Byron Scott is disappointed in the Cavaliers' effort in the preseason loss.
UPDATED: 10:52 p.m.
Ramon Sessions doesn't have room for a shot as CSKA Moscow's Dmitry Sokolov applies the pressure in the second quarter of Saturday's preseason game at The Q.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Every game this version of the Cavaliers plays in the preseason is an opportunity for new coach Byron Scott to learn a little more about who, exactly, this team is.
Though it's difficult to peg an identity on a squad with three-fifths of the likely starters sitting on the bench, Saturday's 90-87 loss to CSKA Moscow still provided valuable lessons.
They learned a little about preparing for an opponent, a little about staging comebacks and a little more about how rotations might work when the regular season begins.
But most of all, it was a study in defense, as the Cavaliers struggled to contain a sweet-shooting Moscow squad that knocked in 47 percent of its field goals, and 11 3-pointers, in all. It was a chance for Scott and the Cavaliers to see what might happen when rotations are a step slow or screens aren't fought through, and when hot shooters are lost on the floor.
It was also a chance for the players to see what a disappointed Scott looks like.
"Not good," Scott assessed the defense. "We laid on a lot of screens, we didn't do a good job of locking and trailing, and the bigs didn't do a good job of helping. We weren't ready."
Defense, of course, is about effort most of all. Scott was disappointed that a Moscow team that had lost to two other NBA teams in a preseason swing through the league was able to shoot so well throughout.
Ramunas Siskauskas, a 6-6 small forward, knocked in three 3-pointers within two minutes in the third quarter to give Moscow a 60-49 lead, an advantage they would not surrender. Siskauskas, who led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-20 shooting, hit most of his long-distance shots with Jamario Moon defending him -- on the same night when Scott said Moon might have the starting small forward position sewn up.
True, the Cavaliers played again without a handful of potential starters Saturday.
Anderson Varejao sat one more game, still uncomfortable with the unfamiliar Princeton offense after missing more than a week of training camp following the death of his grandfather. Mo Williams still is nursing a strained right groin, and Antawn Jamison rested the sprained left knee suffered in Thursday's game against San Antonio. Anthony Parker, too, sat with a sprained right ring and middle finger suffered Thursday.
"We can't use that as a crutch that we had four of our best players on the bench," Scott said.
Even without those players, the Cavaliers built a 10-point lead midway through he second quarter, thanks mostly to the offensive output of Daniel Gibson. The player Scott has praised most this preseason had 12 first-quarter points, including a four-point play when he was fouled on a 3-pointer. He also had a pretty assist on a floating lob that Ryan Hollins slammed down for a 37-29 lead in the second quarter.
But a fourth-quarter rally by a lineup of backups -- featuring guards Manny Harris and Danny Green and forward Leon Powe -- could not overcome the deficit. The Cavaliers clawed to within 88-87 with 7.5 seconds remaining, but that was it.
A handful of CSKA Moscow fans in a corner of The Q waved flags and chanted cheers for their team.
"I hope this is a lesson," Scott said.
Sasha Kaun, a Cavaliers 2008 draft pick in his second season with Moscow CSKA, played sparingly while nursing a knee injury. He grabbed two rebounds and had two blocks in 12 minutes. Trajan Langdon, a former Cavaliers' first-round draft pick in 1999, had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting.