Written by Demetri Inembolidis

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What a difference a few nights can make.  After the Cavaliers lost their season-opener to the Toronto Raptors, it was doubtful that Byron Scott had enough time to right the ship before they traveled to Detroit to take on the Pistons.  The Cavs were inferior in just about every single statistical category on Monday night.  Field goal percentage?  Way worse.  Three point percentage?  It was a travesty.  Assists?  Toronto made the Cavs look like a Division III team playing against a powerhouse like Duke.  Blocked shots?  They had 9 compared to one by Cleveland. 

I could go on, but I won’t.  Literally the only major statistical categories that the Cavs were superior to Toronto were offensive rebounds, fouls and turnovers.  Byron Scott and the Cavs had their work cut out for them if they wanted to not get blown out by Detroit in front of a sold-out arena. 

The most important thing to take away from this game is that Kyrie Irving is a legitimate NBA point guard.  He has the skills to be an elite facilitator.  Irving sees the offense and makes passes based on where guys will be, as opposed to where they are.  His assists are valuable in the sense that they are not a result of him over-handling the ball and passing to a spot-up shooter.  He makes incredible passes that are a result of his good court-vision.  Additionally, Cavs fans can step off of the ledge of the I-480 bridge.  The panic after his woeful shooting percentage against the Raptors was short-sighted.  When is the last time that an NBA player who showed elite talent in one area such as passing was a career 16.7% shooter?  His shot will fall after he gets more comfortable in the offense.

Ben Gordon and Brandon Knight combined for 48 points on 59% shooting and the Pistons still managed to lose by 16 points.  A major reason for that was the second unit of the Cavs.  Ramon Sessions had an all-around solid game and registered 16 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.  Samardo Samuels did his best to show Byron Scott that his conditioning is not an issue and played inspired basketball.  His 17 points on only 8 shots was a real difference-maker for the Cavs tonight. 

Another Cavalier that needs to be praised is Tristan Thompson.  Although he was not the most popular pick by Cavs fans (this writer included), it is starting to become evident why Chris Grant was enamored with him.  His energy off the bench is infectious and his length is disruptive to opposing big men.  His 7’1.25” wingspan is impressive and his weak-side blocks will be truly appreciated by Cavs fans.  Another aspect of his game that is great is how he keeps offensive rebounds alive.  There were multiple situations where he was tapping the ball up into the air that eventually led to second shot opportunities for the Cavs.  Tristan Thompson is not an ideal selection with the 4^th overall draft pick, but him being loved by the fans is an inevitability if he continues to play like he did against the Pistons.   

One statistical anomaly that came as unexpected is that every single Cavalier had a positive +/-.  I do not know how common or uncommon this is, but it seems like that would not happen very often for a team like the Cavs.  The Cavs played a solid brand of team basketball and that showed through that statistic. 

The Good: The Cavs bouncing back from their abysmal 41.2% shooting against the Raptors with a 57.1% outing versus the Pistons.  It is very difficult to only praise one player’s offensive performance, so the whole team will get praise.  It is difficult for a young team like the Cavs to not have their psyche affected by the Toronto loss.

The Bad: I don’t understand why Ben Wallace hasn’t retired yet.  He is capable of grabbing 7 rebounds like he did against the Pacers, but his presence was not felt at all.  When a guy plays 10 minutes and can only record 1 rebound and 2 steals against a team that does not have much of an inside presence, it might be time to start thinking about retirement.

 The Ugly: The Pistons shot 44.4% from the field despite the great offensive performance by Brandon Knight and Ben Gordon.  Outside of those two, they shot 34.7%.  On any given night, basketball teams that are that bad outside of their top 2 guys will not win many games.