Dribbles: Plenty to Like in Cavs’ Preseason Debut

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 108-107 thriller of a road loss to the Hawks in the preseason opener on Tuesday. …

1. Yes, I used the words “thriller” and “preseason” in the same above sentence. But sorry for not apologizing — I enjoyed this one, no matter how meaningless it might be.

2. For the Cavs, the shot of the night came from Emoni Bates, the No. 49 overall pick in the draft. It happened with time running out and the Cavs down by a point. Bates was well-defended beyond the 3-point line. But you could see that he wanted the ball. He wanted the shot. So he took it.

3. Money.

4. It was all for naught, of course, as Hawks guard Trent Forrest scored an and-one at the other end with 1.6 seconds left. But Bates’ shot showed that he has plenty of swagger. The kid scored 10 points in 14 minutes on 4-of-7 shooting. As Austin Carr said during the broadcast, once this kid learns the pro game … watch out.

5. Granted, it’s just the preseason, and Bates may not get this much of an opportunity when things count. But the flashes are undoubtedly there and that’s not up for debate.

6. Overall, the Cavs did do their thing with the starters for the majority of the first half. They want to push the pace even more this season, and that was on full display. They got down the court quickly and moved the ball. The shots didn’t always fall, but hey, that’s the preseason for you.

7. Defensively, things started to sputter late in the second quarter. Again, it means little at this time of year. The positives outweighed the negatives as far as the starting lineup was concerned.

8. Mostly, it was immediately evident that the additions of Max Strus and Georges Niang would pay dividends. Just their presence on the perimeter opened things up and kept the Hawks’ defense honest — creating space for the likes of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and especially big man Evan Mobley to operate.

9. Isaac Okoro gave an impressive showing with a team-high 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting in reserve. That included a monster slam off the break that brought his teammates to their feet.

10. This is Okoro’s fourth season. It’s time for him to be consistent. He’s indicated he knows that. If he is, this team can go a legitimate 10 deep.

11. New backup center Damian Jones also showed plenty of promise, running the floor and being active and aggressive around the basket.

12. Jones went 4-of-4 shooting for eight points, grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots. It’s precisely the type of performance coach J.B. Bickerstaff seeks in a backup to Jarrett Allen (when healthy).

13. I promised myself I’d keep this short since it’s only the preseason. Well, so much for that idea. Can you tell I’m excited that basketball is back?

14. Garland finished just 1-of-10 shooting. The looks were there, but again, a lot just didn’t drop. I think most people expect and accept rust in early October.

15. Mitchell and Mobley each scored 10. Mobley picked up right where he left off as a defensive force, too. No surprises there.

16. One national writer picked the Cavs to finish with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Do you agree that’s a possibility? I wouldn’t be real confident in that — but I wouldn’t entirely rule it out, either. That, of course, is not based on this game. Just that Cleveland won 51 games last year and this year’s team is probably better.

17. Allen (ankle) was with the Cavs, riding a stationary bike and putting in a little work at shootaround, as reported by Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. But I don’t suspect we will see him in the preseason.

18. I made a little history (for myself only) by becoming the first two-time guest on the Mark Price podcast. I talked about my job running this very website and previewed the Cavs’ season. You can listen here.

19. That’s it for now. The Cavs will be home for another preseason game Thursday vs. the Magic. It’s just a scrimmage, but let’s hope it can be as enjoyable as this one. There was plenty to like.