2. The supporting cast
James stole the show, but the Cavs got what they needed from their role players tonight as well.
Cedi Osman was key, providing a spark off the bench when the Cavs needed him most with hustle plays and good defense. He ended the night with nine points and four rebounds, but everything he provided won’t show up in the box score.
“I thought Cedi really came in and gave us a spark, especially defensively and playing hard,” Lue said. “He banked a 3 in, that was a big shot for us. I think his energy is contagious and infectious. So we needed that from him. We needed that spark, that spunk, and he gave it to us tonight.”
On top of Osman’s performance, for the second night in a row, J.R. Smith got off to a hot start on the offensive end.
On Tuesday night against Orlando, he hit four 3s in the opening frame and then did not score again for the remainder of the night. On Wednesday, that wouldn’t be the case.
Smith hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter, and went 4-for-4 shooting from the field to end the frame with a team-leading 11 points. In the second quarter, he built on that knocking down two more from downtown.
During the third quarter, Smith was a part of another key play that started a 7-0 run to help give the Cavs a four-point lead. After a LeBron James block off the glass, he had a cross-court outlet pass to Smith on the right wing. The shot gave Smith his sixth 3 of the night, and he ended the night with 20 points.
After the game, Smith said he thinks his more aggressive offensive mindset is here for good.
“It’s definitely the same mindset, just catching fire and see what happens from there,” Smith said. “But enough catch and holding– that’s not really where I’m at my best. So when I’m catching fire, that’s what my teammates want me to do so that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
And when Smith is catching fire like he did on Wednesday, it changes the Cavs offense immensely due to more spacing.
“Guys have to stay on him, they can’t help,” Lue said. “When he’s making shots for us, he changes our whole team. IT’s able to get to the basket, LeBron’s able to get to the basket, Tristan’s able to roll and get finishes. With him shooting the ball well, it opens up everything for our offense.”
Also with good offensive nights were Tristan Thompson (17), Kyle Korver (14), Jeff Green (13), Isaiah Thomas (13) and Jae Crowder (10).
Recent Comments