Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 Takeaways from Their Back-to-Back Against Milwaukee
The Cleveland Cavaliers have proved several things to their fans after beating the Bucks in the last two straight games, but what exactly have they proved?
Dec 21, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA;Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks guard Tony Snell (21) during the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
After starting the back-to-back on the road as they captured a six-point overtime win in Milwaukee, the Cleveland Cavaliers came home and won by eleven points. After the game, the Cavs left no doubt that they reminded the Milwaukee Bucks who won the
Each game had its highlights. In the first matchup of these two teams, the Bucks outscored the Cavaliers 54-28 in points in the paint. Along with shooting 46.0 percent from the field, the Bucks were able to force overtime. In the second matchup, the story was the complete opposite. The Cavaliers outscored the Bucks 48-44 in the paint, a rarity. They also shot better from the field en route to their eleven point win. Their shooting percentage went from 40.7 in their first matchup to 49.4 in the second.
After these two back-to-back wins, even Jason Kidd knew that Cleveland was a special team.
The Cavaliers have started to streak, and by winning eight of their last nine, they have prepared their fan base for this alluring game Sunday against the Warriors.
Here are three positives that can be taken away from their back-to-back against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Dec 20, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) drives for the basket against Milwaukee Bucks guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) in the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Kyrie Irving Has Been Red Hot
In his first game, Kyrie Irving scored 28 points on just 8-23 shooting. While not great, LeBron James and Irving were the only Cavs to score over 15 points. In his second game, Irving scored 31 points on a incredible 11-17 shooting and a career-high 13 assists.
More from King James Gospel
In the second game especially, Irving’s driving and kicking ability was on full blast as he did tally that career-high mostly off of drive and kicks.
Irving has been the point guard that James has always craved. He drives, kicks, slashes, shoots, and much more. This season he has been Irving’s best season yet. He has scored 24.0 points per game. With over a third of his shots coming after 7+ dribbles, Irving has become the Cavaliers go to player late in the shot clock, and he has delivered shooting 48.4% on those shots.
While these game did not spark Irving nor did it outline his season, these games just reminded Cavaliers fans that he is an elite point guard and should be ranked among the leagues best.
Irving has the full arsenal to become one of the best point guards in the modern NBA era. This season especially has been one of his best, and Cleveland fans should be ready for Uncle Drew to put on a show for a long time.
Dec 21, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jordan McRae (12) warms up before the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jordan McRae Will Be the Benefit from J.R. Smith’s Absence
While he did not play in the first game as J.R. Smith tallied 17 minutes, McRae managed to find time in the second game, and it could prove crucial.
Throughout the first game, Lue repeatedly went to Shumpert and Dunleavy who combined for 3-10 shooting and 9 points in 47 minutes. In the second game alone, McRae stole the show on the bench as he put up a crucial 8 points on a effective 3-6 shooting in just 18 minutes.
While Shumpert’s minutes will stay the same, McRae will start to suck the already dismal minutes away from players like Mike Dunleavy and James Jones, but shouldn’t he? He is a young small forward who has potential to grow in this league. Both Jones and Dunleavy are older, savvy veterans who can almost be forgotten at times.
In both of the games that McRae has gotten over 18 minutes this season, he’s over 8 points. That type of scoring should be expected of a solid role player.
Developing McRae’s game could be the first move that the Cavaliers make to look for the future. I’d expect McRae to continue to see a spike in minutes until Smith returns from his surgery which a timetable has yet to be set for.
Tell us. Do you think McRae could eventually be a quality role player for this Cavaliers team?
Apr 5, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5), forward Kevin Love (0) and forward LeBron James (23) sit on the bench during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
No Love, No Problem
While Kevin Love was missed on the offensive end of the court, the back-to-back wins without him proved that the Cavaliers really only need two of the big three to consistently win.
What does that have to do with anything?
This season is 82 games long, and it will only continue to weaken the big threes bodies especially after Irving and James combined for 92 total minutes in the first game and 69 in the second game. These two are workhorses when on the court and they’ll continue to play these minutes as the game continue to be close down the stretch.
However, knowing that Lue can trust his team with a major player missing is crucial for their success going forward.
On Christmas Day, this Cavaliers team has their biggest challenge as they get to face the Golden State Warriors, and these three takeaways could prove crucial for that game.
What were your takeaways from tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.
