Tag Archives: Brooklyn Nets

Cavaliers to face Nets in play-in tournament

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The 2021-22 NBA regular season has come to a close and the Cleveland Cavaliers are headed to postseason play. Cleveland will head to Brooklyn to take on the Nets in the play-in tournament.

While not yet officially the playoffs, this play-in game will be the first for the Cavs without LeBron James since the 1997-98 season. Brooklyn is a tough draw and coming away with a win against the Nets will take quite the performance. Luckily the Cavaliers will have Evan Mobley back for their matchup, but Jarrett Allen’s return is not likely at this time. Even with just having Mobley back it will make a huge difference for the Cavs and help take pressure off of Darius Garland to carry the load. Cleveland has a chance and more than likely a better one than most think.

Cavaliers defeat Durant-less Nets

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The Cleveland Cavaliers survived a scare against the Brooklyn Nets, coming through late in a 114-107 victory.

Even though the Brooklyn Nets were without Kevin Durant, they were not going to go away easy and the Cleveland Cavaliers were ready for the challenge. As their six-point half-time lead was erased in the 3rd quarter, the Cavs were facing the prospect of not closing out against one of the better teams in the NBA. Cleveland battled with Brooklyn and the game was tied as late as 3:43 in the 4th, but were able to go on a 12-2 run capped off by an Isaac Okoro steal and dunk after an off target pass from James Harden to Kyrie Irving to secure the win.

The paint was the key for the Cavaliers as they held a 54-34 advantage over the Nets down low. While Cleveland faced some challenges in that area as the game progressed, they were still able to play to their strengths as Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined for 26 points. When Allen and Mobley are able to operate close to the basket it makes a difference for everyone else on the Cavs.

Darius Garland led the way for the Cavaliers with 22 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, and two steals. Garland continues to be a rising star in this league as he was able to battle and come out on top against the duo of Irving and Harden. Over the last two games Garland has 30 assists, the only Cavs player besides LeBron James to do so over the last 20 seasons.

The win has the Cavs at 27-18 on the year and just one game behind the Nets for third in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland has won seven of their last 10 games and are currently on a five-game winning streak. Cleveland travels to Chicago for one game Wednesday before retuning home for a three game home stand beginning Saturday. 

Cavaliers fall short in loss to Nets

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to battle with the Brooklyn Nets, but were unable to snap their four-game losing streak.

At one point Monday night the Cleveland Cavaliers held a 12-point lead over the Brooklyn Nets and it appeared the upstart Cavs were going to come away with a win. Midway through the 3rd quarter Darius Garland left the game due to an injury and that is when the game flipped. By the time Garland returned nearly six minutes later Cleveland held just a one-point lead. When the 3rd quarter ended the Cavs were trailing 84-82. That stretch that Garland was absent in the 3rd quarter gave Brooklyn the opportunity to seize the momentum and seize it they did.

The Nets outscored Cleveland 32-19 in the 3rd and 33-30 in the 4th. That was just enough for the Nets to hand the Cavaliers a 117-12 loss, their fourth-straight and fifth in their last seven games.

Even though Garland exited the game for a time, he still led the Cavaliers in scoring with 24 points. Garland did not shoot well, making just nine of 27 field goals and two of 10 attempts from three-point range while also finishing with a. team-high 11 assists.

Lauri Markkanen came through with a surprising performance, scoring 22 points on 7-17 shooting night including 3-9 from deep. Jarrett Allen also was a major factor, scoring 20 points and grabbing a game-high 15 boards.

If there is one thing that everyone has learned this season it is that Ricky Rubio can be an excellent option off the bench. Rubio continued his hot start with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and one block in 29 minutes.

The last Cavaliers scorer of note was Isaac Okoro. Okoro is not the most proficient scoring option, but getting 15 points on 4-9 from the field (3-7 3PT) and making all four free throw attempts.

Now 9-9 on the season, the Cavs will face the Phoenix Suns at home Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. as they look to get back on track.

Cavaliers unable to keep with Nets in 109-99 loss

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The shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers were not able to keep up with the Brooklyn Nets in their 109-99 loss Wednesday night.

