Feb 20 vs Wizards

clejgabriele

Wrap-Up – If anyone wondered if the All-Star Break would slow down the Cavaliers’ momentum entering the season’s second half – they got their answer on Friday night in D.C.

John Wall’s driving layup to put Washington up 2-0 to start the affair was about as good as it would get for the Wizards, who trailed the rest of the way as the Cavaliers came out of the Break as hot as they went in – blowing past Washington, 127-89, in front of a sold-out crowd at the Verizon Center.

Cleveland has now won 15 of its last 17 games; the Wizards have now dropped seven of nine. And although there’s still a long way to go, the Wine and Gold also moved ahead of the Wizards into the fourth playoff spot in the East with Friday’s win.

Even with the foul trouble he found himself in midway through the second quarter, LeBron James led all scorers with 28 points in just 25 minutes – going 12-of-21 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from long-distance, to go with six assists and five boards.

Kyrie Irving followed up with 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting, adding a team-high seven assists.  J.R. Smith finished with 15 points, going 6-of-12 from the floor to go with five boards, three assists and a pair of steals.

Cleveland also got 43 points from its bench. Iman Shumpert (11 points) and James Jones (10) led the way, with Tristan Thompson grabbing a game-high nine rebounds.

The Cavaliers shot 51 percent from the floor while holding the Wizards to 44 percent. Washington also came into the contest as the league’s fourth-ranked three-point shooting team, but finished just 1-of-16 from beyond the arc.

Turning Point –The Cavaliers trailed for all of 16 seconds on Friday night, but the game was blown open to start the second quarter. And they put the finishing touches on Washington to start the fourth.

Cleveland took control of the game almost immediately and led by nine after one quarter. But behind eight straight points by Iman Shumpert, the Wine and Gold went on a 14-2 run to improve their edge to 21 points. Washington cut Cleveland’s lead to 14 at the end of the first half, but the tone was set. In the third quarter, LeBron’s back-to-back treys helped push the lead back over 20. And the Cavs scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to put the game on ice.

By the Numbers – 26-1 … the Cavaliers’ record this season when they score more than 102 points – the best mark in the NBA.

Quotable – Kevin Love, on the Cavs transformation this season …

”I think we're a team that has a different identity. We do the little things more. We’re scrappier and more physical, and we take it to teams first. We’re not waiting for ourselves to get into the game.”

Up Next –After dropping the Wizards in Washington on Friday night, the Cavaliers mini-road trip rolls on with a Sunday afternoon affair in the Big Apple, where they’ll take on the Knicks at 1 p.m. From there, it’s over to the Motor City on Tuesday night for the final time this season. The Wine and Gold come home (briefly) for a nationally-televised Thursday night matchup with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Warriors at The Q. The following night, it’s right back on the road – heading back to Indiana, where the Wine and Gold had their 12-game win streak snapped two weeks ago.

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Cavs Come Back from Break to Bounce Wizards

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(On tonight's game):
“We did want to quicken the pace with discipline when we didn't have fast breaks because Washington is a very good half court defensive team. We felt it was important for us to get easy baskets. Also to take good care of the basketball. What a difference a few months make. Remember we played a game here in Washington some months ago and we turned it over 19 times and we were definitely not the together unit that we are right now. We got a lot of good looks and we got them in the way we wanted to get them.”

(On playoff standings):
“Obviously we're competing with Washington for home court advantage and we were 1-1 in the series so far, so on an away win against a very, very good basketball team was important. I don't know if it's a statement as much as it's a step that we had to make. One of many steps that we have to take to improve our position.”

(On LeBron James sitting out the fourth quarter):
“When your number one guy is out, you have to raise your energy level and focus level. We lost a little bit of ground there but nothing serious. I thought LeBron (James) played a terrific game by the way. In 25 minutes you look at what he did, he was just really focused at both ends and lead his guys so well.”

(On J.R. Smith):
“From day one J.R. Smith has come in here with great impact and with great focus on being a good two-way player. He's defending his position well, he's rebounding his position, he's giving us a real presence at both ends and without question J has been one of the main differences in our team.”

(On the Cavaliers performance tonight):
“We were just clicking awesome. We came out with a defensive mindset, got out in transition, guys were hitting shots. We got a lot of open looks that didn't even go down but guys were offensive rebounding.”

(On the physicality of the game):
“We should expect that, especially against a great team like that. The bigs running the floor, protecting the paint. Their guards are out in the perimeter and stretch the floor on the offensive end and going forward we have to be prepared.”

(On coming off All-Star break):
“I felt pretty fresh. A little bit more nervous than usual. Being out there for the first time, especially after All-Star break. You know All-Star game it is what it is but we're a game and a half behind them. The game was a little bit on the line, and meant something in the second-half push. Just trying to be as prepared as possible. Just going out there and giving energy on both ends and do whatever it takes. It was exciting. I was happy to be a part of an environment like this and can't ask for better teammates.”

