Gameblog: Cavs vs. Utah Jazz
Posted November 15th, 2008 by George Thomas
Post mortem:
The Cavaliers won this game for two reasons – Delonte West stepped up big in the third quarter, dropping three, 3-point shots. LeBron James assumed his normal role in the fourth quarter and dominated that period and lastly, defense. While James was busy muzzling the Jazz with 13-of-21 shooting for 38 points, the team went into shutdown mode, forcing Jazz players to alter shots and contesting each one. The Jazz would only shoot 35 percent in the fourth quarter. The fnished with a total of 10 steals and 6 blocked shots, including a monster one from James on Carlos Boozer that had to make every fan in Quicken Loans Arena scream with glee.
Just as important: the Cavs had been losing the rebound battle in some recent games. While they didn’t dominate this one, they still came out ahead 40-37. Ben Wallace, Z and Anderson Varejao kept Carlos Boozer in check, holding him to 17 points.
Quotable
From the coach’s office:
Mike Brown on Delonte West’s defense against the Jazz’s Kyle Korver:
More important than that, another guy that could have gotten going for them was Kyle Korver. We told Delonte he needed to stay attached to Kyle and don’t have any air space. Delonte did a nice job.
LeBron James on closing out games:
Tonight was another close game. I think Boobie’s shot (a 3-pointer) at the end of the third quarter gave us a lot of momentum and then we were able to put a lot of pressure on them because of our defense. That’s when we lock down defensively and we got stops.
At the half:
An improbable 7-0 run for the Jazz ended the first quarter to pull the Jazz back into a game the Cavaliers threatened to blow out early. Two lazy passes that led to two steals and four points and a 3-pointer at the buzzer. That run would boil over to a 14-0 and the Cavs lost their bearings as they let a guy by the name of of Paul Millsap get into a groove and sink them. The Cavaliers walked into the locker room down by seven, 53-46, when in all likelihood they should have been winning. But that opinion and $4 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks. I’ll give you guys $2 and you can go to MickeyD’s instead.
Game: Cavs vs. Jazz
Broadcast:
TV: FSOhio
Radio: WAKR (1590 AM); WTAM (1100 AM), WHBC (1480 AM)
Starters:
Cavs: LeBron James (F); Ben Wallace (F); Zydrunas Ilgauskas (C); Delonte West (G); Mo Williams (G). Jazz: C.J. Miles (F); Carlos Boozer (F); Kosta Koufos (C); Ronnie Brewer (G); Ronnie Price (G).
Injuries: Jazz: Matt Harpring is a game-time decision; Andrei Kirilenko is day-to-day with a sprained right index finger; Mehmet Okur is out for personal reasons and Deron Williams is doubtful with a sprained ankle.
Officials: Dick Bavetta, Marc Davis, Zach Zarba
Streaking: The Cavaliers put a six-game winning streak on the line this evening against an undermanned Jazz. Utah has lost two in a row.
Three things to watch:
1) Watch the battle in the paint. Rookie center and Northeast Ohio native Kosta Koufos has been pressed into a starting role because of injuries. He was somewhat of an unfinished product while at Ohio State, more Dirk Nowitzki than dominating post presence. Although he made strides in that area toward the end of the collegiate season. In Friday’s game against the Charlotte Bobcats he blocked nine shots.
2) If you’re the Utah Jazz, you’ve got to be bothered by the fact that you lost to the Charlotte Bobcats Friday night. They could be fiery to start. It also doesn’t help that while on the road the past four games they own a 1-3 record.
3) LeBron James and Carlos Boozer will likely get some face time together when James plays power forward some, so it will be interesting to see how they play off one another. Also, Jazz point guard Deron Williams likely won’t be playing tonight because of a left ankle sprain. He saw time against the Bobcats, but the Jazz are likely to play him a second night in a row.
Quotable:
In the coach’s office:
Coach Mike Brown on playing an undermanned Jazz team:
We should play the right way and sometimes if you play the right way, it doesn’t work out…As long as our focus is here tonight, which I guess you could say is kind of sort of a test, I’ll be happy. It doesn’t matter who’s in uniform we need to understand that we’ve got to come out and we need to play the right way.
Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan on Canton native center Kosta Koufos:
I’ll break them in if they’re willing to work. You can’t break them in if they’re not willing to work. He came in worked hard. Made some mistakes and didn’t feel sorry for himself and didn’t pout around. He just stepped out there and acted the way a pro should act and consequently, he’s gotten a chance to play.
