Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers were treated to a nice surprise on Wednesday, December 28. After last year’s abysmal 19-win and 63-loss performance, we got used to the fact that wins were hard to come by. We hoped for an improved squad this season but knew there would be some growing pains. A solid victory always helps.

As the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons by the score of 105-89, Cleveland improves to 1-1 on the season while Detroit falls to 0-2.

Ramon Sessions was the top performer of the game for the Cavs scoring 16 points with seven rebounds and six assists coming off the bench. While he led the team in scoring he was only 4-11 from the field, which is still cause for some concern.

For the Pistons, rookie Brandon Knight led the team with 23 points on the night paired with a rebound and six assists. Unlike Sessions he was 10-13 from the field. Ben Gordon scored 25 points on the night but Knight gave a better overall performance in the Pistons’ losing effort.

Rookie Kyrie Irving had a much better night scoring 14 points with four rebounds and seven assists on the night. He was 5-9 from the field and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. After his disappointing opening night performance against the Toronto Raptors, he had nowhere to go but up. I was happy to see him show much improvement in this game.

Tristan Thompson played well yet again adding 10 points, four rebounds, and an assist coming off the bench. While he has only played in two games in his young career, I have no complaints the Cavs picked Thompson as high as they did in the draft.

Already this season has a different feel to it. Fans realize the Cavs are young and rebuilding. Last year was a season filled with anger and hostility. This year is a season filled with promise. There is the promise that comes with knowing Dan Gilbert is dedicated to building a team the right way this time around and the promise that while the team will surely take its bumps and bruises this season, they will get better.

Cavs’ fans have something to look forward to again.

Next up for the Cavaliers are the Indiana Pacers on Friday, December 30.

More Cleveland Cavaliers Commentary from this Contributor:

Cleveland Cavaliers drop opener to Raptors 104-96, Irving struggles: A fan’s reaction

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Omri Casspi shines in his preseason debut: A fan’s reaction

Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving defeat Detroit Pistons 91-87: A fan’s reaction

Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers is better for business: A fan’s perspective

Cleveland Cavaliers use amnesty clause, waive Baron Davis: A fan’s reaction

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is an avid Cleveland Cavaliers fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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Cleveland Cavaliers’ coach Byron Scott started rookie Kyrie Irving in the teams’ first regular season game on 12/26/11 against the Toronto Raptors. This was a decision that many were on the fence about. What really seemed odd is that coach Scott not only started the rookie, but he put him back in the game in the last few minutes when the Cavs were down. Irving was not having a good shooting game.

Ramon Sessions was having a hot night with shooting, but coach Scott benched him in favor of Irving in those last critical minutes. Coach Scott says that Irving has to get used to these types of situations. This makes sense.

“It’s a developmental thing right now,” said coach Scott. “I’ve got to get this young man (Irving) used to closing out games and I have to find out what he has, what he’s made of when the games are on the line in situations like that.”

Coach Scott is in his 12^th season as a coach in the NBA so he knows what he is doing. Plus, he is in a tough spot with the Cavs. He is trying to win games, but he is also trying to mold and mentor new players at the same time. This is a difficult balance.

Kyrie Irving does need to be in those high-pressure situations in order to get used to them and to build up the confidence and skills to tackle them effectively. The NBA is a completely different world and a whole new level of competition for him. He is obviously a skilled player, but he has to get used to playing against guys of NBA caliber. So, it seems that coach Scott’s decision to put him in at such a critical time was a good one, at least from an experience-gaining standpoint.

Plus, as Ramon Sessions has said, Irving did start the game, so it only makes sense that he also close it out.

Irving is a new player in the NBA, so there are going to be bumps in the road. He was rather impressive during the preseason and he looked bumpy during the first regular season game. This is to be expected. As coach Scott provides him with more experience and opportunities to improve his craft, he is sure to become a cornerstone of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and still lives there. She was raised a Cavs’ fan and has remained loyal through all of the teams ups and downs. She remains confident that the Cavs will bring home a championship at some point in her life. Follow Rose on Twitter @Rose_Kitchen

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Alonzo Gee

has improved his footwork and shooting.

His hang time, at least where the rim is involved, still needs some work.

Gee supplied one of the few solid performances in the Cavaliers’ 104-96 loss to the Toronto Raptors at The Q on Monday. But his 15-point outing off the bench was almost overshadowed by a spectacular second-quarter spill in which his hands slipped from the rim following a dunk and he landed on his neck and shoulders.

Remarkably, Gee popped up and remained in the game. Gee said he experienced no pain or headache from a hardwood crash that made ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”

The second-year pro hasn’t seen the highlight and doesn’t care to watch it. He answered numerous phone calls checking on his well being.

“I made sure I talked to everyone and let them know I was fine,” said Gee, who was whistled for traveling on the play.

The Cavaliers can only hope they bounce back as quickly as the 6-foot-6 small forward. He assured coach Byron Scott that he felt fine and he was fit for practice. The coach has put a lot of work into boosting the confidence and fine-tuning the game of Gee, who played for San Antonio and Washington before joining the Cavaliers last season from the NBA Development League.

After the season and before the lockout, Gee occasionally came into town to get coached up by Scott. They worked specifically on his footwork and shooting.

“Obviously, we couldn’t get our hands on him this summer, but before he left, before the lockout, we worked with him a few times,” Scott said. “I thought he was getting it then. It was just a matter of him getting comfortable and doing it.”

Gee played in Poland for several months during the lockout before returning in ample time for training camp. Scott said Gee was the most pleasant surprise of camp, but that he still needs reassurance from the coaching staff.

