Shorthanded Cavaliers fall to Raptors 119-94
BY STONE LEXINGTON
CAVALIERS BEAT WRITER
With a stacked roster, leadership by the surplus and questionable competition in the Eastern Conference, the most important issue for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season is health. It can be argued that the defending NBA champions should be back-to-back title holders, if not for season-ending injuries to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in the 2015 playoffs.
While LeBron James, the world’s sturdiest (and best) basketball player, produced a historic effort en route to the 2015 Finals, even he couldn’t capture that title without his All-Star-caliber comrades. After averaging 27.1 points per game in the 2016 Finals and sinking the Golden State Warriors with the biggest shot in Cleveland’s history, Irving’s health is particularly essential to the Cavs’ defense of their title this season.
Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue knows just how important Irving is to the Cavs’ success, and that he has a player who is one of the most competitive in the league.
“He wants to play,” Lue said. “He’s 24-years-old; he wants to play. That’s everyone; that’s just human nature. But, I think he understood last year, he did a great job of taking care of his body when he came off the knee surgery. But we have to look at the big picture, and he understands that now, going to the Finals back-to-back years and not being healthy for the first one — It’s on his mind. He understands that we have to do what’s best for him and what’s best for the team.”
Irving and the Cavs hosted the Toronto Raptors Thursday night in Quicken Loans Arena, the former scoring 13 points with eight assists in his and the latter’s 119-94 loss to Toronto. Irving only played 22 minutes, a marker Lue said he expected his players to hover around just before tipoff.
“They played at a different pace, different speed,” Lue said. “They approached it like a regular season game and we approached it like a preseason game.”
Kevin Love led Cleveland with 19 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes, while Tristan Thompson totaled eight points and three rebounds in 21 minutes. Thursday’s game was Thompson’s first of the preseason, as the Cavs center had dealt with a sore left foot. Like Irving, Thompson is one of the most crucial cogs in the Cavaliers lineup.
While his scoring prowess is always favored, Irving’s eight assists in 22 minutes was a welcomed sight Thursday night. The point guard has been criticized in the past for having low assist totals, but all criticism regarding how the young superstar plays on the court should quiet down this season, especially after his Finals performance from a season ago.
“A lot of point guards now are scoring point guards, and they can also shoot the basketball, which is a tough matchup,” Lue said. “But also, the game has changed because there’s a lot of pick-and-rolls. Back when I first came in, there were a lot of post players like Shaq and Mourning and Ewing, all the bigs that posted the basketball. But now, it’s more of a spread offense with the five going down the middle of the paint trying to suck guys in to spray out for threes.”
Irving showed off his skills in Rio de Janeiro this summer for the U.S. men’s national team, taking home a gold medal in the process. While most NBA players stay in shape year-round nowadays, Irving has been in game shape since the 2016 Olympics concluded. With an extra dose of basketball this year, Irving’s minutes in the upcoming season will surely be monitored. However, Lue said he doesn’t know what type of minute restriction Irving may have this season.
“I’m going to manage him the way I want to manage him, make sure he’s getting proper rest,” Lue said. “Our training staff does a great job when guys are in that red zone and they’re getting close to getting injured, so we have to manage his minutes.”
Lue went on to offer a deep glimpse into Irving’s competitiveness.
“In practice, he’s probably the most in-shape guy we have right now, the way he scrimmages, the way he plays, pushing the basketball,” Lue said. “He never wants to come out, never gets tired. So, it’s going to be tough because he’s going to want to fight back-and-forth about his minutes, but we have to be smart.”
The Cavs are certainly being diligent with their stars, as James did not play Thursday night. Cleveland has just two games remaining on their preseason schedule before the team opens its season on Oct. 25. When that date arrives, Irving and the Cavs will be ready to take on all comers.
POSTED 10/13/2016 23:55
Lake County Sentinel
