2011/2012 Season begins with a Cavalier loss at home 100-86
Coming into the 2011/2012 season, the Cavaliers had quite a different team than the year before, and looked to improve their young roster with a win against the lowly Washington Wizards. However, Nick Young had other ideas in mind.
In the first quarter, the Cavaliers defence was non existant, letting the Wizard players drive in at will. When the defence finally decided to protect the paint, the Wizards did an amazing job collapsing the defence and kicking out to an open player, usually Nick Young. Young had an amazing 38 points, 9 of them on 3 pointers, and he was mainly responsible for the Wizard's 30-26 lead by the end of the first quarter.
After the break, the Cavaliers came out running, led by Tristan Thompson, who made 10 of his 16 points in the quarter on a flurry of dunks, got the Cavaliers a brief lead, but the Wizard's backcourt tandem of Wall and Young ended the drought, with Young making a buzzer beater 3 to end the first half with the game tied at 51.
With the 3rd period underway, the Cavaliers looked dazzled and confused. They didn't play defence and couldn't convert shots at the other end. Young and Wall continued their fabulous offensive game, beating the Cavs in the 3rd quarter 31-14. The Cav's only brightspot was John Salmons who attempted to keep Cleveland in the game, scoring 8 of his 18.
Taking a 82-65 lead into the fourth quarter, Saunders rested his starters and had most of the bench out during the quarter. The Cavaliers attempted a run, but with the clock ticking, eventually Byron Scott pulled his starters out as well to rest them up for the next game. Tiago Splitter and Valaciunas showed promise to be quite a frontcourt powerhouse blocking and rebounding wise during these minutes.
Final Score: Wizard 100 - 86 CavaliersNotable players:Cavaliers:[*]John Salmons - 18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
[*]DeAndre Jordan - 10 points, 11 rebound, 2 blocks
[*]Tristan Thompson - 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block
Wizards:[*]Nick Young - 38 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists
[*]John Wall - 22 points, 1 rebound, 7 assists
[*]Rashard Lewis - 12 points, 6 rebounds.
Next game @Charlotte