words of Joe Tait, have a good night everybody.
