Hey, Cavalier fans and CavFanatics! It’s Austin, checking in from sunny California. (Although I heard it’s pretty nice back in Cleveland, too!) What’s happening?
The Cavs dropped a tough one in Denver. Once again, they built themselves a nice lead. But they couldn’t match Denver’s intensity in the second half. Coach Scott wasn’t happy with the third quarter and how his team closed the game. But that’s part of the growing pains that a young team goes through.
The guys have to regroup because the trip is just getting started AND they have the Lakers up next.
The Cavs will go into this one with a little bit of confidence – after already beating the Lakers this year at The Q. And right now, the Lakers are struggling and the Cavaliers are starting to play better. They just have to find a way to play better, LONGER.
But if you beat them at your home, you definitely have a confident feeling when you play them at their home.
Fans ask why the Cavs are able to beat the Lakers but struggle against teams on their own level. Again, that’s part of the growth process. Young players sometimes don’t understand consistency. It takes you a while to understand that the games you play at the beginning of the season are just as important as the ones at the end.
Right now, it’s a process. First, you just start thinking about winning games. Then, you’re just thinking about making the playoffs. The next step is winning the Division, then the Conference. You take it in steps. The games have a different meaning, depending on what your mindset is.
I’m seeing some improvement of late. I would say the offense is definitely improved; we’re just scoring more points. And defensively, we’re playing better individually. We switch so much on defense, we sometimes get caught in mismatches. And teams are taking advantage of that. So that means the individual defense has to get better so you don’t have to switch as much. It has, and that has helped a lot.
Right now, the Cavs are benefitting from some young veterans who are showing them the way.
Luke Walton is a glue person for your offense – he keeps the ball moving and he’s an excellent passer.
See, young people learn from watching. So when they watch Luke, they see how he gets in a certain position in the offense and makes a pass. So the next time a young guy gets in there, he sees that – he sees the opportunity. So that’s how our young people are learning.
And Shaun Livingston, I love his game. Before he got hurt, he must have been unreal, because he shows flashes now. But I think the difference now is he can’t do it as long because of the injury. But he’s been a godsend.
Plus, you can already see: Shaun’s a leader. He knows how to lead. He gets people in the right spot. He comes right in and communicates. He does all the right things right off the bat.
You hear us talk about communication on the floor all the time. It’s huge!
When I played, we got to the point where if the team would come down the floor and yell “two-down” – we knew, for example, that was a pass to the wing and a guy cutting baseline. We would call it out. “He’s cutting down, overplay the wing!” That gets into their heads. You almost get to know their plays as well as you know your own.
Communicating. Knowing the league. That’s a veteran is about. That’s what being a professional is about.
Right now, some of our young guys are just making their way through the league for the first time. Some for just their second time. This is a very important time in your development because you get to see all the talent in the league, how they play and – most importantly – how they play YOU.
I wanted teams to double-team me. I wanted them to do special things against me. Because that meant I was doing well. If they ain’t game-planning for you – that means you ain’t doing anything!
The Cavs will look to sweep the Lakers on Sunday, but it won’t be easy. They must keep the pressure on them on the offensive end. (It’s understood that you have to play defense.) But you have to force the Lakers to score points because, if you don’t, they can put out a lackluster performance and beat you. You have to score 100-plus points on Sunday. That puts a lot of pressure on them.
On Monday, it’s a rematch with the Kings. (And maybe our last trip to Sacramento.)
When you play the Kings, your main concern is obviously DeMarcus Cousins.
He moves so well for a guy his size. The best thing you can do with his is try to eliminate his inside game and let him have the outside game. Inside is where he does most of his damage. And he’s an excellent passer down there, too. Keep him away from the basket as best you can and make him put it on the floor. Understand where the passing lanes are.
The kid is a hell of ballplayer and we’ll have our hands full again. If his head was on straight, he’d be one of the best players in the game. He sees the game well when he’s on the floor.
Hopefully, we can take a couple wins with us out of California. There’s not much time for fun on the road, but I’ll try to enjoy a little bit of it.
I always look forward to a trip to the Nike store in Portland. Everything I’m wearing is from there! In California, there’s a new place in Marina Del Ray called Tiger Shrimp that I really like and Tad Carper and I will probably hit that up. I usd to live over in the Marina back in my playing days – so those are some good memories back there.
In Portland, there’s a place called El Gaucho that I really like. Fred and I will probably eat there. And Utah has a couple places that I like.
But mostly on the road, you’re constantly on the move and you’re too beat for much. Like, right now, as we’re get into L.A. in the middle of the night. When we get in this late, that’s a killer.
I’m going to bed.