New Look Cavaliers Beat Celtics 121-99

The New Cleveland Cavaliers played together for the first time since adding Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance, Jr., Rodney Hood, and George Hill to the roster, and purging Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Channing Frye, Dwyane Wade, Imam Shumpert, and Derrick Rose in multiple trades. Perhaps these were desperate times call for desperate measures trades, but it is certainly true that the Cavaliers were sliding downhill quickly. The players that were dealt away represent a lot of talent, but the mix or chemistry of a team requires more than that and it just wasn’t happening for the Cavaliers, especially defensively.

The revamped Cavaliers had a real big test right away, with a game at Boston against the Eastern Conference leading Celtics on February 11th. It’s just one game, but the results were impressive, as the Cavaliers clobbered the Celtics 121-99. The new players scored a total of 49 points. LeBron James led the team with 24 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds.

The Cavaliers are in third place in the overall NBA Eastern Conference standings with a record of 33-22. Toronto beat Charlotte 123-103 on the 11th, and coupled with the Celtics loss, the Raptors moved into the top spot by a half game in the East. Toronto is 39-19; Boston is 40-18. Cleveland is six games back, and is at Oklahoma City on the 13th.