Those were Donovan Mitchell’s words in his postgame comments following a back-to-back win by double digits against the Warriors and Lakers. If they can be anything like they’ve been in 2024 in 2025 they’ll be in good shape.
LeBron James may be 40 years old, but he represents what the Cavs have been. Coming into the new year, it’s a new era of Cavaliers basketball and the core four represent what they are right now. And it’s hard to argue the franchise has been in a better spot.
The Cavs are in the midst of an 8-game winning streak. All wins have been by double digits. The last time they won a game, and it was under 10 points was December 1 versus Boston. That’s a full month of wins, none being close.
This game did get close, but the Cavs (well, Jarrett Allen) closed on a 10-3 run the last 2-ish minutes. The Lakers got it to 5 points after being down 16 points at one point in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs do what they do best: Execute in the clutch.
It’s January 1, 2025, and the Cavs are still the league’s best clutch team. While down from the highs of earlier in the year, they still have a 51.5 net rating in the clutch and a 155.4 offensive rating (also league best by a mile). But what may be the best: They have a 6.33 assist to turnover ratio.
Their clutch time exposure may be limited (39 minutes, 27th in the league) but so is Oklahoma City (29th), Memphis (28th), New York (24th) and Orlando (22nd). Good teams stay good, and don’t let it get close to the end.
The biggest difference this year has been how the Cavs have executed while in the clutch. Allen had 11 straight points down the stretch off three Garland assists and one Mitchell assist. The Cavs had two turnovers under the 5-minute mark to five assists.
One of the best parts two is it’s been a different player every night. This isn’t the Cavs of last, last year of having to depend on hero ball to win a game. Kenny Atkinson has built a sustainable system that allows the hot hand or the reading of the defense to find the right spot. However, it also helps when you have two dynamic playmakers in the backcourt and two really good finishers in the frontcourt.
Speaking of one of those finishes, the Cleveland past was matched up with the Cleveland future as Evan Mobley drew the initial assignment on LeBron James. There’s been a lot of talk about needing a “big wing” player to guard some of the elite scorers in the game but when it comes down it, most times the duty will fall to Mobley.
For a team playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the Cavs certainly didn’t look like it starting out. They shot 47.6% for the quarter and managed 34 first quarter points. They were getting a lot of high-quality shots early and converting on their open looks.
They were eventually able to parlay that into a 13-2 run with five different Cavaliers scoring during that stretch. They were also helped by Kenny mixing in a bit of zone on defense which managed to get the Lakers out of rhythm and off balance with their offense.
The Cavs have also been really good at keeping teams off balance in the passing lane this year. They’re tied for 7th in the league in steals per game and had four of them within the first seven minutes of the game.
Austin Reaves was also really good for the Lakers all night. He had seven straight points for the Lakers at one point, and helped bring the Lakers back from being down as many as 15 in the first quarter.
This is where a guy like Isaac Okoro is missed. Yes, there has been a lot of focus on the “big wing” defense but the guards the Cavs will play during their playoff march (Jalen Brunson, Trae Young, Damian Lillard, Boston’s duo, Tyrese Maxey) deserve just as much attention. Coaches have been able to throw Okoro out there to cool off opposing guards, and not having that made it more difficult for Kenny tonight.
The Cavs did have stretches of trying to find their way, which is somewhat to be expected on the second night of a road back-to-back, and it cost them. In the first they allowed a 14-2 run to the Lakers which saw the Cavs cough up four turnovers and go without a field goal for three minutes.
Coincidentally, this came right around the time when Garland went out of the game.
The Lakers came 9th in points in the paint and pounded the paint all night. 15 of their first 24 shots came within the paint and/or restricted area. They converted seven of them compared to just four field goals outside that area.
It also would lead to the game being a physical one. The teams shot a combined 36 free throws on the night but in large part the referees seemed to be letting both teams play especially as they entered the paint. There was a lot of slapping, scratching and clawing inside the paint area on drives and finishes all night.
Even with Max Strus coming back into the fold, Kenny has still stuck with some Sam Merrill minutes. He’s paired the two to start the second quarter for a short stint. It’s been 5 games worth of data but so far, they’re a -14.9 net rating in 34 minutes.
They 2-man pairing were a +2 in 3-plus minutes in the 2Q but Merrill would go out later and not return for the game. If Merrill can shoot better than he has (34% 3P% for December, 35% on the year) the lineup has more oomph to it.
After scoring a combined 64 points in the first quarter, the teams slowed down a bit in the second quarter combining for just 47 points. The two combined to shoot 39.2% from the floor. There were only four turnovers, and three fouls it just was more of an ugly quarter.
There two differences for the Cavs: Garland and Allen.
With Garland off the floor in the first half, the Cavs were a -7. With him on the floor they were a +12. Their turnover % also jumped from 8% to 18.8% with him on the floor versus off.
It makes sense when you see his final stat line of 14 assists to just 3 turnovers. He accounted for nearly half of their assists (32 for the game) and accounted for 35 points off his assists. The rest of the team accounted for 47 points off their assists.
So, Garland was very much the engine that made the Cavaliers offense go despite having an off-shooting night (14 points on 16 shots).
But, Allen was also the engine that made the Cavs go and perhaps pushed them past the finish line with a win. With the Cavs looking for some offense in the second quarter, Allen’s hustle and finishing around the rim accounted for 10 straight points.
In addition to that, he grabbed five rebounds and one block. He was only a +3 for the quarter but the Cavs don’t win the quarter without Allen’s performance.
