Blazer's Edge - Cavs 93, Blazers 88: Complete CoverageThe ultimate coverage and analysis of the Portland Trail Blazershttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47543/blazersedge-fave.png2013-01-17T01:00:35-08:00http://www.blazersedge.com/rss/stream/36497392013-01-17T01:00:35-08:002013-01-17T01:00:35-08:00Media Row Report: Cavaliers 93, Blazers 88
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<p>The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 93-88, at the Rose Garden on Wednesday night, dropping Portland's record to 20-19.</p> <p>The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 93-88, at the Rose Garden on Wednesday night, dropping Portland's record to 20-19.</p>
<p>This evening began in a slack jawed state. The Cavaliers, entering the Rose Garden with a record of 4-19 since Dec. 1 and without fringe All-Star candidate Anderson Varejao following a recent leg surgery, looked nothing like the Eastern Conference's dregs usually look by this time of year. The whole lot of them went through meaningful, rigorous pre-game warm-ups. Tyler Zeller loosened up with a rolling mechanism; Boobie Gibson ran himself into a full sweat with wind sprints; all of the Cavaliers wings got up shots; Luke Walton randomly executed some complicated dribbling exercises; and Kyrie Irving, bearing a wide superstar's smile, carefully honed his post moves and turnaround jumpers.</p>
<p>After finishing his work with one player and waiting for the next, a veteran Cavaliers assistant coach took a moment to offer a hello. I commented, apparently with perceptible astonishment, at how hard and how early his team was working out, and how many players were taking part.</p>
<p>"We have to," he said. "We have no choice."</p>
<p>Every young, rebuilding team has to put in the extra work and take a serious approach on a daily basis. Not all do. You can't win a game in warm-ups but you can win one in the first quarter, or at least go a long way towards winning one, and that's precisely what the Cavaliers did here. Cleveland jumped out early and took a 53-36 lead into halftime. </p>
<p>"Cleveland obviously in the first half played harder and better than we did," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. </p>
<p>The word "obviously" can be one of those verbal tics that we all tend to share, and which sometimes winds up cut from transcripts because it's superfluous. The word's use here mattered because the disparity in effort and energy between the two teams early was, well, incredibly obvious, as clear as day.</p>
<p>"We just had a dry start," Blazers guard Damian Lillard, who finished with 13 points and seven assists, told Blazersedge. "We weren't making shots, they were. Anytime you're not making shots, the game because rough, especially when the other team is scoring in transition and making threes. We kind of got down about it. The last couple of home games, we've been into the game, making shots, playing with a lot of energy. Tonight they made shots and we didn't, and we let that bring our energy level down."</p>
<p>At halftime, Blazers forward Nicolas Batum was six-for-eight; all of his teammates combined were six-for-27. Compounding that struggle were 12 first-half turnovers, seven by Batum, and 28 points in the paint were conceded to a team whose frontline now consists of a notoriously undersized power forward, Tristan Thompson, and a stringbean rookie center in Zeller. Credit both Thompson, who finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Zeller, who went for 11 points and nine rebounds, for their activity. Together they drew 15 free throw attempts, doing just enough to keep Portland from totally selling out defensively against Irving, who was magical through most of this one.</p>
<p>"We knew from an offensive standpoint, if we could get into the paint we had a good opportunity to score," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "[Thompson's] confidence level is high and he's just been aggressive every game the last 15 games or so."</p>
<p>Cleveland played hard but this certainly wasn't the game of their lives. From the 2:05 mark of the third quarter to the 5:47 mark of the fourth, a stretch of eight-plus minutes, the Cavaliers didn't make a single field goal. How is it possible to win a game with an offense that bottomed out that hard?</p>
<p>By holding the Blazers to just 15 second-quarter points in one of their worst offensive stretches of the season. By letting Irving do Irving things down the stretch (eight of his game-high 31 points came in the final 3:23 of the fourth). And by winning the final two minutes, 7-2, as the Blazers stumbled through the closing sequences after a Lillard jumper gave Portland a rare lead at the 2:06 mark.</p>
<p>As Irving did his daily Chris Paul impression, delivering back-to-back baskets on one end, the Blazers saw their possessions end with a missed Batum jumper and a shovel pass from LaMarcus Aldridge to J.J. Hickson that wound up out of bounds. That sequence put Portland down three with 26 seconds remaining, and Stotts elected to go for the quick two and foul down to extend the game as long as possible.</p>
