Cavs the Blog Podcast

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Episode 170: LeBronto May 04, 2018

Show notes

David Wood,Evil Genius and Nate Smith gather to talk about the Cavs convincing win against the Raptors. Tom Pestak hopped in late too. We discussed the win, OG Anunoby, the match-up issues for Toronto, Chewbacca Ibaka, Star Wars, the 76ers, Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson‘s lack of NBA ability, TT’s awesome screens, LeBron and his unstoppable skyball turnaround, and much more. *We experienced some issues with the podcast tonight. We cut out around the 37 minute mark and at that point Nate did some producing magic to make the podcast listenable. We’re going back to our old recording methods for the next game, so appreciate the broken pod for what it is. David cuts out and Nate, Tom, and EG, talk without me. It’s a mess, but it’s a beautiful one. *

Episode 169: The Association's Best Apr 30, 2018

Show notes

After an exhausting, maddening, thrilling, nail-biting series, the Cleveland Cavaliers emerged victorious over the Indiana Pacers in a series that saw Indy outscore the Cavs by 40 points over seven games (courtesy of two blowouts). LeBron James proved that he is simply the best basketball player on this planet scoring 45 points on 72 TS% while adding nine rebounds, seven dimes, and four steals. The wine and gold got a very unexpected contribution from Tristan Thompson who started the game after being buried on the bench, and who went off for 15 points, 10 rebounds, and one monstrous block on Victor Oladipo late that helped preserve the victory. The Cavs also got 14 from Kevin love who returned to form a bit at 4-8 from downtown. Cleveland held off a furious charge from Victor Oladipo who dropped 30 with 12 boards and six assists. It was an exhausting game that saw a few lead change until a furious comeback in the third gave Indy the lead briefly in the third, until Cleveland was able to hold them at bay to close out the fourth Tom, Nate Smith, and Right Down Euclid (the first) dropped into the podcast booth to break down the game, the NBA, and the next series: our simple conclusion? LeBron is the best player in the whole danged association. We broke this down and so much more.

Episode 168: Idolos Del Aire Apr 19, 2018

Show notes

LeBron James went all Top Gun on the Pacers in Game 2, scoring 20 points in the first quarter and 46 for the game to lead the Cavs to a victory that wound up a little closer than it should have. In the end, Cleveland evened things up with the feisty Indy squad and their “Iceman” Victor Oladipo. The Cavs supporting cast didn’t wash out as much as they did in Game 1, as Kevin Love, Kyle Korver, George Hill and JR Smith all started and contributed. JR even had a terrific strip of Dipo and pulled the “hit the brakes and he’ll fly right by” move on the other end for an easy bucket. Love got a bit of a scare with what looked like a nasty thumb injury, but according to Ty Lue, he’ll be good to go for Game 3. Nate, EG and Tom hopped in the cockpit to break this one down and crack wise about all things Cavs, NBA playoffs and yes, the time Tom watched Top Gun in Spanish in Long Beach (trust us, you won’t want to skip the amazing story at the end of this one…). It also gives us the subtitle of this recap Share

Episode 167: Playoffs!!!!! Apr 12, 2018

Show notes

Our long national nightmare, the NBA 2018 Tankthon, has ended. The Cavs' extended preseason known as the NBA regular season has also ended. The playoffs (all hale Jim Mora) are here! Before we get to that though, we had a basketball game in Cleveland. The Cavs played the Knicks. LeBron James started, got to ten points, and given that Philly was Anhillating the Bucks and that Boston was up on the Nets, the Cavs decided to send LeBron to the bench and deploy their own tank driver to put the Knicks in a tie with the Nets for the 8th/9th draft lottery spot. Yes, LeBron got to 82 games for the first time in his career, and kept his double digit scoring streak alive, but the only meaningful thing about this game for the Cavs was that no one got hurt, and that the Cavs might've had a little more lottery luck. David Wood joined me in the podcast booth to talk about the game, the Cavs postseason odds, and the first round matchups. For the Cavs, Cedi Osman, dropped 17-7-6 on 18 shots in 33 minutes while Ante Zizic continued his ridiculously efficient play with 20 points on nine shots with seven rebounds. London Perrantes and John Holland also figured heavily. In the podcast studio, we talked about the Cavs, the probably lineups, and how we think the playoffs will shake out early. Then we broke down the matchups in the West, the East, and then the Cavs/Pacers as in depth as we could. Who will be the dominant players, who will be the x-factors, and how far will the Cavs go this year?

