Cavs The Blog Podcast

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

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 becom

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.Advertising Inquiries:

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 Sunda

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, alon

"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 teamWe also talked J.R.'s rejuvenation, how things went south so fas

We asked for a magic bullet… We got an entire clip. Though Ice Cube might disagree… today was most definitely a very good day for your Cleveland Cavaliers. It was so good that Nate, Tom, and EG were back in the booth for the second night in a row, and joined by Elijah Kim. To break down today's action.Gone are Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert, Channing Frye… and even Dwayne Wade. The incoming new faces are George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson and the son of former Cavalier great, Larry Nance, Jr. Suddenly, the clouds that had been hanging over this team for much of the past six weeks have parted. The sun is shining on new possibilities of a future that seems instantly and categorically brighter. While it was bittersweet to part with Channing given his tremendous personality, and DWade with his vintage swagger, and even Shump with his tie to the squad that won it all in 2016… the time seemed long past due to move on from the Crowder, Rose and IT experiments.Advertising Inquiries

After reaching the lowest depths of doubt, denial and depression Tuesday in Orlando, the Cavs returned home and played possibly the game of the season in reminding us how good they can be when they try. There were contributions up and down the lineup in this unbelievable overtime shootout thriller with the Timberwolves, that saw both teams combine for an NBA record 40 (!!!) three pointers. LeBron James also reminded us of just how great he is... notching yet another triple double with 37 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds... the last few of which vaulted him past Zydrunas Ilgauskas and made him the all time franchise leader in all three categories. Yet, he saved his best for last... draining a turnaround jumper over Jimmy Butler as the final buzzer sounded. It was arguably his greatest game winning shot in a regular season game during the LeBron 2.0 era.It was great to see LeBron smile again. It was also great to see the Cavs free Cedi Osman from the bench, as he came up with some terrific and much needed hus

Tom, Nate and EG congregated in the virtual C:tP booth to breakdown this difficult win, as well as cover a wide range of things big and small. After discussing this week's games, Tom went on some epic rants that he’s been holding in for the last week… Nate delved into the complexities of little men with big chips on their shoulders… and EG compared championship fatigue with mountain climbing and mythical monsters. Needless to say, you may find it hard to get to the end… but hopefully it makes it easier to enjoy this game that was hard on the eyes.Talk about hard… this game was like Napoleon trying to win at Waterloo hard… like finding a yeti at the top of the mountain hard. Hard to play, hard to watch and hard to even recap in a reasonable amount of time. For 48 (thankfully only that) minutes which seemed like twice that (yet still shorter than this podcast), the Cavs and Heat took turns bricking threes at an insane rate, slogging through difficult trips to the free throw line, and making enough mistakes

LeBron hits the 30K points mark as the Cavs continue to descend to the hull integrity critical depth. We're standing in six inches of water, there's a radiation leak in the engine room, someone's dog took a had an accident in the cafeteria and when some Seaman tried scooping it up and flushing it down the toilet it just clogged...We talked about the game, Isaiah Thomas, whether Ty Lue is trying to get fired, George Hill, potential Trades, Woj the ultimate Cavalier troll, and how the only thing with a lower production value than the Cavs on court play was the Subnautica Live Stream event today.Beware the klaxon. Stay safe out there.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nate and EG jumped into their own lucid dream/recurring nightmare about how much of the current state of the Cavs is or isn't Ty's fault, how much longer he should be patrolling the sidelines, and whether or not he's even the one in control of things. They also delve into interpretations of what the Cavs can do to improve, read the tea leaves on whether or not the team will make a trade and try to determine why January basketball in Cleveland has to be so nightmarish at times. The good news is that we both think things will ultimately get better...Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nate and EG hopped in the podcast booth after a wild Bucks game to podcap about what worked for the Cavs, what didn't, and why we didn't feel too bad about this loss. Kevin Love's fourth quarter absence seemed odd to both of us given his 21-10 line in just 30 minutes, the Cavs' inability to rebound, and Jae Crowder's 0-5 brickfest from behind the arc. But we marveled at LeBron's superior shooting (6-11 from three), Kyle Korver's tough night (1-7 from the floor), and Jeff Green's rim running relentlessness. We lamented the painful officiating that gave the Bucks a minimum of six undeserved points, and saw the Cavs beat up without consequences.Beyond the game, we, discussed the triple-double-esque MVP tear LeBron is on, the Kobe Retirement, the idle threat of the Laker recruiting, LeBron's ridiculous blocks, and the Cavs schedule going forward. We also talked about what TT means to this team, whether he should be playing over Frye, and how he affects the chemistry of the Cavs

Nate Smith, Tom Pestak, and Elijah Kim hopped in the podcast booth to discuss the game, the last week of Cavs' games, and what this "sustained period of excellence" means. We discussed LeBron's excellence, his ability to find the middle gear between chill mode and beast mode, and how he seems more engaged this season. We also talked about what the Cavs will look like when Isaiah Thomas and Tristan Thompson are re-integrated, the LeBron 2018 offseason rumors, and take a look at the standings around the NBA.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