<p>While teams usually give the ball to their best off-the-dribble creator to attack the rim, Portland's first quick two attempt went to Aldridge, who made a somewhat difficult turnaround jumper look perfectly simple. He finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.</p>
<p>"The quick two to L.A., I was very happy with that," Stotts said. "There was plenty of time on the clock."</p>
<p>Irving then hit the forced foul free throws, leaving Portland down three again with 19 seconds remaining. Rather than set up a three-pointer, the Blazers went to a high screen-and-roll for Lillard to attack off the dribble. As Zeller switched out and help defenders covered the hoop, Lillard decided to feed a cutting Hickson in the middle of the paint, who drew a foul with a fairly aggressive move to the hoop. Hickson, shooting 65.5 percent from the free throw line on the season, missed both free throws. On the night, he shot three-for-six at the line.</p>
<p>"We were down three and we wanted to get a quick look at the rim, we didn't want to just settle for a three because if we missed it, we could go down five," Lillard told Blazersedge. "I attacked, I saw J.J. rolling down the middle. I figured it would be a dunk, maybe an and-one, and we [would have] tied the game and then have to get a stop. [There] wasn't any reason for me to force up a shot when he was right under the rim."</p>
<p>Hickson, who tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds, added: "I was going up to score, I got fouled in the action. I went up and missed two free throws, I wish I could have them back now. There's nothing we can do about it. I've just got to make a mental note the next time I'm in that position to knock them down."</p>
<p>It's fair to wonder both about the play's design and Lillard's decision not to shoot, as Hickson wasn't exactly at the rim but in the middle of the paint, with defenders in front of him, when he made the catch. Hickson has never shot better than 68.1 percent for a season from the free throw line. Down three, it's imperative that both shots are made or a one-possession game becomes a two-possession game if even one try is missed. A 65.5 percent free throw shooter, absent pressure, fatigue and any other factors, has a 42.9 percent chance of making both free throws. Going into that play expecting an and-one seems ambitious; going into the play understanding that there's a good chance a diving Hickson, generally the fifth option on offense among the starters, winds up at the free throw line with the odds of failure better than the odds of success is a bit itchy.</p>
<p>"You want to create something," Stotts said. "[Lillard] made a decision. If J.J. [makes] an and-one, it's a great decision. As it turned out, it wasn't, he missed the free throws."</p>
<p>The coach, having suffered through his fourth close loss in a row, then went on a brief aside.</p>
<p>"It seems like every game you want me to comment on their decision-making," Stotts said in response to the Blazersedge query. "They're out there, they're making the plays. Damian came off the ball screen, they doubled, he passed to J.J., J.J. went up strong, got fouled, and that's it. There's still a lot of time. When J.J. took the free throws, we still had a timeout. If he makes both free throws, we go for a three the next time."</p>
<p>The quick two strategy in that situation was sound enough. Open questions for future consideration were raised by the result. 1) Why was Hickson the screen-setter in that situation, understanding that Cleveland would pay extra attention to Lillard as they had all night? 2) Should Hickson have been replaced by an extra shooter to help space the defense and capitalize on the very real possibility of a drive-and-kick? 3) Should Lillard, in similar situations in the future, be strongly encouraged to go against his subtler instincts and attack the hoop with greater abandon, especially considering that he's shooting 83 percent from the line on the season and 53 percent in the restricted area?</p>
<p>To Hickson's credit, he not only took responsibility for the missed free throws but he also refused to make excuses for his late-game miscues. For a player who succeeds largely on his instincts and opportunism, it must be difficult shuttling in and out of the game in offense/defense situations, as he was against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. Of course, the logic of using him in such a manner is unimpeachable, but I wondered if perhaps being the only uncertain piece in Portland's closing five was influencing his play.</p>