(On the team's standing):
“It means a lot. This is my first time being a part of a playoff push and you have to be aware of those types of things. The coaches are aware, the whole team is aware. I’m just doing this playoff push with guys like this that are helping me and getting prepared game to game as I can be.”

(Biggest challenge of switching teams midseason):
“Just trying to get the system down as best as possible. Coming in as a point guard you have to learn the system because you’re a coach out there on the floor with the second unit. It’s just one of those things, you just have to transition quickly. It’s all about being a pro, no one is going to feel sorry for you.”

(On what his focus was after the All-Star break):
“Trying to get the job done. I am the leader of this team and I set the tempo, I set the pace, I set the aggressiveness and the guys follow me. We all have to do our job and we did that tonight.  ”

(On how different the team is from the last time they played the Wizards):
“Totally different team. Obviously we have a lot more room for improvement. Still have some things to take care of but we have been playing some good basketball as of late.”

(On what it means to get this quality win over a good Wizards team):
“We are not competing against those guys. We are competing against ourselves. This team is a very good team. They are playoff ready, they are playoff tested. We are not. We are not competing against Washington or any other team that is above us. We are competing against ourselves and understanding how important every game is for us going forward.”

(On being close to passing Allen Iverson):
“I am blessed. Blessed and my teammates along the way give me an opportunity to go out and do the things that I love to do. To be that close to a guy that I looked up to is unbelievable, and I already know that and it is a wow factor for sure.”

(On how the team has transformed):
“I think we're a team that has a different identity. We do the little things more. We’re scrappier and more physical, and we take it to teams first. We’re not waiting for ourselves to get into the game. I think you saw that tonight, and hopefully it will hold true to the rest of the season. This was a great start for us coming off the break.”

(On whether his individual stat line matters much to him):
“Oh no, not at all. It’s going to be different guys stepping up and having great games. Iman [Shumpert] hit some big threes and guys do a lot of little things that might not necessarily show up in the stat sheet. Those are things that help win games. That’s a good team we just beat, especially on the road.”

(On the team showing depth with LeBron out of the game):
“We’re able to sustain the lead. Basketball is a game of runs. We were able to get back in there, and continue pushing the lead and hold down the fort.”

(On what went wrong in tonight’s game):
“It was everything. I’ve talked about it before, we’ve got to — me, the coaches, the players — we’ve lost that edge of nastiness that we’ve played with. Tonight we came out and felt like we were going to warm ourselves into this game and they had other ideas. They hit us in the mouth right from the jump ball and we couldn’t recover from it. I’ve got to find a way to get our nastiness back, our edge back. We didn’t defend, we didn’t take anything away, that’s what we do and when we don’t [do that] we’re not very good.”

(On missing early shots affecting the rest of the game):
“The effort should be there not matter if we are making or missing shots. That has nothing to do with our playing defense. They were able to get out and get some easy baskets, but if we want to use that as an excuse than we are going to stay where we are at.”

(On losing to a top team in the East):
“Every game is important. We have to worry about Sunday. Let’s do that first and that’s what we have to do. I say it to you guys all the time, it’s hard to win in this league. It’s hard to win games. It doesn’t come easy. I think we thought it did there for a while. We got comfortable and thought that it was just going to happen, that we are going to win games no matter what the effort that we put into it. It’s caught up with us a little bit and coming off this break that’s what it looked like. They’re bodies were here but their minds weren’t.”

(On the Cavaliers’ intensity tonight):
“They came to send a message. No question. Absolutely. That’s what good teams do. That’s where we have to get. We have to understand where we are at, what we’re playing for, and we’ll be the ones that send the message. We’re sending nothing but bad vibes right now and we have to get back to working hard, putting more time in. We have 15 guys and I have guys complaining about playing time all the time. Well, here it is. What are you going to do with it? Show me you deserve to play. Right now I’m looking for that. I’m looking for that obviously with Bradley [Beal] being out. Opportunities are there and guys have got to step up and give me more than they’re giving me.”

(On how the team can bounce back):
“We’ve lost our edge. We’re going to try and figure it out tomorrow. We have to go back to the video and the film and try to correct a lot of things.”

(On what tonight’s performance lacked):
“It was a mix of a lot of different things. We couldn’t make a shot. I don’t think we made a three, maybe at the end. The bottom line is they shot the ball well. We didn’t play any defense or offense. That’s how you lose a game.”

(On getting minutes in his first game in Washington):
“It’s tough anytime you come in a situation like that, the first game back. My first game out there, not really sure what the calls are — I was just trying to get into a little rhythm. But it was a disappointing loss tonight. We definitely wanted a better outcome.”

(On coming out of the All-Star break):
“It’s one of those games. It is after the break, this was an extended break, the three to four days that we normally get, this was a six day break. There was a little rust out there, that’s kind of expected a little bit but there are things that we could have done a little bit better as a team. This is a tough loss, there’s not a single thing that you can put your hand on, it’s definitely just a tough loss for us.”

