No LeBron, but Cavs get plenty of Love

By foxsports
Published

CLEVELAND -- Random observations from the Cavaliers' 106-100 preseason win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday:

1. Kevin Love scored 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and Dion Waiters went for 23 on 8-of-13. Without LeBron James (resting), Kyrie Irving (sore ankle) and Tristan Thompson (sore shoulder), the Cavs needed every bit of Love and Waiters. So it was a positive sign to see this lighter version of the Cavs deliver.

2. Love also buried five of his seven 3-pointers. Waiters was 3-of-6 beyond the arc, including a couple biggies (if you can actually have "biggies" in the preseason). But no matter how you feel about meaningless games, you can't argue with the fact the Cavs are moving the ball and getting good looks under first-year coach David Blatt.

3. Actually, Blatt had a little bit of an issue with how the ball moved (or stopped moving at times) Tuesday. The Cavs attempted a whopping 34 threes, and Blatt said that's way too many. He wants that number in the 20s.

4. Not like the coach needs me to agree with him -- but he's right. The Cavs have too many weapons to just stand outside the arc and fire away. Make one extra pass and get a better look. A lot of that, of course, is contingent on cutting to the basket. So the ball needs to move and bodies need to move. Standing along the 3-point line and waving your arms like you're chasing down a taxi is not winning basketball.

5. Other than that, there wasn't a whole lot to this game. A lot of times guys are just trying to get out of the preseason unharmed and in shape for when things actually count. Other than Love and Waiters, perhaps the best thing about Tuesday was how the guys fighting for a spot at the end of the bench outplayed the Bucks' young regulars -- with LeBron standing to cheer on his teammates from the bench.

6. One thing that also impressed was the play of veteran Shawn Marion, who started for James at small forward. Even at 36 years old, Marion is still a top-notch defender, always stepping in passing lanes and locking down his man. He also forced nothing on offense, finishing with 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting. And perhaps much to Blatt's delight, none of Marion's shots were threes.

7. It's true that Love and Anderson Varejao (six points, four rebounds) banged their knees on separate occasions, but they are expected to be available for Wednesday's game vs. the Indiana Pacers.

8. That game will be played at Xavier University in Cincinnati. LeBron is scheduled to play, and Thompson seems likely. Irving could play if it was a regular-season game. But he's probably out. No need to risk further injury to his tender right foot.

9. FOX Sports Ohio colleague Kevin Goheen wrote a nice piece on Pacers forward David West, who played collegiately at Xavier. West has been in the NBA for 11 years, and Wednesday's game marks his first trip back to the school. You can read the story here.

10. Bucks rookie forward Jabari Parker finished with a team-high 18 points and had several nice moments. I was surprised at his passing ability. For all the talk of him being little more than a scorer, he proved he knows how to find the open man. I predict it will come down to Parker or Philadelphia big man Nerlens Noel for Rookie of the Year.

11. Overall, I thought the Bucks moved the ball much better under new coach Jason Kidd than any time I saw them last season (which admittedly wasn't much). They're in for another long year, but at least Parker gives fans reason to pay closer attention.

12. This was the second straight game in which Love scored 25 points. The Cavs improved to 3-0 in the preseason. The Bucks fell to 1-3.

13. The Cavs-Pacers game will be televised by FOX Sports Ohio. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Follow on Twitter @SamAmicoFSO