<p>"That would be the cop out thing to say," Hickson told Blazersedge. "I'm a no excuses guy. We just have to make better basketball plays down the stretch... I'd be lying if I said I didn't [want to stay on the floor on offense and defense]. Who doesn't want to be in the game late in the game to help their team to win a ball game? Coach Stotts has been doing a great job at making adjustments and subbing for certain plays and lineups. Whatever he's doing, I'm rolling with it."</p>
<p>The Blazers otherwise generally fell back a similar post-game talking point: they've had at least as much success as failure in late-game situations this season and they've beaten good teams in one or two possession games.</p>
<p>"It can go any way," Matthews said of Portland's last eight games, which have all been close. "We'll take being 4-4. We're not happy with it. We feel like we should have won every single one of those. We probably should have. That's how the ball bounces sometimes. We've got to learn from it. This is the way we were losing earlier this season and we turned it around. We'll turn it back around."</p>
<p>Matthews' words offer a sense of the level-headed response to what was, overall, a stinker. The excitement following some of the recent home triumphs was gone but this group wasn't despairing.</p>
<p>Zooming out, the enduring memories from this one will be of the Cavaliers' preparedness amid a bleak stretch and Irving's calm in the big moments. Lillard's had a few of his own this year but, more important than any particular high or low, is the quantity of repetitions he's getting in game-deciding situations. The step-back three isn't always the best look and he, much like Irving, has the skillset to beat teams in just about every way. Win or lose, the fine-tuning will continue.</p>
<p><b style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><u>Random Game Notes</u></b></p>
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<li>The crowd was announced at 18,880, which was generous. Lots of empty seats at tip off and fairly dead throughout the ugly first half. Paul Allen was in attendance and milling about with his team and GM Neil Olshey well before the game started.</li>
<li>On a night with some bumps, Hickson did deliver a highlight reel two-hand post over Cavaliers forward Alonzo Gee. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPL0obnuuh4">Here's the video</a> via YouTube user <b>ESPN</b>.</li>
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<li>Hickson smiled when asked about the dunk but did not celebrate himself or his poster, telling Blazersedge: "We got the ball out quick. Dame did a great job of pushing the ball. I just ran the lane, we made a basketball play. He passed it to me and I finished it."</li>
<li>An "Ensign Choir" sang the National Anthem. I definitely heard "Enzyme Choir" -- some interesting possibilities when you think about that.</li>
<li>Nolan Smith's controller appeared to run out of batteries right after he executed an open court spin move. He got ripped clean for a transition opportunity the other way. </li>
<li>Lions defensive lineman and Grant High graduate Nkamukong Suh was in attendance and it sure sounded like he got some light boos.</li>
<li>Irving finished with 31 points, five assists, three rebounds and four steals on 13-for-24 shooting. He's an All-Star. He does everything with a showman's flourish. The sweeping ball moves in transition. The excellent use of both hands to finish, depending on his location on the court. His top-shelf handle. It's scary to think about the damage he could do if he's ever surrounded by legit floor-spacers.</li>
<li>Batum, who played 37 minutes, continues to cite the fatigue factor. "We know we're tired. We just tried to go through it and just play.... We played a lot of minutes the last couple days, so we can be tired. They were ready to play, give them credit... We don't use it as an excuse because sometimes we're tired and we're still winning. We had a chance to win, we should win this game."</li>
<li>Asked by Blazersedge if it has reached the point where the Blazers need to commit to a deeper rotation, Batum stopped short: "That's not my job. That's coach's job. If he puts us on the court we have to play. Like I said, even with the fatigue, we should win this game. That's four in a row, we should get this one Saturday."</li>
<li>Wesley Matthews disagreed that fatigue was a factor: "No excuses. They played better than us for a half and we couldn't get out of the hole.... They played hard. They outplayed us. They looked like the fresher team. They came in our building with a gameplan. Once we slowed down and took our time, made some shots, we took the lead."</li>
<li>Matthews offered a little big-picture perspective, as he has tended to do this year. "We were 9-13 at one point and then 20-15 at one point," he said. "How big of a swing -- did anybody see that coming? It can happen. This team has confidence in itself."</li>
<li>Lillard shot three-for-nine from the field and was held without a field goal through the first three quarters. The Cavaliers applied full court pressure defense throughout much of the first half, making his life a little bit more miserable than usual. Cavaliers coach Byron Scott referred to Lillard as the "head of the snake" during his pre-game comments. </li>
