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| AP Photo/Tony Dejak |
And just like the previous 16 games the Cavaliers have played at home, tonight was no different as the Cavaliers controlled the game from (almost) start to finish in a 114-88 blowout victory.
Playing without Kevin Love, the other two members of the Big Three stepped up in his absence. Kyrie Irving has 23 points and 5 assists, while James has 23 points, 7 assists and had no problems with the play-calling.
Iman Shumpert played his best game as a Cavalier, scoring 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. It wasn't just his offense that was pivotal in tonight's win, as his defense was as good as it has been all season, a big reason the Cavaliers were able to get ahead by double-digits throughout the entire game.
As well as the Cavaliers played tonight, they did so against a Heat team that was playing without Dwyane Wade for most of the game, who went left the game after an awkward fall in the middle of the second quarter. Although Wade likely wouldn't have made a difference in the outcome, he had come into the game averaging 31.5 points against the Cavaliers this season.
Looking at the standings after tonight's win, the Cavaliers would currently be matched up with the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. The Heat and Boston Celtics are within a half-game of the Nets for the seventh seed, setting up an interesting subplot for who the Cavaliers will play in the first round.
Also with the win tonight, the Cavaliers currently sit 3 and 1/2 games ahead of both the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls with six games left in the season. With four of those six games being played at home, expect no worries for the Cavaliers in having the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.
Three Things:
1. Tristan Thompson is a valuable player.
Say what you want about Thomson, but whatever you do say, don't ever say he isn't important to this team. He does have his flaws, but the strengths he has outweigh the things he can't do. One of his strengths, offensive rebounding, is a weapon that the Cavaliers have been able to utilize during their two-and-half month hot streak. Because of the offensive firepower that Cleveland has, having Thompson keep 10 to 11 possessions alive per game with either an offense rebound or a foul drawn makes the Cavaliers' offense that more deadly. Also, his defense is very underrated, specifically when it comes to guarding a guard off of a switch. Thompson's lateral quickness allows him to keep quicker guards, allowing for the Cavaliers to be more comfortable with switches if there is one to be made.
Say what you want about Thomson, but whatever you do say, don't ever say he isn't important to this team. He does have his flaws, but the strengths he has outweigh the things he can't do. One of his strengths, offensive rebounding, is a weapon that the Cavaliers have been able to utilize during their two-and-half month hot streak. Because of the offensive firepower that Cleveland has, having Thompson keep 10 to 11 possessions alive per game with either an offense rebound or a foul drawn makes the Cavaliers' offense that more deadly. Also, his defense is very underrated, specifically when it comes to guarding a guard off of a switch. Thompson's lateral quickness allows him to keep quicker guards, allowing for the Cavaliers to be more comfortable with switches if there is one to be made.
2. I don't think the Cavaliers will lose at home in the playoffs.
It's a very bold prediction, but by the way the Cavaliers have handled teams at home over the last 17 games has been impressive, I can't think of a team coming into the Quicken Loans Arena and leaving with a victory. The competition will be better come playoffs, but just look at some of the teams they've beat over their 17-game home winning streak: Chicago (by 14), Oklahoma City with Kevin Durant (by 10), Los Angeles Clippers (by 14, but led by as many as 32 at one point) and Golden State (by 11). That's a very impressive list of teams in that span alone, leaving me to believe the same type of dominance (and winning) will happen in the playoffs.
It's a very bold prediction, but by the way the Cavaliers have handled teams at home over the last 17 games has been impressive, I can't think of a team coming into the Quicken Loans Arena and leaving with a victory. The competition will be better come playoffs, but just look at some of the teams they've beat over their 17-game home winning streak: Chicago (by 14), Oklahoma City with Kevin Durant (by 10), Los Angeles Clippers (by 14, but led by as many as 32 at one point) and Golden State (by 11). That's a very impressive list of teams in that span alone, leaving me to believe the same type of dominance (and winning) will happen in the playoffs.
3. Who the Cavaliers want to play/avoid in the first two rounds of the playoffs?
The bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race has been oddly exciting to see play out over the last two weeks, with four teams within three games of each other. With that being said, let's talk about who the Cavaliers want to play in the first two rounds. The three teams the Cavaliers want to avoid are the Indiana Pacers, the Heat and the Bulls. Any combination of either Pacers/Heat in the first and Bulls in the second will be the toughest path the Cavaliers will face in route to (most likely) playing the Atlanta Hawks in the conference finals. As far as teams the Cavaliers would want to play, a combination of either Nets/Celtics in the first round and the Raptors in the second round would be ideal if the Cavaliers want to cruise into the conference finals.
The bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race has been oddly exciting to see play out over the last two weeks, with four teams within three games of each other. With that being said, let's talk about who the Cavaliers want to play in the first two rounds. The three teams the Cavaliers want to avoid are the Indiana Pacers, the Heat and the Bulls. Any combination of either Pacers/Heat in the first and Bulls in the second will be the toughest path the Cavaliers will face in route to (most likely) playing the Atlanta Hawks in the conference finals. As far as teams the Cavaliers would want to play, a combination of either Nets/Celtics in the first round and the Raptors in the second round would be ideal if the Cavaliers want to cruise into the conference finals.
Statline of the Game:
Iman Shumpert: 17 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, 7-of-12 shooting.
Nobody played as well on both ends as Shumpert did tonight. Offensively, he hit his open shots while also creating off the dribble, knocking a couple of pull-up jumpers off the dribble. Defensively, Shumpert wrecked havoc all over the court, notching four steals and locking down whoever he guarded.
What's Next:
April 5, at home against the Chicago Bulls, 3:30 p.m.
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