When the Cavaliers play without Baron Davis, things just don't go very well. There's no alley oops, no offensive firepower, and really nothing to get excited about.
This afternoon the Cavs were outmatched and outplayed for 4 quarters as Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled to an easy win.
It was an ugly first half to say the least. It didn't get any better in the second half either.
The defense wasn't present, and the Thunder led 29-14 after one quarter. In that quarter, the Thunder shot 52%. Compare that to the Cavs, who shot 25%. That's not going to get you wins.
In the 2nd quarter, the trend continued. Samardo Samuels was getting blocked and missing shots, Ramon Sessions turning the ball over repeatedly and the Thunder were still scoring at will.
As is a common theme, the Cavaliers did their best to play as little defense as possible.
If it weren't for a pair of Manny Harris 3 balls, there wouldn't have been a whole lot to cheer for. Oh, and Anthony Parker's three at the halftime buzzer cut Oklahoma's lead to 50-38.
After a two-handed dunk by Samuels to open the 2nd half, the Cavs came out with a better mindset in the 2nd half.
And then Russell Westbrook happened. Westbrook started scoring on seemingly every possession; he couldn't be stopped and the Cavaliers didn't even really try to.
Russell exploded for 14 points on 7/9 shooting in the quarter. All of those paints came in the paint, as he slashed to the rim scoring at will in almost a video-game fashion.
Also impressive was the defense of Serge Ibaka, who after 3 quarters had already recorded 7 blocks.
There was absolutely no rhythm to the offense, and the team really just didn't look like they even wanted to be out there. The gap in developed talent between the Thunder and the Cavaliers is blatently obvious.
As Austin Carr said late in the game, "This was a slightly contested contest."
You know what he meant.
Sometimes, games just weren't meant to be won. The Cavaliers shot 34% from the field, missed 10 free throws, and went 5/14 from the 3 point line. The Thunder scored 22 points off turnvovers.
The Cavaliers play Sacramento on Wednesday night in the first game of their road trip out west.
This afternoon the Cavs were outmatched and outplayed for 4 quarters as Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled to an easy win.
The defense wasn't present, and the Thunder led 29-14 after one quarter. In that quarter, the Thunder shot 52%. Compare that to the Cavs, who shot 25%. That's not going to get you wins.
In the 2nd quarter, the trend continued. Samardo Samuels was getting blocked and missing shots, Ramon Sessions turning the ball over repeatedly and the Thunder were still scoring at will.
As is a common theme, the Cavaliers did their best to play as little defense as possible.
If it weren't for a pair of Manny Harris 3 balls, there wouldn't have been a whole lot to cheer for. Oh, and Anthony Parker's three at the halftime buzzer cut Oklahoma's lead to 50-38.
After a two-handed dunk by Samuels to open the 2nd half, the Cavs came out with a better mindset in the 2nd half.
And then Russell Westbrook happened. Westbrook started scoring on seemingly every possession; he couldn't be stopped and the Cavaliers didn't even really try to.
Russell exploded for 14 points on 7/9 shooting in the quarter. All of those paints came in the paint, as he slashed to the rim scoring at will in almost a video-game fashion.
Also impressive was the defense of Serge Ibaka, who after 3 quarters had already recorded 7 blocks.
There was absolutely no rhythm to the offense, and the team really just didn't look like they even wanted to be out there. The gap in developed talent between the Thunder and the Cavaliers is blatently obvious.
As Austin Carr said late in the game, "This was a slightly contested contest."
You know what he meant.
Sometimes, games just weren't meant to be won. The Cavaliers shot 34% from the field, missed 10 free throws, and went 5/14 from the 3 point line. The Thunder scored 22 points off turnvovers.
The Cavaliers play Sacramento on Wednesday night in the first game of their road trip out west.
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