<li>Lillard on the effects of the defensive pressure: "Any time somebody picks you up full court, deny you the ball, obviously it's tougher. I just played the game, I didn't try to force anything. We got off to a slow start. We found our way, guys started to knock down shots. I took what they gave me. I made the plays I thought I should make.... From jump, I can probably do a better job of getting the ball sooner and making them pay for it. Earlier in the game get the ball and attack, attack the defense, make them back up and fall out of what they're doing. They did a good job with their gameplan."</li>
<p><u><b>Terry Stotts' Post-Game Comments</b></u></p>
<blockquote>
<p>I thought it was a very good effort in the second half from us. We were down 17 at the half. I thought Cleveland obviously in the first half played harder and better than we did. We fought. We've lost four close ones in a row, before that we won four close ones. We've got to get back on track making plays in the last few minutes, last minute of the game. I'm pretty sure that will happen. These have been tightly contested emotional games. Last night in Denver. We've got to recoup, take tomorrow off and be ready for Saturday.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Emotions from these close games taking a toll?</b></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Probably more so afterwards. When you get in the heat of a contest in the fourth quarter, I think all that's out the window. The effects afterwards are when you feel it. We weren't thinking about that, I don't think anybody is thinking about that in the fourth quarter. We're competing and we're trying to win a game.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Defense on Damian Lillard</b></p>
<blockquote>
<p>They put a big body on him. They didn't put Irving on him. To be honest, that's a compliment to Damian, how important he is to our team, they picked him up early. Like a lot of teams that try to do that, it's difficult to do that for an entire game. They did in the first half, they wore out, they didn't do it as much in the second half. They still had Gee on him. They made him a priority. I thought the way Damian came out in the second half, the way he made three great nice passes to L.A. L.A. made two shots and swung the ball to Wes for a third one. Those three shots, which got us right back into the game, were a direct result of Damian being patient, and making the pass out of the double team. Teams are making Damian a priority just like L.A. is a priority when teams try to double him. I think he's patient enough to know that his opportunity with the ball is going to come back, and he's just going to make plays and we make them pay on the weakside.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Alonzo Gee impacted Lillard's game?</b></p>
<blockquote>
<p>In the first half, his full court pressure, he didn't bring the ball up as much. The ball was not in Damian's hands as much in the first half. As the game wore on, the impact was less and less.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Decision to go for quick twos in the final possessions</b></p>
<blockquote>
<p>The quick two to L.A., I was very happy with that. There was plenty of time on the clock. The second time, we had a pick-and-roll, you want to create something. He made a decision. If J.J., if it's an and-one, it's a great decision. As it turned out, it wasn't, he missed the free throws. It seems like every game you want me to comment on their decision-making, they're out there, they're making the plays. Damian came off the ball screen, they doubled, he passed to J.J., J.J. went up strong, got fouled, and that's it. There's still a lot of time. When J.J. took the free throws, we still had a timeout. If he makes both free throws, we go for a three the next time.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Bench</b></p>
<blockquote>
<p>I was really pleased with the bench. Everyone is going to look at the fact that they shot 2 for whatever. I thought Joel played well, Nolan played well, Jared Jeffries' impact on the game helped turn things around. That doesn't show in the box score. Will Barton was solid, he missed his shots, Sasha was fine, he had two misses. You look at the box score and they didn't shoot well, they got seven points off the bench, but they had good energy and they played well.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><b>Can you explain the sluggish start?</b></p>
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<p>No.</p>
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<p>-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.twitter.com/blazersedge">Twitter</a></p>
https://www.blazersedge.com/2013/1/17/3885674/media-row-report-cavaliers-93-blazers-88Ben Golliver2013-01-16T23:11:50-08:002013-01-16T23:11:50-08:00Oh What a Knight!