The Lakers took a short-lived two point in the 2Q, which would be their only lead of the night. Soon after, the Allen run ensued.
Sometimes you just feel the conditions are right for a Cavalanche, and they were primed for it at halftime. Despite good looks, the Cavs role players outside the core four were 2-for-9 from deep. The Cavs had just 7 three-pointers at half.
Enter the third quarter where they pumped out 7 three-point makes in the quarter alone.
Strus came alive to hit three of his four three-pointers for the game in the quarter. They came during a 12-2 run with a Garland three-pointer being sandwiched in between Strus’s long range makes.
This ended up being Strus’s best game since returning from injury. He had a season high in points (15), assists (4), blocks (2) and shot 50% from 3P. He was also a +5 and ended up in the closing lineup down the stretch. His shooting with his size is something no one else has on the team.
Taking it a step back before we continue, Mobley nailed a spot-up three to start the quarter. Fantastic, yes, but this game is already showing the difference in how teams may guard Mobley moving forward. There were a few times where Anthony Davis closed hard on Mobley on the perimeter. Mobley used his pump fake and tried to put the ball on the floor for a straight-line drive to the basket, but Davis was able to recover.
This may not show up in the stat sheet, or be consistent across defenses, but the fact that Davis reacted like that shows the value of Mobley’s shot. The more the defense must honor that shot the more it opens up the team’s offense, and the more they must honor that shot it also opens up Mobley’s offense as he’s able to play off his shot threat.
Leaping back into the game, the Cavs 12-2 run over 70-ish seconds forced a Lakers timeout and had the looks of the game going one way. However, the Lakers went on a 10-0 run over 70-ish seconds to bring the game right back and force a Cavaliers timeout.
While the end result strongly favored the Cavs, and they won by double digits, the Lakers put up a strong effort throughout the game and never let the Cavs get too comfortable even when leading big. In the end, they just don’t have the firepower (hello D’Angelo Russell?) to compete with the Cavs.
Staying on the topic of runs: The Cavs 8-0 run to end the quarter positioned them well heading into the fourth quarter. Instead of it being a one possession game, the Cavs pushed their lead all the way out to nine points. That’s a big difference, and a large change in momentum.
Strus and Mitchell hit two three-pointers in that run, as the Cavs lived off their three-point shot on their way to a +4 for the quarter. While they hit seven three-pointers, they were just 3-for-11 on two-pointers in the quarter.
Garland may have executed expertly down the stretch with four assists under five minutes, but five of his assists also came in the third quarter. He had 10 total in the second half alone.
What do you know: More threes to start the fourth quarter. Mitchell dropped two quick three-point makes himself, including one step back over 40-year old LeBron James.
Not to be outdone, Georges Niang had a quite yet impactful game. He put in two important three-pointers in the fourth quarter. He was the only other Cavalier to make a three outside of Mitchell in the fourth.
This is the type of stat line that you expect from Niang: 9 points (2-3 3P), 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 18 minutes. He was a -3 but if you can get that type of production in that sweet spot of minutes for Niang, that’s all you can ask for.
The Lakers are not a very good three-point shooting team (26th in 3PM and 19th in 3P%) but the Cavs limited them to just five three-point makes in the second half and just two in the fourth quarter.
Perhaps to their detriment of funneling them inside at times, but the Cavs were doing a really good job of keeping the Lakers off the three-point line in the fourth quarter. They were not going to let them beat them from deep.
Reaves was their biggest challenge all night and scored 17 of his game high 35 points in the fourth quarter. He consistently kept them in the game and was going basket-for-basket at times trying to will them back in the game.
The fourth quarter shows the difference in where the Lakers and Cavs are at offensively in more ways than one, but another fun one is the Lakers had just three players score in the quarter while the Cavs had seven. This team isn’t reliant on any one player, and while they have their spurts, it’s a true team effort.
Buttttt… the Cavs probably don’t win the game, and the fourth quarter, without the work of Jarrett Allen. When your fourth best player plays as well as the other team’s second, or maybe best player, then you know you have it good. Allen went toe-to-toe with Anthony Davis all night, and his 13-point 4Q performance capped off one of his best performances on the year. It’s his highest point total on the year.
Perhaps the crown jewel of his signature performance was this statue of Liberty-esque dunk over LeBron. Just a thing of beauty.
Even with Ty Jerome and Caris LeVert combining for just 8 points off the bench, the Cavs bench (thanks to Max Strus) outscored the Lakers bench 32-12. When you can get that type of consistent performance off the bench in tandem with three starters with 20+ points, it’s a hard combination to beat.
Which is why Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the game you must play close to “perfect” basketball to beat this Cavaliers team. They can beat you in so many ways and are so potent offensively that the margin for error is slim.
And it didn’t use to be like that. While the grind-it-out, defensive first mentality by JB Bickerstaff helped make the Cavs what they are today and made them successful, it also didn’t allow much room for error. It relied a lot upon the defensive end to win the game to do just enough offensively. In today’s day and age, you can’t just do enough offensively. You must do more than enough and win games with your offense.
Strus worked a first quarter pick-and-roll with Mobley nicely as it brings back memories of how much chemistry the two had last year. Strus dished out three other assists on the night and his secondary playmaking is a welcome skill to have when playing off the core four.
Despite just three points, Dean Wade was third on the team with a +9. He also snagged 9 rebounds. The starting lineup with him in it was a +6 for the game.
The Cavs will get two days off before they round out their West Coast trip in Dallas. Lucky for them, Luka Doncic will still be out with a calf injury.
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