The Cavaliers have gotten out to a solid start, all things considered.
They are only 2-3, but they have been reasonably competitive in two of their three losses. Through five games, the Cavaliers have had very balanced scoring with five players averaging 10 or more points. Tristan Thompson has been a colossal surprise, as he is averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds on 57 percent from the field while pitching in nine blocks in five games. If he can sustain those numbers, he could be an All-Star. Speaking of All-Stars, Kevin Love is averaging 17 points and 17 rebounds while leading the team in assists at almost five per game.
Here is a quick look at each game so far.
Game 1: Magic 94, Cavaliers 85
Points: Thompson/Sexton 16
Rebounds: Love 18
Assists: Garland 5
Steals: Osman/Clarkson 2
Blocks: Nance/Thompson 1
3PM: Sexton/Osman 3
MVP: Tristan Thompson (1)
While the Cavs posted a quality effort against a 2018-19 playoff team, the offense was marred by inconsistent shooting from the backcourt. Jordan Clarkson, Darius Garland, Matthew Dellavedova, Kevin Porter, and Collin Sexton combined for 12 makes on 48 shot attempts, a mark of 25 percent.
Clarkson and Sexton were particularly poor as they hit on just seven of 27 shots. Sexton was solid from the three-point line, burying three of his eight attempts, but Clarkson and Dellavedova combined for an atrocious 0/9. Tristan Thompson earns the first game MVP for his 16-point, 11-rebound performance after hitting eight of 11 shots.
Game 2: Cavaliers 110, Pacers 99
Points: Thompson 25
Rebounds: Thompson/Love 13
Assists: Love 9
Steals: Love/Clarkson/Henson 2
Blocks: Thompson 3
3PM: Love 3
MVP: Tristan Thompson (2)
After struggling in the second quarter against the Magic, the Cavaliers used the second quarter as a springboard to generate a 17-point halftime lead against the Pacers. Despite allowing 30 points to Malcolm Brogdon, the Cavaliers played steady defense for most of the game, holding the Pacers to 45 percent from the field.
The Cavs hit 50 percent of their shots and added 11 threes. Tristan Thompson once again stole the show with a 25-point, 13-rebound performance, as he hit 11 of 16 shots in the victory. Both Sexton and Garland flashed scoring potential as they both hit a pair of threes and combined for 30 total points.
Game 3: Bucks 129, Cavaliers 112
Points: Sexton 18
Rebounds: Love 16
Assists: Thompson/Clarkson 4
Steals: Nance/Cook 1
Blocks: Nance 2
3PM: Love 3
MVP: Larry Nance (1)
After a pair of close games, The Cavaliers let the Bucks walk all over them for the majority of the game. The Bucks had seven different players score in double figures including former Cav George Hill, who totaled 19. The Cavaliers allowed an unsustainable 52.2 percent of shots to fall including 44.7 percent of threes.
The rookies Garland and Porter shot a combined 5/18, but Sexton pulled in his best performance of the year, knocking down 53.3 percent of his looks including a pair of threes. Larry Nance was the best player as he efficiently stuffed the stat sheet, hitting 6/9 shots and pulling down eight boards.
Game 4: Cavaliers 117, Bulls 111
Points: Thompson 23
Rebounds: Love 20
Assists: Love 6
Steals: Love/Osman 1
Blocks: Thompson 5
3PM: Osman 4
MVP: Tristan Thompson (3)
After a down game against the Bucks, Tristan Thompson returned with a vengeance. The former top-five pick nailed 11 of his 19 shots and recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds. While Kevin Love cleaned the defensive glass with 19 rebounds, Thompson was valuable on the offensive end, gathering five missed shots.
Collin Sexton had a fine day, hitting seven of 12 shots. The rookies were okay as Porter hit half his shots and Garland connected on 4/11. The highlight of the game came in the dying moments when Sexton energized the crowd with a poster dunk.
Game 5: Pacers 102, Cavaliers 95
Points: Love 22
Rebounds: Love 17
Assists: Clarkson 5
Steals: Osman 3
Blocks: Clarkson 1
3PM: Love 5
MVP: Kevin Love (1)
The curse of the second quarter struck again as the Cavaliers were outscored by 12 in the second frame. Malcolm Brogdon and Jeremy Lamb combined with 46 total points to push away the Cavs. The Cavs had three players with 20 points as Love, Sexton, and Clarkson were fairly efficient from the field.
Despite another gaudy rebounding line from Love, he was not untouchable, turning the ball over six times. While Sexton was reasonably efficient on 21 shot attempts, Darius Garland struggled mightily, missing all 10 of his shots from the field.
The Good
Tristan Thompson has been a pleasant surprise as a scorer. While he is far from a lock to continue scoring nearly 20 points per game, he does provide a highly-efficient method of scoring when he is on the floor. Thompson has even hit a three on the season, the first of his career.
The Bad
Through five games, the Cavs have a handful of problems to work through. It is alarming that Kevin Love has been the lead assist man so far. Hopefully, either Collin Sexton or Darius Garland will develop as a playmaker later in the season.
The Rookie Outlook
Darius Garland and Kevin Porter have posted abysmal shooting splits of 30 percent and 28 percent from the field and 30 percent and 22 percent from the three-point line respectively. Of course, it has been a fairly small sample size, but Garland and Porter will need to improve their shot-making soon.
Collin Sexton
After being one of the worst players in NBA history for the majority of his rookie season, Sexton has maintained a semblance of his 2019 post-All-Star break self. Sexton is hitting a solid 45.5 percent of his field goals while taking a team-high 15.4 a game. He has also hit 40 percent of his threes, and he is on pace to make 160 of them.
His free-throw shooting has been below ideal, but it should rebound with more attempts. In terms of fulfilling his role as a point guard, Sexton is currently averaging more turnovers than assists. He will improve, but it has been a little bit of a rocky start to the season.
Next Five Games
Before the next recap article, the Cavaliers will host the Mavericks and Celtics before going on the road to play the Wizards, Knicks, and 76ers.
