Hello Cavs fans and CavFanatics! It’s Mr. Cavalier, checking in from the frozen tundra that is Cleveland. What’s happening?
It’s been a crazy few weeks for Cavs Nation, but after this weekend, it looks like maybe we’ve found our footing. I liked a lot of what I saw in these last two wins.
Basically, what I’ve seen is more passion to win. And the communication between the players has been much better.
In other words, I saw that when there was constructive criticism, the other players didn’t take it and start pouting. They dealt with it, internalized it, and continued to go forward. And that’s what has to happen, because you’re in the battle together. You’re not in it by yourself. So as long as you don’t disrespect someone by how you’re addressing them, it’s just constructive criticism that helps you understand the situation.
I thought Kyrie did a really good thing towards the end of Sunday’s game. I think Dion tried to pass Kyrie the ball around the three-point arc and it went out of bounds. They went back and forth very calmly and then Kyrie patted his chest as if to say: “my bad.” And what that told me that they’re starting to mature on the floor.
You go through situations, nobody’s perfect and you’re going to have some problems. And the reason why you discuss it is so that next time that problem comes up, you’re on the same page. Now, the next time Dion makes his move, Kyrie knows which way he’s going, where he wants the ball in that situation. They talked it out instead of just shutting down. And that tells me that there’s growth.
The backcourt overall is really starting to take shape, because I think Mike Brown implemented different ways to best use Kyrie. In other words, Kyrie’s always on “GO” at the 2 spot – he starts the game that way. Whereas when he plays the 1, Kyrie has to figure out how to run the team, who to get the ball to and all that.
We seem to start games much faster now because Kyrie can just GO. And I have to take my hat off to Jarrett Jack, because Jarrett is sacrificing his game for the good of the team – and that’s what it’s all about. He’s sacrificing so that the team will have a better flow at the point guard position.
No team runs well without veterans that are willing to step up when the time comes and when to sacrifice when that’s for the best.
A perfect example also happened this weekend. Alonzo Gee has been getting very sparse minutes. But he came in and changed the game on Friday night in Washington. And being ready to play means that he’s keeping his mind focused on what he needs to do. He’s not hanging his head. He’s a true professional. To do what he did – you have to be a true professional to do that. And his teammates notice that and respect him for it.
And you’re also seeing some tangible growth with Anthony Bennett over the last couple weeks.
It looks like he’s accepting that he’s not perfect and that he’s going to make mistakes. You move on from your mistakes. You learn from mistakes. That’s fine. But don’t browbeat yourself to the point where you can’t perform. You make a mistake, you simply say: ‘OK, next time I’m going to try not to do that.
It’s tough for rookies and especially for the top overall pick. At first, I took things very hard. You’re always going to have that. And on top of that, Fitch demanded perfection. So when you’re trying to please the coach and you’re trying to please yourself and you’re trying to please your teammates and the fans and it’s your first year in the league.
It’s overwhelming. It can be a mind-boggling situation. And that’s when you have to have self-confidence. You have to believe that you’re here for a reason and you’re there because you can play.
I think things are slowing down for Bennett now. And he’s starting to realize what he can do and what he can’t do. He still doesn’t have complete confidence in his jumpshot. That’s still a work in progress. But everything else seems to be coming along.
He’s rebounding, he’s trying to defend. He’s a big-body dude and he doesn’t mind pushing guys around. He’s starting to battle these guys now. And now his fouls are more physical fouls and not just touch-fouls. He’s starting to let people know he’s there.
So, again, he just needs time to play. And if has a competitive spirit, that’s eventually going to come out. If he doesn’t, that’s going to show, also. It’s as simple as that. He’s going to get an opportunity to show what he’s about. And whether he lets it out is up to him.
But the thing I like most is, he’s starting to relax a little bit and stop worrying about fouls and just turn around and go back down the floor instead of getting paralyzed by thought after he makes a mistake.
For the Cavs, it’s important to keep focused on the next game and not get caught up over these two wins. Things can change fast in the NBA. And losing focus is something that happens to a young team. But it’s happened to them enough now to where they should understand that they’re not in a position to feel too good about themselves yet. They have a lot of work to do. So it should be more of putting blinders on and heading down a tunnel without looking at anything on either side. Everything should be focused.
If we were in the 6th, 7th, 8th spot in the East, then you can think that way. But where we’re at now, we should be ready to chew up anybody that we go up against so we can get back in this race. At the end of February, you want to be within striking distance; you want to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You want to be within two or three games of those finals spots. And you can get there if you stick to your business for the remainder of the season.
After we wrap up these next two games, I’ll be looking forward to watching Kyrie and Dion at All-Star Weekend in New Orleans.
Of course, I see Dion having a good game on Friday night. Let’s just put it this way: Somebody is going to get dunked on. I can definitely see him doing that.
And I can see Kyrie really getting after it in the Three-Point Shootout. He knows Mark Price won it back-to-back years ago, and he’ll want to duplicate that. He’s a very competitive dude. So it’ll be interesting.
And in the Game itself on Sunday – when you can handle the ball like Kyrie, you’re suited for success in the All-Star Game, because one-on-one, you can just do your thing. I expect him to play well in the All-Star Game.
Those two should stand out this weekend. Cavaliers always seem to on All-Star Weekend.
As for me, I’ll be competing on a completely different level – hitting the ball around the links down in sunny Florida!! And I’ll see you on the other side.