Cavs Powered By Rookie Pairing Pummel Pistons; 105-89

When watching the Cleveland Cavaliers, you sense an energetic group of young guys that are trying to have fun and enjoy the game of basketball.

Against Toronto, the face of their team, No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving, did not look comfortable leading his youthful gang.

Clearly, that was last game, as Irving and the Cavs made sure to forget about their opening night loss, going on the next one — pounding the Pistons with an impressive performance led by Irving, who scored 14 points and tallied seven assists and four rebounds.

You could say the former Blue Devil standout was in his mode, leading the team with a sense of comfortableness.

“In the last game, I wasn’t enjoying the game,” Irving said. “I think I wanted to be so serious. I wasn’t joking around and there was no smile on my face. It’s just about feeling comfortable out there.”

A day off to travel and fly out to Detroit, and the Cavs came out aggressive and looked comfortable pushing the issue from tipoff to the final sound of the buzzer.

“We were much more aggressive from start to finish,” Cavs coach Byron Scott said.

Especially, Irving, who drove to the basket at will on the Detroit defenders.

“I told him before the game, `When you have the ball in your hands, you’ve got to push it to the point of exhaustion,” Scott recalled.

And did he ever.  It was night and day difference from Game 1 to Game 2, with Irving showcasing his rare, game-changing ability to find teammates and finish strong inside — something he and the Cavs did a lot of on Wednesday.

The Duke product set up his frontcourt players admirably, as the trio of Varejao-Samuels-Thompson shot 16 of 25 for a combined 37 points — leading Cleveland to 52 points in the paint.

For rookie Tristan Thompson, he made two highlight rejections, and had another one called for goaltending.  The super-athletic power forward out of Texas was 5 of 8 for 10 points and provided a monstrous jam off an Alonzo Gee feed.

Overall, it was another solid performance by Thompson, who showed strong offensive moves (continues to impress with his fluid footwork/quickness), using his right hand well, and offered an intimidating interior defensive presence.

The combination of Irving, who can get anywhere he wants on the court with his dribble, and make or create (off the bounce his handle is impeccable) any shot he wants in or around (ie: 12-foot shot off glass) the paint, to go with Thompson, who can finish or protect (watch the goaltend) above the rim with the best of ‘em — makes this dynamic duo a dangerous pairing.

The two rooks aside, there were many good signs and improvements to take away from opening night to the Palace at Auburn Hills for the Cavs.

Antwan Jamison overcame an erratic shooting performance versus the Raptors, shooting 11 less times, going 6 of 9 from the floor for 15 points.

The Cavs defense also made huge strides, holding the Pistons to less than 45 percent shooting, a big step forward when you consider they allowed the Raptors to make too many uncontested jumpers.

On offense, Scott’s squad hoisted the rock to an astounding 57.1%.  It was almost like the Cavs were playing like the Raptors and the Pistons were playing like the Cavs did on Monday.

Efficiency was the key, as the Cavs made an abundance of high-percentage shots which were created from good looks by their guards — who dished out 28 assists on the 40 shots made against Detroit.

The three-ball was carefully monitored and effective too, with 7 of 12 tries from beyond the arc successful, it was a vast improvement of 6 for 20 from the land of plenty on Monday night.

In the end, the Cavs played loose and aggressive — led by their 19-year old leader — the young and energetic Kyrie Irving.

Next Game: Friday December 30 at Indiana Pacers, 7 ET.

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