LeBron still finds a way to be the best

Cavs news and links for Friday, August 9.

We’re just a few hours away from the weekend. Here’s your Cleveland Cavaliers news and links for the day.

The first sip

It’s disingenuous to act like LeBron James was the only reason Team USA rallied back against Serbia on Thursday afternoon. Steph Curry was unbelievable and hit big shot after big shot. Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant were also sensational. Yet, it was LeBron, at 39 years old, orchestrating things on both ends of the floor like he’s been doing since the Bush administration.

James was the head of the snake, picking apart Serbia’s defense down the stretch. He scored or assisted on 18 of the US’s 32 fourth-quarter points while providing six big rebounds in the final frame. James ran the point while taking turns guarding Nikola Jokić on the other end. It was a master class from someone who’s lost some velocity on his fastball but can still throw it past anyone when the moment calls for it. The moment called for it here.

It’s cliche to say appreciate LeBron’s greatness while he’s here. It’s hard not to when we’ve seen performances like this on the biggest stages for nearly two decades. What I can confidentially say is that we’ll never see a player like him again. No one has or will be able to dominate both ends of the floor like Prime LeBron. No one has or will be able to orchestrate both ends of the floor approaching 40 like this version of LeBron.

Even after all these years, he’s still leading his team in points, rebounds, and assists. It doesn’t matter the year, team, or talent around him. James has and seemingly will always find a way to be the best.

The second sip

Team USA turned things around when they got away from trying to run a motion offense. There’s no defense for the best players in the world getting you out on an island and doing what they do best.

Carmelo Anthony knows this a little too well. It’s why he was seemingly orchestrating that late jumper from Durant. You can see him at the bottom of the video below in the backward white hat.

There’s nothing more American than a pure, pull up jumper to ice the game away.

The third sip

The site formally known as Twitter isn’t what it used to be. Millennials like myself are contractually obligated to say this. There are still moments like Thursday afternoon that remind us why we thought social media was a good thing in the first place.

Here’s some of my favorite tweets from Thursday.

Random Cavalier of the Day - Austin Carr

You don’t get the nickname “Mr. Cavalier” for no reason. Austin Carr was the number one overall pick in the 1971 NBA Draft. He was the first of six number-one overall picks in team history joining the memorable company of Brad Daugherty, LeBron, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Bennett, and Andrew Wiggins.

Carr is known by more fans now as an announcer for the Cavs. He’s been in that role since 1997. But he was an excellent basketball player before being robbed by injuries. He averaged more than 20 points each of his first three seasons before his initial knee injury in the 1973-74 season. He wasn’t the same afterward as he only eclipsed 15 points per game in two of his remaining seven years in the league.

Carr is still remembered as one of the best college basketball players ever. He averaged 34.6 points per game during his three seasons at Notre Dame without having a three-point line. Carr holds the record for most points in an NCAA Tournament game (61) and the highest scoring average in a tournament run (41.3 points per game). He received both the Naismith and AP Player of the Year honors for 1971. Carr was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

It’s a shame that Carr wasn’t able to show what he could do for long in the NBA. What he did display when healthy was impressive. Even so, Carr is still fourth in franchise history with points (10,265). He trails only Daugherty, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and LeBron.

Cavs news

The Cavs won’t be getting a Christmas game this season.

Olympic basketball schedule this weekend

• Women’s semifinals: USA vs. Australia - Friday, 11:30 AM
• Men’s bronze medal game: Serbia vs. Germany - Saturday, 5 AM
• Men’s gold medal game: USA vs. France - Saturday, 3:30 PM on NBC
• Women’s gold medal - Sunday, 9:30 AM

Links of the day

• NBA world reacts to USA’s instant classic Olympic win over Serbia
• Fighting Father Time: LeBron James, Diana Taurasi still chasing Olympic gold
• The four biggest takeaways from Team USA’s semifinal win over Serbia
• Bloodied Wemby leads France to gold medal game