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 streak and Kevin Love’s and LeBron James’ return to Cleveland this week, Nate, Chris, and Eli piled in the podcast booth to gush over the win and take stock of the week. First up, Max Strus who came into Sunday night’s game leading the NBA in on-off differential, and has been a very solid starter all week. Add to that Mobley who’s averaged 16/11/4 over the last week with two stocks. Darius Garland has similarly turned a corner too, shooting over 40% from deep over the last five games, and is hopefully getting his turnovers down.

The guys discussed the key to the Cavs turning the corner, and many theories were floated. Did the Cavs just need to beat up on some scrubs to get their confidence back? Is it just Garland (26/3/6 Sunday) and Allen getting health? Have the Cavs been winning because Craig Porter Junior and Dean Wade have been supplanting Garland? CPJ was a monster, Sunday: 21/4/4 on an array of moves to the basket and pull-ups. Add three stocks and one turnover in 25 minutes, and Craig looks like a keeper.

Meanwhile, Dean Wade quietly put up a double digit rebounding night, and the Cavs killed Denver on the glass. Everyone seems to be doing their part to rebound, and its showing. Dean wade though has been a huge key: he gobbles up rebounds and hits corner threes. The guys discussed whether Okoro should be in the rotation when he returns, whether that rotation should include Niang, and if Ice can play the four.

Finally, the guys looked ahead to the coming week, which features some Cleveland royalty returning to the shores of Lake Erie. A regular 2015 reunion might be in the offing with TT, LeBron, and Kev all in town within a day of each other. The guys roasted Nate about his wife’s Kevin Love obsession, gave us their favorite thanksgiving food, and picked their MVPs for the week. All-in-all, we have a lot to be thankful for.

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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 explicate the game, and analyze the Cavs and their recent play, the NBA as a whole, and what lies ahead for the team.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 the Younger.

We laughed at the Donovan Mitchell click-bait that spread through Cavs' online discourse last week, concluding - among other things - that a year was a long way away.

Finally, we pitched some pizza recommendations, including the jarring juxtaposition mentioned in our title (Nate says it's a revelation, but you've got to check out the ingredients that go with it). All-in-all, it's a fun midsummer catch-up with your favorite Cavs: the Blog bloggers!

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Eli Kim and Chris Francis analyze the off-season so far for the Cleveland Cavaliers including the draft and free agency.

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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.]

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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.

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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, shooting, health (Okoro's and Randle's), RJ Barrett, Evan Mobley, Young Thibs, Old Thibs, and home court advantage. There was a lot to unpack, but one thing was clear: we all wanted to see less Lamar and more Dean and Cedi, as the Cavs' simply must improve their three-point proclivity in the playoffs. It all led to one question with surprising answers: how many games does J.B. Bickerstaff have to win to keep his job?

After that the guys went through the other play-in and playoff series, handed out their post-season awards, and by the time we were done, it was midnight.

Finally, Thanks to our friends at FOCO (Forever Collectibles) for sending us some Cavs gear and this unique Bobblehead featuring Donovan Mitchell in the City Edition Jersey (title photo)! For any sports fan looking for unique collectibles, check these guys out! 

https://twitter.com/cavsthetweets/status/1636744913361551365?s=46&t=OSMDysb6Gu07qAfJAd8rpQ

https://foco.vegb.net/c/3993555/1595336/10075

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"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 from drifting even further off baseline.

Next up, the CtB server farm picked the winners and losers from the trade deadline, went through the Cavs schedule and what we'll see coming out of the All-Star break, and fomented another CtB civil war over Caris LeVert. Things got wild as the topics drifted away from basketball and the guys got into tech, construction, video games, Cavs lore, Ayesha Curry, and Olive Garden commercials. Steven Hawking made an appearance, and we all laughed at Skip Bayless.

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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 and offensive rebounds. Speaking of rebounds: Miami won that battle 45-39, with the nine offensive rebounds gouging Cleveland. They got some ugly women there, and they'll really make a mess out of you.

If you see J.B. Bickerstaff, please tell him thanks a lot. After Darius Garland went out at the 3:00 mark of the third quarter with foul trouble, Caris LeVert came in and played the next 12 straight minutes, and after a brilliant chase-down block of Victor Oladipo near the end of that stretch, Caris moaned, I cannot move, my fingers are all in a knot / I don't have the strength to get up and take another shot. Caris was mercifully subbed out, but re-appeared just three minutes later and played 18 minutes in the second half to middling efficiency. At the very least though, he's doing better than Vic Oladipo who has zero lift anymore after all the injuries, and who when interviewed after the game noted, my best friend, my doctor won't even say what it is I've got.

I hate to be Sweet Melinda, who the peasants call the Goddess of Gloom, and yeah Ispeaks good English as I invites you up into her room.  But, much of this game came down to three point shooting: the Heat took good ones when they were open and in the flow of the offense (against a yet again overhelping Cavs' D), and finished 14-31 from deep to the Cavs' 11-40. Additionally the Cavs the free throw disparity was galling too, as the Cavs were in the bonus at the 9:40 mark of the 2nd quarter and got just a pair of freebies out of it, as they repeatedly settled for the three point chucks I described earlier. 

Jimmy Butler (23/1/5) was lookin to get silly as he grifted his way into 15 free throw attempts, including a galling early three point foul where he basically kicked Garland to sweep the leg and ended up at the free throw line. J.B. finished a game with a challenge in his pocket yet again, and this would've been a prime one to use it on, but J.B. saved it for the end and then didn't' use it. Maybe coach Bickerstaff just thought to himself about the challenge, "You better go back to from where you came. Because the cops don't need you and man, they expect the same."

