Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 116-106 home win over the Pacers on Monday night.
1. The only thing you can honestly take away from these scrimmages is whether the Cavs are showing fight. You have to ask if they look like a professional organization. You have to gauge whether the mindset looks right.
2. After two preseason games, the answer to all that is yes.
3. And that is a credit to coach J.B. Bickerstaff. This is a team that hasn’t had a regular-season game in nine months. Nor have the Cavs had injured guard Collin Sexton (ankle) in either preseason game. So Bickerstaff is sort of teaching these guys and coaching them in game situations on the fly.
4. In that sense, you can feel good about the Cavs. They look like a unit and are playing with some determination.
5. It sounds simple, but that’s an important aspect to this season. Bickerstaff has repeatedly stated he wants the Cavs to play hard, play smart and basically be a thorn in everyone’s side. He wants opponents to be annoyed with the Cavs’ scrappiness.
6. That’s always a good goal, and right now, Bickerstaff appears to be getting that wish more often than not.
7. For instance, the Cavs trailed by 20 points almost right off the bat. But most of the men responsible for that deficit kept battling. They eventually got it turned around and even took the lead. I would say the Pacers are the more-talented and more-experienced team. And they probably couldn’t wait to get out of Cleveland by the end.
8. Those are all good signs for a Cavs squad that will have to pull some stunners for this to be memorable season, or a season in which they sneak into the playoffs. Bickerstaff has their attention and that is a start.
9. Individually, reserve guard Dante Exum led the way with 23 points. It was a nice performance from a former lottery pick, a player who definitely has some skills. Exum is often a forgotten man, but this season will go a long way toward determining the rest of his career. He’s a story worth watching.
10. Darius Garland added 17 points, and looks as if he’ll be able to improve on last season’s scoring average (12.3 ppg). Turnovers have been the issue for the second-year point guard so far. He committed six on Monday, compared to just two assists.
11. Garland said he knows he has to take better care of the ball. “I’m just trying to get my conditioning back and trying to get in basketball shape,” he said. “The one-on-one workouts, drills and all that other stuff we’ve been doing for the last nine months have been great. But they’re not the same as 5-on-5 NBA basketball.”
12. Andre Drummond looked very good with 17 points, 11 rebounds and a runner from about half-court to end the first quarter. Drummond also blocked two shots. He is still going to be a real force in the middle.
13. Meanwhile, rookie small forward Isaac Okoro gave another solid showing with 15 points and four assists. He did a decent job defensively, but got caught out of position on several occasions and was forced to foul. He finished with five fouls for the game.
14. Despite Drummond’s presence, the Cavs could do little to slow down Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis, who recorded 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting. I’m starting to wonder if the Pacers are going to be any better than the Cavs this year, though.
15. Kevin Love (Achilles), Cedi Osman (ankle), Matthew Dellavedova (back) and Kevin Porter Jr. (personal) all joined Sexton on the sideline. None of the injuries are considered serious.
16. That’s it for Cavs preseason home games. They visit the Knicks on both Wednesday and Friday.
