CLEVELAND, Ohio — The old-school mentality that nothing comes easy in painting isn’t dead yet, not yet if Marcus Morris Sr. has anything to do with it.
For a Cavs team which withdrew in a 115-92 victory against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, it certainly didn’t start out that way.
The Cavs only scored 27 points with less than seven minutes left in the half, and Morris knew the Cavs needed a boost. After hitting his first 3-pointer of the game to take a two-point lead, he elbowed Nick Richardsand of the Hornets. Initially ruled a regular foul, an official review determined the action merited a flagrant two, ejecting Morris from the game.
“It was a game changer,” coach JB Bickerstaff said. “The game was pretty ugly and choppy, and Marcus, [with] A bit of an old-school mentality impacted the game, and his teammates responded, and then we ran. But I think it brought energy to the group.
“The types of players who understand the game at this type of level understand how to influence the game in different ways and what can trigger a blowout. And I think this play did that for us.
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In the six minutes and 34 seconds remaining in the second quarter, the Cavs scored 24 points, almost as many as they had accumulated thus far, while only allowing 12 points the rest of the period.
“I feel like everyone changed after that game,” said Evan Mobley, who finished with 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in his second game back from an ankle injury. “I know he still wanted to be out there and play with us and stuff, but I feel like it changed everyone’s energy, and I feel like after that , everyone brought a real energy to the game. We just caught a flow after that. I feel like it just brought everyone together.
Morris confirmed there was no bad intention behind the piece, but he definitely wanted to send a message.
“I’m just physical,” Morris said. In the last two matches, I placed a few other players. It just didn’t happen the same way. So I’m just trying to set the tone, man. You’re driving the paint, catching lobs, and we’re trying to stop that kind of crap.
Since last year’s first-round elimination against the New York Knicks, the Cavs have been labeled numerous ways by countless fans. Soft. Soft. Child’s games. Just to name a few.
On numerous occasions this season, Bickerstaff has preached his love for the old-school style of basketball, when defense was king, and made sure there were no giveaways in the paint. Now he has the perfect player to implement that style of play, someone he’s nurtured since his early days in Houston, when Bickerstaff was an assistant and Morris entered the NBA as a first-round draft pick. Kansas.
“I’m trying to implement this no-dunk rule and all that kind of crap because going forward we’re going to need it,” Morris said.
Although Morris has a 10-day contract that expires March 27 and the 34-year-old has contributed offensively and defensively for the Cavs, the decision to keep him until the playoffs might be easier after this game against the Hornets.
Tristan Thompson is known as the Cavs’ energetic, energetic player who keeps the bench locked in and upbeat throughout every game. He is also the only Cavs player, besides Morris and Max Strus, to reach a Conference Finals series. But Thompson also knows Morris well, having played against him in middle school and high school before entering the league in the same draft class.
“I’ve known him and his brother for a while,” Thompson said. cleveland.com. “These are guys who are going to protect their teammates. They want the best for their team. They want to win.
“It’s good to have a guy that you know you can go to war with, especially in the playoffs. You’re going to want guys who have had those playoff moments, especially some of our guys who just had a first-round experience that obviously didn’t go the way they wanted. So it’s good to have veterans here who can contribute, but also know what it takes to get through a series.
The Cavs will face teams that will try to test them mentally and physically throughout the season and in the playoffs. Morris left his mark in Monday’s game with an exclamation point, even in less than eight minutes on the field, assuring his teammates and the organization that the new player had their back.
“I just wanted to toughen us up, man, just take the lead,” Morris said. “This is what we will expect in the future and not just for today. Start setting a precedent. We’re heading into the playoffs, and we’re not about to have just anyone come here and do whatever they want.
“I told the team that each of these games should be treated like the playoffs. So if I have to introduce someone every game and we respond like that, so be it.
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