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Tag Archives: Tristan Thompson
THE POSITIVES FOR THE CAVS IN THE SWEEP OF DETROIT
TYRONN LUE – He was the first individual that popped into my mind as the good from this first round series. He out coached and Stan Van Gundy with his adjustments and out of bounds plays or as they’re known in NBA circles – ATO’s – After Time Out plays! Not bad for only coaching half a regular season and coaching in his 1st ever playoff series as the head coach.
THE BIG THREE – They finally looked like they can play together. They clicked in this series. Each of them had their moments and in those moments helped the team win games. They combined to average 69ppg – 23.2rpg – 13.2apg.
KYRIE IRVING – He looked healthy, shot the ball well from distance, didn’t over dribble for the most part, actually played some defense especially on the final play of Game #4 and did something that is very rarely done, he led a LeBron James team in individual scoring with 27.5 points per game in a playoff series!
LeBRON JAMES – He continued his great all-around game attacking the basket at times in the series but still not enough for me. Hopefully he will attack the rim more in the next round, but you can’t argue with his final numbers in sweep (22.8ppg – 9rpg – 6.8apg). “The King” has been in “Zero Dark Thirty – 23” mode for quite some time now and is playing his best basketball of the season.
KEVIN LOVE – Despite not shooting it well at 41% from the field, he did score points 18.8ppg and led the team in rebounding 12rpg and his effort was outstanding on defense even though he may not have always been that effective. A good series for Love, and like Irving he came out of it healthy and gained some valuable playoff experience!
J.R. SMITH – “Swish” did his job in three of the four games knocking down three-point shots and unbelievable “end of the shot clock baskets” to become that fourth scorer that the Cavaliers need. He also played good defense and kept his cool, which is paramount for him and this team moving forward. In other words, he didn’t lose his mind and have a J.R. moment that could hurt his team.
MATTHEW DELLAVEDOVA – “Delly” was the one consistent player off the bench as he played outstanding on offense and defense. The Cavaliers need him to continue this type of play throughout the playoffs and into the NBA finals.
TRISTAN THOMPSON – His Numbers don’t look great but he was the sacrificial lamb in this series and accepted that role. He had to give up statistics and take one for the team in guarding “HUGE” Andre Drummond and he did an outstanding job of that. A total team player.
A SERIES SWEEP – Regardless of how it happened, anytime you can “Broom” a team in the playoffs and come out of that series healthy it’s a great thing. Now you can rest and watch the next team you’re going to play in the NBA Playoffs as they continue to battle in their first round series and maybe get a little banged up or at the very least, get tired The less games you have to play, the less chance a player on your team can get hurt.
THE 2015-16 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS BY THE NUMBERS
THE CAVS BY THE NUMBERS 2015-16 REGULAR SEASON
TEAM
Cavs finished 57-25 to win the Central Division and the #1 seed in the East.
HEAD COACHES
David Blatt’s record as Cavs head coach was 30-11 (.732).
Tyronn Lue’s record as Cavs head coach was 27-14 (.659).
THE BIG THREE
Cavs “Big 3” combined to average 61.1ppg – 21.6rpg – 13.8apg – 7.5to/pg.
Cavs “Big 3” shot a combined 47.1%(fg) – 33.4%(3fg) – 79%(ft).
THE PLAYERS
LeBron James lead the Cavs in total points (1,920), points per game (25.3), a team high (37) points in one game, assists per game (6.8), total assists (514), steals per game (1.4), total steals (104), turnovers per game (3.3), total turnovers (249), free throws made (359), free throws attempted (491), field goals made (737), field goals attempted (1,416) and minutes played (2,708:33).
Tristan Thompson led the Cavs in game started (82), field goal percentage (58.8%) and offensive rebounds (268).
Kevin Love and J.R. Smith tied for the Cavs team lead in games started with (77).
Kevin Love led the Cavs in rebounds per game (9.9), defensive rebounds (613) and total rebounds (762).
J.R. Smith led the Cavs in three point field goals made (204), three point field goals attempted (510) and personal fouls (204).
Mo Williams led the Cavs in free throw shooting (90.5%).
Matthew Dellavedova led the Cavs in three point shooting percentage (41%)
Timofey Mozgov led the Cavs in total blocked shots (57) and blocks per game (0.8).
*These were all based on a minimum of 41 games played*
CAVS RE-SIGN TRISTAN THOMPSON
CLEVELAND, OH – The Cleveland Cavaliers have re-signed forward Tristan Thompson, General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts. Per league and team policy, terms of the contracts were not released. In a related move, the Cavs have waived forward Nick Minnerath.
