Each night, Eye on Basketball brings you what you need to know about the games of the NBA. From great performances to terrible clock management, the report card evaluates and eviscerates the good, the bad and the ugly from the night that was.
In this edition, we elicted the help of Twitter with 14 games on the slate.
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Miami Heat | We grade on a curve around here. And the Heat let a Cleveland team without Kyrie Irving, Anderson Varejao or Dion Waiters build a 27-point lead and nearly steal the game at home. They pass because they won. But despite the crazy run to finish the game, they didn't impress. Why? Because we expect this from them. That's what they're capable of. Greatness. Need it the whole game for a stronger grade. |
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Cleveland Cavaliers | That's right, the losing team not only gets a passing grade, which I rarely give, but a better one than the winning team. Cleveland had no reason to be into this game. Bunch of young guys who haven't learned how to win, facing the best team in the league. But they showed up and played their guts out. They weren't talented enough to win, but this was a great effort against an all-time great team. |
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Memphis Grizzlies | They don't win this game without a missed Westbrook free throw and a lot of things swinging their way, but this is how they play. That's who they are. They're in the mud, and they just knocked off Oklahoma City and the Clippers inside of a week. |
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OKC Thunder | Like I said, they almost did enough to win this game. But it's not enough, and that's now losses to Denver and Memphis inside of a week. They need better late-game execution and better consistency in their sets. They have some things to work on. |
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San Antonio Spurs | Another clockwork win without Tony Parker, this time over the Warriors. Tim Duncan really needs some sort of formal recognition by the league for his play this year since he's not winning MVP. He's been phenomenal. |
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Utah Jazz | Go home, Utah. Just go home. |
