Daily News - February 26, 2019

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Cedi Osman's confidence highest it's been all season: Fedor's five observations
Author: Chris Fedor
Publication: Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers had their two-game winning streak snapped on Monday night, unable to complete a second-half rally against the Portland Trail Blazers in a 123-110 loss.

Here are five observations:

Kevin Love plan
Despite a third-quarter surge that saw the feisty Cavs trim a one-time 23-point Blazers lead to just four heading into the fourth quarter, head coach Larry Drew resisted the temptation of going to Kevin Love to open the final frame -- the strategy used during Saturday’s win against the Memphis Grizzlies.

This time, Drew staggered Love, saving him for the final push.

With 7:41 remaining, Drew signaled for his All-Star. The Cavs were trailing by seven.
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Cleveland Cavaliers show culture-defining traits in 123-110 loss to Portland Trail Blazers: Chris Fedor’s instant analysis
Author: Chris Fedor
Publication: Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Nearly two hours before Monday’s game, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts walked over to Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman, who was leaning against the scorer’s table.

“I’m impressed with what you guys have done lately. You’re playing well,” Stotts said to a smiling Altman. “You really compete too.”

If there’s one thing the Cavs can take away from this sometimes-gloomy season, it’s that. They haven’t stopped fighting. They continue to believe when the rest of the NBA tells them they have no chance. Even after going down 14-0 in the first four minutes against Portland, even after trailing by as many as 23 points, the Cavs didn’t give in.

They lost 123-110, which snaps Cleveland’s two-game winning streak and keeps the Cavs from reaching three straight wins for the first time since May 3, 2018. The scoreboard showed a decisive Blazers win, a wire-to-wire jaunt against the overmatched lottery team from the Eastern Conference. That doesn’t tell the full story.
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Matthew Dellavedova showing Cavaliers, Collin Sexton the right way to play
Author: Chris Fedor
Publication: Cleveland.com

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- It was late January in Chicago when head coach Larry Drew pulled rookie Collin Sexton out of the game around the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

Drew turned to steady veteran Matthew Dellavedova -- a teaching moment for Sexton, a needed move for Cleveland to polish off a rare victory.

Since then, Dellavedova has become more of a fixture in the closing group.

“He’s been just awesome since he’s gotten here,” Larry Nance Jr. said of Dellavedova. “Just being a veteran presence and somebody we can all look to as this is how you should play. Night in and night out giving it his all, as unselfish as you can possibly ask for. He’s been the ultimate professional. So hopefully we’ve got Collin, Cedi (Osman), Marquese (Chriss), our young guys are kind of taking note of how he handles himself.”
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