Entering Wednesday’s game, the Cleveland Cavaliers were up against it as they were without four members of their starting lineup. Due to injuries, Darius Garland was the only regular Cavs starter that played in the contest in Brooklyn. In addition to Garland, Cleveland featured Ricky Rubio, Dean Wade, Isaac Okoro, and Ed Davis as their starters while Kevin Love and Cedi Osman were their main bench options. Considering the state of their roster, only losing by 10 in a game that they were once down 23 in is a slightly less worse result.

Rubio was the Cavaliers leading scorer with 25 points while making eight of his 17 shots from the field (3-10 3PT) and all six free throws. Garland was also productive, finishing with 24 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Garland’s shooting night was not great, making just 10 of 26 from the field including going 3-13 from three-point range. With the lack of offensive options, taking the volume of shots that Garland did is acceptable.

Love made his return to the Cavs lineup, finishing with 11 points and nine rounds in 21 minutes off the bench. This is about the production that Cleveland should expect from Love while he is in this role. Osman was the only other bench player of note as he had 11 points in the contest.

The Cavaliers are now 9-7 on the year as they continue their tough stretch of games including Thursday’s game against Golden State. 

Cavaliers lose final game of season 123-109

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were not able to defeat the Brooklyn Nets in the final game of the regular season.

Even if the Cleveland Cavaliers would have been full strength they would have had a tough time being competitive against the Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Love and Darius Garland were the only two players with injuries who did not play who were not previously designated as out for the season. The absence of Love and Garland certainly played a factor as the Nets outscored the Cavs 99-76 though the first three quarters before Cleveland scored 33 compared to Brooklyn’s 24 in a garbage time 4th quarter.

Not helping matters was Collin Sexton getting ejected midway through the 3rd quarter.

While overall the foul flagrant 2 foul call is a bit extreme here, Sexton cannot be this reckless in a game. That is before even mentioning that the player that Sexton fouled was Kevin Durant. It was a no-win situation here for Sexton and he needs to be aware of this. Sexton finished with 16 points and 5 assists in his final game of the season.

There were four other Cavaliers who scored in double-digits in the contest. Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro were tied for a team-high 18 points. Damyean Dotson chipped in 17 off the bench and Brodric Thomas added 14 as well.

Now that the season is over the Cavaliers have a lot of decisions to make. There are obvious players who do not work together. Additionally, the team needs to pick one direction to head towards (rebuild) instead of attempting to contend at this point in time.

Nets interested in Kevin Love

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The Brooklyn Nets have expressed interest in acquiring the Cleveland Cavaliers veteran big man.

There was a new Kevin Love trade rumor that emerged Monday, The Brooklyn Nets have shown interest in acquiring the 32-year old veteran according to Jason Dumas.

This is in addition to already looking into acquiring JaVale McGee. Brooklyn is looking to fill our their roster after making the blockbuster move that resulted in James Harden becoming a Net. McGee would solve some of their defensive issues and Love would not necessarily move the needle all that much in that department.

Kevin Love has missed the majority of the season after a calf strain in Game 2. At this moment in time, Love is still within the re-evaluation window for his injury.

Moving Love would allow the Cavs to distribute minutes to their younger players and allow them to develop properly. One player of note who has stepped up during the absence of Kevin Love has been Larry Nance Jr. Nance has taken the starting role and ran with it, possibly leading to Cleveland exploring trades in involving Love. If Cleveland does trade Love, Nance could go from temporary fill-in to regular starter.

JaVale McGee on the move to Brooklyn?

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The Cleveland Cavaliers backup center is drawing interest from the Brooklyn Nets.

It is possible that JaVale McGee could be on the move in the near future. The Cleveland Cavaliers veteran has reportedly drawn interest from the Nets and could make a run at him according to Sam Amico.

If the Cavs do trade McGee to Brooklyn it would be the second trade of the season between the two clubs. The Cavs and Nets were involved in the blockbuster trade that sent James Harden to Brooklyn while Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince came to Cleveland.

Speaking of that trade, JaVale McGee has not played in the past two games, the two games that Allen has appeared in. It really seems like the Cavs are intent on continuing to roll with Andre Drummond and Allen at the center position while McGee is relegated to the bench. McGee was never someone that was going to be a long term piece for the Cavs and a midseason trade seemed inevitable. Now that Cleveland has a younger backup center, moving McGee to a contender not only seems logical, but it is the right thing to do.

