featured-image

Ohio Lottery Winning Time: Ready to Rumble

During the 2014-15 preseason, the Cavaliers proved something they’ll probably continue to prove all season: that they can beat teams with any number of guys in any number of ways.

Through much of the preseason, the veteran-laden Cavaliers made a conscious effort to keep their established guys fresh for the upcoming campaign. Only one player – Dion Waiters – started and played in all seven contests. But even with a sporadic starting five, the Wine and Gold still managed to go 5-2 in preparation for what promises to be an exciting season.

The new-look Cavaliers got an emotional win for their new-look head coach – dropping David Blatt’s former squad, Maccabi Tel Aviv, by 27 points. Neither team shot the ball particularly well, but Cleveland was still too much for their international guests – especially on the boards, where they dominated, 64-36. Cleveland went to the locker room up 15 and ran their edge to as many as 34 in the second half, despite none of the starters playing in the fourth quarter.

Kyrie Irving led the Wine and Gold with 16 points, five assists and a pair of steals. Dion Waiters, followed up with 15 points of his own on 6-for-14 shooting. Tristan Thompson, who led the Cavs in double-doubles a season ago, picked up where he left off – tallying 14 points and 13 boards.

LeBron James – who made his debut in a Cavaliers uniform and opened the scoring with a three-pointer to the delight of 20, 562 – led the squad at intermission with 12 points, adding four boards and four helpers.

The Cavs went from international hosts to international guests for their second win.

In that game, held at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, local hero Anderson Varejao started the scoring, taking a bounce pass from LeBron James and canning a 17-footer from just right of the foul line – sending the Brazilian crowd into an early frenzy. Minutes later, James tapped a touch-pass off a rebound to Varejao, who scored on a layup.

The Cavs looked to have the game in-hand, with the Cavs starters taking the rest of the night off after having helped build a 19-point lead. But Miami mounted a furious comeback to close out the fourth quarter on a 29-10 run to tie the game at 105-apiece and send the game into overtime.

Heat rookie Shabazz Napier opened the scoring with a driving layup, but Cavs reserve point guard A.J. Price canned a trio of three-pointers in overtime and another reserve, Stephen Holt, drilled a trey with 39.4 to play that gave the Cavaliers back the lead for good. Joe Harris sunk a pair of free throws with 13.2 remaining to seal the 122-119 victory.

Kevin Love led the Wine and Gold with 25 points – going 9-for-12 from the floor, including 4-for-5 from long-distance.

The Cavs returned stateside to face off against Milwaukee at The Q.

Cleveland was down three starters and the Bucks played several of their starters well into the fourth quarter. But Kevin Love and Dion Waiters were good enough to give the Cavs their third straight win to start the preseason.

After leading both teams with 25 points in Rio, Love added 25 more against the Bucks. Waiters was right behind him – notching 23 points as the Cavaliers held on to hand Milwaukee the 106-100 loss.

The Cavaliers took the show to Cincinnati for win No. 4. And after resting in the previous game, LeBron James was loaded for bear at Xavier University.

James only played 24 minutes, including just seven in the second half, but by then he’d led the Cavaliers to a lead they’d use to hold off Indiana for their fourth straight win – topping the Pacers at the Cintas Center, 98-93.

LeBron was all business against Milwaukee – leading both teams with 26 points, going 9-for-12 from the floor – including 2-of-3 from long-distance – to go with four boards, three assists and a steal.

”I am starting to feel good,” James said, following the win. “The plan that myself, the training staff and the coaching staff have me on right now is doing wonders for my body, and I have to just stay on it. And I felt good tonight.”

The Cavaliers got the victory despite being down two starters: Kyrie Irving, who was nursing a sore right ankle, and Anderson Varejao, who simply got the night off. Matthew Dellavedova was the only other Cavalier starter to notch double-figures that night, going 6-for-9 from the field – 2-of-3 from beyond the arc – for 14 points. The sophomore point guard from St. Mary’s led the squad with four assists and a pair of steals.

The final preseason win came this past Monday in Columbus – featuring a regular-season-worthy point guard battle between Kyrie Irving (who finished with 28 points) and Derrick Rose (who led everyone with 30).

Irving – who notched 20 of his 28 points after intermission – blew the game open midway through the third, keying an 11-1 run that took Cleveland from a one-point deficit to a double-digit lead. The closest Chicago got the rest of the way came with just 1:12 remaining, when Rose’s trey got them to within six.

The Cavs started Irving, LeBron James and Kevin Love together for just the second time this preseason, and the first time since the trio tipped off the preseason together against Maccabi Tel Aviv at The Q.

The important thing about all seven preseason contests was that the Cavs came through it with a healthy roster. And on Thursday night, all of Cleveland’s starters and reserves will be ready to roll in the most eagerly-anticipated home opener in franchise history.