From the locker room:
Kosta Koufos on playing in the NBA:
I’m living my dream. It’s good to play in front of the home crowd. The game’s the game. You’ve got to come in and play hard and hopefully come out with a victory.
November 16th, 2008 at 12:11 am
George, get with the NBA program, George. Paul Millsap is a little undersized as NBA power forwards go, but he’s still a beast. Give him starter’s minutes, and he’d be among the league’s rebounding leaders, guaranteed. When you’re the only dude in NCAA history to lead the NCAA in rebounding for three consecutive years, then you’ve gotta have something going for you. My guess is if Millsap was on the Cavs and Millsap was white, the “blue-collar lunch bucket” worshipping guys like Windhorst would be tripping over themselves asking for the guy’s autograph.
November 16th, 2008 at 12:21 am
You never cease to entertain, Alan. It was off handed sarcastic comment. I appreciate your humor though.
November 16th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
And if Millsap was white and in New York, his name would be David Lee. And if he was black and in Boston, his name would be Leon Powe. And if he was Brazilian and played in Cleveland, his name would be Anderson Varejao.
I’m giving George the benefit of the doubt on this one. Paul Millsap may be a solid player, but we’re still talking about a bench guy who isn’t exactly going to make an All-Star team anytime soon. He started tearing it up because the Cavs got lazy and soft, not because he’s a superstar.
November 16th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
I’ll say it again, Millsap would be among the league leaders in rebounds if he got starter’s minutes and in double figures in points. He’s a better player than any of the three you just mentioned. Yes, they got lazy and soft, but he is a good player who would start on most teams, and most definitely would be starting at the deadwood spot that Wallace now occupies. If memory serves, Millsap also torched the Cavaliers last season.
November 17th, 2008 at 1:47 am
Point proven again…if Millsap was a Cavalier, you would go out of your way to criticize him. The fact he is not a Cav, you will continue to throw praise on him so much that the next step for you would be to get on your knees for him in the locker room.
November 17th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
this is the best cavs team since daugherty, price, nance and crew. i don’t see any reason why this team can’t challenge for the title. they have some kinks on both offense and defense. i know mike brown can handle the defensive side of it. lebron is basically the offensive coach playing with the first decent point guard of his career. lebron seems to have figured out the jordan style of game management. take over in the 4th and choke the opponent out.
the cavs team that lost to the spurs in the finals was horrendous and they still won the east. cleveland is one solid low post guy from being eastern conference favorites (to hell with the celtics). mcdyess isn’t coming. maybe ferry can swing a nice deal to bring joe smith back.
November 17th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Precisely what “point was proven,” Rick the Stalking Dick? It would be great if Millsap was the Cavs’ starting power forward.
This schmuck again comes crawling out of the woodwork for no other reason than to spew his load of bile. Hey, don’t you have David Letterman to stalk, or something? I’m not a celebrity, but you have celebrity-stalking skills. You really oughta set your sights higher, your self-esteem needs a boost.
November 17th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
terje, I really don’t think they’re much better a team than that joke that played the Spurs. I just think James improves so much from year to year, that they’re naturally going to get better no matter who they surround him with. Williams is helping so far, no doubt, but still, I think the underlying reason is really going to be due to James’ improvement. I think that even if you took that team that played the Spurs, and then you put this James on it instead of that James, you’d notice the difference.
November 17th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
i agree that lebron is a much better player now but ferry may have hit a couple of winners when he got delonte and mo williams. they fit in well with lebron. the finals team had friggin eric snow, ira newble and larry “i play to have fun” hughes. the cavs don’t have to depend on such a low level of talent this year. boobie gibson was the guy lebron had that year. this year he is the third best guard on the team. the overall talent level is higher and the team follows lebron’s lead and plays to win.
things are shaky down low now. one decent low block player on this roster puts them over the top.
November 17th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
I’m not a believer in the “all they need is a post player” idea. I’m not sure where those shots are supposed to come from, because Mo is going to take his 14 shots a night whether he should or not. We’ve seen how devastating LeBron can be this season, so I don’t want him losing shots either.
I suppose they could get rid of the four or five dump-ins to Z each game, but they could replace that just by going to LeBron a few more times in the post (and have you noticed that LeBron has absolutely stopped posting up in the last 3 games?). Overall the shot distribution is solid if not spectacular, and finding the right chemistry offensively is easier said than done.
