Written by Demetri Inembolidis

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Kyrie Irving did it again.  With the Cavaliers trailing by three points going into the fourth quarter, he put his foot down and made sure that his team finished the night as the winning one.  Irving had a 16 point fourth quarter which capped off a 118-107 win over the Houston Rockets.  

The Cavs have won three games in a row, all of which have come against western conference playoff teams.  During that stretch, Antawn Jamison is scoring 27.3 points per game.  Jamison is playing very well prior to the trade deadline at 3:00 on Thursday.  Either he is improving his trade value or playing well for the Cavs.  Either situation is a positive one for the team.  

Going back to Kyrie Irving, he did not play that well during the first three quarters.  As Cavaliers fans are accustomed to, it didn’t matter.  Irving overcame his poor shooting (5-15) and made big shots when they mattered.  The most impressive aspect of Kyrie Irving’s professional game is how fearless he is in the 4th quarter.  Irving will not make every big shot that he takes, but he is willing to take them and puts the team on his back.

Tristan Thompson had a decent outing.  His points and rebounds were not spectacular, but he made both of the shots that he took and more importantly set a career high in assists (3).  

Much has been written about Alonzo Gee, but what is most impressive is how much chemistry he is developing with Kyrie Irving.  Of the 23 assists that Kyrie Irving dished out in the month of March, seven of them have been to Alonzo Gee.  In addition, Gee is averaging 17 points per game since being named a starter.  The Cavs would really lack an athletic wing player if it weren’t for Gee’s development.

The Rockets shot significantly better than the Cavs.  The difference was free throws and three point shooting.  Cleveland scored 18 more points at the free throw line and 9 more from beyond the arc.  The Rockets would have had to play a perfect game to overcome those extra 27 points, which they clearly did not.  Both teams scored 48 points in the paint.  Cleveland had 18 second chance points compared to Houston’s 12.  The most impressive stat from the night was that Cleveland only allowed 5 fast break points.  Perhaps Houston would have performed better in that department if their Most-Improve Player candidate Kyle Lowry were playing, but it is an impressive feat nonetheless.

There were other Cavaliers who played well who had not done so in quite a while.  Daniel Gibson scored 11 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.  Samardo Samuels had an active 24 minutes and also scored 11 points on only 6 shots.  Ramon Sessions came off the bench and scored 15 points and had 7 assists.  Most importantly, Omri Casspi converted on two huge three pointers in the 4th quarter that helped put the game away.  The starting lineup played fairly well, but the bench was most impressive.  With the emergence of Alonzo Gee and Omri Casspi’s lackluster season thus far, one has to wonder what kind of contract extension the Cavs will offer him.  

There are only two more games left before the trade deadline.  The Cavs may look very different after Thursday.  They also may look exactly the same.  Regardless of what happens, it is reassuring to know that the players in the rumor mill are not letting it bother them.  

The Good: The Cavs keep on winning.  The team is infinitely more entertaining to watch when compared to last year.  The coaching staff has the personnel buying into its philosophy and the team is playing very well even though they oftentimes are outmatched.  

The Bad: Regardless of what side of the “tank vs. not tanking” argument you fall on, it is concerning that the Cavs may not be able to add talent via the draft after this season.  Wins are exciting, but the Cavs are going to find themselves back in the lottery next year if they do not draft a stud and after losing Antawn Jamison and Ramon Sessions.

The Ugly: Despite being healthy, Hasheem Thabeet did not play.  Oftentimes when a player is picked that high in the lottery and he does not pan out, people are quick to point out that the NBA draft is not an exact science.  What is baffling about the Hasheem Thabeet situation is that it was not a secret that he had potential of being a bust.