All Cleveland sports know how to do is make history – good or bad.
When the Cavs were down big in the second quarter, I texted a buddy saying hold on because the second half will either be historically bad or historically good. Luckily, it was the latter. If you’ve watched enough Cleveland sports events, you know.
Sins are forgotten with a win but not totally forgiven. A first-round series win makes a difference in how this team moves forward but it doesn’t totally address all of what it takes to get to the next level. But that’s for another time, now it’s time to celebrate.
Except, it didn’t really start like that. A Cavs 10-7 run is about as pleasing as it would get for several quarters.
Guards getting downhill has typically been a recipe for success. Donovan Mitchell had four free-throws and one layup while Darius Garland had a layup a dump-off to Evan Mobley. The offense was working well, temporarily.
But then the lowly Magic offense brought back the ghosts of Mickael Pietrus, Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis with three three-pointers in five possessions. Seeing the Magic hit theirs while the Cavs missed two three-pointers didn’t exactly inspire warm and fuzzy feelings. JB Bickerstaff felt the same way and quickly called a timeout after the third three-pointer.
Those three three-pointers quickly evolved in a 13-0 first quarter Magic run. Hate to keep bringing up the same point every time but it’s relevant: Every Cavs run starts with poor shooting and turnovers. In the 13-0 Magic run, the Cavs were 0-3 on three-pointers and had three turnovers. This was all in a five-minute span of excruciating Cavaliers basketball.
Four of the Magic’s 10 three-pointers made on the game came in the first quarter.
Franz Wagner’s only made field goal for the game (yes you read that right) would come three minutes into the game. He wouldn’t make another one.
With Jarrett Allen still out, Isaac Okoro got the start again with Gary Harris back in the starting lineup for the Magic. He was welcomed back into the starting lineup by Paolo Banchero. Banchero had 10 first quarter points, 2 assists, and had two fouls drawn.
With Okoro starting, Marcus Morris Sr was back to the bench and was the first one off the bench. That would be his only appearance all game. The spark Morris provided the team was very much that, a spark – a temporary fiery instance.
The Cavs had been getting very little from their bench, and Caris LeVert was on a milk carton. Fans are used to his erratic and sporadic play so expecting LeVert to sink or save the Cavs was realistic all within the same thought.
Thankfully, LeVert was more than a spark and the flame that kept the Cavs chances alive. In just under five minutes, LeVert had 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 fouls drawn and was a +2. LeVert’s aggressiveness and shot creation came just at the right point in time. The Cavs had 10 points through 9 minutes of play.
Thing is, it’s not like the Magic were performing much better. They shot 36% from the field and only had two free throws. But when the Cavs shoot 27% from the field and don’t make a three, 24 points seemed unreachable.
Part of the Cavs issue offensively is the lack of rhythm, structure and flow they’re able to fall back on when times get tough. Instead, they rely upon one of their guards to bail them out or a shooter to get hot.
The bench bunch also brought Tristan Thompson to match Mo Wagner, and Sam Merrill to provide any semblance of perimeter shooting. It also somehow brought more Georges Niang minutes. The Cavs were a -9 in three long Niang minutes.
Merrill’s second shift was better than his first, and his second shift put him as the Cavs highest scorer for the quarter. Merrill had 8 points in 9 minutes and hit two large three-pointers – it was the first and only two of the first half.
For a team that was outshot by the league’s worst three-point shooting team in the regular season, not using Merrill’s one weapon more is a head scratcher.
The first quarter woes dragged into the second quarter – they had 7 points in the first 6 minutes of the quarter. Mo Wagner and Wendell Carter Jr had as many threes in the quarter as the Cavs did in the half.
As you can expect, this put the Cavs at an absolute low: Down 17 points in a Game 7 at home with a franchise altering loss staring them in the face.
However, the Cavs started to find some rhythm in the second part of the second quarter. With some Okoro hustle plays, Merrill threes, the Cavs found some footing. From there, the Cavs were able to get the Magic lead down to 10 at halftime.
Mitchell kept pressing the Magic’s interior defense and was able to draw 4 fouls for 6 free throw attempts. By half, the Cavs were getting to the line more than the Magic (15 to 10).
The Cavs scored 18 points in the second half of the second quarter which is as many as they scored in the whole first quarter. The Magic still won the quarter (29-25) but it felt like the Cavs put themselves in a position to make a run in the second half.
Part of that was Banchero continuing his onslaught for the Magic. He had 14 second quarter points, and already had 24 points at half. The Cavs three core players (Mobley, Mitchell, and Garland) combined for 21 first half points.
The Cavs missed their first 9 three-pointers and then made their last two in the second quarter and first two in the third quarter.
The difference in the third quarter was immediately called out by JJ Redick on the broadcast: The Cavs were getting into their offense quickly. Too often the Cavs were stagnant in player and ball movement which led to inefficient shots, later in the shot block. To start the quarter, the Cavs were seeking good shots early in the shot block and it was paying off.
It also helps when you have a top-20ish player who is willing to do anything to win a game. Mitchell came out like a man on a mission and did not want to go home early. He had a quick 7 points within the first two-ish minutes of the third quarter. This would be 7 of his 17 points in the quarter where he only missed two shots.
It also helped in the third quarter when other Cavs started getting on the board. Max Strus hit a three out of the locker room, along with a driving layup that cut the Magic’s led to a one possession game. This was as close as they had been since early in the first quarter.
