CLEVELAND: Twent-two thoughts for 22 made free throws in the Cavs’ 128-90 dismantling Friday of the Dallas Mavericks…
1. Kevin Love was watching film recently with assistant coach Phil Handy when he noticed a flaw. Love was hesitating too long before shooting 3s, and sometimes not shooting them at all.
2. When defenders closed out to him on the 3-point line, Love sometimes pump faked and drove the lane trying to draw a foul. Sometimes he passed up a shot altogether and sometimes he hesitated and shuffled his feet. None of it was what he wanted.
3. As a result, Love has spent the last two games focusing on catching and shooting with no hesitation. It has made a huge difference. Love shot 32 percent from 3-point range through the first 12 games (18 of 57). He’s 15 of 21 (71 percent) in the last two. All 21 of his attempts have been off catch and shoots.
4. “So many guys close out to me so hard, but having my size I’m able to get the ball off quick if I just catch and shoot,” Love said. “I think I saw that and I’ve been able to do that. That’s only going to open up more for everybody. Feels good right now.”
5. The Cavs became the first team in history to make at least 20 3-pointers in consecutive games, according to Elias. Take out J.R. Smith’s dreadful shooting night and the Cavs shot 19 of 33 on 3s. Kyrie Irving made his first 10 shots and didn’t miss until late in the third quarter. Yet despite all the offensive firepower and finally scoring the ball the way Tyronn Lue thought they could all along, LeBron James has been most pleased with the defense.
6. The Mavericks are awful right now. The worst team in the league. Still, the Cavs limited them to 90 points and 41 percent shooting. They have held two of their last three opponents to 90 points or less.
7. “We’ve been doing it on both ends the last couple games,” James said. “Obviously people are going to look at the shooting, the way we’re shooting the 3-ball right now, but defensively we stepped it up more. That’s the good thing for me, what I like to see. We’re a team where at the end we’re going to have to defend and move the ball offensively and then everything else kind of trickles down from there. It’s been some good ball as of late.”
8. James is averaging 9.3 assists, easily a career high. Only once in his career has he been above 7.4 and that was his final year in Cleveland the first time around when he averaged 8.6.
9. James has 24 assists in his last two games, including 16 that have led to 3-pointers. He is identifying the open shooters on the perimeter and finding them every time. He now has posted double digits in assists in six of the Cavs’ first 14 games.
10. “We have two workhorses that’s capable of doing anything,” James said. “Kyrie is playing off the ball a little more this year so when I’m getting the ball to him he’s catching and shooting. Kev is catching and shooting. Obviously, we missed Channing (Frye) tonight, but he’s doing the same thing. Then you add J.R. (Smith) and the rest of our group in there and guys are just knocking down shots. They’re working on their craft every day and I’m just the recipient, getting the assist.”
11. James has urged role players such as Frye and Mike Dunleavy to shoot it every time he throws it to them, because he’s only going to pass to them if they’re open. As a result, Frye (2.7) leads the league in catch-and-shoot 3-pointers per game and Smith (2.5) ranks third behind Klay Thompson. Steph Curry is fourth. Love (2.2) is tied for fifth.
12. After Love outscored the Blazers by himself on Wednesday, Irving did it Friday. He outscored the Mavericks 19-16.
13. The Cavs are flying to Columbus early Saturday morning to attend the Ohio State-Michigan game before flying to Philadelphia Saturday night. It’s another little perk in a season full of them and another benefit to having LeBron James as a teammate.
14. Lue said the Cavs have been working on the logistics of going to the game for about two weeks. It’s quite the crew going. The team is taking their entire traveling party, which consists of about 50 people. Love said the players have a suite (James will assuredly make his way to the sidelines) while some of the other support staff will be sitting in the elements.
15. Attending a college game has created a conundrum for a number of players. Love, for instance, had no problem wearing an Indians cap and jersey to the World Series games, but this is different. He had no ties to any baseball teams; but he attended UCLA. It’s a little awkward if he shows up in Columbus wearing Buckeyes gear. Mike Dunleavy, who attended Duke, already told Love he can’t do it. He won’t wear Ohio State apparel. Love said he’ll be rooting for the Buckeyes regardless of what he’s wearing.
16. But he won’t be wearing official team-issued clothing. On the dry-erase board in the Cavs locker room, below the 9 a.m. departure, was the reminder not to wear any Adidas clothing to the game. Adidas supplies the NBA with all of its apparel, at least for this season. But Ohio State is a Nike school. Nike will take over as the NBA’s apparel supplier beginning next season.
17. James is not planning on addressing the Buckeyes before Saturday’s game. He said he doesn’t like doing that on the day of a big game because he doesn’t want to get blamed if they lose.
18. “I’m a little weird about that,” he said. “If I was to do it, it would be like the day before. But the day of the game, I get a little weirded out about that because if they lose, then I feel like I had something to do with it. I don’t like that.”
19. The Cavs have certainly had their share of cool experiences this year. They attended a number of playoff games together, including multiple World Series games. They attended a Kanye West concert together and now they’re going to Ohio State-Michigan. Most of it is just a product of the schedule and the luck of having the right days off, but it’s clear this team looks for opportunities to do things together, too.
20. “It’s like incentivized parenting,” Love joked. Play well and get rewarded, basically.
21. “I think we’re all so close that we find ways,” Love said. “I think a lot of it has been timing as well.”
22. The Cavs get the Sixers on Sunday afternoon in what could be an interesting game. Philadelphia always plays the Cavs well, particularly at Wells Fargo Center. The early start, after the long day of sportsing on Saturday… stay tuned. Talk to you Sunday from Philly.