Compounding the problem is the fact that there are few post players available - the list begins and ends with Zach Randolph. Now I endorsed moving Ben Wallace for Randolph at the start of the season, but that’s because I don’t know how much Wallace has left in the tank. With the Cavs playing as well as they are right now, Ferry isn’t going to make a move for Randolph. Which means that those dreams of adding a post presence just aren’t going to come true.
Right now I the Cavs would be best served by adding a quality reserve big. Which is why it’s such a shame that they won’t be signing Antonio McDyess. He would be a perfect fit in Cleveland.
November 17th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
In answer to your question, Mike C., Wallace has nothing left in the tank. At this point, there’s more corn than fuel in that ethanol. From now on, if he has a decent game, I’m going to credit Orville Redenbacher.
And terje, you’re saying West makes the team better? Come on. If anything, maybe Williams, but certainly not West. Sure, West is better out there than having people like Pavlovic jacking up crazy shots and running over people, but West is a backup quality playing starter’s minutes, no matter how you look at it. A dime a dozen NBA player. OK, 15 cents a dozen. I still think it has everything to do with James. Everything about him is far better than it was two years ago. Even his body is noticably bigger and stronger.
And let’s not get too excited, George. I noticed you’re talking about the team scoring average. It means little, look it up, at this time last season, Windhorst wrote the exact same thing, although he was simultaneously criticizing the defense. If they were playing San Antonio and those types of teams, the scoring average would be lower. The whole goal for this season should simply be to keep James in one piece for the playoffs. Finish 8th seed, who cares.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
yeah, i think west is a big improvement over the garbage guards the cavs have been trotting out the last few years. on a team with lebron you don’t need another guy looking for shots all game aside from mo williams. that is why i like west. he has an all-around game. jordan had a lot of the same caliber guys starting on the bulls. sure, the cavs have had to piecemeal a pippen for lebron. and delonte is about 15% of that formula. all he has to do is contribute and not turn the ball over. something snow, hughes, newble, pavlovic and mcinnis couldn’t do.
and mike, i’m with you. they don’t need a post scorer. just a guy who plays d, rebounds and can hit the occasional shot. according to hoopshype mcdyess is willing to take the full mid-level exception for the rest of the season. if i’m the cavs i make that offer.
November 18th, 2008 at 10:15 am
alan - “Wallace has nothing left in the tank?” really? his rebounding has been pretty good, his defense average at worst and even blocks a few shots here and there. yes he is overpaid, but he’s not quite at “nothing left in the tank.” a guy with nothing left in the tank is 100% worthless. see david wesley, eric snow.
oh, and paul millsap isn’t quite the second-coming of bill russell as you seem to imply. believe me, if millsap played for the cavs you’d be criticizing him as nothing but another waste-of-space draft pick by that monkey-brained danny ferry. i think the point that rick was trying to prove is that you consistently have nothing worthwhile to say - just a bunch of senseless hyperbole and very poor attempts at being witty. even the one or two times you have contributed a legitimate point, you ruin it by making an idiotic off-color / low brow “joke”.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Mike, keep on-topic, Millsap is a damn good player, and the Jazz are going to have to decide what to do with the guy considering Boozer can now call his own shots. I had originally hoped Ferry would select Millsap instead of Gibson, so stop saying such dumb things. I’d swap Gibson for Millsap in a second.
And I stand by my statement. If Wallace has any decent games left in the tank, I am going to give all of the credit to Orville Redenbacher. This guy is running strictly on corn-on-the-cob fumes and a side of butter. At this point in his career, his relatively poor all-around game is a detriment. If he was even halfway of a decent player anymore, people wouldn’t be whining for a solid low-post acquisition.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I am not a big Delonte West fan, but you have to admit that his shooting ability at the two-guard spot has been a reason for the increased efficiency on offense. The guy is shooting 52% from the field and 47% from three, a far cry from last year’s shooting guard production. He’s not a good perimeter defender, and he’s significantly undersized, but offensively he’s giving them a weapon they didn’t have last year, which in turn opens up room for everyone else.
