“They’ve really been bringing it”.
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Love’s consecutive three-pointers in the third quarter crushed the Heat’s spirit.
James continued, “I think it’s very humbling”.
Now you probably read that and was like, “he should score way more than 25 with the way he has been playing” and I would agree, but Tony Allen is no joke, and although Curry cannot be stopped, Allen can bother him a little.
Kevin Love added 24 with 14 rebounds as Cleveland won its home opener. It’s going to take a full season to get to that sort of confidence and continuity.
Blatt’s description of his team, relaxed and confident, appears both accurate and inspiring for a team with just one goal in mind.
Dellavedova was just as good, and it showed up best in the plus-minus column of the final stat sheet.
Atlanta’s Al Horford had one game in his pro career with two 3-pointers – and that was when he hit a meaningless one at a final buzzer – before this season, and then he did it on back-to-back days last week.
“I felt like in general we came into this game, our first home game, in a much more relaxed and confident state”, said head coach David Blatt. “That’s the big thing”.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (1-1): James managed just 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting in 31 minutes on Wednesday but the rest of his teammates picked him up in the easy win.
LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the Cleveland Cavaliers media day at Cleveland Clinic Courts on September 28, 2015 in Independence, Ohio.
“I know he’s proud of me”, said Sampson, who faced James several times in high school during open gym sessions. Why he would want to do that when his team flies to Philadelphia in January, or Charlotte in February (with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving presumably playing at an All-Star level) might be a bit of a sticking point for the Cavalier coaching staff. “And there’s no reason to believe that won’t continue”. Irving dressed as a Jedi had a pretty good shimmy move with Love dancing as Will Ferrell’s character from Semi-Pro and Smith as a big baby.
Off to a 2-1 start, Cleveland’s ball movement has been pristine, the defense suffocating at times and players are accepting and thriving in their respective roles.
The Cavaliers shot 45 percent from the field. “Honestly, a lot of times we shot ourselves in the foot by not getting into our offense”, said Bosh, who had 16 on Friday.
“We got a long way to go”, Bosh said.
“There’s still a lot of things we have to learn as a unit and it’s going to take time”, a reflective Chris Bosh told reporters.
The Sixers should get a few reinforcements tonight, as forward Robert Covington, who missed the first two games of the season with a sprained knee, is expected to return tonight, although he will likely be on a minutes restriction.
Besides dishing five assists, Love converted 6-of-15 baskets, 3-of-7 triples and all nine of his free throws.
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LeBron James and Dwyane Wade greet each other before the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat tip off Friday night.