(On the loss):
“They came out the more physical team. I don���t think we made one three out of the whole game and they made theirs. We had a couple of careless turnovers and they scored but we just did not come out with enough physicality and they were the tougher team tonight.”

(On Wizards’ defense):
“It was not one-on-one. They had too many pick and rolls. We didn’t do a good job of sticking to our coverages and being aggressive. They picked us apart.”

(On loss of effort):
“I think a couple of guys said we look like we are fatigued and tired. The main thing is that you try to put this game behind you. Tonight was just a terrible outcome for coming home your first game after the break and getting beat that badly.”

(On moving forward):
“We have to find it, we compete harder in practice than we do against other opponents. We have to come out the second half of the season with a chip on our shoulder and try to not be so friendly and compete. I think this is just a stretch where we have Brad [Bradley Beal] hurt and there are opportunities for guys to step up. It is a tough time that we are going through. This is something you don’t want to go through at this point in the season but we have to find a way to get out of it.”

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Game Quotes: Cavaliers at Washington Wizards - Feb. 20

Listen to Radio Play-by-Play announcer John Michael's Call of the Game during the Cavaliers at Washington Wizards game on February 20, 2015. Kevin Love's steal leads to a Kyrie Irving alley-oop dunk to LeBron James as the Cavaliers defeated the Wizards 127-89 in their return to action after the All-Star break.

Escucha a la voz en español de los Cavaliers Rafa "El Alcalde" con la narración de la jugada del partido entre Los Cavaliers de Cleveland vs. Los Wizards de Washington en Washington, DC el 20 de Febrero del 2015.  Los Cavs derrotaron a Los Wizards 127 - 89 con una gran actuación en conjunto, en el regreso a las acciones después del descanso del Juego de Las Estrellas.  LeBron James lideró a Los Cavs con 28 puntos incluyendo este triple en el tercer cuarto que selló cualquier esperanza que tenían los Wizards de meterse en el partido.

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Call of the Game: Cavs at Washington Wizards - Feb. 20

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Cavaliers at Washington Wizards - February 20, 2015

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Five Keys: Cavaliers at Wizards - Feb. 20, 2015

clenadams

The Cavaliers return from the All-Star break to embark on a three-game road trip, beginning tonight in Washington, D.C. against the Wizards for the third of four regular season matchups. Tipoff is at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Cleveland's (33-22) 14-2 stretch, the team is outscoring foes by 10.5 points (107.9-97.4), while holding the opposition to .422 shooting.

Since Jan. 19, the Wine and Gold rank 2nd in defensive field goal percentage (.413) and 7th in the NBA in opponent points per game (95.4 points).

The Cavs have won 12 straight games when hitting the century mark in scoring and are 26-4 when scoring at least 100 points this season. The Wine and Gold are even better when scoring at least 102 points this season, as they hold a 25-1 (.962) mark, which is the best in the NBA.

Cleveland sits one-half game behind Washington (33-21) for fourth in the Eastern Conference.

The Wizards come out of the break having dropped six of eight, including a 95-93 defeat in their most recent game at Toronto.

Starting shooting guard, Bradly Beal, has missed the last three games with a mild stress reaction in his lower right leg. Beal been ruled out for tonight's contest, and no timetable has been set for his return.

WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega, AM 1590 WAKR (Akron)

Get into the conversation with other die-hards.

Probable Starters/Status Update*presented by Cleveland Clinic

Status Update: Anderson Varejao, (Left Achilles Tendon Rupture, Out)

Wizards: PG - John Wall, SG - Otto Porter, SF - Paul Pierce PF - Nene, C - Marcin Gortat

Status Update: (Wizards) - Bradly Beal, (Mild Stress Reaction Lower Right Fibula, Out), Kris Humphries, (Sore Lower Back, Probable)

The two teams split the first two meetings with each team garnering a victory on their home floor. The Cavs and Wizards will wrap up their regular season series on April 15 at The Q.

Cleveland has won six of the last nine contests against Washington, including four of the last five at the Verizon Center.

The last time these two teams faced each other, the Cavs shot 38-74 (.514) from the field and had six players score in double figures during a 113-87 victory on Nov. 26 in Cleveland. The Wine and Gold also outscored the Wizards 17-2 in fast break points. Defensively, the Cavs converted 18 turnovers into 24 points, swiped 13 steals and held the Wizards to an opponent season-low 26 rebounds.

The Cavs trail the all-time series against the Wizards 95-106 (60-40 Home, 35-65 Road).

TV: FOX Sports Ohio, ESPN, Radio: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega, AM 1590 WAKR (Akron)

Tune into #CavsLive on FOX Sports Ohio starting at 7:30 p.m.

For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike, @chones22, @FSOAllieOop and @ElalcaldeRafa on Twitter.

After tonight's game, the Wine and Gold travel to the Big Apple to take on the New York Knicks at 1:00 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden.

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GameDay Preview: Cavaliers at Washington Wizards

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