Sam Merrill Continues to Impress

When you live and die by the 3, it’s feast or famine.

That certainly was the case in the first quarter of the Cavs’ Sunday-afternoon tilt with San Antonio.

The Cavaliers have been unabashedly launching 3-point shots in the absence of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. But the lid was on the hoop, as the cliché goes, in the opening frame against the Spurs.

That changed in the second quarter.

In the offseason, the Cavs’ front office made a concerted effort to address the team’s lack of three-point-shooting prowess with the additions of Max Strus and Georges Niang.

A move that didn’t make headlines was the signing of Sam Merrill to a three-year contract in March 2023.

“Man, Merrill sure can get that ball off in a hurry.”

Those were the words of Bally Sports play-by-play announcer John Michael with 8:39 left in the second quarter, when Merrill’s 3-pointer trimmed the Spurs’ lead to five and prompted a Gregg Popovich timeout.

Then, with 7:20 left in the second quarter, Merrill gave the Cavs their first lead of the game.

With 6:28 in the half, Merrill splashed his fifth 3-pointer of the game. He finished the first half with 18 points.

You might think of Merrill solely as a three-point sharpshooter, but the 6-foot-4 Merrill has cemented continued playing time with his high-energy defensive play. The former Utah State Aggie leads the Cavs in charges this season!

If Merrill’s interview snippet on the Bally Sports telecast didn’t hook you on this guy, I don’t know what would.

Merrill clearly takes exception to being typecast as a three-point shooter. “People look at me like I can’t guard and that’s fine,” he said in the interview with Serena Winters. “I’ve always taken a ton of pride on that end. To be honest, I don’t understand why guys wouldn’t. I’m a competitive guy, I want to stand in front of guys, don’t want to get scored on, want to do things the right way.”

I can’t get enough of that guy.

LeVert Shines

I was so glad that the Cavs signed Caris LeVert to a two-year extension this season, on a “team-friendly” $32 million contract. He’s an explosive 3-and-D hybrid guard/forward with good size (6-6), who can create his own shot. His demeanor and work ethic make him a great fit for this team.

What I really respect about LeVert is even when his shot isn’t falling, the former Wolverine finds ways to impact the game with his hustle. He’s a pest on defense, gets rebounds, finds his teammates for open shots and deftly plays the passing lanes.

Lately, it’s all been working for LeVert.

With the Cavs trailing the Spurs by 10 late in the first quarter, LeVert coolly drained a 3-pointer with just 2.3 seconds left. Then, he intercepted the inbounds pass and connected on another 3 just a whisker before the red light flashed on the backboard.

LeVert finished the game – a narrow 117-115 win at home – with 23 points off the bench.

Fro the Hammer Down

Victory Wembanyama, the 7-4 rookie and No. 1 pick overall in the 2023 draft, is a bona fide phenom. But Jarrett Allen was phenomenal Sunday afternoon, notching his seventh consecutive double-double and even blocking one of Wembanyama’s shots at the rim.

The respective stat lines for the talented bigs: 29 points and 16 rebounds for Allen; 24 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots for Wembanyama (who leads the NBA in the latter category).

Parting Shots

The Spurs might be the best 5-30 team you’ll ever see.

The Spurs’ Achilles heel, according to Cavs legend Brad Daugherty, is their lack of size when the minutes-restricted Wembanyama is on the bench.

“I can’t believe this basketball team has only won five games,” Daugherty remarked on the Bally Sports telecast. “They look very disciplined, well-coached.”

You’ll have that with a Gregg Popovich team.

The Cavs were fortunate to end this three-game homestand with another win (after two straight wins over the sadsack Wizards). The Spurs ended the game on a 14-2 run, and had two opportunities to at least tie it in the final minute.