Dribbles: LeBron soars, but Cavaliers dwindle
Random dribbles on the Cavaliers' 114-108 disappointment of an overtime defeat to the host Pelicans on Friday.
1. You can't get too worked up over one loss, especially since the Cavaliers have another chance to win Saturday night (at Miami). But this game should've been over when LeBron James hit two free throws to put the Cavs up by three in the final moments of regulation.
2. As Austin Carr said repeatedly on FOX Sports Ohio, the Cavs had one job: Do not let anyone on the Pelicans take a 3-pointer. So what did the Cavs do? They let Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday take a 3-pointer. And guess what? He made it.
3. Carr was clearly disgusted it even came to that, and you can't blame the man. The Cavs let an otherworldly performance from James (37 points) go to waste.
4. The Cavs (13-6) trailed by 13 points with less than 7 minutes remaining. Then James took over in amazing fashion. It was a basketball sight to behold -- as he scored a whopping 24 points in the fourth quarter, most of which came off aggressive (and nifty) drives to the basket.
5. James' only notable miss came just before the final buzzer of regulation. He did everything right on his jumper from the wing. The ball just wouldn't cooperate.
6. Again, you're going to have nights like this in the NBA. The Cavs just can't make a habit of it. Frankly, they've had two in a row after losing to the Wizards at home Tuesday. This wasn't as bad as that one, but close. The Pelicans (5-15) are still finding themselves following injuries and a coaching change.
7. But as I warned beforehand (and you certainly already knew), no home team with Anthony Davis can be considered a joke. Davis lit up the Cavs' big men for 31 points, including a few biggies in overtime.
8. Still, that 3-pointer, man. How does that ever happen? This should've been over. And that's what will hurt until the Cavs tip off in Miami around 8 p.m.
9. By the way, you can read my quick Cavs-Heat preview right here.
10. Kevin Love added 15 points and 10 rebounds, but he's really struggling from beyond the arc. He was 0-of-5 on threes following an 0-of-3 performance Tuesday. He almost seemed too timid to shoot them in overtime, passing up a few decent looks. The Cavs will likely need a big night from Love vs. the Heat.
11. J.R. Smith scored 18, but he too was quiet later in the game. Timofey Mozgov added eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and eight rebounds, but didn't play again in the fourth, or in OT. It's hard to argue with Coach David Blatt's decisions, though. If the Cavs defend the three, they win. Blatt stressed that during a timeout before the play. The players just didn't execute.
12. Either way, again, it's not wise to get too bent out of shape over losses in early December. This thing is an absolute marathon. Odds are, no one will remember these games in May and June. Or for that matter, in January. You have to learn from it, move on, and get it right. As Kyrie Irving has been known to say, it's on to the next one.