I’m not giving Mo Williams much credit to this point, because he’s still giving up way too many points on defense. If you look here, http://www.82games.com/0809/08CLE2D.HTM, you can see that the Cavs are actually playing better when Williams is not on the court. Now, the statistics don’t necessarily make it true, but at this point the offense has been better, and the defense has been worse, when Mo Williams is on the floor. The stats just don’t back up the assertion that Mo is the reason the Cavaliers are clicking on offense.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
mo’s value isn’t in the stats. he hasn’t had a great start. the difference is that teams actually have to guard him. eric snow didn’t have a defender within 10 feet of him and hughes couldn’t hit a 15 foot jump shot to save his life. if teams played mo williams with the defense they used against snow and hughes he would score 30 a night.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
alan - i am on topic. im not saying millsap isnt a nice player. id love to have him on the team, but hes not head and shoulders better than varejao, leon powe and the like. maybe a little bit better, but not by much, if at all. what did i say that was dumb? youre the one making him out to be enshrined in the hall of fame. basically, you have an incomprehensible hatred for anyone on the cavs and undying affection for anyone not on the cavs (see past comments on rodney stuckey).
re. wallace, its all or nothing with you. clearly, wallace isnt the player he once was. nobody is saying or trying to pretend that he is. the fact is, wallace does still provide decent rebounding, blocks and defense. not at a ridiculous level he once was at, but he does contribute. your nonsensical comparisons of butter and popcorn wont change that. (talk about saying something dumb!) sure he has a relatively poor all around game. he always has! he has never been a well rounded player. yes we can use an upgrade there. needing an upgrade doesnt mean he is running on fumes - we just need more offense from that position. even if we had ben wallace in his prime, we would still need more offense from that position.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
terje - finally someone who can see the big picture!
November 18th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
mike c- you cant look at that and gain much insight. 348 minutes on the court vs. 131 off the court skews the whole thing. there are way too many other factors that play into all those numbers, like other players on and off the court when Mo is on and off the court - both for the cavs and for the opponent. terje gave a nice little summary on how the offense is better with Mo than without.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Rodney Stuckey isn’t on the Cavaliers’ roster, so that is why I think he will be the Pistons’ starting point guard next season? Wow. I hope you’re not planning on going to law school, Mike.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
And Mike, one other thing, it’s not just Wallace’s offense. This guy has been reduced to having games where he has goose eggs. No points, no rebounds, no blocks, no nothing. Just occupying matter and space, a physics professor’s dream. Hell, put Bernie Kosar’s pasty white legs in a basketball uniform during his diminishing skills days, and even he could have grabbed least one rebound.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
actually, alan, you made a few recent comments in a few other posts about what a genius joe dumars is as GM of the pistons (while also saying how awful ferry is) and pointed to the draft pick of stuckey as one of those “amazing” moves by joe dumars. you also said something about how stuckey looks to be a future star. what you based this on, i really dont know.
lol…thanks for the tip about law school.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
alan - wallace has had one single game this year where he laid a gooseegg. not games (plural) - just one single game.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
i remember last year when windhorst pulled my post about wallace being on drugs. i never thought he really was but because of his play was so poor i didn’t know how else to justify his play. like alan said, the guy just disappears from entire games. i don’t think i’m “whining” about a low post player for the roster but if wallace was even vaguely reminiscent of his piston days i wouldn’t say anything about wanting a big man.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
i agree 100% that wallace isnt an all star. hes not even close to that level. clearly he is one of the most overpaid players in the nba. the point is, he’s not quite washed up like alan t desperately wishes. the guy can still contribute. in fact, in that utah game, he did a decent job of helping slow down boozer. definitely we can use an upgrade though.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
alan, in case you’d like me to refresh your memory:
“# alan t. Says:
November 4th, 2008 at 2:34 am
How is that Pistons trade a “desperate move by a team on the decline?” They may get McDyess back, Iverson is still an excellent player if he can stay in one piece, his fat contract expires at the end of this season, and Rodney Stuckey appears to be a damn good player who will play the point for years. They’re not on the decline. They could sign Boozer or Marion next summer, then still have plenty of cap room left for the summer of 2010. It’s a shame the Cavs can’t trade Ferry for Dumars.”
you also said “Dumars knows what he’s doing. With the exception of that Milicic thing, which he blew, Dumars keeps rolling sevens.”
if you’d like, i’d be happy to give you a list of dumars’ numerous “questionable” moves in addition to the darko thing.
November 18th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
so no, i dont think that you think Rodney Stuckey will be the Pistons’ starting point guard next season because he is not on the cavs roster. i think that because that’s what you said.
November 19th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Damn, Alan is really losing it now that the Cavs are good.
Delonte West is more than an average NBA player — average backcourt players can’t shoot over 50% from the floor and 45% from 3. He fits perfectly within this offense, never forces it if it isn’t there but nails it when it is. His defense is improving by leaps and bound too.
November 19th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
yeah - alan cracks me up. he is absolutely in love with Joe Dumars, as seen by the “keeps rolling sevens” comment above. so what did dumars “roll” when he badly underestimated and gave up on Mehmet Okur a few years ago??