Episode: 166: Beebop and Rocksteady Apr 06, 2018

Show notes

For those of you who didn’t follow the 1987 animated Teenage Mutant Ninja series… or the later feature film incarnation of the same, Bebop and Rocksteady were the guys who were always so close to defeating the Turtles… talked plenty of smack while doing it… but always found a way to lose in the end. And, as Tom Pestak puts it on this edition of Cavs: The Podcap… they are the perfect comp for the Washington Wizards. The Wizards once again found a way to lose to the Cavaliers tonight, this time by choking away a 16 point lead in the final six minutes of the game. To put that in proper perspective… teams this year that had similarly trailed by at least 16 points with that much time remaining in a game had gone 2-461. Make that three now. After the Cavs blew a sizable lead themselves (they were up 39-26 after one), they mounted a furious rally against the bumbling underlings of the Foot Clan… er, John Wall, Brad Beal and the Wiz. LeBron James went full mutant ninja, scoring or assisting on 23 of the Cavs’ final 32 points, and really just ran roughshod over his longtime “nemesis.” It really has to be in quotes given how he’s abused what seems like three different generations of Wizards teams going all the way back to the days of DeShawn “Soulja Boy” Stevenson and Gilbert “Agent Zero” Arenas. To break down this comeback masterpiece, Tom, Nate and EG hopped in the booth for an extended rap session. Beyond the game, they examined Ty Lue’s return to the sidelines, extrapolated potential playoff matchups, and touched on the injured elephant in the room.

Episode 165: The Fountain of Hennessey Mar 29, 2018

Show notes

On a night when LeBron James tied the "unbreakable record" set by Charlotte Hornets owner, Michael Jordan, of 866 consecutive games with at least 10 points... the real catalyst was a dude who's been missing for a while. According to Larry Drew, JR Smith got inspired by playing with a labrador belonging to the North Carolina baseball team during practice this morning... but maybe, just maybe... he found the Fountain of Hennessey in Florida after the miserable Heat game. Whatever it was, JR had his best game in recent memory... and not even by bombing away with irrational confidence threes (he was just 1-2 from deep)... but instead driving to the rack and attacking for three the hard way. He also threw an awesome Granny Smith alley-oop to LeBron to get him going as well. In all, after a sluggish start, the Cavs turned it on with one of their biggest second quarters of the season... and then put the bees away in the second half. The only remaining questions were whether or not Kemba Walker would become Charlotte's franchise leader in points... and if the Hornets' broadcast would ever remove their gigantic graphic from the screen. Nate and EG poured into the broadcast booth like fine French cognac to discuss this game, the previous night's woeful outing, the Cavs' suspicious record in "party towns", and much much more.

Episode 164: Dinosaurs are Pets Mar 22, 2018

Show notes

Nate Smith, David Wood, EvilGenius, and Tom Pestak all crammed into the podcast booth to break down the victory over the Raptors. We also talked about the Cavs coaching issues (hint, we all seem to like Larry Drew at the helm over Tyron Lue), and what Kevin Love means to this team. We looked at Zizic, George Hill, and Jose Calderon and how their unexpected contributions are changing the team. We took on this playoff preview, and also discussed how the East playoff race will shape up (a lot depends on Kyrie's knee), and who we'd like to see in the first round of the playoffs. We even looked at how the 2018 and 2019 free agency periods will shape up. We also touched on Jordan Clarkson's fantastic quote about dinosaurs being pets for giants... Finally we took a deep dive on a popular radio topic: the top 5 Cleveland athletes of the last 20 years. It was an exciting discussion of sports, culture, history, and hot takes. There were a lot of surprises, heated discussion, and laughs.

