Cavs: the Podcast

Welcome to the great settling, Cavs fans. After watching one of the most exciting (Western) Conference Finals in history, we await the start of the NBA finals, and lament what could have been if the Cavs had only held on in Game 1. After the biggest fourth quarter playoff collapse in team history, and one of the two worst in NBA History, neither the Cavs front office, roster, or coaching staff has taken accountability for the utter...

The Donovan Mitchell Cavs did it. 10 years after winning the greatest championship in North American pro sports history: to say that losing in the second round of an NBA playoffs would have been a disappointment for Spida and his friends would be the biggest understatement in Cavalier history. Fortunately, the lights were not too bright in Detroit. The question remains, though, will they be too bright on Broadway?

To break down the ...

The Cavs came from nine down with three minutes and change to take the Pistons to overtime and ultimately defeat them, Friday. The win started all of us in a game where the Cavs didn't seam to be in the lead in regulation for more than five minutes. But a 9-0 run, which included a 7-0 Evan Mobley stretch that no one saw coming, led the Cavs to O.T. before the Cavs dominated overtime.

To break it all down, Nate Smith, Eli Kim, and ou...

Cleveland survived a nerve wracking first round series against Toronto, Sunday. After a monster third quarter from Jarrett Allen, the Cavs held the Raptors at arm’s length going up by as much as 22, before things got heated. Two Cavalier flagrant fouls and a late game dust-up let the fourth quarter drag on. Finally the Cavs emerged victorious, and we we all breathed a sigh of relief. Exuberant but tired, we blew the dust out ...

After the biggest trade deadline week in NBA history, at least in number of players and picks moved, Nate, Chris, and Eli hopped in the podcast booth to break it all down for Cavs fans. First up, a review of the Portland beatdown which saw our first looks at the Umlaut and Keon Ellis in wine and gold. Then, the main event: Nate and Chris went toe to toe on whether this trade was a good idea or not before Eli came in over the top to...

One of the most frustrating Cavs of my lifetime is no longer wearing wine and gold. De'Andre Hunter was traded to the Sacramento Kings, Saturday, and in his place arrived Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder, a man we've joyfully referred to as "The Umlaut" for the shock of white in his hair he often wore and the dots over the "o" in his name. To break down the trade, Nate Smith, Chris Francis, and Eli Kim jumped in the the podcast booth...

Merry Christmas eve eve, Cavs fans. On Christmas eve eve eve, Nate Smith, Elijah Kim, and Chris Francis podcapped the Cavs 139-132 handling of the Charlotte Hornets. Garbage time ruined what should probably have been a 15 point win. (Charlotte's back door cover I'm sure has some folks up in arms - to which I'd say, "Stop gambling on pro sports. It's dumb.") After going through the game, (one of Garland's best of the season). Elijah...

Nate Smith and Chris Francis fired up the podcast booth during the middle of a back-to-back to go over the Cavs season so far, recap the Cavs win against the Clippers, and pitch a whole lot of things to be thankful for. The guys took on the whole roster: all 17 of whom have played so far this season in real minutes for the wine and gold. Who do we like? Who do we not? What lineups are gelling? What teams have a shot at the cup (and...

After going 4-0 in the regular season last year against the Knicks, Cleveland dropped its opener in the Garden, 119-111. The story of this game was free throws, focus, and rebounding. The Knicks were more focused (Cavs fouled four three point shooters in the first half), were much better on the glass (48-32 rebound advantage), and then were blessed by the officiating gods as New York played refball down the stretch (as I called pre...

At the almost midpoint of summer, Nate, Chris, and Eli hopped in the CtB podcast booth to dig deep into the Cavs Summer League so far, opine over the news from around the association, and divine whether Rich Paul and LeBron are scheming to get the King out of L.A. and back to the land of his birth. It's a tight 60 that also features Eli's tour of the Cavs' premises, Chris and Nate fighting over the portent of Jalen Tyson's turnover...

Episode 317 found us on the first night of free agency (you know, BEFORE the Shamsbombs about Lillard's buyout and Myles Turner becoming Buck). To start it off, Late bemoaned the Cavs' decision to keep Sam Merrill over Ty Jerome (or both), a decision that was originally about money, that became less so when we figured out that Merrill got four 4/38 years instead of Jerome's 3/28. The Cavs' decision to sign Isaac Okoro to a multi-ye...

Hope you all had a happy Father's Day, Cavalier fans. With the NBA finals in full swing, last week, Nate, Eli, and Chris Francis constructed an impromptu podcast booth in an abandoned culvert underneath I-80, and exorcised the demons of the Cavs' 2025 playoff exit. Full warning, this one might have the worst audio engineering in the history of CtB, and it's almost a week old now. I've been burning it at both ends at work and this w...

The Cavs and their fans find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Up 2-0 on the Heat, the Wine and Gold appear to be on the best side of the talent gap between themselves and the Miami Heat. Not to jinx anyone, but Cleveland has dominated at times against Miami and has pulled out just enough to win at other times. The've looked in complete control at all times. The other unfamiliar territory: being in the thick of NBA awards season.

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Let's face it. The Cleveland Cavaliers were due for a stinker. After flirting with losses to the likes of Portland, Charlotte, and Brookly, the Cavs finally dropped one to the Magic. Donovan Mitchell had a bad game with too much hero ball, Okoro had an horrible eight minutes, Sam Merrill couldn't shoot, Ty Jerome effed around and found out, and no one seemed to want to feed Jarrett Allen in a loss to to the Magic that halted t...

The title of this podcast comes from the way the Cavs have been winning lately: the possession game. In their 12 game win streak, the Cavs have outrebounded their opponents in every game, and won the turnover battle in most of them. Rather than having one or two great rebounders (though Jarrett Allen is very good), with the addition of De'Andre Hunter, the Cavs have become a team that recreates great rebounding in the aggregate acr...

The CtB hunting party piled into the Canadian Goose Blind to discuss one stalwart in particular, newly acquired forward, De'Andre Hunter. Hunter's upgrade to the backup power forward position was palpable against Toronto as he dropped 18/5/0 and went 4-9 from deep in just 27 minutes. His J was high, quick, and feathery, while his D was long and imposing. Nate, Eli, and Chris all marveled at what an upgrade Hunter is and broke down ...

Tough loss, Cavs fans. Cleveland overcame a 20 point first quarter deficit to cut the Boston lead to four about halfway through the fourth quarter, and then after a miraculous four point play by Darius Garland to cut the diff to five, Spida Mitchell pounced on a steal and roared up the court. With a wide open Garland waiting on the right side of the arc, Mitchell went the other way, the Cavs turned it over, and that was the ballgam...

J.B. Bickerstaff returned to the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse Monday night to take on Georges Niang and the Cleveland Cavaliers who were coming of a three game losing streak. After the wine and gold broke their losing streak,, Cavs the Braintrust joined their hive mind to podcast about the Cavs recent woes, what they need to do to get back on track, how thankful we all still are that Bickerstaff's gone, and to look at NBA's upcoming ...

After a way too long hiatus, Nate Smith and Chris Francis made a pilgrimage to the CtB broadcast booth to bend the knee to North America's incoming emperor, Darius Garland. The slicer of defenses, the scimitar of the pick and roll, conqueror of crunch time, the fracture jaw gladiator, facial contusion magnet, driller of stepbacks, lob wizard, vibes king, humble all-star, first of his name: Darius Garland. Darius Garland as Chris no...