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<p>The Blazers come out of the gate slow and attempt yet another comeback, close-margin win. Kyrie Irving's fourth quarter flurries put those plans, and this game, to rest.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blazersedge.com/">Portland Trail Blazers</a> fell to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fearthesword.com/">Cleveland Cavaliers</a> tonight in a classic case of playing with fire and finally getting burned. Timmay's recap is <a target="_blank" href="http://www.blazersedge.com/2013/1/16/3885442/final-cavs-outplay-the-blazers-93-88">here</a> if you care to peruse the quarter-by-quarter impressions.</p>
<p>The Blazers continued their recent trend of coming out of the gate slow and disjointed, falling behind 21-26 after one and 36-53 at the half. We haven't remarked much on this phenomenon because the team has always had an answer. "Hey, we won anyway!" (Miami) "Hey, we were tired off a back-to-back against a great opponent on the road!" (Golden State) "Hey, we came back, took the game to overtime, and could have gotten the win!" (Denver)</p>
<p>The back-to-back excuse could still hold in this game but the Cavaliers were playing their 3rd game in 4 nights, playing without starting center <span>Anderson Varejao</span>, and were on the road to a Portland team with greater overall talent and a better overall record. "It was a back-to-back" doesn't really wash here unless the Blazers are prepared to concede the second half of every back-to-back remaining on their schedule. If you can't beat a Varejao-free Cleveland club at home in that situation you can't beat anybody. So there better be more to it than just circumstance.</p>
<p>Likely the Blazers were spoiled by their success and almost-success against those fancy teams in difficult situations. Perhaps they thought they'd be able to pocket a win versus Cleveland no matter how they played early. Either way, they learned again tonight that they aren't winning on talent alone. Focus, execution, dedication, and surprising resilience have been the hallmarks of Portland victories this season. Without those qualities this team loses no matter who the opponent is.</p>
<p>Cleveland built that massive halftime lead by hustling more than the Blazers, by taking advantage of clumsy Portland turnovers, by frustrating <span>Damian Lillard</span> with the defense of the big-and-quick <span>Alonzo Gee</span> (to the point Lillard never really recovered), and by strategic applications of <span>Kyrie Irving</span>. Lillard looked pressured, like he was trying to live up to the billing of the Point Guard Battle. Irving looked relaxed and baked Lillard's biscuits every time Damian guarded him. <span>LaMarcus Aldridge</span> remained a spectator in the meantime, attempting only 6 shots in the first half. Had <span>Nicolas Batum</span> not bailed out the Blazers by hitting 2 long jumpers in the last 30 seconds of the first quarter and another plus a free throw in the last 2:15 of the second--totaling 9 points in less than 3 minutes--that halftime gap would have been 26. Even with Batum's long-range heroics the Blazers still trailed 17 after their miserable showing.</p>
<p>Predictably the Blazers came out strong in the third. Aldridge took the first two shots of the new half, hitting both. <span>Wesley Matthews</span> hit a three and then <span>J.J. Hickson</span> threw down the two-handed dunk of the century at the 9:59 mark of the period. It was a natural-20, double-damage, max dice, "I Am The Author of Sickness And Woe so take THAT You Stupid Cavaliers!" kind of affair. Even then the lead remained 9 and stayed that way through the quarter. Portland only closed the gap when the Cavs bench started taking stupid shots early in the fourth. Portland had it even at the 6:00 mark.</p>
<p>That's when the Cavaliers unleashed the beast.</p>
<p>Kyrie Irving left no doubt whose court this was, no matter what the halfcourt label read. When the Blazers double-teamed him he slowed down, mostly because his teammates were still missing shots. But every time he was single-covered he scored...and scored...and scored. Jumper...ring it up. Layup...ring it up. He saved his worst abuse for Lillard, whom he twisted like a mall-shop pretzel en route to 10 points in the final 6 minutes of the game. The Blazers hit shots too and actually led 86-85 with 2:00 remaining, but how many critical minute shots are going to fall for the Blazers this season, especially since you know they're not scoring them inside? Lady Luck and the Archduke of Probability probably already think they've hit enough. Portland didn't get bad looks. (Though Aldridge may disagree, as he only got 2 solid touches in the final 5:00 of this game) The shots just didn't fall.</p>
<p>And really, the Blazers should be depending on those shots in this situation. Irving's mad-mad-mad shooting spree was only the last cause for defeat. This game was lost in those first two quarters when the Blazers played like their shoelaces were knotted together. Sub-40% shooting against the team with the worst field goal percentage defense in the league? Really? (Portland shot 39% tonight. The Cavaliers normally allow 47%.) 26 points in the paint scored against a team that gives up 42 a night and is missing their center to boot? <span>Tyler Zeller</span> plays 40 minutes and isn't punished? 19 turnovers? 7 bench points in a combined 61 minutes of play against awesome defenders like <span>Luke Walton</span> and <i><span>Dion Waiters</span></i>?</p>
