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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If there’s one thing we learned in the Cavaliers’ 98-94 win over the visiting Brooklyn Nets in the season-opener Wednesday, it’s that these aren’t the same old Cavs.
These Cavs are determined. These Cavs will defend. These Cavs will chase down loose balls as if they’re a brick of gold.
Welcome to the Mike Brown Era, Part II.
This is a more confident and comfortable Brown than the one who coached Cleveland from 2005-10. This is a more confident and comfortable team than last year.
This is a team that now boasts Andrew Bynum and Jarrett Jack, a team that will play with an edge, a team that won't be intimidated.
The Nets are a big deal. They added Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and several others to a cast that already featured Brook Lopez, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. They hired a new coach in future Hall-of-Fame point guard Jason Kidd (who missed the game because of a suspension). They play in Brooklyn and they’re expected to contend for something cool.
So the Nets are bound to be shoved in our face all season.
But the Cavs were the story on this night, with Bynum returning to the court for the first time since 2011-12, and the Cavs displaying grit, guts and an ability to make some big plays despite fielding what's still a fairly young team.
Oh, it wasn’t pretty. As Brown said, “It was ugly, which I’m OK with.”
He once used the word “grimy” to describe the evening, as if he needed a shower after watching it. Then again, this is Brown we’re talking about. The nastier the better.
And the Cavs indeed got nasty when they had to.
All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving couldn’t get anything going, scoring-wise, in the first two quarters. He had two points at the half -- and even those came with less than a minute left in the second.
Yet the Cavs led, 49-48, at halftime.
That right there ought to tell you something.
What said more was Irving and backcourt-mate Dion Waiters didn’t stop playing just because they couldn’t put the ball in the basket.
Irving passed for nine assists and grabbed seven rebounds, including a huge difference-maker type at the end. He rarely forced anything, at least shot-wise, and still wound up with 15 points. Four of those came off free throws that all but sealed it.
Waiters, meanwhile, hit two big baskets in the fourth quarter. He had four points in the first half. He finished with 11, and just about every one counted.
Of course, we still haven’t mentioned Tristan Thompson, and he may have been the Cavs' biggest prize of all. Thompson has improved immensely over the past year and a half, switching shooting hands (from left to right) and displaying the moxie the team needs under the basket.
As for Jack, he jumped off the bench as soon as Irving picked up his second foul in the first quarter. Jack proved to be starter-worthy as a backup, playing with energy and intelligence, and a major dose of leadership.
Others, such as starting small forward Earl Clark, center Anderson Varejao, swingman C.J. Miles and even rookie Anthony Bennett (who grabbed five rebounds), all contributed in their own way.
Varejao was particularly big, sinking a jumper with 28 seconds left, burying an otherwise off night.
“I can’t say enough about the guys,” Brown said. “They bought in. They’re starting to have an understanding of what it takes to win in this league. But we still have a long way to go.”
Maybe. But a win like this, against a team like the Nets, in an entirely new era, shows that this journey is probably going to be a lot of fun.
It shows that Brown has this team's attention -- and that if the Cavs continue to follow their coach's attention to detail, and keep playing with passion, something cool could happen here.
Mike Brown may be coaching the Cavs a second time, but as we saw Wednesday, he's using the same tricks that worked during his first.
Twitter: @SamAmicoFSO
