El Conclusion: Cavs 128, Spurs 125

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Cleveland Cavaliers 128 FinalRecap | Box Score 125 San Antonio Spurs
Tim Duncan, PF 42 MIN | 7-11 FG | 4-5 FT | 11 REB | 8 AST | 1 STL | 4 BLK | 3 TO | 18 PTS | -1 +/-

He was everywhere on both sides of the ball tonight. Is this what playoff Timmy is going to look like? If so I feel good about where the Spurs are.

Kawhi Leonard, SF 44 MIN | 9-14 FG | 5-8 FT | 9 REB | 7 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 24 PTS | -5 +/-

I don’t want to hear it about two free throws. He did everything else including out play the best basketball player on the planet for most of the game. Again, if that’s the Kawhi we’re getting from here on out I feel good about things.

Tiago Splitter, C 22 MIN | 3-6 FG | 3-4 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 9 PTS | +5 +/-

When the Spurs decided to go big he looked good. Here’s the problem: When the Cavs did something else with Kevin Love besides put him in a corner, Tiago has a little bit of trouble guarding him in open space. If the Cavs play Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov together, Splitter’s in good shape. Any other line up and he can’t be out there with Duncan.

Tony Parker, PG 43 MIN | 15-23 FG | 1-3 FT | 5 REB | 6 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 31 PTS | -7 +/-

He matched Kyrie Irving’s output for nearly the entire game, but then Kyrie went off as the Cavs played catch up at the end of the fourth. He definitely can’t guard Irving, but on this night no one could. As Pop told Rachel Nichols, his health has improved and his confidence with it.

Danny Green, SG 36 MIN | 7-13 FG | 5-5 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 2 STL | 4 BLK | 1 TO | 24 PTS | -3 +/-

Overall he was great. Fouling Irving on that 3-pointer was dumb as Hell and that’s what happens with Green. Sometimes he gets a little over anxious out there, but again, you live with that. Bigger picture, his shot is back: 25/50 from 3 since the All-Star Break.

Marco Belinelli, SF 22 MIN | 2-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | +1 +/-

Shot from deep wasn’t falling and he was having trouble keeping in front of anyone and everyone tonight. So basically we had bad Marco.

Matt Bonner, C 8 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | +5 +/-

I just remember the one 3-pointer he missed by a mile. That was ugly.

Boris Diaw, C 24 MIN | 4-8 FG | 1-2 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 9 PTS | -5 +/-

He rebounded nicely from a funky start. The Cavs went small and Diaw took advantage of that situation. As long as he’s aggressive I’m happy. Spurs will need that in the postseason, especially when they don’t have home court.

Patty Mills, PG 13 MIN | 2-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 6 PTS | +6 +/-

Was perfectly fine with what he did this game. His play was actually key in the first half because the shots he made stymied any run the Cavaliers attempted.

Manu Ginobili, SG 10 MIN | 0-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -8 +/-

He was obviously not feeling well. INC for this one.

Gregg Popovich
Should they have fouled up 3? I don’t even think they had time. When Kyrie caught the ball, he was looking to shoot. He had an answer for everything the Cavs did.

Five Things We Saw

  1. Parker had this to say in the postgame media scrum about Kyrie and the game overall (H/T to Mike Monroe): ‘If it’s going to take that to beat us we’re in a great place. It was a great performance.” This sums it up nicely. The Spurs looked great for 90% of this game. I don’t even want to say they ran out of gas in OT as much as Kyrie and LeBron just made tough shots.
  2. I have no idea how the Spurs are going to fare in the playoffs. The West is so tough. I do know this: the way they look right now I like their chances against anyone in the playoffs. They haven’t played the best teams, that’s coming later this month. However, between the play of Parker and Leonard and the improved ball movement, the Spurs look light years better than they did just two weeks ago.
  3. Moving Tiago back in to the starting line up has really helped the interior defense. There aren’t many front lines better defensively than Kawhi-Timmy-Tiago.
  4. That Kyrie performance was one of the most bonkers things I’ve watched ever.
  5. Kevin Love getting zero fourth quarter minutes is also one of the most bonkers things I’ve ever seen. Does David Blatt really not want him to come back? They could win the title and Love isn’t re-signing if he’s getting benched in favor of James Jones.
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  • Graham

    Didn’t you also freak out about our losing record against western playoff teams last year? How did that work out?

  • Graham

    Bingo. Kyrie’s 45 gets swept away as the narrative focuses on multiple spurs cracking 20 in an incredible display of balanced attacking.

  • Bussman

    I’m a great fan of Manu and I said he just lost Game 6… This one is for the Claw (and he missed a free throw in Game 6)…

    Like any great fan of Manu, I don’t think Richard Jefferson is the answer to anything…

    Things happen… But if he want the max in the Spurs he just have to deal with the close look, because the stars in this team resign money for the posibility of content for a championship…

    And I’m not wrong when I said he lost this one…

  • Bussman

    I agree… Just look the expression in his face between free throws!

  • lvmainman

    I always wonder why the NBA doesn’t put everyone on defense on the 3 pt line. In the NFL, for a hail mary the defenders start in the end zone. The Cavs had no more timeouts left, so giving up a 2pt basket would win the game.

  • papavich

    I just figured it out y’all, kawhi is batman. Think about it, he is our silent observer, our ghost in the shell, when the night is at it’s darkest, we have a true silent Knight to defend us.

  • Suave Groove

    I truly believe that you should write a letter to Pop or the players about it. Why tell a person outside the organization about how the Spurs need to address their FT’s thing? That won’t make the team any better. You need to reach the team and remind them that they’re losing winnable games because of their poor - late in the game - FT shooting. But after just winning an Analytics award some weeks ago, I suppose the Spurs (from Mr. Holt to Reggie Williams) knows in what things they must work on to improve. Is not that simple tho’.

  • Suave Groove

    I felt a little angry and sad after the game, but loved our guys approach to the loss. If they need that heartbreaking event as a motivation fuel - a la Game6 - they just found it and could be a blessing in disguise. Now Pop and the coaching staff have that motivational tool to push their players in search for that mytical place they reached last season. Im pretty pumped up. Just thinking about that possibility.

    Next game tomorrow vs Pups!

  • TD BestEVER

    We are saying that these things can’t and won’t be corrected but to not be worried about them is foolish when some of our flaws in the past were seeen and never fixed and cost us

  • DorieStreet

    How about you writing the letter—-I don’t have the time.
    Commenting on 48MOH is enough for me.

  • Suave Groove

    I dont need to. I trust the system and players. You do not think that the players and coaching staff know in what part of the game they aren’t executing that good and need to improve? Unless you work for the coaching staff and you’re just sharing w/ us the concerns you guys have as a team. That would be nice!

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