Episode 163: Dead or Alive Mar 06, 2018

Show notes

No, we don't reference RoboCop in this PodCap, but he was from New Detroit... and the Cavs did clean up the Pistons the way Murphy shut down crime in that city... and Larry Nance Jr. did play like a cyborg for most of his first start at Center... and Tom, Nate and EG did spend an inordinate amount of time at the end of this long and winding pod playing the Dead or Alive? guessing game... In any event, tune in to hear all about how the Cavs looked very much alive in their first game with LBJ and LNJ wreaking havoc in the starting lineup together... and alternately how Tristan Thompson's career as a starter might very well about to be dead. We also cover which buyout candidates are still alive for the Cavs, and how dead tired the team might be after their long upcoming road trip. Plus, you can learn the correct way to spell Dwayne/Dewayne/Duane. And, even though (as mentioned) there is no spirited discourse on RoboCop... there is plenty of analytical gerrymandering about other movies that populated Sunday night's Oscars.

Episode 162: A Competitive Edge Feb 19, 2018

Show notes

After a near 40 minute detour into awfulness leading up to the NBA All Star Game, featuring misfired jokes and sour notes, the game itself was everything the two team Captains promised... and then some. In easily the best, most competitive game in a decade (and possibly even top five all time), there was a definitive defensive and aggressive edge to most of the proceedings. Plenty of guys contributed and had their moments in the spotlight, but in the end, LeBron James hit the highest of the high notes and led his recruited squad to the win. He also took home a third All Star MVP trophy for his trouble, while claiming $350k for his team's selected LA area charity. Perhaps the most interesting storyline, in a night chock full of them, was the presence of LeBron, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Paul George on the court together... finishing the comeback win in electric and synergistic style... and doing it in a city that covets them all. Nate and EG teamed up to break down this classic, along with the atrocities that we were subjected to pre-game, and even covered the rest of All Star Weekend. They also took a look at how LeBron's exuberance will translate going forward in the regular season, speculate on how the playoff races might shape up in both conferences, and make a few edgy predictions.

Episode 161: Situations Matter Feb 14, 2018

Show notes

"Analytics be damned" was the consensus of this podcast as we all agreed that when it comes to NBA players, situations matter more than a mathematical abstraction of their output. As we noted on the pod, effort is not a constant, and as we watched the last two games, every player on this team, from the new guys, to a suddenly enthused LeBron, to a much more confident J.R. Smith, to a suddenly-receiving-playing time Cedi Osman, at least seven guys on this team are in much better situation than they were 10 days ago. Nate, Tom, and EvilGenius hopped in the podcast booth for the third time in week to gush about this team some more. Most of the chat revolved around why these Cavs are in much better situations now, the fallacy of the "big three" era, the incredible lineup flexibility the Cavs have, our love affair with Rodney Hood's jumper, and Larry Nance's floor game, and the need for some superior nicknames for this team We also talked J.R.'s rejuvenation, how things went south so fast with Dwyane Wade, why Cedi Osman didn't get much run Wednesday, why Steven Adams gives the Cavs so many problems, Russell Westbrook and his glorious penchant for yolo shots, why the Lakers sold so low on Clarkson and Nance, and possibly our least favorite Cavalier ever (hint: his name rhymes with Thisaiah Omas). There was a lot to love in this game and a lot to love on this podcast, as it was admittedly our least focused in some time. Our thoughts wandered all over the place to stories of Tom's Dad, to a debate over Chief Wahoo, and what we're going to do for a week without the Cavs. What a change a week makes...

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