GT: Cavs v. Pacers

[DukeDelonte13]

Cavs going for 13 in a row.

[RedBlackAttack]

Great start offensively. The energy on defense hasn't quite been there yet, but hey... can't be a perfect start every night.

[DukeDelonte13]

JR gonna JR :oldlol:

[Meticode]

Great start offensively. The energy on defense hasn't quite been there yet, but hey... can't be a perfect start every night.
It's there, Pacers are just hitting shots.

[All Net]

Typical JR three

[DukeDelonte13]

it would be nice if the cavs could guard the 3 point line

[Trollsmasher]

dat Rondo fake into a baby hook:biggums:

[G0ATbe]

LeBalds continuously stopping the offense to showcase his horrible fadeaway:facepalm .

Cavs should've been up 20 by now.

[DukeDelonte13]

ugly game overall

[G0ATbe]

Kyrie fcking Irving:applause: :applause: :applause: .

[JT123]

Kyrie with the bomb the end the half! :bowdown: Lead should be much bigger though. Kyrie and Bron playing too much 1 on 1 out there.

[Meticode]

I never thought I would say this, but J.R. Smith on this team has been a good fit so far. F*cking dumbfounded.

[Dro]

LeBalds continuously stopping the offense to showcase his horrible fadeaway:facepalm .

Cavs should've been up 20 by now.
He just doesn't have that 1 on 1 ability:confusedshrug:

And Solomon Hill is a good defender......

[RedBlackAttack]

I never thought I would say this, but J.R. Smith on this team has been a good fit so far. F*cking dumbfounded.
It shouldn't really be that surprising. He was Sixth Man of the Year just two years ago and he is still on the right side of 30. He is the kind of guy who is terrible as a team's No. 2 scorer and leader, but perfect as a 4th or 5th scorer whose role is limited.

JR didn't wake up suddenly last season and forget how to play. He was a terrible fit on a chaotic roster.

[Meticode]

It shouldn't really be that surprising. He was Sixth Man of the Year just two years ago and he is still on the right side of 30. He is the kind of guy who is terrible as a team's No. 2 scorer and leader, but perfect as a 4th or 5th scorer whose role is limited.

JR didn't wake up suddenly last season and forget how to play. He was a terrible fit on a chaotic roster.
It is to me, considering how toxic his attitude can be. I suppose a lot of it has to do with the players he's around and environment. Time will tell.

[JT123]

He just doesn't have that 1 on 1 ability:confusedshrug:

And Solomon Hill is a good defender......
Possibly the stupidest comment of the day. ALL 16 of Lebron's points so far have been scored via 1 on 1 play. :facepalm

[Dro]

Possibly the stupidest comment of the day. ALL 16 of Lebron's points so far have been scored via 1 on 1 play. :facepalm
You know what I mean.....Name me the last time you saw Lebron cross somebody up or just shake the sh*t out of him....This isn't anything new...Doesn't mean he can't get to the rim, but he's either blowing by you or posting you up....There's no shake and bake to him.....

And relax, the Cavs are winning......:confusedshrug:

[DukeDelonte13]

I love mozgov's D, but man oh man does he have some terrible hands.

[Meticode]

Every-time the Cavs go up semi-big, the Pacers close out the quarter strong and pull within striking distance.

[RedBlackAttack]

I love mozgov's D, but man oh man does he have some terrible hands.
At least three easy dunks became turnovers tonight because of those two bricks attached to his arms. :oldlol:

Denver fans warned me about that. Soft hands are an underrated trait. We went from maybe the softest hands in the entire league for a big in Varejao to some pretty bad ones in Mozzy... not the worst, but pretty bad.

In other news, Kevin Love has been nonexistent. He's laboring around out there, clearly injured. Why he hasn't been given the LeBron treatment and a nice long rest, I don't know.

[Meticode]

Kind of sucking right now, LeBron penetrating and Cavs getting wide open shots and not hitting the shots.

[CavaliersFTW]

Anyone got a livestream link please? my usual site seems to be down :(

[RedBlackAttack]

Clearly a flagrant foul. No play on the ball. That's a dangerous play.

[navy]

Lebron wrist

[G0ATbe]

Flagrant?:roll: :roll: :roll::lol :lol :lol

[Phantom84]

Flagrant 1 but Lebron was milking that though lol.

