NEW YORK: Twenty-seven thoughts for 27 points from LeBron James in Saturday’s 107-93 win over the New York Knicks…
1. Tyronn Lue gave the Cavs two defensive goals for this game: be physical and get back in transition. He’ll continue to give simple goals for each of the final nine games that follow, with the hope of maintaining the minor goals from the game before.
2. Lue has quietly resumed control of the defense in the wake of the embarrassing loss at the Miami Heat. He relinquished it to Mike Longabardi after he was named head coach, but now he is back in charge. It was a move that was going to happen in the playoffs, anyway, but now it’s happening sooner. Lue said shortly after that loss the defense was going to get better, and it is, despite some hiccups. The Cavs allowed 40 points in the third quarter, matching their most points allowed in a quarter this season, in part because the Knicks made six 3-pointers in the third.
3. Yet the Cavs still held them to 42 percent shooting for the game even though nearly half of their baskets for the game (33) came in the third quarter (16). Lue watched video clips of Carmelo Anthony’s four 3-pointers in the third and came away pleased knowing they were at least contested looks. Otherwise, they accomplished defensively what Lue wanted. Of course, it was the hapless Knicks. But considering they lost to the hapless Nets on Thursday, they at least treated a miserable team the way they should’ve.
4. They held the Knicks to just two points in transition and played physical enough against Carmelo Anthony that he was aggravated “the way that they was letting them bang me around a little bit out there.”
5. In the four games since Lue took over the defense and simplified the coverages, the Cavs are allowing opponents to shoot 45 percent. That’s still too high of a percentage for an elite defense and they haven’t played an opponent with a winning record. The hope, of course, is the more they do it, the better it will get.
6. “We’ve made changes and we have smart, high basketball IQ players on this team that can make adjustments,” Kevin Love said. “We just have to drill. We’ve talked all season about 48 minutes, 48 minutes. I thought tonight we did a better job of that. It just takes a little time to get back to where we want to be.”
7. Kyrie Irving and Jordan McRae predicted James’ triple-double Saturday morning and James delivered. He came to the bench following the game’s first timeout and apparently saw something in the way the Knicks were defending him.
8. According to Love, James told the rest of the player he was going to be able to get them great looks all night. And he did, finishing with 27 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and one vicious dunk over former Cav Lou Amundson.
9. There seems to be something brewing between Amundson and some Cavs players – specifically those represented by Klutch Sports. Amundson has had run-ins with Tristan Thompson previously and Thompson even ripped him after a game, something he never does (Thompson later apologized). This time it was James’ turn to stare down Amundson following that nasty dunk, which earned James a technical. James has said for weeks he feels better now physically, at this point in a season, than he has in years. The proof was in that dunk.
10. “I’m just in attack mode and understanding that they had two shot blockers at the rim. Just tried to finish strong at the rim,” James said. “I have the ability to do that at times and we needed a bucket.”
11. James has talked for days about gearing his focus toward the postseason, entering a playoff mentality a little sooner than usual. James scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half after he registered eight assists in the first half. But that dunk…
12. “I haven’t jumped out of my seat like that in a long time,” Love said. “I ran with JR almost to the basket. That was impressive. That’s a strong man there.”
13. J.R. Smith is being sued for $2.5 million stemming from an incident when the Cavs were in New York in November, ESPN reported Saturday. Smith was not arrested, nor was he charged. But ESPN reported the man suing Smith, Justin Brown, claims the Cavs star turned down his request for a photograph, then choked him and struck him in the head/neck region. Brown is suing for physical injuries and emotional distress, according to the report.
14. “I anticipated that more than anything,” Smith said after the game. “So we’ll just see what happens.”
15. Mo Williams returned to the court for the first time in a month after dealing with a left knee injury that required an injection. Williams could’ve had surgery on the knee, which would have shut him down for the remainder of the season and the postseason, so he instead elected to have the injection and therapy in an effort to get back on the floor.
16. Williams scored eight points and made a pair of 3-pointers in 13 minutes on a night Kyrie Irving sat out to rest. He was initially on a 12-minute restriction. Curiously, however, Williams felt he came back sooner than he wanted. He didn’t want to play in a game until next week.
17. “Today wasn’t the day in my mind, but Ky was out,” Williams said. “Ty asked me if I could give some minutes tonight. I said, ‘Hey, yeah I got you.’”
18. Williams just returned to practice a few days ago and would’ve preferred a few more days.
19. “In my mind I wanted to come back next week, I wanted a few more days of preparing,” Williams said. “I just started on court stuff Monday. In my mind it was next week, that’s what I was telling everyone silently. Every situation is different and I’m the ultimate team guy. I’m not going to put our team in a bind. I felt like we were in good hands. I could take my time and come back when I wanted to. But we needed Ky to rest tonight, so it was fine.”
20. Williams didn’t want to talk about how much, if any, pain remains in his knee. But this has been an ongoing issue and something that will likely linger as long as he continues to play. Williams told me earlier this week he has no intention of retiring after the season.
21. “I think it’s something I’ll have to deal with the rest of my career,” he said. “Just maintaining and doing what I’ve got to do. It’s been bothering me the last couple years.”
22. Given all the talk of super teams and James’ recent comments to Bleacher Report about wanting to play with Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade at some point before he retires, this seemed as good a time as any to ask Anthony about playing with James.
23. Anthony has been talking about his no-trade clause off and on throughout the season, but when I asked him if he would waive it for the chance to play with James in Cleveland, Anthony said he was shutting down trade talk for the rest of the season.
24. “I don’t want to talk about that. I’d rather not talk about a no-trade clause after losing,” he said. “I don’t want to talk about that no more this season to be honest with you.”
25. Tristan Thompson tied Jim Chones’ franchise record of 361 consecutive games played. Lue revealed Thompson was dealing with a sore hand a few games ago and the coach wanted to rest him, but Thompson wouldn’t hear of it. He takes great pride in the streak and wasn’t going to let a bruised hand keep him out.
26. “He went crazy,” Lue said. “He ain’t going to let me sit him. I might play him two minutes one game and get him out of there. We’ll see how he takes it.”
27. Lue also said he’d like to get Matthew Dellavedova a game off in these last couple of weeks before the playoffs start. James will likely sit out at least one more, too. By resting Irving on Saturday, the Cavs got him four days off before they host the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Talk to you then from the Q.