“The biggest leap with Zo is he has some confidence,” Scott said. “Even in the two preseason games [in which Gee was 1-of-9 from the field] I pulled him aside and told him, ‘You’re thinking too much – just play. You did all this work in the summer now put it to use. Just go out and play basketball like you are capable of playing.’ I thought [Monday] night he was free. He played like he was free.

“He wasn’t worried about making mistakes. I thought he did a heckuva job defensively, which I know he can do night in and night out, but on the offensive end he gave us a good boost.”

Scott said the swingman is versatile enough that he would consider using him at shooting guard. The coach was asked if Gee was this season’s pet project the way Daniel Gibson had been a year ago.

“He’s somebody I take a lot of pride in,” Scott said. “I’ve seen where this young man has come from and how hard he worked.”

Gee needs to work on his dismounts following dunks. He actually had a similar spill in high school.

“I’ve done it before a while ago,” he said. “So I knew nothing was wrong with me.”

Playing time: Gee played 28 minutes in the opener, taking some time away from starter Omri Casspi. The small forward played 20-plus minutes, but just 6:47 in the second half.

“It was a tough night for me and my team,” said Casspi, who had two points and missed all four field goal attempts. “. . . I wasn’t as focused as I wanted to be. It is what it is . . . You get slapped in the face and you have to bounce back tomorrow.”

Status quo?: Scott said he didn’t expect to make any changes to his 10-man rotation.

“It’s just one game,” he said. “We’ve got 65 more. Defensively, we have to make sure we’re on the same page. If we’re on the same page and teams beat us, than more power to them. But when we have mishaps we had last night, then it’s on us.”

 

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Alonzo Gee has improved his  footwork and shooting.

His hang time, at least where the rim is involved, still needs some work.

Gee supplied one of the few solid performances in the Cavaliers’ 104-96 loss to the Toronto Raptors at The Q on Monday. But his 15-point outing off the bench was almost overshadowed by a spectacular second-quarter spill in which his hands slipped from the rim following a dunk and he landed on his neck and shoulders.

Remarkably, Gee popped up and remained in the game. He experienced no pain or headache, Gee said, from a hardwood crash that made ESPN’s SportsCenter.

The second-year pro  hasn’t seen the highlight and doesn’t care to watch it. He answered numerous phone calls checking on his well being.

“I made sure I talked to everyone and let them know I was fine,” said Gee, who was whistled for traveling on the play.

The Cavaliers can only hope they bounce back as quickly as the 6-foot-6 small forward. He assured coach Byron Scott that he felt fine and he was fit for practice. The coach has put a lot of work into boosting the confidence and fine-tuning the game of Gee, who played for San Antonio and Washington before joining the Cavaliers last season from the NBA Development League.

After the season and prior to the lockout, Gee occasionally came into town to get coached up from Scott. They worked specifically on his footwork and shooting.

“Obviously, we couldn’t get our hands on him this summer, but before he left, before the lockout we worked with him a few times,” Scott said. “I thought he was getting it then. It was just a matter of him getting comfortable and doing it.”

Gee played in Poland for several months during the lockout before returning ample time for training camp. Scott said Gee was the most pleasant surprise of camp, but that he still needs reassurance from the coaching staff.

“The biggest leap with Zo is he has some confidence,” Scott said. “Even in the two preseason games (in which Gee was 1-of-9 from the field ) I pulled him aside and told him, ‘You’re thinking too much – just play. You did all this work in the summer now put it to use. Just go out and play basketball like you are capable of playing. I thought (Monday) night he was free. He played like he was free.

“He wasn’t worried about making mistakes. I thought he did a heckuva job defensively which I know he can do night in and night out, but on the offensive end he gave us a good boost.”

Scott said the swingman is versatile enough that he would consider using him at shooting guard. The coach was asked if Gee was this season’s pet project the way Daniel Gibson had been a year ago.

“He’s somebody I take a lot of pride in,” Scott said. “I’ve seen where this young man has come from and how hard he worked.”

Gee needs to work on his dismounts following dunks. He’s actually had similar spill in high school.

“Ive done it before a while ago,” he said “So I knew nothing was wrong
with me.”

PLAYING TIME

Gee played 28 minutes in the opener, taking some time away from starter Omri Casspi. The small forward played 20-plus minutes, but just 6:47 in the second half.

“It was a tough night for me and my team,” said Casspi, who had two points and missed all four field goal attempts. “. . . I wasn’t as focused as I wanted to be,” Casspi said. “It is what it is . . . You get slapped in the face and you have to bounce back tomorrow.”

STATUS QUO?

Scott said he didn’t expect to make any changes to his 10-man rotation.

“It’s just one game,” he said. “We’ve got 65 more. Defensively, we have to make sure we’re on the same page. If we’re on the same page and teams beat us than more power to them. But when we have mishaps we had last night then it’s on us.”

SESSION UNDERSTANDS 

Ramon Sessions said he had no problem with Scott’s decision to replace him with 5:28 remaining and the Cavs trailing by seven points. Sessions scored 18 points and contributed six assists, but was lifted in favor of rookie Kyrie Irving, who had a tough NBA debut.

“That’s what the Young Fella is here for,” Sessions said. “He started the game and he is going
to finish it. The Young Fella is really talented. You guys have
seen that. That’s his job. He’s the starting point guard. He’s going to finish
the game.”

We will have a story on Scott’s decision to play Irving down the stretch posted on cleveland.com in several hours