Hey, Cavalier fans and CavFanatics. It’s A.C., checking in from Memphis, Tennessee. What’s happening?Today’s blog comes to you from Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken on Front Street in Memphis. Just about every member of the traveling staff makes the stop here. They do it right!
The Cavs face another tough challenge on Monday night in Memphis and get right back after it on Tuesday night when we come home to face the Suns.
I really thought we had both of the first two games on this trip won. Just knowing how to finish is our biggest problem right now.
The team plays hard; they play hard the whole game. But they just don’t know how to close it out. And it really showed in the Miami game, because they didn’t get the ball to the right people to execute the plays in the closing minutes. And defensively, they seemed to break down. They played solid defense for three-and-a-half quarters, and in the second half of the fourth, they seemed to lose their assignments.
The schedule has been tough, especially for a young team with new parts this early in the season. Right now, there’s some mental and physical fatigue. Even thought the bench is starting to step up right now, some guys are playing heavy minutes. And it can wear you down.
For some of these guys, they’re logging ‘starter minutes.’ And starter minutes are much tougher mentally than coming off the bench.
But again, as I’ve said – this first month is an adjustment month, guys getting used to new roles.
Jeremy Pargo didn’t see any action earlier this season. Now, he’s stepped into the huge role of starting point guard.
I think Jeremy’s playing well. We couldn’t ask for a better backup situation. The only thing I’d like to see is a few more assists. But other than that, he’s playing well. He’s defending, he’s scoring, running the break. I like the way he attacks the basket in the transition game. He’s a solid defensive player. Scrappy. He doesn’t go over the picks, he goes through the picks.
He’s a tough guy. I like what he brings.
I mentioned the bench picking it up and that’s been good to see.
Everybody’s starting to understand their role and where they fit in the offense. Because at first, you could see we were running around with no organization. But now you can see people starting to get it. ‘This is where I do mine; this is where he does his.’ And the production is there now.
And that’s why these games are closer against the better teams. Because we’re starting to get some support from the bench.
Like Pargo, Dion Waiters’ role has changed early in his first season here. But I think the young man is representing himself well.
He’s not overdoing anything. He’s doing everything within himself, without sacrificing his aggressiveness. And he’s really starting to understand the difference between the 2-guard and the 1-guard. When he’s playing the 2-guard, he’s looking to be more aggressive with the ball. When he’s on the ball, he’s looking to get other guys involved. So he’s getting that part of it right away.
This first month of the season was an adjustment month. The second month is going to test their resolve.
They have a road-home back-to-back every weekend and a few stretches of four games in five nights.
The key to getting through a stretch like that is, you have to win some games in order to keep the emotional level where it needs to be. You can ‘rah-rah’ all you want, but if you’re not winning some of those games –where you work hard and can’t quite cross the finish line – it won’t matter. That’s the leap you have to make.
Back in my day, I found that when we’d play hard and wouldn’t win, it wore us down mentally and physically. We were doing the right thing and it wasn’t paying off. But once you start winning those games, now it gave us more momentum and energy and confidence moving forward.
That’s what I’m concerned about with these four games in five minutes coming up. You can say whatever you need to say. But you have to get some wins.
To get through any NBA season, you have to have mentally toughness. That’s what it comes down to. Because none of these young guys are used to taking it on the chin like they have. And yet, it’s something you almost have to do in this league, like a rite of passage.
The young Cavs will figure it out. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You have to take your lumps in this league to learn how to win.
A good example of that is my beloved Notre Dame Fighting Irish. (You know I had to mention them before we left!)
I never thought they would reach this level and go undefeated. Because the last 10, 15 years or so, whenever they would do this, they would stumble before they got across the finish line. Something would happen. But it just shows the toughness that they have. They’re a very resilient team. And that mental attitude is a big advantage that they’ll take in the championship game.
It doesn’t make any difference if they play Alabama or Georgia. Because they’re both SEC teams, and the thing about SEC team is they’re going to be strong, fast, hit hard and bring a ton of talent at every position. That’s just the SEC. We just have to match them pound-for-pound. There’s no way around it.
But I think my Irish can get it done.
Put it this way: I’m not going to doubt them anymore. I doubted them at least five times this season, and they proved me and everyone else wrong. So I’m not doubting them anymore.