<p>Yeah, the final score says 5 points difference but this was bad. Kyrie Irving should have scored 31 and his team still should have lost by 10.</p>
<p>Didn't happen, and that's a shame.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Individual Notes</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">LaMarcus Aldridge scored only 15 points tonight. He actually shot 50% from the field but he got up only 14 total shots, attempting but 2 free throws. The team went around, not through, him. The only time he looked vexed about it was late in the game but the offense lacked continuity all game long. Unlike the nights where everybody passes to everybody this was an either-or situation and the team chose "or". Aldridge had 10 rebounds and 4 nasty, NASTY blocks to help bring his team back in the second half.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Nicolas Batum saved Portland's first half with the flurries mentioned above, ending the game 8-17, 3-9 from distance, 4-5 from the foul line, for a team-high 23 points. He also committed a team-high 9 turnovers. He made up for it somewhat with 12 rebounds. He was in the right place at the right time most of the game but his passes weren't. The other story of Batum's night was foul trouble. He collected 5 total and had to leave during key stretches because of whistles. That didn't help Portland's effort.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Wesley Matthews picked his spots on offense and was effective, hitting 4-8 from distance and netting 17 points. His defense still looks a little slow and he, like Batum, collected 5 fouls. He added 6 rebounds. Good night for him overall.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Damian Lillard had one of the stranger games we've yet seen. At the beginning of the night he looked like he was forcing shots, perhaps trying to step up and match Irving. When his shots didn't fall (and when Irving schooled him a little) he shrunk into his shell a little. He passed the ball well enough but he abandoned his offensive aggression wholly, eschewing shots that he'd normally take. He poked his head out of the sand late in the game to try and put his team over the top but that didn't really work. Meanwhile Irving was marching a one-man victory parade. Lillard finished 3-9, 1-5 from the arc for 13 points. To his credit he did get to the foul line tonight...an aspect of his game that's gone AWOL lately. He hit 6-8 from the stripe. He also had 7 assists. Let's hope the battle with Irving wasn't on Lillard's mind at the start of this game. To say Irving won the showdown would imply their was a showdown. There wasn't. Irving was the show, Lillard was just down. We've not seen that happen much this year, if ever.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">J.J. Hickson did what he could with 13 points and 11 rebounds but tonight his inability to catch the ball underneath was on full display. The 2 turnovers credited to him pretty much guaranteed that his failure to grab the dish went on somebody else's ledger.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The big bench story tonight, besides the futility mentioned above, was the DNP-CD's. No Luke Babbitt. No Ronnie Price. <span>Nolan Smith</span> got his first run in forever and ended up with 4 rebounds and 3 points on 1-4 shooting in 12 minutes. Joel Freeland's 1-3 clip was the <i>best</i> shooting off the bench. <span>Jared Jeffries</span>, <span>Sasha Pavlovic</span>, and <span>Will Barton</span> missed all 11 of their combined shots. Jeffries and Freeland rebounded well enough but that was about it from the reserves tonight...another miserable effort.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Milwaukee comes in on Saturday night. Let's hope the good, long rest not only lets the Blazers recuperate their bodies, but get their minds straight.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a target="_blank" href="http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400278298">The Boxscore</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.fearthesword.com/">Fear The Sword</a> gets a win tonight!</p>
<div style="text-align: left;">Your <a target="_blank" href="http://blazersedge.urbanishment.com/scoreboard.php">Jersey Contest Scoreboard</a> and the<a target="_blank" href="http://blazersedge.urbanishment.com/gameform.php"> form for the Milwaukee game</a>.</div>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.tiqiq.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers-tickets?pubid=1011040" target="_blank">Portland Trail Blazers tickets</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)</p>
https://www.blazersedge.com/2013/1/16/3885764/portland-trail-blazers-vs-cleveland-cavaliers-kyrie-irving-31-pointsDave Deckard2013-01-16T21:26:45-08:002013-01-16T21:26:45-08:00Final: Cavs Outplay the Blazers, 93-88
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<p>The Cleveland Cavaliers sneered at the home court advantage of the Portland Trail Blazers, streaking to an early 19 point lead. It was too much for the Blazers to overcome, as they lose to the second-worst team in the NBA, missing their second-best player. This was one of the worst games of the season.</p> <p>The Blazers were led by the starters, as per usual.</p>