[Meticode]

I wonder if he really tweaked it though. LeBron has put more pressure on that wrist dunking the ball than what he did in that fall.

[RedBlackAttack]

Flagrant?:roll: :roll: :roll::lol :lol :lol
Easy call. Stop your trolling.

[Meticode]

I love the Pacers crowd, so much passion.

[JT123]

Dirty Pacers have to cheat to win. :facepalm

[Meticode]

Cavs faltering right now though, playing too much ISO ball. Pretty evident when freakin' Iman calls for a Moz pick so he can do an ISO. That shouldn't happen at all. It's not like he had a mis-match on him anyway, Stuckey was guarding him.

[G0ATbe]

Of course Kyrie goes out and then Indiana goes on a run:facepalm . This team will only go as far as he takes them, hopefully he isn't worn out come playoff time.

[G0ATbe]

Easy call. Stop your trolling.
It was a typical hard foul at best:lol . Only reason they called it a flagrant is because it's LeBald and he started fake crying like he does after every flop:facepalm

[Meticode]

It was a typical hard foul at best:lol . Only reason they called it a flagrant is because it's LeBald and he started fake crying like he does after every flop:facepalm
Hibbert didn't go for the ball at all, he pushed LeBron while in mid-air. It's an automatic flagrant on any player in the league whether it's LeBron James or Matthew Dellevadova.

[DukeDelonte13]

what a crazy sequence

[DukeDelonte13]

WTF offensive foul call got reversed?

[JT123]

Refs letting the crowd bully them. :facepalm

[pauk]

Bron :applause:

[DukeDelonte13]

Refs letting the crowd bully them. :facepalm


didn't even look like a normal replay. That's some BS. :mad:

[JebronLames]

Goat

[Meticode]

Whether LeBron milked the wrist or not, the crowd seems to have woke him up chanting "flopper" over and over. I don't deny he flops, he's probably one of the worst super-stars at doing it, but right now it's biting the Pacers in the ass.

[Suguru101]

I don't understand how Love has less shots than Mozgov and JR.

This is not only a coaching issue, it's a player's issue. LeBron, for all of his willingness to pass sometimes and supposed maturity, seems to be playing buddy-ball with Kyrie, and he goes for flashy passes to other players.

These are grown adults playing, do they have no concept of chemistry? Of making sure somebody on the team doesn't feel like he's getting the short end of the stick? Like he's not needed? Because Love, who is their second best player, is being ignored out there, almost.

He is a free agent. When he leaves, all those times LeBron faded away from the baseline, or ran pnr's and ignored Love, i hope they come to his mind.

LeBron's my favorite player, not really hating on him, but this is just something that could be so easily fixed... yet the team collectively keeps acting like nothing is wrong.

Kyrie too. That quote from Mike Conley about the clock in his mind, and making sure his teammates touch the ball represents everything Kyrie is lacking.

[DukeDelonte13]

gotta love the contested long jumpers the cavs are taking.

WHAT. THE. F*CK.

[DukeDelonte13]

Cavs GIFTWRAPPING this one for the pacers. Making it easy to defend them.

[DukeDelonte13]

F*ck this sh*t. You revert back to sh*t iso ball and taking stupid contested j's this is exactly what happens.

[JT123]

Get Love out of the game. I don't give a shit about his lack of post touches, there is no reason he should be bricking all of these wide open shots. :facepalm

[Meticode]

Love took so long to load up that three point take, it's almost like he's trying to make an excuse not to shoot it. :oldlol:

[bergs14]

Lebron guarding West :rockon:

[DukeDelonte13]

Love took so long to load up that three point take, it's almost like he's trying to make an excuse not to shoot it. :oldlol:


we are seeing the reincarnation of brad miller.

[Practice?]

we are seeing the reincarnation of brad miller.

I've never thought of that comparison, but it makes sense.

[Practice?]

Been a good year for Miles.

[DukeDelonte13]

of course it's CJ miles with that.

[lilteapot]

WEAKEST offensive foul ever.

[DukeDelonte13]

a 4 point play on that bullshit!

[Practice?]

Wow, crazy shot by Hill.

[DukeDelonte13]

Whelp God has spoken with that one.

[Meticode]

These are the things the Cavs have to fight through if they want to be great. They have to fighte through the bad bounces, they have to fight through the one-handed three pointers.

[pauk]

Pacers played better no doubt in 4th but.... that there... come on.... lucky lucky lucky....

[JT123]

Where was the foul? :wtf:

[MP.Trey]

If we lose off of that f*cking shot...

[DukeDelonte13]

un f*cking real.

[pauk]

CJ Miles = GOAT?

[Meticode]

If we lose off of that f*cking shot...
Then what? You accept it.

[RedBlackAttack]

I don't understand how Love has less shots than Mozgov and JR.

This is not only a coaching issue, it's a player's issue. LeBron, for all of his willingness to pass sometimes and supposed maturity, seems to be playing buddy-ball with Kyrie, and he goes for flashy passes to other players.

These are grown adults playing, do they have no concept of chemistry? Of making sure somebody on the team doesn't feel like he's getting the short end of the stick? Like he's not needed? Because Love, who is their second best player, is being ignored out there, almost.

He is a free agent. When he leaves, all those times LeBron faded away from the baseline, or ran pnr's and ignored Love, i hope they come to his mind.

LeBron's my favorite player, not really hating on him, but this is just something that could be so easily fixed... yet the team collectively keeps acting like nothing is wrong.

Kyrie too. That quote from Mike Conley about the clock in his mind, and making sure his teammates touch the ball represents everything Kyrie is lacking.
Are we watching the same game? Love looks injured, out of sorts and he isn't even looking for his shot. We are beyond the point where everyone else is to blame when he totally disappears. He needs a long break even worse than LeBron did. Why it hasn't happened yet is a mystery to me. His back is CLEARLY an issue... guy is lumbering around out there like an 80-year-old man.

[truhooper]

Where is Kevin Love :biggums:

[Practice?]

That was abnormal.

[RedBlackAttack]

Where is Kevin Love :biggums:
Where he belongs atm. He was a major liability tonight. We can't afford to have him on the floor.

[Practice?]

Where is Kevin Love :biggums:

Playing his usual D.

[Graviton]

Why did LeBald try to be a hero instead of passing to clutch god Kyrie? Doesn't that fool know he ain't half the clutch performer Irving is.

[RedBlackAttack]

Well, there goes the win streak. :(

Oh well. It was bound to happen at some point.

GG Pacers.

[Meticode]

:applause: Awesome, awesome game. Pacers fans are such a delight. They came to cheer that team, way better than any Cavs game I've watched this year. Great game. Deserved win.

[JT123]

And Lebron just sealed the Pacer win.

[truhooper]

:facepalm

[Practice?]

And Lebron just sealed the Pacer win.

Pretty much.

[Graviton]

Just couldn't handle Kyrie hitting the game winner, had to be a hero, ****ing Lelbron. :facepalm

[RedBlackAttack]

Not too worried about this loss. Tough circumstances and a lot of unlucky bounces. Nothing to get up in arms about... But, Kevin Love needs to sit out of a couple of weeks. He is a long way from the player I've watched the last few years. A long, long way.

[Practice?]

Cavs still have a chance.

[Warfan]

His ungodly amount of turnovers were gonna hurt the cavs eventually.

[RedBlackAttack]

Cavs still have a chance.
Nah. Game is over.

[Graviton]

Not too worried about this loss. Tough circumstances and a lot of unlucky bounces. Nothing to get up in arms about... But, Kevin Love needs to sit out of a couple of weeks. He is a long way from the player I've watched the last few years. A long, long way.
Cleveland is now 11.5 games behind the Hawks.

[Practice?]

Cavs still have a chance.

Ok, not so much anymore.

[RedBlackAttack]

His ungodly amount of turnovers were gonna hurt bron and the cavs eventually.
The turnovers are a direct result of way too much isolation, one-on-one basketball. There is nothing wrong with doing it occasionally when you're exploiting a matchup advantage. To do it for the majority of the game with this amount of talent? Shouldn't happen. Time to start using Blatt's gameplan with less improv.

[RedBlackAttack]

Cleveland is now 11.5 games behind the Hawks.
Haha. :oldlol:

Well timed.

[TylerOO]

This loss pisses me off so ****ing much. Goodnight

[Practice?]

Nah. Game is over.

I was just thinking they could get a steal with the Pacers being out of time outs on that inbounds. Once a single free throw was made, became way more difficult.

[JT123]

If JR had made the wide open 3's earlier this game would have seen a different outcome.

[RedBlackAttack]

Pacers' scorer's table blatantly trying to bleed a few extra ticks after every stoppage. :oldlol:

I actually like the effort. Do what you can for your team.

[Practice?]

Why was LeBron already on the bench?

[Practice?]

gg

[bagelred]

:roll:

[Suguru101]

Are we watching the same game? Love looks injured, out of sorts and he isn't even looking for his shot. We are beyond the point where everyone else is to blame when he totally disappears. He needs a long break even worse than LeBron did. Why it hasn't happened yet is a mystery to me. His back is CLEARLY an issue... guy is lumbering around out there like an 80-year-old man.

We are watching the same game.

He doesn't look injured, he looks like he's playing with no energy.

He doesn't look out of sorts, he looks like he doesn't know what his role is.

He's not looking for his shot because nobody wants to be the selfish guy who puts up a shot as soon as the ball touches him, and because his teammates are not trying to find him. Only as a last resort.

LeBron and Kyrie are playing like they are LeBron and Wade. Taking turns, relegating Love into Bosh, but even worse, since LeBron doesn't like that Love isn't good defensively.

It may well be an injury issue, but this has been going on since the start of the season. The second best player on the team has not been really looked for, he's not getting his shots in the flow of the game, things are not defined for him. He's force-fed after certain games where the media fixates on his low shot count.

LeBron called himself the leader of the team, yet here he is playing buddy ball with Kyrie and wanting to take more of an offensive load than he really should, at the expense of Love.

Is Love truly the 26-12 guy? Probably not. Is he a 16-10 guy? Most likely not. The coaching staff has failed in implementing Love, are you telling me that nobody on the team player-wise is going to think to himself "this dude is a free agent, he's our second best player, let's make sure he is involved, that he gets touches, that he feels welcome."

The team wants to put Love behind the line and forget about him. They don't want to sometimes slow down, and implement him.

This situation is just something that leaves a bad taste in the mouth for people who really are aware of how emotions and chemistry affect sports. Especially basketball team.

If things don't change, Love is gone.

This is the Conley quote that i was referring to, which really shows a maturity and understanding of chemistry lacking in him. Applies to LeBron too, he should know better, he should be aware and be a leader.

“It’s almost like you have a clock in your head,” Conley said. “I have a clock in my head for Zach. For Marc. For Courtney [Lee]. For anybody on the court. There’s guys that don’t need to play with the ball. Tony Allen doesn’t need to have the ball to be effective. I say, ‘Zach needs to get the ball. He’s working very hard on the defensive end and on the offensive end.’ And I can feel four minutes go by, Zach hasn’t had the ball and I can see it. He’s starting to get a little antsy. OK, now it’s time to bang it in to him four straight trips to see if he can get something going.”

[J Shuttlesworth]

Why did they lose? Watching Hawks/GSW but looked like the Cavs had a solid lead in the first half

[pauk]

oh well thats how losing a game looks like.

[navy]

Why did they lose? Watching Hawks/GSW but looked like the Cavs had a solid lead in the first half
Missed 3 pointers. Pacers got mad hot. Turnovers.

[JT123]

Not too worried about this loss. Tough circumstances and a lot of unlucky bounces. Nothing to get up in arms about... But, Kevin Love needs to sit out of a couple of weeks. He is a long way from the player I've watched the last few years. A long, long way.
I'd be curious to know Love's +/- stats on the year. Even on his good nights he never seems to have an impact on the game after the first quarter. There really is no reason to not sit him for a few weeks.

[Meticode]

Why did they lose? Watching Hawks/GSW but looked like the Cavs had a solid lead in the first half
In a nutshell? The Pacers made the Cavs play at their pace. J.R. Smith even acknowledge right before he went into the locker room at half-time with side-line reporter Allie Clifton that the Cavs need to push the ball more. They didn't push it more in the second half, when they got defensive rebounds or came up the court, they walked it most of the time. So many times this season I see LeBron or Irving get pass the half-court line right at the 16 second mark. So much wasted time.

[JT123]

Missed 3 pointers. Pacers got mad hot. Turnovers.
Plus some highly questionable calls going the Pacers way, specifically the charge that got changed to a 3 point play and that weak offensive foul on Lebron.

[RedBlackAttack]

We are watching the same game.

He doesn't look injured, he looks like he's playing with no energy.

He doesn't look out of sorts, he looks like he doesn't know what his role is.

He's not looking for his shot because nobody wants to be the selfish guy who puts up a shot as soon as the ball touches him, and because his teammates are not trying to find him. Only as a last resort.

LeBron and Kyrie are playing like they are LeBron and Wade. Taking turns, relegating Love into Bosh, but even worse, since LeBron doesn't like that Love isn't good defensively.

It may well be an injury issue, but this has been going on since the start of the season. The second best player on the team has not been really looked for, he's not getting his shots in the flow of the game, things are not defined for him. He's force-fed after certain games where the media fixates on his low shot count.

LeBron called himself the leader of the team, yet here he is playing buddy ball with Kyrie and wanting to take more of an offensive load than he really should, at the expense of Love.

Is Love truly the 26-12 guy? Probably not. Is he a 16-10 guy? Most likely not. The coaching staff has failed in implementing Love, are you telling me that nobody on the team player-wise is going to think to himself "this dude is a free agent, he's our second best player, let's make sure he is involved, that he gets touches, that he feels welcome."

The team wants to put Love behind the line and forget about him. They don't want to sometimes slow down, and implement him.

This situation is just something that leaves a bad taste in the mouth for people who really are aware of how emotions and chemistry affect sports. Especially basketball team.

If things don't change, Love is gone.

This is the Conley quote that i was referring to, which really shows a maturity and understanding of chemistry lacking in him. Applies to LeBron too, he should know better, he should be aware and be a leader.

“It’s almost like you have a clock in your head,” Conley said. “I have a clock in my head for Zach. For Marc. For Courtney [Lee]. For anybody on the court. There’s guys that don’t need to play with the ball. Tony Allen doesn’t need to have the ball to be effective. I say, ‘Zach needs to get the ball. He’s working very hard on the defensive end and on the offensive end.’ And I can feel four minutes go by, Zach hasn’t had the ball and I can see it. He’s starting to get a little antsy. OK, now it’s time to bang it in to him four straight trips to see if he can get something going.”
Love is too good a player to put forth this kind of performance and it has become all too familiar. I don't care what Mike Conley says. They try to force feed Love numerous times in every game. Tonight, it resulted in either a horrible looking miss or an immediate pass. His only taking eight shots was a decision he made tonight.

He is too good to play this way... period. If you can't see something is wrong, I don't know what to tell you. He was visibly holding his lower back in the second half and there have been reports all season that his back is an issue. But, I don't even need the reports. It's obvious.

The AS break can't get here soon enough for Love. He looks like a shell of the player I've watched over the years. It isn't Blatt's fault. It isn't LeBron's fault. It isn't Kyrie's fault.

I'm not sure it is anyone's "fault," but Kevin needs to get right... physically and mentally. Zero confidence. Hurt. Out of whack.


Also, Kyrie and LeBron are playing nothing like Wade and LeBron together. Half the time, LeBron is creating and Kyrie is coming off of screens or spotting up... two things he is excellent at. Again, I feel like we're watching two different games.

[Meticode]

Plus some highly questionable calls going the Pacers way, specifically the charge that got changed to a 3 point play and that weak offensive foul on Lebron.
Pacers made the Cavs play at their pace, end of story. All those things mentioned are givens in basketball games.

[JT123]

Pacers made the Cavs play at their pace, end of story. All those things mentioned are givens in basketball games.
True. The thing that hurt the Cavs the most was their inability to hit an open shot for the last 6 minutes of the 3rd quarter.

[Meticode]

I wonder what the f*ck he did to his back though? He was working out and looked in the best shape of his life before pre-season.

[RedBlackAttack]

Why did they lose? Watching Hawks/GSW but looked like the Cavs had a solid lead in the first half
They led by double-digits pretty much all game. Then, late in the third, Blatt went to a big lineup and the Pacers -- specifically CJ Miles -- started getting hot.