Thompson played in all 82 games (15 starts) in the 2014-15 regular season, finishing with averages of 8.5 points on a career-best .547 shooting from the field, and 8.0 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game. It marked the third straight season he has played in all 82 games, increasing his consecutive games streak to 288 dating back to Feb. 10, 2012. That is the second-longest active streak in the NBA, behind only DeAndre Jordan’s 322 consecutive games played (dating back to March 25, 2011). Last season, the 6-10 forward ranked fifth in the NBA in total offensive rebounds (274) and fifth in offensive rebounds per game (3.3). He recorded 14 double-doubles, while tying for the NBA-lead in double-doubles off the bench with eight. Thompson also led all NBA bench players in total rebounds (511) and offensive rebounds per game (3.2), while ranking second in total rebounds per game (7.6).
During the Cavs’ NBA Finals run in the 2015 playoffs, Thompson played in all 20 games (15 starts), averaging 9.6 points on .558 shooting, 10.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 36.4 minutes per game. He registered nine double-doubles, while grabbing double-digit rebounds in 14 playoff games, including in all six games during the NBA Finals.
–cavs.com–
CAVS AND TRISTAN THOMPSON AGREE TO TERMS
As the information made it’s way around Twitter on Wednesday night that Tristan Thompson and the Cavaliers had come to terms on a new contract, there was no confirmation from the Cavs that this had actually happened. That was until Cavs owner Dan Gilbert took the stage at a special event for Cavs season ticket holders at the Cleveland Convention Center. Gilbert addressed the crowd and said, “Yes it is true.”
Gilbert then went on to say they had reached a verbal agreement on a deal with the power forward and were hopeful the actual contract would get signed on Thursday. The Cavs owner then gave credit to his general manager David Griffin and managing partner Nate Forbes for finally getting the deal done.
Thompson’s agent Rich Paul told ESPN.com that the deal is for 5 years and $82 million dollars, with all the money guaranteed. The deal also doesn’t include a team or a player option.
The 24 year old Thompson averaged 8.5 points per game and 8 rebounds per game last season for the Cavs, but upped those numbers in the playoffs to 9.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Thompson who has missed all of training camp, is entering his 5th season for the Cavs after being drafted with the 4th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
KENNY’S KEYS TO A GAME #6 WIN FOR THE CAVS
AGGRESSIVE, ATTACKING LEBRON – While he didn’t get the calls in Game #5 at Golden State, LeBron needs to go to the basket strong and frequently because it’s his best offensive weapon and it will put the onus on the officials to make calls if there is any contact. I expect “King James” to shoot no less than 14 free throws in this Game #6 if he attacks the rim.
POUND THE BOARDS – The Cavs lost the battle of the boards in Game #5 overall and at the offensive end, that can’t happen again in this series starting with tonight’s Game #6. Even if David Blatt decides to go small again, the Cavaliers as a unit must find a way to hold the Warriors to one shot, while at the other end create second and third chance opportunities on offense.
GET PHYSICAL WITH STEPH AND THE WARRIORS – Curry went for 37 in Game #5, if he does that again the Cavs season will end tonight and the Warriors will be NBA Champs. Overall the Cavs must make Golden State feel them from the opening tip to the final whistle. If that means take a few hard fouls and also grab, bump and knock Steph Curry around, then do it. Don’t let him get comfortable. I would also mix in a little zone when trying to play maybe Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov together, putting Lebron, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert on the perimeter and force the Warriors to go inside. Use this to try and catch Golden State by surprise and it may buy you a few minutes so you can play your “Bigs” together.
CONTROL THE TEMPO – This series has been all about the pace of the game. When Golden State has scored 100 or more points in the NBA Finals, they are (3-0). When the Cavs have held the Warriors under 100 points, Cleveland is (2-0). A slowdown, slugfest favors Cleveland. An up and down the court, track meet style game benefits the Warriors.
A SUPPORTING CAST – LeBron is doing it all and that’s still not enough. He needs a consistent second and third scorer if the Cavs are to force a Game #7 and have a chance to win the title. That means J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert must step their games up on the offensive end and provide at least 35 points between the two of them for the Cavs to have any chance. I expect LeBron to score between 35 and 45 points tonight, but without help from “The Others”, it won’t matter and the season will come to an end.
PREDICTION:
With the TV ratings at an all-time high, you know the NBA office wants a Game #7 that would feature Steph Curry and LeBron James. With that in mind and this game being played in Cleveland, I expect the Cavs to get more calls tonight giving them a chance to win Game #6, but it will come down to LeBron and “The Others” making shots and free throws. In a game in the 90’s, I expect the LeBron and the Cavs to find a way to win and force a Game #7 Friday at Golden State by defeating the Warriors tonight 95-91 at The Q!
