Kasler: LeBron sits, predictable loss ensues
With LeBron James taking the night off, the Pacers lit up the visiting Cavaliers for a 123-109 victory Wednesday.
Kevin Love departed the game for good in the third quarter because of back spasms. But even coupling that with James' absence was no excuse for the Cavs' porous defense.
More on that, the whereabouts of Iman Shumpert, and the Cavs' struggle to find the range from deep:
1. The Pacers scored a season high 70 first-half points on 62-percent shooting, including 54 percent from three. Indiana ended the game shooting over 56 percent, so the Pacers cooled off just a bit, but not much, in the second half.
2. No doubt the Pacers were scorching hot, but from my view, the Cavs didn’t bother to contest many shots. Early on, however, the absence of defense was offset by the Cavs' own hot shooting -- they ended the first quarter at 69 percent from the field. But after the first 12 minute, Indiana’s scorching efficiency and the Cavs' lackadaisical effort were both unrelenting.
3. Love was fabulous in the first half. His night was cut short because of the injury, but he still managed to score 23 points and grab five rebounds.
4. The back injury didn’t appear to be serious, but what do I know? If, however, Love has any lingering discomfort, it could not come at a worse time as his play over the past few games has been elite, and the playoffs are just around the corner.
5. Kyrie Irving had himself a decent game, too. He was 11-of-18 from the field for 26 points and also handed out six assists. But after Irving and Love -- and maybe Tristan Thompson, who played with some visible energy -- no one else on the squad really showed up. Which brings up Shumpert.
6. Shumpert was on the floor for 35 minutes, sure, but for the bulk of those minutes, he could have simply sat on the baseline and scratched out lyrics or a sketch of a new item of clothing. Not much would have changed. His final line is about as ugly as it gets: 0-of-4 from the field, three rebounds, one assist, two turnovers and four personal fouls. He scored four points, all on garbage-time free throws.
7. It’s banal water-cooler talk to say athletes are overpaid, point fingers at those we don’t think “earn their money,” and ignore the inconvenient truth that players simply command what the market will bear. So I won’t say Shumpert isn’t earning his keep. Because what he may be losing with games like the clunker he played Wednesday is in some ways bigger than money. It's trust. That's an ingredient far more important than a guy’s contract when it comes time for a team’s championship push.
8. Maybe the idea that Shumpert would be a key to the Cavs' title hopes was always a pipe dream. But to play 35 minutes in place of James and to come up empty -- unquestionably empty -- is not easily overlooked or forgotten.
9. Shumpert wasn’t alone in playing possum Wednesday night, though. Mo Williams managed to hoist five shots in five minutes (he only made one) before leaving the game with knee issues. Richard Jefferson continued to add little value in his minutes. The problem, of course, is that more is expected of Shumpert going forward than will be expected from Williams and Jefferson.
10. Tyronn Lue wisely raised the white flag in the fourth quarter, letting Irving and Thompson take seats next to Love and Lebron. So the final shooting numbers are a bit skewed. But aside from no James and no defensive intensity, the Cavs' ice-cold shooting from deep also contributed to the egg they painfully laid Wednesday night. Knocking down just 8-of 29 threes, the Cavs simply didn’t find the range needed to keep up with the torrid Pacers.
11. One final comforting thought, and it’s the happy elephant in the room: Whenever LeBron sits, you can summarily toss out the results of the game. It’s fun to play the “a team led by Irving and Love should be one of the top (insert two, three or four) teams in the East” game. But that doesn’t appear to be true at the moment. So fret not over this otherwise depressing loss -- much like a tree falling in the empty forest, if James isn’t on the court, was the game really played?
12. Bonus thought: Sasha Kaun happened Wednesday, folks. Five minutes played, a sterling 1-of-1 from the field for two points, and he also added a workmanlike three rebounds. Kaun was a gleaming plus-four during his time on the court. The enforcer showed up ready to play.