Despite all the positive offensive developments, Garland was still struggling to find his footing. He went 0-3 for the quarter and was pressing. The touch around the rim he exhibited in Game 6 had escaped his body for Game 7. Anything in the paint was a rushed shot attempt without any real chance of going in. Even when a fast break opportunity came his way, he couldn’t even get that to get on the board.
The Cavs managed to climb all the way back – they took the lead with three minutes left in the first quarter since 10-7 in the first quarter.
A lot of it was due to DonovHIM. Both in play and leadership. Mitchell was the offensive engine leading to a 33-point quarter, but also trying to inspire his struggling teammate. There was a point where the cameras caught Mitchell inspiring confidence in Garland, imploring him to stay focused. Leaders lead, and Mitchell was playing the role.
Strus getting loose may be right next to the Cavalanche as favorite stretches of play. Strus hit to two three-pointers within three possessions and had the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse rocking. His second three put the Cavs up 6.
The third quarter is really what won the Cavs the game. They were a +18 for the quarter and erased any deficit they faced. The Magic were +10 through the first two quarters and had as much as an 18-point lead at one point.
The Cavs getting hot and the Magic going cold very well may have been both teams reverting to their means. While the Magic missed six straight threes to end the quarter, the Cavs went 4-for-5 on threes for the quarter.
Somehow the Magic shot only 16% from the field for the quarter. Meanwhile, the Cavs shot 61%.
The Cavs defense was humming on all cylinders, and Mitchell credited Okoro, and Mobley after the game for their part in the defensive turnaround. Banchero went 1-7 for 4 points despite 24 first half points; Franz Wagner still didn’t have an offensive field goal but made two free throws and no Magic player made more than one field goal for the quarter.
All those possessions where Okoro or Strus would play good defense only to see the possession end in a made jumper over them didn’t come this time. Okoro made Banchero’s life difficult with persistent, physical defense and moved well enough laterally to not give him a step.
Despite grabbing 7 offensive rebounds in the quarter, the Magic were only able to convert those for 4 points.
Another 30+ point quarter, who are these Cavs? The Cavs finished the game strong scoring 30 points in the quarter and 63 total points for the second half.
The entire reversal was encapsulated by Garland’s fourth quarter. After struggling much of the way, Garland was the leading fourth quarter Cavalier scorer with 10 points and accounted for another 6 points via assists. All this with no turnovers.
A turning point may have been Garland believing in his shot. A missed Garland three-pointer on a kick out from Mitchell was rebounded by Okoro and kicked back out for another attempt. This time, Garland converted.
The fourth quarter is exactly what Mitchell has been looking for this entire time: Play the role as the leader but share the spotlight when it required. Garland’s production was one thing, but Mobley also added in 7 points, 4 rebounds and a block in the quarter. So much as has been made about these three players but these three players were the difference in advancing and heading to Cancun.
The Cavs were able to push their lead to double digits about midway through the first half of the fourth quarter. By that time, time was on the Cavs side. Aside from an epic collapse, the Cavs had created enough breathing room.
By this time, Bickerstaff had pretty much gone to a six-man rotation in the second half. Thompson had just under three minutes, but Mitchell played just about the entire second half, and so did most of the other Cavalier starters.
Banchero had bounced back (some) in the fourth but looked like he was out of gas and out of answers. Despite being the Magic’s leading scorer (10 points) in the quarter, he shot 37% from the field and 66% from the line.
Like the third quarter, outside of Banchero, no Magic player made more than one field goal.
The Cavs had been a different team at home all series, and so had the Magic. Two of their 100+ point games came at home and were wins. The Cavs are now 3-0 going back to last year when they score 100+ points in a playoff game.
The Magic only managed to must a 91.5 PPG on the road in the series compared to 112 PPG at home.
Despite Allen being out again and Niang and Morris not playing many minutes, the Cavs only lost the rebounding battle by 1.
However, the Magic did collect 18 offensive rebounds but were only able to convert them to 24 second chance points. It’s something to watch especially if Allen can’t come back for Boston.
Somehow the Cavs managed to win the game only making 8 three-pointers, and only taking 24 three-pointers. The Magic made 2 more and took 7 more.
The game combined for 55 personal fouls – is that playoff basketball?
The Cavs bench outscored the Magic’s bench by 2 points – finally.
The Cavs starters were its best lineup with a +7 In just under 14 minutes. They only had a 112.9 offensive rating but held the Magic to a stifling 90.3 defensive rating.
Just as Garland deserves his flowers for his fourth quarter, Mobley should get his too after a rough Game 6. There were still some offensive plays that need improvement, but Mobley grabbed 16 rebounds, and collected 5 blocks. His presence defensively and on the boards (the Magic bigs had a combined 11 rebounds) helped the Cavs keep the Magic under 100.
Mobley will likely be tested again. If it’s no Allen, it may be a lighter test with the Kristaps Porzingis injury. With Allen, it may be going against another big-time perimeter scoring forward in Jayston Tatum. He answered the bell in the first round, it’ll be fun to see if he can do the same in the second.
After the game, Mitchell said the Cavs can celebrate this for the night, but they still have work to do. He’s right but the pressure is off the Cavs. No one is going to be expecting much of anything against arguably the league’s best team; People were expecting everything against a “beatable” first time playoff team in round one.
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