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Key: Home Sweet Home
After a pair of noble efforts on the road, the new-look Cavaliers bring the show back to Cleveland for their Home Opener against Atlanta on Sunday night at The Q.
The Wine & Gold dropped its first two games of the campaign for the first time since 2009-10, but they return to the North Coast with confidence after a pair of tough fights on the road – nearly rallying to beat Toronto on Wednesday before Friday’s valiant comeback attempt in Minnesota – slicing a 21-point deficit to just four in the final minute before succumbing to a red-hot Jimmy Butler and the T-Wolves.
The Cavaliers got off to slow starts in both contests – falling behind by double-digits before finding their footing after intermission. They’ll try to get off to a quicker start against a team also looking for its first win – with the Hawks dropping dropping a pair, including Friday night’s loss in Memphis.
The Wine & Gold have won three straight and 15 of their last 19 against Atlanta dating back to the 2015 Playoffs – and they’re 9-4 in their last 13 home openers at Quicken Loans Arena.
Things are vastly different for both squads these days, and that new era gets unveiled in Cleveland for the first time on Sunday evening.
Key: Feeling the Love
Kevin Love admitted after Cleveland’s opening night loss in Toronto that it might take a few games and a couple weeks for this team to find its identity.
Two days later against his old squad, Love re-discovered his old identity – looking like the Love of his Minnesota days (and the leader that the Wine & Gold will need moving forward).
In that Friday night shootout, the 11th-year vet led the squad with 25 points and 19 boards, going 6-for-19 from the floor to go with seven assists and a block. It was the 27th time in Love’s illustrious career that he’s notched at least 25 points and 15 boards with three or more three-pointers – the most in NBA history. (The next-closest players on that list are Dirk Nowitzki and DeMarcus Cousins, with nine games apiece.)
Love’s had some monster games against the Hawks over the years and comes into tonight’s contest averaging 17.8 points and 12.0 boards in 26 career contests against them.
If the Cavaliers are going to compete against the heavyweights and beat teams they’re supposed to, they’re going to need their five-time All-Star to play like it on an almost nightly basis.
Key: Bird Watching
Like the Cavaliers, the Hawks – who’ve dropped their first two contests by an average of 16.5 points per – are trying to develop some of their younger talent for the future. (Four Atlanta rookies, for example, saw action in their opener against the Knicks.)
One of Atlanta’s prized young players is Taurean Prince, who’s been a beast for Atlanta dating back to last season.
Including his first two outings this season (in which he’s averaged 24.5 points per) Prince has now topped the 20-point mark in six straight games dating back to last year. The third-year man from Baylor scored 15 of his team-high 28 points in the first quarter on Friday night in Memphis, going 10-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-9 from deep. Prince played in all 82 games for the Hawks last season and his numbers have jumped exponentially.
And, of course, the Cavaliers will get their first look at the explosive Trae Young, who arrived in Atlanta via a Draft night deal with Dallas. The 5th overall pick this past June, Young has been very good through two games – averaging 17.0 points despite not finding the consistent stroke that had analysts comparing him to Stephen Curry.
Still, the 20-year-old Texan has notched double-figures in each of his first two outings – including a 20-point, nine-assist effort in Friday night’s loss in Memphis.
Key: Bullish Market
Speaking of this June’s Draft, Cavalier fans had to be psyched watching the Young Bull do his work in the fourth quarter of Friday’s near-comeback in the Twin Cities.
Collin Sexton earned every bit of his sobriquet in the second half at the Target Center – attacking the Timberwolves’ defense and notching 10 of his 14 points in the fourth period. He went 4-of-5 from the floor in the final quarter and finished 6-of-9 overall as he continues to push George Hill for minutes.
At some point in the future, Sexton will be the Cavaliers' starter. But a player he’s been working with well off the bench has no designs on reaching the starting lineup: Jordan Clarkson – one of the most lethal bench scorers in the league.
The fifth-year man has picked up right where he left off last season, leading Cleveland’s reserves in scoring through the first two games of the campaign – including Friday night’s effort, finishing with 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting, adding four boards, a steal and a blocked shot in 24 minutes of work.
Key: Moving Forward
Late last season, just after Cleveland’s major deals at the Deadline but before the new players had arrived, Cedi Osman got his first career start against the Atlanta Hawks. As his M.O. now shows – the young Macedonian didn’t waste the opportunity, finishing with 16 points, six boards and five assists in the one-sided win.
This season, Cedi has been inserted into Cleveland’s coveted starting small forward spot, and he hasn’t disappointed.
After doubling up with 17 points and 10 boards in the opener on Wednesday night in Toronto, the 22-year-old followed up with a career-best 22-point night on Friday in Minnesota – going 9-for-17 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from long-range, adding three boards, a team-high eight assists and a steal.
The 6-8 forward, taken with the 31st pick of the 2015 Draft and acquired in a deal with Minnesota (for point guard Tyus Jones) had a solid stretch with his Turkish team this summer and parlayed that into a strong Summer League showing and Training Camp and has just continued to roll from there.