The In-Season Tournament is… kinda fun, maybe? The Cavs entered the night 2-1 needing some help to advance as a wild card. They exited 3-1 needing a lot of help to advance as a wild card. The Cavs pushed the pedal to the medal after the first quarter making it a race to point differentials – so much so the JB Bickerstaff left his starters in late into the 4th. In the end, the Cavs came up just short in point differential losing out to the Knicks for the lone wild card spot.
The first quarter was all about the Cavs not hitting their 3s (only one) and allowing a lot of 3s. The Cavs also allowed another 50+ FG% 1Q which put them down 4 at quarter's end despite scoring 29 points and playing some good offense themselves.
Of course, what would lead to the Cavs taking a controlling lead in the 2nd and 3rd quarters? The same as what they need from their wings: 3s and defense. The Cavs connected on 10 3-pointers in the 2Q and 3Q and also progressively played better defense. This lead to a +16 differential in the span of those two quarters.
Evan Mobley hit a 3! That was his second on the year. I say that tongue in cheek but Mobley is maybe, just maybe, slowwwllyy coming around outside the paint. He’s connected on a mid-range jumper in each of the last few games and now this. Hope? Just maybe.
Mobley was overall fantastic tonight. 17 points (8-11 from the field), 19 rebounds, 7 blocks (!) and 1 assist. He was also a +25, and had a double-double at half. I know people want Mobley to score 20+ points a game but he is so much more impactful when he’s able to do a little bit of everything. Focusing on him as a scorer is taking away from his ability to significantly impact the game in other ways when he’s on.
Georges Niang sparked a 2Q run with 5 straight points and an assisted 3-pointer. He finished a game with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 2 3-pointers on the night.
Niang and Max Strus had 2+ 3-pointers each in the last 6 consecutive games. The Cavs record over that span? 6-3. Shooting matters.
The Cavs had a mini-Cavalanche in the 2Q to extend the lead, and I really forgot what that felt like. It seems like the Cavs haven’t consistently been able to put together connective runs to really extend leads. Whether it’s getting a good stop then coming up with an empty possession; or getting a few good shots and giving up some easy baskets, it just hasn't all come together yet like in years past. They’re right there if they can just get some of these runs going.
I asked where in the world of Carmen Sandiego was Donovan Mitchell and turns out he was in Cleveland all along. Mitchell turned a questionable 1Q around with a sensational 2Q of his own (not to be outdone by Niang) with 10 points and 2 assists (leading to 5 points). Mitchell kept that up for the rest of the game to finish with his first 40-point game on the year. This comes on the heels of shooting above 35% in 1 of the last 6 games; Mitchell finished shooting 56%. He also chipped in 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block.
The Cavs held Trae Young to 2-8 in the 1H and he finished 3-14 for the game. When you cut the head of the snake it struggles to find its way. Props to Darius Garland for taking on the challenge and cutting off the head.
Still one too many turnovers for my liking. Cavs had 8 at halftime and finished with 17 for the game. For November, they’re 22nd in turnovers per game at 15.4. They have to play cleaner basketball and that starts from the opening tip.
Strus only shot 4-11 from the field and had 11 points but finished with a team high +30. He tallied 7 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and went 3-7 from the 3-point line. Credit to Strus for being so much more impactful than just a “shooter”, and a night like tonight is proof of that.
The starting lineup has only been together for a handful of games but there has been some periphery stats that give you pause. It’ll take time and the 3Q was a good start. With their starters, the Cavs went from leading by 3 at half to leading by 13 midway through the 3Q. If the Cavs want to get to where they want to get to this year, the starters have to get the job done.
JBB essentially ran a playoff-like rotation tonight. Garland (38) was the only starter above 35 minutes while Caris LeVert, Niang and Isaac Okoro all got 15+ minutes off the bench. CRAIG! got a quick 2Q stint but was a -8 in his three minutes with 2 turnovers.
The Cavs top-8 is solid, and can compete with most teams but they’d be better off developing a point guard and center they can throw out there when needed. It seems like that could be CRAIG! and Tristan Thompson but there’s still time for that to be solidified. Another playmaker to relieve Mitchell and Garland, and another guy to switch up the energy at center, could really be useful for 3-5 minute stretches come playoff time.
Speaking more of the rotation, Bickerstaff first subs left Mitchell and Mobley paired on the court with Allen and Garland later subbing in for them. Niang and LeVert played with both pairs while Okoro stuck with the Garland and Allen lineups. The 2-man pairing of Garland and Allen had a -6 net rating in 200+ minutes coming into tonight, so it’ll be interesting to watch that pairing. Mitchell and Garland had better 2-man net ratings with Allen over Mobley last year but it’s inverted this year.
The Cavs really punished the Hawks inside and punish might be an understatement. They finished a +32 on points in the paint and outrebounded the Hawks by 11. That’s the way you make a smaller team pay.
Despite a hot start, the Hawks only shot 34.7 from the field and 29.5% from 3. The Cavs really buckled down after the 1Q and the Hawks free throws (22-24) are the only thing that made it a 20-point win instead of a 30+ point win.
Bad refs or do the Cavs just foul a lot? For November, the Cavs are 21st in opponent free-throw rate. The hallmark of a good defense is not allowing easy points and getting into foul trouble. You can do everything right but if you foul or give up an offensive rebound it’s null and void. The Cavs were 16th and 5th in opponent free throw rate the previous two years.
Up next: The Cavs wrap up their home stand with Portland on Thursday at 7PM (ET).
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