- On a night where LeBron James Jr scored his first NBA points in the town where his father calls home and won a championship, that might have taken a backseat to how special the Cavs played.
- While the crowd was chanting, “We want Bronny!”, the Cavs gave them what they wanted by beating the Lakers handedly enough to allow Lakers coach JJ Redick to put Bronny James in the game midway through the fourth quarter.
- But this game isn’t about a player on the opposing team. This game as about the Cavs passing test number two with flying colors.
- How good were the Cavs? They held a double-digit lead since the two-minute mark in the first quarter. The Lakers came into the game 11th in the league in net rating through four games.
- How good were the Cavs, part 2? They beat LeBron, AD and the Lakers by 24 points with Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen playing 30 minutes, Darius Garland playing 22 minutes and Evan Mobley playing 18 minutes.
- Meanwhile, it was another ho-hum 130+ point game for your Kenny Atkinson led Cavaliers. This is the third time in five games they’ve scored 130+ points.
- It took them the entire 2023-2024 season to score 130+ three times in regulation.
- The Cavs offensive outburst started in the first quarter with a 42-point quarter. They were up 19 by the end of the first quarter.
- Mitchell had the first seven of the Cavalier points, and 15 total in the quarter. It looked like he might put up 81 points and Austin Reaves might be his Jalen Rose.
- The Cavs were absolutely locked in from deep including Mitchell going 3-for-5 from three-point range. The rest of the Cavs were 5-for-8 from deep joining Mitchell in the onslaught.
- At one point, the Cavs made five straight three-pointers and pushed their lead to double-digits midway through the first.
- During that same stretch, the Cavs forced four turnovers on five Lakers possessions. After each turnover the Cavs hit a three-pointer. The Cavs had 17 points off six Lakers turnovers in the quarters.
- All this was done with Garland on the bench in foul trouble. He was subbed out within two and a half minutes in after picking up two quick fouls.
- The Cavs just kept pouring it on in the first quarter. If a double-digit lead wasn’t enough, the Cavs ended the quarter on a 14-2 run.
- They did all of this on 77.3% (!) shooting on 22 field goal attempts. They also had 12 assists on their 17-field goal makes.
- After Garland went out early in the first quarter in foul trouble, Mobley followed that up by going out just :30 seconds into the second quarter with his third foul. This would pave the way for a Jarrett Allen quarter.
- Allen had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the second quarter and recorded his quickest double-double in just 16 minutes.
- Playing just about the entire second quarter, Allen had 14 points, six rebounds, one block and only missed one shot.
- Allen was eating the Lakers up in the pick-and-roll, as that continues to be such an efficient part of the Cavalier offense. Coming into the game, the Cavs were scoring on 58.8% of their pick-and-rolls – good for 8th in the league. They were creating free throws on 26.5% of their pick-and-roll possessions – second best.
- The part that makes Allen such an effective pick-and-roll roller is how soft his hands are and how versatile his finishes are. He can finish strong and through people just as well as he can use the glass or use either hand to finish with finesse.
- Oh, and to top it all off, Allen was blocking shots like a young Dikembe Mutumbo.
- Soon after Mobley picked up his third foul, so did Garland. He would check out a few minutes into the second quarter and only play a few minutes to end the quarter.
- The Lakers didn’t have many moments, but they had some. But it helps when your coach makes sure those moments are limited. Case in point: Kenny took a timeout after a quick 5-0 run. The Cavs were still up 18 after that but to stem the tide and not allow the Lakers to build momentum, he called a timeout.
- Coming out of the timeout, the Cavs executed offensively and got Allen two free throws.
- A similar occurrence happened in the third quarter: Lakers go on a quick 8-0 run, Kenny calls timeout, then the Cavs score on the possession coming out of the timeout.
- These types of things matter, and they add up over course of a game. If there’s been another difference to note in going from JB Bickerstaff to Kenny, it’s that Kenny is ready and willing to take timeouts to stem the tide and regroup rather than waiting too long until runs occur and momentum shifts.
- After a blistering first quarter shooting, it was an uphill battle shooting in the second quarter. The Cavs finished 1-for-8 from three with their only make being an Isaac Okoro three-pointer which was his first one on the year in 72 minutes.
- Luckily, the Lakers didn’t shoot any better as the two teams combined to go 1-for-15 from three-point range in the second quarter.
- The Lakers and Cavs were even in the second quarter and went to half with the Cavs up 19. It could had been more if it wasn’t for the +9 in free throw makes for the Lakers.
