Cavs The Blog Podcast

What a difference a week makes. After a moribund loss to the Kings last Sunday, the Cavs bounced back in a big way, winning three straight. To be fair, two of those wins were against two of the worst teams in the Association: Portland and Detroit, but it all becomes moot when you win against the defending Champions without killing the poor soul doing the Man vs. Nuggets challenge.Cleveland delivered a convincing victory against Denver Sunday, and most importantly, Jarrett Allen looked healthy and explosive again. JA outplayed Jokic with a 15-5-5 night, and sent Jokic to the bench in the early third. Jarrett was clearing getting under the big man’s skin, and after scoring on Jokic four straight times to start the third, Allen drew two consecutive offensive fouls – one of them flagrant – which earned the Joker five fouls and a seat on the pine. It was great to see JA back to his old self and the big-to-big game was in full effect, starting out with Evan and Allen in a 4-5 pick and roll.Elated about the win stre

After a listless performance against the Knicks in Cleveland on Tuesday, the Cavs went into MSG with a bit of a cloud hanging over their heads Wednesday. What ensued was some of the ugliest basketball since the late 90s, and one of the most anachronistic games you'll see all year. The Cavs and Knicks traded rocks all night, with both teams struggling to score and the game coming down to rebounds, loose balls, and defense.Fortunately, the wine and gold won enough of those battles to win the game, and come away with an improbable victory despite still missing starters Garland and Allen. The Cavs held New York to 35% from the field, but helped New York by turning it over 18 times.Fortunately, Spida Mitchell led the way with 30, including 24 in the first half, while Caris LeVert added 19. Georges "Rolling Donuts" Niang, a surprise starter grabbed 10 rebounds and shared the night's Junkyard Dog award with Tristan Thompson.Elijah Kim, Chris Francis, and Nate Smith hopped in the podcast booth to expl

In the early 80s, NBC and Marvel dropped a Saturday morning series called "Spider Man and his Amazing Friends," which added obscure mutant "Firestar" and less obscure but no less conventional "Ice Man" to Peter Parker's retinue. Similarly, our own Spida Mitchell was helped by some unexpected friends, "Ice Man" Okoro, and Max "Firestarter" Strus. Saturday morning cartoon fanboys, Elijah Kim and Chris Francis swung into the podcast booth to help us make sense of it all. The Korean takeover of the CtB podcast studios (Chris's words, not mine) breaks down the game, the surprising come-from-behind victory, and what lies ahead for Cleveland.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Cavs lost a squeaker, Tuesday, 107-108 to the Hawks. To review, Nate, Chris, Eli, and Eli's bespoke keyboard made a trip to the podcast both. They broke down the game, and what went wrong (the first half and the starters' minutes) what went right (the Cavs' developmental players and the second half), and what improvements we're hoping to see in the coming weeks (rebounding and playing guys in appropriate positions). Then, the guys went around the association and picked against the Vegas lines for wins totals this season. Who is going to underachieve? Who is going to overachieve? Where do the Cavs fall on that spectrum? The CtB brain trust went through every team in the league, and even managed to get some of the new coaches names right.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

David Wood makes his return the CtB podcast studios, as he joins Nate Smith to give insta-reactions to the Damian Lillard/Bucks trade. The good news? Both guys come out on the side of "this helps the Cavs." The guys break down the impacts for Portland, Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Cleveland and then rank the East in oh so casual fashion. After, they muse about which city Harden end up playing for, give some random NBA predictions, and wonder how they'll watch Cavs games and Ganley Kia commercials this year.The guys end up with some lawnmower talk, regale each other with tales of summer, and discuss cocktail recipes. It's a casual slide into Cavs season and a preview of things to come in the next few weeks as we ramp up for the NBA.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Chris Francis and Nate Smith hop back in the podcast booth to cover some much needed business for the Cavs. First up? Breaking down Darius Garland's recent interview with Chris Fedor. Then we embarked on yet another review of free agency. Are the Cavs done? Or are they holding out a roster spot or two for an end of the summer free agent? Nate and Chris pitched the guys they'd like to see, and then they delve into a little Cavalier trade slop centered around Jarrett Allen.Next up, a long overdue Summer League wrap-up. Chris and Nate broke down all the the main guys' summer performances and their odds of contributing to the Cavs' varsity squad this coming season. Emoni Bates was top of mind as the whole CtB staff was impressed with Emoni's game and improvement over two weeks in Vegas. Isaiah Mobley, Sam "the elder statesman" Merrill, Craig Porter Junior, and Sharife Cooper all got good grades while the reviews were controversially mixed with some upside on Diop, Travers, and Nance th

Eli Kim and Chris Francis analyze the off-season so far for the Cleveland Cavaliers including the draft and free agency.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Our silent mourning for the 2023 Cavalier Season over, Nate Smith, Elijah Kim, and Chris Francis broke our vow and shuffled into the the podcast booth to break down this wild ride that was the Cavs' season. The guys look over the year everyone had and try to figure out who's going to stay, who's going to go, and who the Cavs should bring in. Who would fit well under the Cavs idiosyncratic coach? Who improved? Who didn't? What do the next few years look like. The erstwhile podcasters take stock of it all.[Editor's note, this podcast was recorded last Wednesday night, but due to some technical issues wasn't able to post till today. Content, aside from some commentary on games in progress is all still very topical.]Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nate and Chris (unsuccessfully?) channel their inner Bob Marleys as they break down a Game 4 and preview Game 5. What do the Cavs need to do to win? Who is coming up short, and who needs to keep doing what they're doing?The guys try not to delve into negativity or the blame game, but don't succeed too well as they discuss lineups, substitution patterns, tactics, and whether the Knicks are good or not.Having hashed the Cavs to death, the guys break down playoff series around the league.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Chris, Eli, and I cracked the seal on the podcast booth - dusty from almost two months of disuse - and talked Cavs and the Association till we were loooong in the tooth. First we reviewed our (very prescient) pre-season predictions about the Cavs' win/loss record, then took our victory laps about things we were right about and things that surprised us. Next up, we reviewed the last two Cavs' games which were meaningless in terms of standings, but might inform some rotations and tactics in the playoffs. Forgive us for stealing from Soundgarden, but instead of looking California and feeling Minnesota like most of the NBA is before tonight's Lakers/Wolves matchup, we dove deep on the Cavs' season and the pending matchup between the Knicks and the Cavs.The Cavs are one of the weakest defensive rebounding teams, and New York is one of the best offensive rebounding teams. That discussion loomed large as we all picked a close series, with a lot of x-factors in play: rebounding, officiating, rotations

"What are you doing, Dave?" With three weeks since our last podcast and a trade deadline, an All-Star weekend, and a franchise legend's exodus to discuss, Nate, Eli, and Chris had had a lot to cover. To help us out Tom Pestak joined us int the podcast booth from cold storage. The CtB neural net leveraged machine learning to create based hot takes to cover all the Cavs and NBA news of the last few weeks.First up, an all-star game that left us all pining for more competitive contests of yore. Then we waded into the Kevin Love departure. ChrisBOT, NateGPT, and ELI 3000 sputtered over stats and fury as they ranted and raged over the poor handling of the situation from a teambuilding, reputation, basketball, and historical standpoints. The takes were firy, and the CPUs were heating up until Nate's head started leaking fluid like an android in a Ridley Scott film. Tom countered by taking on the Analytics movement as a whole and what it's done to the game of basketball, mainly to get keep Nate fr

Channeling a little Bob Dylan with this one. The Cavs' ability to manipulate gravitational parabolas led to a game that was way too close at the end, and we all know that managing close games is not John Blair Bickerstaff's specialty. There was a lot of teeth gnashing post-game about the Cavs' inability to close yet again, when they were lost in the rain in Juarez, when it's Easter time too: two brutal turnovers and a trio of Heat offensive rebounds lowlighted the last 150 seconds of the fourth. Nate, Chris, and Eli slogged into the podcast booth to sing Tom Thumb's Blues after this one, and a big early conversation was whether Donovan Mitchell (16/3/9, four steals +2) put on any airs when walking down Rue Morgue Avenue. Mitchell shot 3-13 this game from downtown on a bevy of jab-step and pull-up Js that really played into the Heat defense. Chris liked the shot selection, while Nate felt like they were bailing out Miami's matchup zone, and not moving defenders to set up passing lanes a

Nate, Chris, and Eli jumped in the booth to commemorate the (roughly) halfway point of the season and to wade in the trough of trade of January trade slop. First, though, they had a couple games to recap: a solid, if (according to Nate) underwhelming win over the Pelicans. and a disappointing road loss to the Timberwolves. The gents held yet another referendum on JB Bickerstaff and his and the Cavs' penchant for playing guys while injured.Then the guys got to the pleasant and unpleasant surprises of the first half for the Cavaliers. Nate tried to re-litigate the Donovan Mitchell Trade one more time with an unexpected substitution, drawing a swift rebuke. Then the trade slop wallowing commenced, energized by everyone's favorite lightning rod, Caris LeVert. The guys broke down the ridiculousness of the Malik Beasley rumors, and then really got muddy talking about the guys that might be available for the Cavs limited trade assets.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: h

Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers have stolen their last two wins. Most recently, an utter grindfest Wednesday against Phoenix where they were limited to just 33 points in the first half, Wednesday, but absolutely willed themselves back in a game they shot sub 40%, got out-rebounded, were outshot, and turned the ball over more than the Suns. The Cavs only led for about four minutes of game time and trailed by seven With five and a half minutes to go before Donovan (20/6/9) , Caris (21/6/2), Cedi, and Evan grinded out a win against a feisty Suns team missing Devin Booker, but featured a vintage performance from Chris Paul (25/4/8). More transcendently, we discussed what may have been the greatest regular season offensive performance since Wilt scored 100: Donovan Mitchell scoring 71 and dropping11 assists against the Bulls Monday. Elijah Kim was in the building and gave Nate Smith and Chris Francis a first hand account of what it was like to experience immortality first hand. The gents also talked a

The three game losing streak the Cavs find themselves on heading into the new year led to a lot of soul searching by Nate Smith and Eli Kim. They piled into the broadcast booth with a steelbody guitar and sung the blues for John-Blair Bickerstaff. As they were singing, the boys wondered if all this bad luck and trouble was because of J.B., who seems at loggerheads with his own public statements, his front office, and his players as they struggle to defend the three point line or score enough to keep up with their opponents. Nate and Eli both sang the ballad of Darius Garland's right hand, which the young guard held as he winced in pain after a nasty strip attempt by Oshae Brissett resulted in a foul. Our intrepid hosts were even more shocked when Garland returned to the game with a thumb brace, clearly in pain, and unable to even make free throws down the stretch. The podcast got low down as they played the 12 bar blues for Lamar Stevens who remains a starter despite his offensive shortcomings being a boo

Sure the Cavs might have kicked butt in Philly Wednesday due to superior shooting, lockdown defense, and a sleepwalking Sixer squad, but we all know the real reason was the man in the building, our own Elijah Kim. At the quarter pole of the season, Eli joined Nate Smith and Chris Francis in the podcast booth to talk about the game, the last couple weeks, couture sweat suits, lineup data, rotations, JB, dawgs, dogs, and his upcoming sideline game where he'll be donning the undefeated gold jacket. It's a raucous ride full of laughs and insight.  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nate Smith and Chris Francis dropped into the podcast booth and sussed the Hawks game and the Miami game out, dropping kudos to all the guys. In depth looks at the two game and the second overtime of the Hornets game fueled the discussion of this three game win streak.Chris and Nate puzzled over J.B. Bickerstaff's rotations (yet patience with Okoro), pondered the coming schedule, went deep on the Caris LeVert conundrum, fantasized about life with Rubio, and even tackled some more outlandish questions. Is Dean Wade a top five NBA small forward? Is Lauri proving the Mitchell trade was a bad one? Was losing Collin Sexton addition by subtraction? And do the Cavs need another small forward?Finally, Nate shared his own tale about rec specs and (lack of) respect from his wife and kids while Chris verbally shakes his head in disbelief. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Chris Francis and Nate Smith jumped into the podcast booth, and then subbed in Elijah Kiim in the second quarter. Eli quickly coined the subtitle of this pod: "Reputational Gravity." The Cavs have a lot of it right now, getting respect from around the lead as they are now top three in net rating. The term also applies to the respect Cavs' shooters get (or don't get) even when they're not hitting their shots, which opens up the floor for the rest of the team. The trio break down this topic and so much more as they recap the Cavs' thrilling victory over the Celtics.Our Newtonian trio takes you through every part of the Cavs' rotation, paying special attention to Donovan Mitchell's defense, Caris LeVert's similarities to Ricky Rubio, Darius Garland's defensive skills and shortcomings, and his otherworldly passing and shooting. What ails Isaac Okoro, Cedi Osman, Kevin Love, and Jarrett Allen? What's got Donovan Mitchell playing such good defense? Which lineups are worki

This was a weird one. But Donovan Mitchell, "you got the touch! You got the power!" Donovan Prime arose and lit our darkish hour with a 37-point virtuoso performance, has already picked up the mantle as the on-the-court leader of the Wine and Gold. Running out of Energon, Mitchell got pretty tired late, coughed up the ball a few times, and let the Wizards back into a game the Cavs had won. Fortunately, Donovan, Caris, Cedi, Dean Wade, and Jarrett Allen rallied, and took a small deficit in overtime to a double digit lead to knock out Washington. Chris, Nate, and Eli break down all the action, look at the first three games, evaluate the JB Bickerstaff coaching experience, and take a look around the NBA for your listening pleasure. Most perplexing was the complete passivity on offense of Isaac Okoro who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but on the court, offensively. Slightly less perplexing: the minor struggles of Evan Mobley who has been "ok" the first few games of the season. In Mobley'

Nate, Chris Francis, and a scribbled cocktail napkin from the the Desk of David Wood, break down the latest development with the Cavs, the NOAH shot analysis system, Lament the Guardians' loss, and pick over/unders around the NBA.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy