What a difference a couple weeks* makes! Last night, LeBron James & the Cavs got revenge on Russell Westbrook & the Thunder. In case you don't remember, OKC destroyed CLE, 148!-124 in their last meeting, a nationally televised Saturday showcase on ABC.
Things didn't come as easily for Billy Donovan's group this time - a hot start by J.R. Smith (12 1Q pts) & strong support from CLE's second unit perfectly complemented LeBron James's red-hot, 37! pt. night.
Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood & Larry Nance Jr. - 3 of the new additions - all came off the pine aggressive, looking to contribute in a variety of areas:
J. Clarkson: 14 pts, 4 dimes, 4 boards -- Clarkson put in another strong effort: was aggressive generating his own offense, made smart reads to open teammates; played in late 4Q lineup
R. Hood: 14 pts, 4 triples, 2 boards -- Rose w/ confidence on every opportunity to score from downtown: shot 8 triples, made 4; played in late 4Q lineup
Rodney Hood
14 pts, 4 triples (off bench)
L. Nance Jr: 13 pts, 9 boards, 3 blocks -- Frustrated OKC w/ every tip-in, tip out and inside finish; energy, athleticism & consistent effort is a welcome addition
Jeff Green also chipped in 10 & 4 boards - 51! total bench pts w/ 4 players in double figures all at 23+ minutes.
Pretty decent distribution for Coach Tyronn Lue, who is now afforded the luxury of potentially resting different players/limiting minutes throughout the course of games.
Cleveland's depth is real...though only a couple games have been played, they seem to stack up much better w/ elite opponents, a lost theme prior to this point.
Cavs are on a 3-game streak heading into the All-Star break.
****
OKC, on the other hand, got excellent production from the Big 4? of Russ Westbrook, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony & Steven Adams (combined 92! pts) but only got 20! from the rest: Jerami Grant (14) & Ray Felton (6).
With Andre Roberson out for the year, it's understandable how big of a hit it's been for Coach Donovan in terms of defensive production & lineup possibilities - Alex Abrines got the starting nod this time, the 3rd replacement** for Roberson thus far.
Perhaps it's time to promote Jerami Grant? Or shorten to an 8-man rotation in hopes of developing continuity and potentially limiting defensive miscommunication?
We'll see - OKC gets after it again tonight @ MEM, their last before the break.
*and about 4-5 trades!
**T. Ferguson, J. Huestis were others