A putback dunk goes a long way as the Cavs topple Pistons; three takeaways

1. Road Tippin’ with Channing

Every so often, a play comes around that will spark a team in more ways than one. On Sunday night, that play was provided by Channing Frye with 7:44 remaining in the second quarter:

? @Channing_Frye putback! ? pic.twitter.com/BzJ68900Wr

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 28, 2018

Yes, the veteran big man recorded his first dunk of the season, on a tip dunk no less. That’s a pretty big play for a guy, who as Kevin Love said, “says at shootaround that he doesn’t dunk before noon.”

“I said I wasn’t gonna dunk for the rest of the year, but I then got my feet right and ankles loaded, and I got up there and exploded,” Frye said. “It was tight.”

Channing Frye, in true form, says his putback dunk was “tight” pic.twitter.com/3ARc2sjICR

— Ashley Bastock (@AshleyBastock42) January 29, 2018

Frye ended the night with seven points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field, and with seven boards. He provided a much-needed spark by spreading the floor in the second unit. But it’s clear that whenever his number is called, Frye is able to contribute in multiple ways, something that his teammates recognize.

“He lightened the mood of the entire last week or two just by that putback dunk,” Love said. “That was a very, very athletic play, very seldom seen by a player like Channing Frye. I was impressed. I was happy for him.”

“Anytime Channing gets an opportunity to be on the floor, he’s productive,” LeBron James said. “He’s a true professional. He gives us so many different things on the floor when he gets an opportunity. Tonight was just another example of that.”

Kevin Love says Channing Frye lightened the mood of the last week or 2 with his putback dunk. Also says it was especially big considering at shootaround “he says he doesn’t dunk before noon” pic.twitter.com/5zl9TJfy3f

— Ashley Bastock (@AshleyBastock42) January 29, 2018

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