What We Learned: Cavs vs Magic
The Cavaliers carried their 3 game winning streak to Orlando to face the Magic on Sunday night. Cleveland used a 40 point 2nd quarter to grab the 123-108 win. Here’s what we learned.
• LeBron can still close out games for the Cavs. James either scored or assisted in all of Cleveland’s buckets in the last 5 and a half minutes of the game. While Kyrie Irving has taken the praise for being the closer for this team because of his amazing game against the Spurs last Thursday, LBJ showed us that Kyrie isn’t the only that can do it. This game wasn’t a comeback win like the game against San Antonio was, but LeBron made the plays at the end of the game to seal the deal. He finished with 21 points, 13 assists, 8 boards, 3 steals, and only 1 turnover. It was a complete day for the King.
• The Cavs can shoot over 50% from behind the 3 point line. Cleveland was 18-35 from deep on Sunday night. The Wine and Gold are unstoppable when they’re hitting their 3’s.
• Kyrie Irving can be a 3 point specialist. It’s no secret Irving is an excellent 3 point shooter, but he’s stepped his shooting the last 2 games. He was 5-6 on Sunday and is 13-14 for the last two games. You can’t ask for much more than that.
• Tristian Thompson still isn’t ready to be an NBA starter. Kevin Love sat this game out because of rest and TT got the starting nod at power forward. Thompson has played great recently, but he couldn’t keep his good play going while being a starter. He finished with only 4 points and 3 rebounds in 30 minutes of play. Thompson is at his best when he’s coming off the bench. We saw that earlier this season when Andy went down with his injury.
• J.R. Smith continues to fit in perfectly in Cleveland. He finished with 25 points on 7-14 shooting. He has become that catch and shoot guy the Cavs desperately needed. He spaces out the floor so well for the offense and has the ability to knock down any shot.
• Uncle Drew still gets buckets. Irving finished with 33 points on an efficient 12-15 shooting. LeBron is still the best player and leader of the team, but Kyrie is showing that he can be the primary scoring option. He was unstoppable again on Sunday night. Kyrie and LeBron’s playing styles mesh together perfectly. We’ll see how Kyrie will be able to carry his game into the playoffs.
The Cavs will be back in action Monday night against the Heat. We’ll see if LeBron will able to pick up his first win in Miami since returning home.
Jackson Flickinger
pic credit Cleveland.com
