Cleveland Cavaliers roster, news & rumors update indicate that the new-look Cavs scored an impressive 107-80 win over Macabbi Tel Aviv in their NBA preseason 2014 debut on Sunday at the Quicken Loans Arena.
Tristan Thompson, who started at center for the Cavaliers, made a huge impact as he finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while star point guard Kyrie Irving scored a team-high 16 points to go along with five assists and two steals.
Dion Waiters also had a good scoring night for Cleveland, tallying 15 points, while Anderson Varejao did his usual role, corralling 15 rebounds for the Cavs, who dominated the battle of the boards, 64-36.
LeBron James racked up 12 points, four rebounds, and four assists before resting for the entire second half, while Kevin Love had eight points and 11 rebounds in his first game in a Cavaliers uniform since the blockbuster trade earlier in the offseason.
The win was also coach David Blatt's first victory as Cleveland coach, but he admitted that he felt mixed emotions because he coached Macabbi Tel Aviv over the past six years and help the club win several titles.
"I was nervous before the game, but not because it was the first time I coached in the NBA," Blatt said in a Cleveland Cavaliers roster, news & rumors update on ESPN. "I was playing against my friends."
James also said in a post-game interview that Blatt looked nervous heading into the game, which is understandable according to the four-time Most Valuable Player because of his deep ties with the team.
"He was very nervous, excited, uptight, and rightfully so," James said. "He has a lot of ties to that team, a lot of ties to that community, that city, that country and his first real game is against his former team. So I don't know how much he slept last night."
Sylvan Landesberg led Macabbi Tel Aviv with 23 points and five rebounds, while Jeremy Pargo added 18 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds.
After the match, Pargo, who played in one season in Cleveland before moving to Tel Aviv, said that the Cavaliers are in good hands with coach Blatt.
"He doesn't look at you like coach to player or you are beneath him," Pargo said of Blatt in a Cleveland Cavaliers roster, news & rumors update. "He looks at you as a man and he talks to you. That's one of the greatest things about him. And from a coaching standpoint, he has ways of managing personalities and managing games. He's unbelievable. He'll be very successful in the situation he's in."