<p><b>First Half:</b> Let's pretend the first half never happened. The Blazers barely showed up, getting a small lead then falling quickly behind the Cavs. Poor shooting, missed defensive assignments, you name it, it happened. Plus Kyrie Irving reminded Portland why he's the up-and-coming point guard, while Lillard wilted under Cleveland's pressure. Thanks to Batum, the Blazers stuck within 5 after one quarter, but fell behind by 19 in the second quarter as the Rose Garden crowd howled in frustration. The woe-is-them Cavs, minus their best rebounder, led by 17 at halftime.</p>
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<p><b>We are getting schooled by the 2nd worst team in the league. The 9-31 Cavs.</b><br>by <b>cavejunctionblazer</b></p>
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<p><b>Third Quarter:</b> Here come the Blazers! The "usual" comeback began, and hit its stride with a monster Hickson dunk on the break. Within 3 minutes, the lead was single digits. However, the Cavs held their ground there, preventing the lead from dropping further. From there, it turned into a game of "which team is playing uglier?". They also played that game to a standstill, as the Cavs still led by 9 after three.</p>
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<p><b>The first half was like getting beat-up by a big dude. The third quarter is like getting beat-up by his sister.</b><br>by <b>MiledAnimal</b></p>
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<p>Fourth Quarter: The Blazers started crawling in again, finally tying the game, 75-75, on a rare Lillard bucket. However, as the 6 minute mark passed, Cleveland regained a 4 point lead. Each time the Blazers get close, Irving has the answer. When CJ Miles hit a three off the inbound pass, Cleveland took a 6 point lead with under 3 minutes left. In turn, Hickson was fouled on a score, missed the free throw, and Batum tipped it in for a 4 point play. After Cleveland missed, Lillard nailed a three to give the Blazers their first lead since early in the first quarter. It lasted three seconds before Irving again had an answer. With under a minute left, Aldridge had a chance at the lead but threw away a pass. At the other end, Lillard played nice defense on Irving, who shrugged him off and banked in a jumper with 26 seconds left. That three point buffer was enough to hold on for an improbable Cleveland victory.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400278298">Box score</a> | <a target="_blank" style="color: #d80000;" href="http://www.tiqiq.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers-tickets?pubid=1011040">Portland Trail Blazers tickets</a> via TiqIQ</p>
<p>Stay tuned for more analysis from Blazer’s Edge later tonight. In the meantime, check out the <a target="_blank" style="color: #d80000;" href="https://www.blazersedge.com/#schedule_tab">upcoming Blazers schedule</a>. -- Tim [<a target="_blank" style="color: #d80000;" href="mailto:blazer.timmay@gmail.com">blazer.timmay@gmail.com</a>]</p>
https://www.blazersedge.com/2013/1/16/3885442/final-cavs-outplay-the-blazers-93-88Timmay!2013-01-16T18:00:06-08:002013-01-16T18:00:06-08:00Blazers Comeback in Progress!
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<figcaption>Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Open chat for tonight's game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers.</p> <p>Details for tonight’s game:</p>
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<p><b>Tip-off: 7:10pm</b></p>
<p><u>How to watch</u><br> Portland: <b>KGW<br></b>Seattle area:<b> This game is not being broadcast.</b> (<a style="color: #d80000;" target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/blazers/trailblazers_contact.html">Contact Blazers for questions</a>)<br> National: <b>League Pass</b>, <a target="_blank" style="color: #d80000;" href="https://account.nba.com/leaguepass/broadband">League Pass Broadband</a>.</p>
<p><u>How to listen</u><br> Portland: <b>KEX </b>(1190 AM and 102.3 FM; 1190kex.com does not air the game)<b><br></b>National: <a href="http://www.nba.com/broadband/alp_schedule.html" target="_blank" style="color: #d80000;">NBA Audio League Pass</a><a href="http://www.nba.com/broadband/alp_schedule.html" target="_blank"> </a></p>
<p>The usual rules apply:</p>
<p>1. Please don't discuss non-sanctioned game streaming<br> 2. No swearing or pictures<br> 3. Please be cool to each other and don't be "that guy"!</p>
<p>Hang out and enjoy the game! -- Tim (blazer.timmay@gmail.com)</p>
<p><a target="_blank" style="color: #d80000;" href="http://www.tiqiq.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers-tickets?pubid=1011040">Portland Trail Blazers tickets</a><br><a href="http://www.blazersedge.com/2012-coverage" target="_blank" style="color: #d80000;">View complete season game coverage</a><br><a href="http://www.blazersedge.com/gameday-threads-2" target="_blank" style="color: #d80000;">View previous Gameday Threads<br></a></p>
https://www.blazersedge.com/2013/1/16/3884164/gameday-open-thread-cavs-vs-blazersTimmay!2013-01-16T00:59:56-08:002013-01-16T00:59:56-08:00Kyrie vs Damian: Whose Cuisine Will Reign Supreme?
