Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 119-101 home loss to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
1. Well, at least it was a sellout — of 4,148 fans in the stands. And at least the Cavs got to relive some memories of those old battles vs. Steph Curry, Draymond Green and the Warriors.
2. But the nostalgia didn’t last very long. Curry did his thing, and there was no LeBron James, Kyrie Irving or anyone else from 2016 to save the day.
3. Actually, that’s not entirely true. Kevin Love and Matthew Dellavedova both own championship rings from that Cavs team. But the footage from that era is starting to look a little grainy. As Rick Noland of the Medina Gazette tweeted, it’s starting to feel a lot like 10 years since LeBron left.
4. And one night after playing his best game of the season, Love was a non-factor, finishing with five points on a miserable 2-of-10 shooting. The Warriors ain’t what they used to be. But Curry is as good as ever, and if you’re going to beat this particular opponent, you have to be at your best.
5. Love and the Cavs (20-35) were not.
6. On the bright side, Collin Sexton returned after missing a couple games with a groin issue, scoring 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Darius Garland was equally efficient, finishing with 20 points and seven assists.
7. Other than that, the bright sports were few and far between after halftime. For whatever reason, the ball seemed to stop moving in the third quarter.
8. Maybe it was tired legs from winning the previous night in Charlotte — who knows? But the Cavs don’t have an All-Star. In order to win without one of those, you have to get it done as a team, first and last, and for an entire night. There were too many slip-ups in that area Thursday.
9. Along with that, the Cavs just didn’t have anyone to slow down Curry when it was closing time. Not many teams do. So the Cavs need not feel badly about it.
10. Rookie Isaac Okoro drew the Curry assignment for most of the night, and he actually did an admirable job at first. You could definitely see positive flashes of what the Cavs hope Okoro will someday become.
11. Other semi-bright spots: Jarrett Allen scored 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds. It was just his second game back after lengthy time off with a concussion. Taurean Prince added 12 points off the bench, his seventh consecutive game in double figures.
12. There are undoubtedly things to like about this team. There are also things that make you go “hmmm.” Mostly, aside from Love, Prince and Larry Nance Jr. (OK, and Delly), the Cavs’ key players are all very young players. Unless one of those young players is Magic Johnson, Larry Bird or Tim Duncan, you’re probably not going to be real consistent.
13. Overall, the Warriors’ bench held a whopping 45-23 scoring advantage. The Warriors also finished with a 33-21 edge in the assist department.
14. Coach J.B Bickerstaff to reporters: “I thought we could’ve been better off the ball defensively. There were things we did last night that we just didn’t do tonight.”
15. Such as? “We did a really good job of being in our rotation spots and helping one another (on Wednesday),” Bickerstaff said. “Tonight, in the first half, 38 of their 62 points were in the paint. That just means we weren’t doing the job in our rotation. We weren’t protecting one another like we should.”
16. Yeah, defense is definitely something that will need to be addressed this offseason. In the meantime, the Cavs have to try to keep thing moving — both their bodies and the actual ball — on offense.
17. Curry led the Warriors (28-28) with 33 points. Old friend Andrew Wiggins (remember him?) added 23, and Juan Toscano-Anderson, the former MVP of the Mexican league, had 20. Green looks like a shell of his former self, scoring just five points. He did collect 10 rebounds, though.
