The Giant Cavaliers Are No Longer Taking Baby Steps
From the Unicorn Towers to Matisse Thybulle’s superb defense on Steph Curry, I broke down everything notable from last night around the NBA.
The Warriors’ 4th Quarter From Hell
On a night where some expected Steph Curry to make history, the Warriors played one of the worst games of their season. Against a 76ers team they were much better than, sloppiness and missed shots were special ingredients to one of the worst 4th quarters I’ve ever seen.
On both ends, the Warriors didn’t look like themselves. Let’s take a closer look into what made this 4th quarter so awful.
Golden State’s 4th Quarter From Hell
33% FG (7/21)
21% 3-PT (3/14)
4 Turnovers
32 Points Allowed
It would take too long to analyze this 4th quarter. Instead, I want to go through just a few plays down the stretch that were especially painful for Warriors fans to watch.
3:49 – After a Draymond Green steal, the Warriors get a wide-open corner 3 for Andrew Wiggins. Down by 8, this could be the shot that gets them going. Wiggins has shot a blistering 47% from the corners this season. Could you ask for a better shooter in this position?
With all that in mind, Wiggins misses in and out. Of course, he did.
3:22 – A game of inches. After a Seth Curry missed 3-pointer, a wild scramble for the ball ensues. After bouncing around like a pinball for a while, it seems like Steph Curry will escape with the ball.
But, like a mouse, Seth Curry just pokes the loose ball away from his brother. Now Seth attacks the basket and throws in a little hook. The 76ers now lead by 10, 93-83.
A game of inches. A sick sport.
2:27 – The Warriors have a chance to cut into the lead once again. In transition, Jordan Poole knifes through the lane, his sights set on the rim. A score here could once again change the game. I’ll just let this one play out.
But wait, there’s more. You’re forgetting that this is the 4th quarter from hell, which means there is no mercy. On the other end, Joel Embiid muscles for inside position. The Warriors scramble to try and cover him, but it’s too late. And one. This face says it all.
The Warriors’ poor play in the 4th quarter cost them this game. They had far too many empty possessions with little to no ball movement. They didn’t use Steph Curry as a decoy enough, instead, they had him dribble the ball against Matisse Thybulle, which wasn’t a recipe for success.
But in the grand scheme of things, I think this loss will be good for the Warriors. Losing games because of your performance, especially late in games, humbles you. It’s a learning experience, one that the Warriors could benefit from. There is such a thing as too much winning.
Curry breaking Ray Allen’s regular-season 3-PT record would also help ease things. While he may not admit it, Curry’s last two games show that he feels some sort of pressure to break the record.
Matisse Thybulle. That’s The Title
The 76ers won this game because of the superb defense of Mattise Thybulle. He shut down Steph Curry, the MVP frontrunner, to one of the worst games of his career. Thybulle was the catalyst to this win, so let’s look at what made him so effective.
By the numbers and by the eyes, Thybulle’s performance was beautiful to watch.
Matisse Thybulle’s Defense – By The Numbers
Matisse Thybulle’s Defense – By The Eyes
Numbers are good at connecting the dots to what we see. Whether you’re talking about traditional or advanced stats, they have a purpose. But sometimes, seeing something with your eyes can paint the best picture imaginable. Seeing that graphic above, where Thybulle held Curry to 2/13 shooting, is helpful.
But seeing Thybulle hold the best offensive player in the league to 2/13 shooting? Now that’s an entirely different story. So let’s do that. Let’s watch at his craft. Let’s watch Matisse Thybulle shut down Steph Curry.
You can’t play better defense than that. From Thybulle fighting over the screen to not biting on Curry’s flurry of moves, he didn’t let Curry escape.
When Steph Curry is moving at break-neck speed like that, it’s almost impossible to stop. And it seems like Thybulle is another victim of Curry’s transition game, as he’s miles away from Curry. But then, as Curry is stepping back, Thybulle, almost like a shadow, blocks Curry for the 2nd time.
It’s a superhuman-like recovery, reinforcing the idea that Curry has nowhere to go.
Ok. Last one.
Wait. That’s not Matisse Thybulle. That’s Furkan Korkmaz. I’ll explain how this relates to Thybulle. In the original Space Jam, the aliens touched a basketball to get everybody’s powers. So when Matisse Thybulle went to the bench with 4 fouls, he switched places with Korkmaz.
So it’s actually Thybulle who is defending Curry on this play, forcing an airball. All of this makes perfect sense. I’m not crazy.
Matisse Thybulle is ok at defense. We’re still working on seeing if he’s better than ok. I’ll get back to you on this one.
The Cavs Are Good, But Nobody Cares
The Cavs are 16-12. Did you know that? I didn’t know that until I saw them commit acts of war against the Kings last night. The Cavs are one of my favorite teams in the league because they make absolutely no sense.
If smorgasbord was a team, it would be the Cavaliers. You don’t know what you’re going to see from the Cavs on a given day. This makes them incredibly fun and frustrating to watch. Here are some of my favorite things about the Cavs.
The Starting Lineup Is Amazing
The Cavs’ most used 5-man lineup this season has been Garland, Okoro, Mobley, Markkanen, and Allen. This lineup is weird, but they’ve been quietly dominant. The roles on this lineup are pretty easy to follow;
- Darius Garland – distributes the basketball – shoots 38% on pull-up 3’s – always smiling
- Isaac Okoro – finally getting minutes – good defender – working on the perimeter shot
- Evan Mobley – unicorn – good at this whole defense thing – can shoot from far
- Jarrett Allen – great defender – pick-and-roll threat – great hair – not overpaid
- Lauri Markkanen – do you actually do anything here?
In 127 minutes together, this lineup has been excellent. With an offensive rating of 116.2 and a defensive rating of 96.9, this gives them a net rating of 19.3. Not too bad.
The Unicorn Towers
Sampson and Olajuwon. Robinson and Duncan. Eaton and Malone. Cartwright and Ewing. O’Neal and Campbell. Bynum and Gasol.
All of those are your traditional Twin Towers. Two 7-footers who share the floor at the same time, making it impossible for teams to score at the rim. The Cavs have their own version of that with Mobley and Allen. But this isn’t your average big guy tandem.
Allen and Mobley In 2022
95.7 DRtg As A Duo (498 minutes)
602 combined contested shots
84 combined deflections
125 combined steals and blocks
Jarrett Allen’s Afro
It’s hard to score on this duo. With their length down low, the Cavs are one of the best paint defenses in the NBA. While having two seven-footers seems counterintuitive in the year 2022, remember this. Both Allen and Mobley can hold their own on the perimeter.
The Cavs Twin Towers are the anchor for a defense that should be elite for years to come. Their combo of length, agility, and IQ are going to give Cleveland unimaginable riches on that end of the floor for years to come.
Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
The Cavs are 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are 4 games over 0.500 in December. They have a great bounty of youth at their disposal, a core that should contend down the line. They have an elite defense, the best big guy tandem in the NBA, and Darius Garland.
In a few months, they will fleece some poor team, probably the Knicks, when they eventually let go of Collin Sexton. Remember Sexton? Yeah, they don’t need him. But some team will see that he’s a scorer, ignoring his defense and playmaking issues, give the Cavs a haul, and then waste money to extend him.
For once, the Cavs are not the ones getting kneecapped. Instead, they’re ready to unleash hell on the rest of the league.
What Are Your Thoughts From Last Night’s Games? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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