Because Miles was a Cavalier the last couple years, I know what it means when he gets hot. Dude can be a total flame-thrower. In the fourth quarter, he hit 4 or 5 threes and long 2s in a row. Completely unstoppable.

Then, the Cavs fought back and took a one point lead with under 2 minutes left (I think?) and Hill had the most ludicrous 4-point play I've seen this season. Basically just blindly tossed the ball up expecting a whistle while coming off a screen.

That was pretty much all she wrote. LeBron had a couple of bad turnovers late.


It was bound to happen... this is the NBA and the Cavs have played a lot of games recently. You play enough back-to-backs on the road and eventually guys are going to start hitting shots, you're going to go cold and the crowd is going to carry them. Felt that is what happened tonight.

[Suguru101]

Love is too good a player to put forth this kind of performance and it has become all too familiar. I don't care what Mike Conley says. They try to force feed Love numerous times in every game. Tonight, it resulted in either a horrible looking miss or an immediate pass. His only taking eight shots was a decision he made tonight.

He is too good to play this way... period. If you can't see something is wrong, I don't know what to tell you. He was visibly holding his lower back in the second half and there have been reports all season that his back is an issue. But, I don't even need the reports. It's obvious.

The AS break can't get here soon enough for Love. He looks like a shell of the player I've watched over the years. It isn't Blatt's fault. It isn't LeBron's fault. It isn't Kyrie's fault.

I'm not sure it is anyone's "fault," but Kevin needs to get right... physically and mentally. Zero confidence. Hurt. Out of whack.


Also, Kyrie and LeBron are playing nothing like Wade and LeBron together. Half the time, LeBron is creating and Kyrie is coming off of screens or spotting up... two things he is excellent at. Again, I feel like we're watching two different games.

Of course you don't. Here i am trying to have a discussion and i am dismissed right away, because you want to focus on the injury angle. There is a chemistry angle you are not acknowledging.

He may well be injured, but this hasn't been going on for 2 weeks. It's been 50 plus games, and they still treat Love like he's just along for the ride, or as a novelty.

Yeah, force feed. Throw the ball to him in the post and score. That's it. Even though he isn't in a rhythm, or hasn't been really involved offensively.

I'll stop, i know how this probably sounds. Just that i had high hopes for this team collectively, and while the trade has put them into contender status, without Love really being a potent offensive weapon for them, they won't win it all. And he will leave, too.

Phoenix must be looking mighty appealing. Just like the Rockets did to Dwight.

[RedBlackAttack]

I wonder what the f*ck he did to his back though? He was working out and looked in the best shape of his life before pre-season.
I don't know what initially caused it or when, but he has been fighting back spasms all season. As you know, he has left several games due to them recurring. No doubt in my mind he was dealing with them again tonight and that may have even been why he left and never returned, even when we needed a three-pointer late in the game. We still had Tristan in there.

I'm not sure anything will help at this point except for rest. I'd shut him down right now and that would give him through the All-Star break to get right.

[RedBlackAttack]

Of course you don't. Here i am trying to have a discussion and i am dismissed right away, because you want to focus on the injury angle. There is a chemistry angle you are not acknowledging.

He may well be injured, but this hasn't been going on for 2 weeks. It's been 50 plus games, and they still treat Love like he's just along for the ride, or as a novelty.

Yeah, force feed. Throw the ball to him in the post and score. That's it. Even though he isn't in a rhythm, or hasn't been really involved offensively.

I'll stop, i know how this probably sounds. Just that i had high hopes for this team collectively, and while the trade has put them into contender status, without Love really being a potent offensive weapon for them, they won't win it all. And he will leave, too.

Phoenix must be looking mighty appealing. Just like the Rockets did to Dwight.
I've been pleading for more Love at the elbow action all season long. He's a terrific scoring threat and passer from there. We've started to do it occasionally, but not enough for me.

I'm not saying that this thing is perfect and he just isn't performing. This whole team is still a work in progress. There were times tonight where they still looked like guys who hadn't played a full season together yet or had an offseason to work out the kinks.

It is far from perfect and I think people figured this would all come together a little too seamlessly. Love and LeBron are not perfect running mates, because they're both really good at the elbow and you can't run the offense through two guys at the elbow simultaneously.

There are times that LeBron and Kyrie probably isolate too much, too. No one is saying otherwise. They're far from "taking turns," though. They actually play really well together.

