Updated 05:37 PM EDT, Thu, Mar 28, 2024

Cavaliers vs Maccabi NBA PreSeason Match Recap, Results & Final Score: Kyrie Irving Impressively Leads Team Win

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have proved that they prepared for the upcoming NBA season by beating Maccabi Tel Aviv on Sunday with a 107-70 victory.

David Blatt, a rookie coach for Cleveland, told ESPN that it was an emotional win against his former team. He even likened it to a "one-on-one" matchup in the backyard.

"If you've got a brother and you go to play outside, you're dying to beat him. But if you do, you feel (bad). There was no way to really win that game," he explained.

He also added that it was one of the hardest games in his career since he was going against the team which he coached for six seasons.

"I was nervous before the game, but not because it was the first time I coached in the NBA. I was playing against my friends," he told ESPN.

For the Cavalier win, star player LeBron James made 12 solid points against the defending Euroleague champions who struggled to keep up with the American team. But James had to take a break during the second quarter to rest his back.

ESPN said that the Cavalier star has been making precautionary decisions on his back condition as he was observed to be sitting on the bench for the last 24 minutes of the game against Tel Aviv.

James was not the only active force during the game as Kyrie Irving also made 16 points while Kevin Love contributed 11 rebounds for their team.

An SB Nation report, however stated that the new team setup of the Cavaliera still allowed Tel Aviv to score during the first three possessions. It also noted the "occasional defensive breakdowns" of the team especially when guarding really good shooters.

With this being said, the team has still a lot to work on to prepare for their opening game against the New York Knicks on Oct. 30. ESPN said the Cavs could make use of the team's fluid ball movement but added that there were a few unsuccessful offensive attempts which could be blamed on the lack of communication among players.

These are the things that Blatt should pay attention to in the coming weeks if he wants to see a fully prepared team for the NBA season. But Tel Aviv's Jeremy Pargo is confident in his former coach's skills.

"He doesn't look at you like coach to player or you are beneath him. 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," Pargo told ESPN.

James, on the other hand, claimed that Blatt was "very nervous, excited, uptight" with the game against Tel Aviv but noted that this was expected from him.

"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," James added.

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