What We Learned: Cavs vs Pelicans
The Cavs dropped their second straight game last night to the Pelicans. The Cavs were not able to contain the Pelicans on defense and allowed them to shoot 56% from the floor. They also were not able to get consistent scoring from any of their role players. Here are a couple things we learned from the loss.
• LeBron James is not human! He can’t be! After missing Thursday night’s game because of a sore knee, LeBron pulled out a 41 point night. He was 17-24 from the floor and finished the game with 5 assists. He dominated and controlled the game every second he was on the hardwood. LeBron showed that he’s still the best player on the planet and it’s not even that close.
• It’s great the Cavs don’t have to play Ryan Anderson anymore this season. Anderson finished the game with 30 points while shooting 57% from behind the 3 point line. The Cavs continue to have a problem closing out on 3 point shooters in general, not just Anderson. He put up 30 against the wine and gold in their last meeting too. The Pelicans shot 43% from behind the arc. That’s something Coach Blatt needs to fix.
• The Cavs will not win if their role players don’t produce. The Big 3 had 79 of the Cavs 114 points. Role players Thompson, Delly, and Marion only combined for 10 points. The Cavs can’t win unless they get more consistency from those three, and the rest of the bench.
• Kyrie Irving can explode in any quarter. The first 3 quarters were by far his worst of the season. He did a great job of not letting it get to his head and still looked for his shot in the last quarter. Everybody has a bad shooting night every now and then, but the great players find ways to break out of it like Kyrie did.
• The Cavs don’t quit. No matter what the score is or by how much they’re losing, they have this uncanny ability to come back in the fourth. I love that about this team and it’s the main reason I believe they are going to accomplish something special. It’s a reflection of the veteran leaders and Coach Blatt. Now it’s just time to put forth that effort, throughout the game.
@CST_JacksonF
