Cavaliers Drop to Second Place in the Eastern Conference in blowout loss to Spurs

The defensive woes for the Cleveland Cavaliers continue in their 103-74 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. And to be honest, it was a clear struggle on both side of the ball for the Cavs. 74 points marks Cleveland’s worse scoring quarter this season, shooting 37% from the field and only 15% from three.

Box Score

http://www.nba.com/gametracker/#/20170327/CLESAS/cavaliers/analysis

The loss drops Cleveland to second place in the Eastern Conference, with Boston taking a half game lead and the first seed. The last time Cleveland wasn’t the top seed in the East was November 5 2015. Cleveland has lost four of their last six contests, but with nine games left on the regular season schedule the battle for the first seed is just getting started.

Recap

Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports.

The Spurs lead the Cavaliers by ten points after the first quarter and never looked back. With the game very much up for grabs the Spurs started heating up in the second quarter which turned into a 24-8 Spurs run. Just before the run started, Spurs Head Coach Greg Popovic was given a technical foul, which put a fire under his players. During this run, the Spurs shot 64% from the field.

Cleveland couldn’t get anything to fall against one of the best defensive teams in the league, shooting under 40 and 20 percent from the field and behind the arc. LeBron James finished with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Tristan Thompson was the only other Cavalier in double-figures with 11.

Kyrie Irving finished the game with just 8 points on 4-13 shooting from the field. This performance ended his 21 game streak of 20 or more points scored in a game. Irving’s performance prompted him to get shots up after his worst game since the All-Star break.

Kyrie remained on the court after the game, practicing his shot and clearing his mind after the @cavs' tough night. pic.twitter.com/tDjda8mkxK

— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) March 28, 2017

Kevin Love, who is still getting used to in-game action after missing 13 games with a knee injury finished the game with 9 points to go along with 7 boards.

What’s Next for the Cavaliers?

Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland currently sits half a game out of first place in the Eastern Conference with nine games left to play this season. In this month alone, the Cavaliers have played 16 games, with two more coming  on Thursday in Chicago and Friday at home against Philadelphia.

According to LeBron, who was forced to leave last nights game after getting elbowed in the back, the schedule isn’t an excuse to their poor play this month.

Three of Cleveland’s next four games are coming against teams with a record under .500, but after that stretch they only play teams that are in the Easter Conference playoff race. One of those matchups include a meeting with Boston, who as I mentioned before, is ahead of the Cavs for that top spot in the East. After Boston, Cleveland close off the regular season with two games against the Atlanta Hawks, on the road in Miami, and a home matchup with the Toronto Raptors.

NBA Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers at Minnesota Timberwolves

The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the road on Valentine’s day to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. The was a rough first month of 2017 for Cleveland, but they have gotten back on track in February. Cleveland has started out the month winning five of their first six games, with the only loss coming at Oklahoma City.

We’ve got a #ValentinesDay date tonight in Minnesota!#CavsWolves PREVIEW: https://t.co/ZhUyfa5oZS#DefendTheLand pic.twitter.com/t6Txf64nnx

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 14, 2017

The Previous Matchup

Cleveland had no trouble handling Minnesota earlier this month, winning that one at home 125-97. LeBron James led the way for the Cavs with 27 points, while grabbing eight boards and dishing out 12 assists. Kyrie Irving also managed a new career high in assists with 14.

On the Timberwolves side, Karl Anthony-Towns finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins contributed 23 points of his own.

The Wolves had trouble on the defensive end of the floor that night in Cleveland. Not only did they allow Cleveland to score 125 points, but they allowed them to shoot nearly 54 percent of their field goals while shooting 40 percent from behind the arc.

Team Statistics

• Points Per Game- Cavaliers: 111.2, Timberwolves: 104.6
• Field Goal Percentage- Cavaliers: 46.4, Timberwolves: 46.4
• Rebounds Per Game- Cavaliers: 44.1, Timberwolves: 42.4
• Assists Per Game- Cavaliers: 22.3, Timberwolves: 23.3
• Current Streak- Cavaliers: W1, Timberwolves: W1
• Last Ten Games- Cavaliers: 7-3, Timberwolves: 4-6

What to Watch For

Anytime Cleveland is in town, fans flock to watch their team go up against LeBron, Kyrie, and Kevin Love. However Timberwolves fans will only see two of the three in action tonight.

Former Timberwolves and current Cavaliers All-Star forward Kevin Love will miss the next six weeks after undergoing a successful, yet minor knee surgery. The last time these two teams met Love was unavailable to go due to back spasms.

#Cavs injury update (left knee) on @kevinlove: https://t.co/vKbcYiR29P pic.twitter.com/1b4JkvQ7sg

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 14, 2017

Cleveland will also be without Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith who are both dealing with their own injuries. Meanwhile the Timberwolves will be without two-time slam dunk champion Zach Lavine, who is out with a torn ACL.

Tipoff is set for 8:00 PM and will be broadcasted on NBATV.

FEATURE: Kayley Holloway

Kayley Holloway is a 22-year old Public Relations Major at the University of Florida. Holloway was born and raised in Atlanta Georgia, but relocated to Florida before her senior year. Being from Atlanta, Holloway supports her local Falcons, Braves and Hawks. When it comes to Hockey, Holloway’s favorite sport, she cheers on the Winnipeg Jets and the Nashville Predators. 

What to do Next?

During her her final year of high school, Holloway had to make the toughest decision any high school senior has to make. Choosing where to go to college is difficult for anyone. Holloway thought about Georgia State and Texas A&M, but ultimately decided to stay in Florida and attend UF.

Holloway wasn’t always a Pubic Relations major at UF. She started as a nursing major, but ever since high school she knew that she would eventually switch over to Public Relations. So, why PR?  Holloway fell in love with PR during her junior year of high school. She had to do a project on a career she would be interested in and after seeing she could work in sports her mind was made up. Ideally, Holloway would have wanted to work with the Atlanta Thrashers, but they relocated to Winnipeg in 2011. However, Holloway works with the Winnipeg Jets and is the Team Sweden reporter for a hockey magazine in Boston, Massachusetts. 

https://twitter.com/kayleyashlyn39/status/771782229445844992

More about Kayley

One might think, why Team Sweden? When speaking with Holloway, she prided herself on the fact that she taught herself how to speak Swedish. She started learning the language her junior year of high school and found a way to mix it into her career path. When asked about how she taught herself, Holloway said “I used a lot of movies and music to immerse myself and learn pronunciation, but all of the mechanics and whatnot I taught myself through grammar books and online study guides.”

Kayley Holloway touring Hard Rock Stadium

As I mentioned earlier, Holloway’s favorite sport is hockey. She played since she was four-years old and knew that it was hockey would be a really important part of her life. Both of Holloway’s parents played hockey, and although she no longer plays for a competitive team, she played until she started college, but occasionally plays some pick-up hockey when she can.

So the last two paragraphs you read were about how she taught herself Swedish and how her love for hockey started. Here’s where they connect. Holloway mentioned that the most memorable moment of my life was when she was 16 at an Atlanta Thrashers hockey practice. Holloway knew enough Swedish to be semi-conversational, and her favorite player, Tobias Enström, is Swedish. She didn’t just meet him, she got the chance to interview him in Swedish.

When Holloway graduates, she plans to move to Nashville in hopes of getting a job with the Predators. Her overall goal is to work in Media Relations in the NHL. Working for the magazine, she already has media credentials with the NHL that right there is a huge step in the right direction.

http://www.hookedonhockeymagazine.com/sweden-dominates-slovakia-advances-to-semis-at-the-2017-world-junior-championships/