Now, all the authorities, they just stand around and boast about how Eric Spoelstra blackmailed official David Guthrie into leaving his post: giving the Heat a 18-25 to 6-12 free throw advantage.

And you'd think J.B. Bickerstaff would have been picking up Angel, Ricky Rubio, who just arrived from the coast a few games ago, but despite Ricky's 8/5/5 line, 2-4 from deep, and +6 in 17 minutes, J.B. played Okoro and a two center lineup in key moments of crunch time and ended up with an Ice turnover when Isaac stepped out of bounds and a Darius Garland miscue when he forced the ball into a packed paint for another turnover.

Then on one of the most half-assed OOB plays you'll ever see in the Association, the Cavs almost turned it over again when the Heat deflected the ball into the back court and Mitchell was forced to retrieve then kick to Mobley in the left corner for a brick at 1:23. Rubio would've looked a lot better in that corner. Man, J.B. looked so fine at first when he took over for Beilein, but after moments like these, John Blair's left looking just like a ghost.

As you might be able to tell, after this one, Chris Francis started out on burgundy, but soon hit the harder stuff. This might have been one of our most liquid podcasts in a year or so. A big point of contention was LeVerts's negativity don't pull you through (14/5/3, -19), which is a hell of a shift when Mobley puts up a 19/6/4 +16 line. As the author of #CarisLeVertAgenda, Chris was particularly despondent about the pairing of LeVert and Rubio, who don't seem to play well together, and the maddening lack of shooting on the bench lines. A blood feud between Eli and Chris ensued over what grade to give Caris this game.

Chris and the guys pulled up a whole lot of lineup data to prove the point that the Cavs' aren't optimizing their lineups, and that the Cavs' should make every night Turkish Heritage Night, so Cedi Osman can play second halves. Because after an 0-fer seven minute stretch in the first half, Cedi, despite leading his team this season in net rating and being second in the association off the bench in that stat, has to think the coach won't, "stand behind me when the game got rough." Chris pled for J.B. to go do some research on stats.nba.com. But when it comes to Cedi, J.B.'s so kind and careful not to go to him too soon. Bick takes your voice and leaves you howling at the moon.

Finally, the pod got very long in the tooth in the second hour when we wallowed in some trade slop. While not looking at a lot of options for the Cavs, the guys went through, I kid you not, every roster in the NBA to examine who where the buyers and sellers and who have the worst contracts in the NBA. Up on Housing Project Hill, it's either fortune or fame. You must pick up one or the other, though neither of them are to be what they claim. (I'm looking at you Ben Simmons, Evan Fournier, Trae Young, DeAndre Hunter, and Gordon Hayward. 

A whole lot of teams want a king's ransom and multiple first rounders for role players, as the Minnesota Rudy Gobert trade broke the Association. But as we get closer a lot of teams will figure out "the joke was on me, there was nobody even there to bluff." A lot of orgs will be left holding the bag with flawed rosters and even more flawed contracts.

The Cavs take on the the No. 2 team in the West, the Grizzlies, Thursday, and, despite big wins against the Ty Lue's JV squad, the Wine and Gold haven't won a game against a healthy team since December. After the Grizz, the Cavs have five games in seven nights, part of a seven game in 10 night stretch before the all-star break. Something has to change, because the Cavs have been a .500 team or worse since their early season win streak, and right now they possess zero ability to win close games. The question remains, can J.B. coach himself out of this hole? If he doesn't the Cavs may have to make a coaching move before Donovan Mitchell decides."I'm goin' back to New York City, I do believe I've had enough."

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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.

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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 about the free throw putback at the end of regulation, the Bulls' whining, and the surprise that the officials got it right in the moment and wrong on the two minute report. The trio also discussed the burden of having "one of the only players that matters" on their team and whether the teams owes it to Donovan to do everything they can to win now.

The guys brought up our old friend J.B. Bickerstaff and whether he's optimizing winning with his coaching style (the last two thefts notwithstanding), and threw out the obligatory trade targets. Finally, crew went around the league and discussed what is wrong with officiating and right with the scoring, looked at the Cavs upcoming schedule, and just reveled in immortality.

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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 boon to opposing defenses, and Smith and Kim wondered what the hell Cedi Osman ever did to get so far into JB's gog house. Ultimately Nate and Eli went back and forth over why J.B. is so danged stubborn and whether he is the right fit for this team long term.

The guys also discussed whether this team can win in the playoffs as constructed or with this coach, and what could be done to change those fortunes with proposed new years resolutions on and off the court. Finally, Eli soloed over his experience behind the bench at a recent Cavs game and what the vibe, coaches, and players were like down home at the Rock.

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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.  

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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. 

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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 working the best? Are the Celtics worth worrying about in the east? It's as in-depth a look at a 24 hour old game as you'll find anywhere.

In the second hour, the gents discuss reputations of a different nature, notably Kyrie Irving's and the NBA's. Our NBA Science Academy scholars ask "Where is Adam Silver?" "Why is Kyrie such an oppositional dope?" "Is the NBA discipline committee basically Charles, Shaq, and Kenny?" It's an in depth look at narcissists and bad faith actors. Fortunately, our men of letters wrap this one up some solid recommendations, and shout out some of the giants on whose shoulders CtB stands.

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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's defense, missing training camp and youth can explain things. In the Okoro's case, the CtB crew were completely baffled. Fortunately, when the lights are on in the regular season, the truth comes out, and all the pre-season fluff pieces about young guys are overwritten by the play of the vets and stars in their prime. Donovan is definitely finding his, Caris is providing necessary secondary ball-handling, playmaking, and defense. Jarrett Allen comes up with a couple spectacular blocks per game, and Cedi Osman has exceeded all expectations with stellar performances the last two games.

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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.

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