Cavaliers return to action at home vs. Nets

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The Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the new look Brooklyn Nets.

The last time the Cleveland Cavaliers played a game was on Friday January 15 against the New York Knicks. Since then the Cavs have seen two games with the Wizards postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests for Washington. After a bit of a mini-break the Cavaliers return to action as they play host to the visiting Brooklyn Nets in their first of two consecutive meetings.

This will be the first matchup for the two teams this season and both will be playing with a new look roster. Cleveland has former Nets Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince on their team while Brooklyn will be looking to win their third straight game with James Harden in the fold. This particular matchup between the two teams is a bit different as it is expected to be the first with all three of Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving playing together this season. This will be Irving’s first game in Cleveland since the 2017 season opener with the Celtics.

The Cavaliers could see the return of two key players Wednesday, Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. Garland has not played since January 2nd and Sexton has been out since January 6th. The team has gone 2-3 over the past 5 games which just happens to be the timeframe that they have been without SexLand. If they do return, their presence should make things a bit more competitive against a superior Nets squad. If not, it could be another lopsided final score for the Cavs which is something that would be best to avoid.

The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 P.M. Wednesday.

With A Jimmmitude: Nets, CBJ retro, Bears

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Kyrie, KD, and Harden in Brooklyn?

A superteam appears to be on the horizon in Brooklyn. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant came to Brooklyn last season and now the Nets are looking to add James Harden. That is a lot of star power on one team and this is not something new. All players involved have played on some version of a team with a lot of talent.

The question is will the players actually fit together? Brooklyn does not even know if the duo of Irving and Durant works yet and now they are looking to add Harden into the mix. There is going to be some rough patches, but on paper this would be one of the most talented teams in the NBA. The problem is that the game is not played on paper, it is played on a court. The only way to find out if this trio works is once they get on the court together and play games.

Columbus Blue Jackets Reverse Retro

The NHL released a series of Reverse Retro jerseys and I am not necessarily a fan of the concept for the Blue Jackets. The issue I have is the logo, I have never liked this particular logo. It seems too busy and like it is trying too hard.

I understand the concept of what they are doing with the Reverse Retro concept is to mesh the past and the future, but there is a reason this logo was left in the past. Even the current primary logo is not all that exciting, but the secondary cannon logo is excellent and should be more of a focus in future uniform concepts.

Chicago Bears drop to 5-5

Just about a month ago the Chicago Bears were 5-1 and almost seemed like a legitimate contender. Chicago has since lost four straight games and appear to be on the brink of completely falling out of playoff contention. The issue has been and continues to be the offense. Matt Nagy turned play calling duties over to Bill Lazor and that really did not help all that much. The only touchdown the Bears scored came on special teams as their offense was only able to manage two scoring drives which ended in field goals.

There is no easy fix for what is going on in Chicago. The switch to Nick Foles has not provided the offensive boost they were hoping for and Mitch Trubisky is not the answer. Chicago is stuck with their incredibly flawed offensive until the end of the season when they need to make wholesale changes. Changes that not only come in regards to the personnel on the field, but the coaching staff as well. Continuing to go with Nagy as their head coach will not yield the results they are looking for.

James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets?

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If the Rockets guard decides that he wants to be traded by Houston, the Brooklyn Nets are emerging as a preferred trade destination.

It was only a few days ago that James Harden was “locked in” and committed to the Rockets. Things have apparently changed as trade rumors are now surrounding Harden and a possible trade. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted early Sunday evening about this development.

Woj was quick to follow up and note that no trade discussions involving James Harden have taken place as of yet.

If James Harden were to end up in Brooklyn it would reunite him wither former Thunder teammate Kevin Durant. It would also create an interesting dynamic on the Nets roster. Harden, Durant, and Kyrie Irving are all capable of being primary options on any team. They would have to work together and sort out exactly they would all operate with each other. There is also the fact that Durant is yet to play a game in a Nets uniform. If a trade were to happen Brooklyn would be integrating two superstar players into their roster, not exactly an easy task. This would be a dominant trio forming in Brooklyn that could give the Nets their first NBA Championship. Of course a trade that sees James Harden land in Brooklyn would have to take place before going in depth about roster construction or any championship aspirations.