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<p>Kyrie Irving vs. Damian Lillard highlights a contest between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers...a contest the Blazers need to win to avoid becoming embroiled in a huge slide.</p> <p>You may remember the last time the Portland Trail Blazers and the Cleveland Cavaliers faced off. The scene was Cleveland. The date was December 1st. The night was thrilling. The set-up was double-overtime. The deciding moment was a twisting, 0.2-second three-pointer by Nicolas Batum to seal (and steal) the win for the Blazers, 118-117.</p>
<p>Now the Cavaliers are back for revenge. And they brought Kyrie Irving this time.</p>
<p>The Portland faithful will remember that Irving was out for that double-OT contest, seemingly robbing the game of its main storyline: the face-off between the once and future Rookie of the Year. It didn't turn out that way. Hopefully this outing will provide more drama in the individual matchup between Irving and Damian Lillard and less in terms of the final score. The Cavs are 4-14 since Irving's return including a loss last night in Sacramento. The Blazers would like to keep that trend going.</p>
<p>And really, they have a decent chance. The Cavaliers should be an easy matchup after the Miami-Golden State-Oklahoma City-Denver gauntlet that the Blazers just ran. Portland played well in most of those tough matchups. If they have any sense (and they usually do at home) they'll come out just as hard, execute, and walk away with a suspense-free victory.</p>
<p>Cleveland's first main problem is defense. They allow opponents to shoot 47% from the floor, the worst team defense in the league in that regard. They don't cover the three-point arc well and they send guys to the foul line like crazy. When you adjust for pace their points in the paint and fast break point allowed numbers are pretty bad too.</p>
<p>Cleveland's second main problem is offense. They're one of the most inefficient offenses in the league, a real problem when you're not playing fast enough to make up the difference. They're bottom-third in points in the paint and fast break points, middle of the pack drawing foul shots and three-point percentage, and scraping the bottom in overall shooting percentage. They're diffused (confused?) without a clear idea of how they're going to score except Kyrie Going Crazy. Worst of all, they turn over the ball frequently...another kiss of death for a control-based team.</p>
<p>The Cavaliers fare better in the rebounding department, especially offensive rebounding. It's the closest thing they have to a team strength.</p>
<p>Then again, all of this is expected given the lineup. Outside of Irving their big-minute guys are all average-to-horrible from the field, emphasis on "horrible". Three of their top eight rotation guys shoot under 40%. Tyler Zeller is a center shooting 42%, which is god-awful. Everybody else except Kyrie shoots a lower than average percentage for their position. They've got three smalls (Alonzo Gee, Dion Waiters, and Jeremy Pargo) combining for 10 three-point attempts per game and not a one of them is shooting over 32%. Irving, Daniel Gibson, and C.J. Miles can all hit the three but those threes comprise half of the shots that trio takes. In other words, they're just out there kind of bombing to no effect.</p>
<p>Center Anderson Varejao, forward Tristan Thompson, and Zeller are the authors of the offensive rebounding dominance, averaging 5.5, 4, and 2 per game respectively. Varejao, who is expected to miss at least the next month following a recent surgery on his leg, can still defend but Thompson and Zeller, not so much. Neither do any of them offer consistent point production. If the Cavs had a credible inside threat to counter-balance their guard scoring they might be in business. They're not there yet, so it's all on the guards and their merry shooting.</p>
<p>Item #1 underlined on Portland's chalkboard is to take the offensive rebounds away from Cleveland. Do that and they won't score enough points no matter what Kyrie does. Item #2 is to keep turnovers down (the Cavs do force them) while exploiting Cleveland's tendency to give up the ball. Item #3 is to not get stupid on offense. The Cavaliers allow plenty of assists and you can run your plays to good effect. They've also allowed their last two opponents 113 and 124 points respectively. You don't have to be great, just don't blow it.</p>
<p>Do any two of those things and the game is yours. Heck, do one well and the game might be yours anyway.</p>
<p>The main item for Blazers fans, of course, is to watch the Lillard-Irving battle with great interest. This should be fun...and "fun" is just what this team needs right now.</p>
<p>Game Time is 7:00 p.m. Pacific. Local TV coverage comes via KGW tonight.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fearthesword.com/">FeartheSword</a> has the Cavs covered.</p>
<p>Your<a target="_blank" href="http://blazersedge.urbanishment.com/gameform.php"> Jersey Contest Form </a>for this game.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.tiqiq.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers-tickets?pubid=1011040" target="_blank">Portland Trail Blazers tickets</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)</p>
https://www.blazersedge.com/2013/1/16/3877934/portland-trail-blazers-vs-cleveland-cavaliers-2012-2013-kyrie-irving-damian-lillardDave Deckard