Houston Rockets Game 41 of 2015-16 Season vs Cavaliers

Houston Rockets Game 41 of 2015-16  found H-Town playing the eventual Champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jan 15, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) dribbles the ball during the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Continuing SCS series of all 82 games from last season next up is the Houston Rockets Game 41 of 2015-16 versus the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Houston Rockets added draft picks and signed free agents to improve upon an especially mediocre 41-41 campaign. Big man Dwight Howard left for Atlanta while free agents Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Nene Hilario and Pablo Prigioni joined Houston in free agency.

Hopes are these additions and the growth of existing assets will translate into a season similar to 2014-15. While fans wait for opening night on October 26th versus the Lakers hopefully this series will appease your cravings.

To that end, this series showcases the Rockets 82 games noting the pregame analysis, post game grades, and relevant video. Furthermore, SCS will highlight significant changes made by their opponents this summer. So, here it is – – enjoy all 82 posts as SCS takes you back over the 2015-16 season.

Game 41 – Cavaliers

Pregame Analysis:

In the pregame review SCS noted the anticipation of the two franchise stars especially after what occurred last season in the “groin kick” game.

When you have  two of the top 5 ranked players in the Association it’s pretty obvious who the key match-up is. Factor in last season’s final contest between the two teams when a misplaced foot played a contributing factor to the game and this one has the potential to be a big game.

Notably James prowess and gifts go beyond his scoring ability to his defense and facilitating on court. While James and Harden will provide the majority of the fodder for today’s contest look for what Kevin Love  and Kyrie Irving bring as they continue to gel as a big three.

The move by head coach David Blatt to move Mozgov to the bench and start Tristan Thompson (yes, another Canadian) is paying dividends.

Post Game Analysis:

Andre Cantalogo offered the post game analysis and player grades:

Looking for their sixth consecutive win, J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad featured the return of Patrick Beverley who missed the previous game against the Timberwolves due to personal matters. As for the Cavs they completed their Texas roadtrip after grabbing a hard fought win against the Mavericks and dropping one to the Spurs on Thursday night.

A much anticipated match mostly thanks to the intensity, drama -and low blows– that surrounded last year’s game at Toyota Center, tonight’s game didn’t quite live up to the hype as it was a more defensive oriented game filled with mistakes and turnovers on the offensive end.

In the third quarter the Cavs turned up the heat and never looked back capitalizing on Rockets bad decisions and Harden’s ineffective ball movement and got the W.

Stat Leaders:

In what was a complete blowout the Rockets looked tired and uninterested. After 5 straight wins it wasn’t exactly like an outing like this wasn’t expected.

Most of the Rockets players laid eggs in this game, but Dwight Howard was the best of the worst with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. For the Cavs LeBron James offered 19 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

ESPN’s box score can be reviewed via this link.

Rockets Games vs Cavaliers  in 2016-17

• November 1st in Cleveland at Quicken Loans Arena
• March 12th at home

Draft Picks and Free Agents

Draft Picks:

Round 1: N/A

Round 2: Kay Felder (54)

Incoming Free Agents/trade:

• Chris  Andersen 1 year veteran minimum deal
• Mike Dunleavy traded from Bulls to make room for Wade signing

Exiting Free Agents/traded: 

• Timofey Mozgov 4-years $64M with Lakers
• Joe Harris who leaves for Nets on a 2-year deal
• Matthew Dellavedova 4-year, $38.5M Bucks offer (Cavs didn’t match)
• Sasha Kaun to the 76ers in trade

Re-upping:

• LeBron James  signs 3-year $100M deal
• James Jones signs 1-year $1.5M deal
• Jordan McRae (Cavs exercised option)
• Mo Williams Exorcised Option
• Richard Jefferson 2-years, $5M

Unresolved:

•  J.R. Smith

More Free Agent News

Next: Updated Free Agency Report

Next: Free Agency Profiles for all 30 Teams

Due to the large Houston Rockets fan base, SCS is always looking to add new talent to our writing team. To that end, we’re looking for individuals with a specialized focus.  Specifically, the first area  is perfect for someone who constantly surfs for breaking news on injuries, trades, insider info. Consequently this individual would select top news items providing timely quick hits to keep SCS readers in the loop.

The other writer would possess an especially strong social media background and would like to interact with Clutch City Fans. Therefore this person will promote SCS team content on facebook and twitter. As a result the successful candidate will  make sure to promote the best content coming from H-Town fans. In conclusion, if you’re a budding writer who possesses these qualities vist the SCS link, and fill out an application.