- Allen and Mitchell played a heavy first half (21 minutes and 18 minutes) to make up for Garland and Mobley being in foul trouble. Allen and Mitchell combined for 35 of the Cavs 67 first half points.
- And foul trouble was the name of the game on the night. Mobley quickly picked up his fourth foul just a minute and a half into the third quarter.
- On the night, Cavs starters only played four minutes together… four! They were a -1 in those minutes together.
- Caris LeVert had a steal at the nine-minute mark, his sixth on the year. He’s also been credited with 9 deflections coming into the game. Those may not tell the entire story, but they do enough to show how disruptive and effective LeVert has been so far in the passing lanes and causing chaos defensively.
- Speaking of Caris, it’s hard not to get excited about his shooting. Trying not to get too excited due to Caris being the human embodiment of a rollercoaster but… he is 9-for-14 from three-point range thus far. Those are unsustainable numbers, but his spot-up shooting has been noticeably better this year.
- Another guy who looks a lot better this year is Georges Niang. He had a relatively non-descript game overall but the difference this year is he’s been able to make a few positive plays when he’s on the court and avoid the largely negative plays. Understanding he’s a limited player, it looks like Kenny is embracing more of who he is and empowering him to do what he does.
- All this talk of the third quarter and not enough has been made about Garland. He was only 2-for-9 in the quarter but he did account for 23 of the Cavs 32 points in the quarter mainly due to seven assists.
- There was also a play that continues to point to this being a different year for Garland. How often was he willing and able to play through contact last year and still get an easy finish?
- The Cavs did finish a +1 on the quarter despite the Lakers giving their best shot of the game offensively. They shot 68% and had 13 free-throw attempts but that still wasn’t good enough to outpace the Cavs.
- Part of it was the Cavs taking 14 more shots than the Lakers did in the quarter. They had zero free throws, but their offensive opportunities made up for the Lakers superior efficiency.
- This game was a microcosm of the season so far. A team playing with a ton of confidence. Being super-efficient, and productive offensively. And the best players playing like their best players. It also was a full team effort.
- Every part of the core four had their quarter. Mitchell had the first, Allen had the second, Garland had the third and Mobley had the fourth. Just like the season, it’s been a different guy each game.
- Going into the fourth, Mobley had 8 points in 12 minutes and 4 fouls. Being on the bench most of the night, he couldn’t get much going. Yet, he still finished with 25 points on 12-for-16 shooting in only 18 minutes.
- He scored 10 straight points to start the fourth quarter. He had one driving layup on LeBron, and then had another play that highlighted all the things we’ve been asking for years.
- Once again, Mobley initiated the offense, and Kenny ran his favorite inverted pick-and-roll play. Check. Then, as he dribbles down into the paint, he reacts with a quick protect dribble between his legs. Check. Then, to create room for a shot attempt he forcefully initiates contact with the defender. Check.
- These all may seem like small things but put together and it shows the areas of improvement Mobley has made and the impact it has on his game. It’s one thing to have the physique but to have the physique with the skill and aggressiveness is allowing Mobley to be the player we all hoped he could be.
- Away with the pump fakes and away with the tentativeness, Mobley is playing like he knows he’s the best player around the rim.
- After Mobley did his part to dominate the fourth quarter, Ty Jerome did his part to wreck the Lakers garbage time. He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and was part of the crew that spent half the quarter as the Cavs victory cigar lineup.
- The Cavs have had very few competitive fourth quarters, and once again this was another non-competitive fourth quarter. Only this team doing it against a team that has Anthony Davis and LeBron James means a little bit more.
- The highlight of the fourth quarter was Bronny James scoring his first career points in Cleveland. The crowd was cheering for Bronny before, during, and after he checked in.
- Fun stat: The Cavs nearly had as many assists (37) as the Lakers did made field goals (38).
- Part of the Lakers staying within the game (to an extent) and it not being a bigger blowout than stats may show is the Cavs were called for 26 fouls compared to seven on the Lakers. This led to a +23 advantage at the foul-line for the Lakers.
- The Cavs were elite in forcing Laker turnovers all night to the tune of 21. They scored 31 points off those turnovers. The Cavs are 4th in the NBA in forcing 18.6 turnovers per game.
- Pace for the night? Cavs were at 104.5.
- Last thought: While initially disappointed, I can now understand why ESPN elected to not put the Cavs-Lakers game on primetime – they actually wanted a competitive game.
- Up next: Cavs will face their next test with a playoff rematch with the Orlando Magic at home on Friday at 7:00PM (ET).
Last edited: