The Sky is Always Falling in Cleveland



It’s been a weird week to be a Cavaliers fan.



Why?



Oh, I don’t know…



It took only nine games for the Cavaliers’ to hold a players only meeting. Cavaliers fans on Twitter won’t stop talking about how Dion probably punched Kyrie in aforementioned meeting and that is why Kyrie now has a nasal fracture that was originally not detected by a x-ray. Kyrie seems to think the new SportsVU Player Tracking Cameras are counting dribbles and he’s trying to set the high score. The national media won’t stop shitting on the Cavaliers’ recent draft picks and for some reason there is some sort of misconception that Harrison Barnes is primed to be a superstar. Dion Waiters, who Cavaliers fans already didn’t like, may or may not be pulling a Peyton Hillis and faking sick. Earl Clark is starting to log decent minutes at the 4 despite Mike Brown saying before the season that he saw him strictly at the 3, which wouldn’t be so bad except that it is fairly indicative of how chaotic the rotation currently is. Oh and we still don’t really have a 3, unless “3” is some new term for the 3 point guard offense that won us the game Saturday night. Yes, undrafted rookie, Matthew Dellavedova, has played more of a role in any of the Cavaliers’ victories than #1 overall pick Anthony Bennett. That same #1 overall pick recently had to resort to dunking a ball after the final whistle of a game in order to remind himself what it looks like when a basketball that has recently touched his hands goes through a hoop. That sad reminder of how much of an early disappointment he’s been came at the end of what was such a horrendous drubbing at the hands of the Timberwolves that I woke up with bruises all over my body the next day just from watching. That same team then suffered its first home loss of the season against the Bobcats. Losing to the Bobcats suck as bad as well…



LOSING TO THE FUCKING BOBCATS.



And we’ve already done it twice. I don’t care if they’re a respectable 5-5. They’re a joke of a franchise and yet for some unknown reason they always play the Cavaliers well. I cannot wait for Hugo the Hornet to make his comeback in Charlotte. That bobcat is a curse.



Somewhere in middle of this whole mess there was a loss to the Bulls where the Cavaliers flirted with the idea of beating them, but then ultimately decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Kyrie and Potato Head got into some sort of argument during the 1st quarter of that affair, proving once and for all Kyrie is immature, isn’t a leader, and needs to be traded because he is going to inevitably leave us because blah blah blah blah blah…shut up.



So here we are.



4-7.



Somehow that record in the East amounts to being only half a game out of a playoff spot. Despite all the confusion, the uncharacteristically bad shooting from Jack and Kyrie, the fact that our starting center can only play every other game, the lack of a legitimate NBA starting small forward, the coach openly admitting he spent most of training camp focusing on the defense and didn’t install an offense, the fact that the Cavs have played a ton of road games, and a whole lot more, the Cavaliers are still only half a game out of a playoff spot and will continue to get better.



So please just calm down. It’s a long season.



=)



My 5 Favorite Plays from the win against the Wizards





1.) This screen that Dellavedova puts on Bradley Beal in order to spring Kyrie in transition for an open three makes me laugh and laugh. It is such a savvy play by our 2nd Australian point guard. Speaking of which, we have two Canadian power forwards and two Australian born point guards, when are we getting a second Brazilian PF/C? Anyways, this play came in overtime, was huge, and I don’t have much more to say about it.





2.) This play is great for two reasons: 1: Jarret Jack doesn’t shoot the ball. 2: Andy/Kyrie two man game! I’ve been ragging on the Cavaliers for not doing more Andy/Kyrie action and they don’t seem to be listening, but I’m still going to keep screaming about it. It is so pretty.





3.) Andy and Tristan don’t see as much of the ball as they probably deserve due to the fact that Dion, Kyrie, and Jack((Jack is a last name guy, Dion and Kyrie first name guys, don’t know why this happens)) are all ball dominant guards at times, but they put so much work in spite of it and don’t ever seem to complain about it. I love this play in particular because Andy makes a smart basketball play, making a pass that for some reason our guards don’t consistently make, and hits the opener shooter. Sure Dellavedova misses, but that isn’t a problem because…



TRISTAN SMASH!





4.) I’m pretty sure this is a set play, but I don’t think they ran it correctly. It worked regardless as Dellavedova and Andy effectively get in the way of the Wizards players.





5.) I’ve been a big proponent of using Kyrie off the ball more since he is such a good shooter and it makes the defense not only guard whomever has the ball, but be sure to keep track of where Kyrie is off of it. When Kyrie just dribbles the ball at the top of the key it is easy for opposing teams to shade their whole defense towards him. Here is a nice set play at the end of the first half where Dellavedova springs Kyrie free by screening his man. It is perfectly executed and it makes you wonder if Dion would be okay running around setting screens for Kyrie or vice versa. They need to be…







-Joe Mastrantoni

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