Written by Brian McPeek

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I’m going to need a raise if I’m to be expected to watch and write recaps for this Cavaliers team all season long. It’s just a simple matter of math given this team requires a full 6-pack of Great Lakes Christmas Ale just to get through a game and that stuff is $11 per 6-pack.

Figure three games per week at $11 each and that’s $33 per week for enough liquid courage to sit and watch this team. That’s $132 each month. 

I figure I can continue to drink heavily, destroy my liver, marriage and family while watching this team play basketball games or I can buy a crappy Kia for the same monthly expense. 

The Cavs blew out the Philadelphia 76ers, got blown out by the 76ers and ultimately beat the 76ers comfortably all in one night at the Wells Fargo Center. 

It was a weird night.

Getting out to a 17-point lead early in the first quarter of play, the Cavs looked like they were going to run off and hide. But then Cleveland decided to take about a 20 minute break from playing defense and the Sixers, led by Jrue Holiday, made a game of it. The Cavs let Jrue jrive and jrop layups at the rim all night long. That in itself was enough to jrive a Cavs fan to jrink. 

And if it wasn’t Holiday who was wreaking havoc in the lane it was Andres Nocioni (pictured to the right) knocking down 3-pointers to give the Sixers a 7-point lead with 5 minutes remaining in the game. 

But then it was Boobie-time. 

Daniel Gibson caught fire late in the fourth quarter, at one point scoring ten straight Cavalier points on his way to 17 in the fourth period overall, to lead the Cavs from that 7-point deficit to a 123-116 win on a night when defense was apparently optional. The Cavs scored 44 points in the decisive fourth quarter to snap a three game losing streak as the Cavs improved to 2-3 on the season. 

Gibson scored 22 points as did Mo Williams. Anderson Varejao led the Cavs with 23 points on a perfect 10/10 from the field to go along with his 12 rebounds.

Joey Graham, getting his first extensive look off the Cavs bench, also score a big 10 points in 11 minutes that helped the Cavs to that early lead. 

The 76ers were led by Holiday’s 29 points. Lou Williams chipped in 16 points and Elton Brand actually showed up with 20 points. Nocioni dropped in 15 points on the strength of a 3/5 effort from behind the 3-point arc. 

Takeaways 

• It’s nice to get a win against an Eastern Conference opponent but the Cavs still haven’t figured out and mastered Byron Scott’s offense. 17 more turnovers Friday night speaks to the fact that the offensive chemistry is still a work in progress. There are times when it appears either Mo Williams or everyone else on the floor is out of sync. The Cavs were still able to put up 123 points because of the paper-thin defense of Philadelphia and because the Cavs do, for better or worse, push the basketball and accumulate possessions.

 

• There’s really not a leader or a calming presence on the floor for the Cavs to this point. I know Mo would love to believe this team is his to direct and command but Mo has missed valuable time in the pre season and just isn’t a guy that looks like a floor general out there. The Cavs are still looking for that guy on the court they can look to as a calming influence as well as the guy they can look to consistently when they need a big hoop. 

 

• Jrue Holiday is a hidden gem folks. The 2^nd year guard out of UCLA is a player. The 29 points were nice but Holiday consistently also got his teammates open looks off his penetration. Holiday also tallied eight assists and a couple of rebounds and steals. He’s an impressive player and, even more heartening of you’re a Cavs fan expecting to draft in the 10-20 range this season, he was the 17^th pick in the first round last year.Those kinds of gems can be mined outside the lottery.

 

• Another nice developmental game from JJ Hickson Friday night. 16 points and 8 boards for Hickson against the 76ers and he also cut his turnovers down to just two for the game. Small steps will get you where you’re going.

 

They Got Next

The Cavs will turn around and do it all again tomorrow night in Washington against the Wizards. That’s another 7pm tip off on FSNOhio.