Cavs minus Kyrie Summary

Since Kyrie has been out, the Cavs are 1-3, which initially sounds bad, however, that 1-3 record is a very respectable one.

The first game without Kyrie was played against the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that beat the Cavs (with Kyrie) just three days prior. Behind an improbable starting debut from Jeremy Pargo, the Cavs dropped the Sixers 92-83. This is a key game because this was the start of figuring out how to correct the bench struggles for Byron Scott.

Next up was the Orlando Magic. This was a winnable game even without Kyrie. Dion Waiters had a big scoring night (25), Anderson Varejao had a big rebounding night (17) but the Cavs fell 108-104. Omri Casspi played a good game and the bench was the best that I've ever seen them so far this year. This game was Cleveland's to lose, and they did.

The next night the Cavs were in Miami to take on the bad guys. Unlike the Magic game, without Kyrie Cleveland had no chance, right? The Cavaliers led mostly all game and even struck double-digit leads. The defense was good, the bench was good, the starters were good. It was a great performance from a team without their best player, taking on the defending world champs. Miami pulled it out 110-108.

And finally the Cavs traveled to Memphis to take on the best team in the league, the Grizzlies. More of the same, the Cavs played good basketball but slipped up in the fourth quarter, only scoring nine points. That could possibly be attributed to one of the leagues best closers on the Cavs bench with a splint on his finger. Varejao and Waiters each scored 15 and Varejao had another ridiculous rebounding night, pulling down 22 boards. By the way, he has 191 rebounds in 13 games. The Grizzlies beat the Cavs 84-78.

Overall great things so far in the four games that Kyrie has been out. Cleveland beat a probably playoff team in the Sixers, dropped a close game against the terrible Magic, but the led most of the games against two Championship contenders in the Heat and Grizzlies.It looks like the bench situation is figured out, the Cavs finally have a legitimate backup point guard for Kyrie and Varejao is playing out of his mind. If Kyrie and Varejao stay healthy and the Cavs can pull off a good move or two at the deadline, I don't think the playoffs are out of the question yet. Even with a 1-3 mark in this stretch of four games, this was the best four game streak of basketball Cleveland has played all year, and guess what, it was without their star. It's also worth mentioning that C.J. Miles is playing better as of late. Good things could be in store for Cleveland in the near future. By the way, John Hollinger's power rankings have the Cavs at number 18, even though they are tied for the second worst record in the league. As I've stated in this post, the record is not indicative of how the Cavs have been playing. So stay tuned, this will be an interesting season.