Love's confidence is part of the problem and a portion of that waning confidence is due to his uneasy fit thus far. However, I think (a) this should have been expected and it will likely still take a while longer before the chemistry is there and (b) his back is a bigger issue right now.

I actually noticed that Kevin was physically incapable of running a play tonight that was money for him in Minnesota last year. Kyrie flipped the ball to him out on the perimeter and immediately set a pick. Love faked going around the pick, took one step back and had a wide open look in his sweet spot. Last year, this was deadly action for Love.

He couldn't even get the shot off. He ended up pump faking before handing the ball back to Kyrie with 5 seconds left on the shot clock.

Those are the kinds of things I'm noticing more and more with Kevin. It isn't every night. He was really good last night for the most part. But, the thing about great players is consistency. He has none right now. It seems like he's either really good or a total liability and I think it is due to that back more than anything else.

You are free to disagree. My opinion isn't the be-all, end-all certainly. And, as a Cavs fan, it is hard to complain too much. We both agree that there are still chemistry issues, yet the team just won 12 straight games and the biggest issue at the beginning of the season (interior defense, rim protection) has become a strength.

Things have begun to come together. Love is really everyone's biggest concern right now... and I think playing him on the second night of a back-to-back had a pretty predictable outcome. He's not where he needs to be physically right now.

[Magic 32]

If JR had made the wide open 3's earlier this game would have seen a different outcome.

http://baltimoresportsandlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Playoffs-Baby.jpg

[Suguru101]

I've been pleading for more Love at the elbow action all season long. He's a terrific scoring threat and passer from there. We've started to do it occasionally, but not enough for me.

I'm not saying that this thing is perfect and he just isn't performing. This whole team is still a work in progress. There were times tonight where they still looked like guys who hadn't played a full season together yet or had an offseason to work out the kinks.

It is far from perfect and I think people figured this would all come together a little too seamlessly. Love and LeBron are not perfect running mates, because they're both really good at the elbow and you can't run the offense through two guys at the elbow simultaneously.

There are times that LeBron and Kyrie probably isolate too much, too. No one is saying otherwise. They're far from "taking turns," though. They actually play really well together.

Love's confidence is part of the problem and a portion of that waning confidence is due to his uneasy fit thus far. However, I think (a) this should have been expected and it will likely still take a while longer before the chemistry is there and (b) his back is a bigger issue right now.

I actually noticed that Kevin was physically incapable of running a play that was money for him in Minnesota last year. Kyrie flipped the ball to him out on the perimeter and immediately set a pick. Love faked going around the pick, took one step back and had a wide open look in his sweet spot. Last year, this was deadly action for Love.

He couldn't even get the shot off. He ended up pump faking before handing the ball back to Kyrie with 5 seconds left on the shot clock.

Those are the kinds of things I'm noticing more and more with Kevin. It isn't every night. He was really good last night for the most part. But, the thing about great players is consistency. He has none right now. It seems like he's either really good or a total liability and I think it is due to that back more than anything else.

You are free to disagree. My opinion isn't the be-all, end-all certainly. And, as a Cavs fan, it is hard to complain too much. We both agree that there are still chemistry issues, yet the team just won 12 straight games and the biggest issue at the beginning of the season (interior defense, rim protection) has become a strength.

Things have begun to come together. Love is really everyone's biggest concern right now... and I think playing him on the second night of a back-to-back had a pretty predictable outcome. He's not where he needs to be physically right now.

I see your points. We agree and disagree on some things.

Hopefully the AS break refreshens everybody, and the coaching staff gets to around to adressing the quirks remaining.

[Cavalier]

The turnovers are a direct result of way too much isolation, one-on-one basketball. There is nothing wrong with doing it occasionally when you're exploiting a matchup advantage. To do it for the majority of the game with this amount of talent? Shouldn't happen. Time to start using Blatt's gameplan with less improv.

I was really disappointed at the lack of ball movement after seeing how many easy buckets we got last night when we actually ran plays. Instead of being a distributor early, LeBron seemed to come out with a scoring mindset and was probably thinking more about his stats than actually winning the game. Hopefully this loss will serve as a wake up call that they need to play within the system and abandon most of the hero ball. We all know that style of play isn't going to get them anywhere in the playoffs.