What was supposed to be a short and sweet podcapping of the Cavaliers’ 13th straight victory to tie the franchise record, turned into one of the longest in the tooth… most winding… down the rabbitholiest stream of consciousness recordings in C:tB history. Sure, there’s plenty of discussion about how the Cavs woke from their slumber in the first half to fight and claw their way back against the Kings to avoid an ignominious loss at the hands of another lottery dweller… but then the topics get crazily random in a hurry (like checking out vintage crime shows from the library crazy).Nate and EG kicked things off in the booth, but once Tom joined them… they started issuing rants, hot takes and stories like the Grown Ass Men they are. And, speaking of Grown Ass Men, we spend a lot of time talking about LeBron and his legacy. We also touch on the soon to be returning from injury Cavs, deliberate who might still be on the team in April, and have an extended throw down on the value of Isaiah Thomas.Advertising Inquiri

Nate and Tom hopped in the booth to discuss many topics ranging from the win streak, to the unceremonious firing of David Fizdale, to who the Cavs might still target as a mid-season pickup, to the quantum physics of why Derrick Rose is a basketball black hole. Though EG also tried to chime in, he was thwarted by his own technology, ultimately having to resort to "Evil Hawking" mode with Nate translating.What does Stephen Hawking have to do with the Cavs' decisive victory over the Philadelphia 76ers tonight, their eighth win in as many games? Well, you'll have to listen to the podcap to fully appreciate and consummate the answer. Needless to say, just like time itself... the fortunes of these teams have followed a process (with a capital "P" for the Sixers over the past few seasons, and a lowercase one for the Cavs over the past few weeks).Note: big props to hero to millions and one of the foremost minds of 20th and 21st centuries, Steven Hawking. Much love and admiration to you.Adverti

So, is a five game winning streak capped by this terrific showing on the road against a good team a sign of a righted ship? Did it show us what we all truly believed this current team should be capable of? Or, did it make us all give a collective sigh simply because our expectations have been so immensely elevated over the course of the past three seasons from repeated trips to the Finals? Have we all just been prisoners of the moment thus far in the throes of October and November? Stuck in a Twitter loop ruled by Celtic pride, Golden States of mind, the Process and Big Baller Brands?Nate and EG ponder these questions and more on this latest podcap... exploring the dangers of donning blinders that magnify every regular season high and low. They also examine the value of savoring every minute that remains in LeBron James' kingdom. Cause when he's done, we may never see his like again (of course that could just be the inmates in this moment talking...)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsP

A vehicular soccer video game league that’s played with rocket powered cars isa pretty fitting metaphor for the kind of game the Houston Rockets play on a nightly basis in the NBA. It’s fast paced scoring with tons of shots and, when those shots aren’t falling… they pretty much just run into the other team and get to the line to score.The Cavs were the latest victim of this Rocket style of play, as they got blitzed by a barrage of threes in the first half, and then got more than lapped at the free throw line as the game wore on. As a team, the Cavs only attempted as many freebies as James Harden did alone (14). Houston also took full advantage of the confluence of the Cavs missing Tristan Thompson, having a frustrated Kevin Love in foul trouble (he fouled out in the fourth quarter), and Ty Lue refusing to play any other bigs. The lopsided rebounding advantage (45-26 in Houston’s favor) went a long way in cementing the win for the home team.Yet, it at least approached being an “acceptable loss” as far as defea

Nate Smith sits down with Clevelander and bestselling author, Brendan Bowers to talk about his new book, LeBron James vs. the NBA. The book's and our main topic of conversation: where does LeBron currently rank among the greatest players of all time? We also talk about some of the all time NBA greats, the Cavs' "eventful" summer, what this season looks like for the Cleveland, and how well we think they'll shake out of their doldrums. Finally, we ask, how long will The King reign, will Ty Lue coach LeBron his whole career, and where and how will LeBron take his place among the greatest of all time when it's all said and done?You can pre-order Brendan's book wherever books are sold and look for him at a Cleveland area book signing in the next couple months.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

We're at Defcon 3, folks. And I'd wager another loss puts us at Defcon 2. At Defcon 1, Dan Gilbert goes nuclear on Tyronn Lue. Seven games into this season, and it's looking Ty's elevated coaching seat might just be the hotseat as the Cavs have lost three straight and four of the last five. Those losses have come against some of the worst teams in the league. Justin May and Nate Smith hopped in the podcast booth to recap and then Tom Pestak parachuted into the war room with klaxons blaring to help us figure out what is wrong with the Cavaliers. We recapped Sunday's game, and went over everything that's going wrong (a lot), and the little that's going right (Kyle Korver). We looked at lineups (why isn't Crowder playing more?), slumping players (I'm looking at you, Mr. 4-28 from three, J.R. Smith), the age question (are the Cavs just too old), and whether this represents a failure of the front office to bring in players who make sense next to LeBron (or anyone for that matter

It’s that time of year again… time to dream about the road ahead for another NBA season. Before tonight’s tip off, every team has a chance to capture a championship (oh, who are we kidding… it’s the Dubs and maybe the Cavs as those two squads are probably destined to meet up for Episode IV). Well, anyway, it’s nice to dream…Speaking of dreamers, the very much woke Kyrie Irving won’t be wasting any time fantasizing about his return to the place he called home for the first six years of his career. He’ll have a wonderfully lucid visual reminder of his top highlights with a video tribute before the game… though the auditory experience might not be quite as welcoming from his former fanbase. Only time will tell if Uncle Drew’s dreams will come true, or if his first game back in Cleveland will devolve into a nightmare.Nate and EG fought off sleep and weariness to try and interpret the dreams the Cavs have for the season ahead, and to weigh in on which team lines in Vegas have people dreaming way too hard. They als