Watching the Market: Cavaliers at Magic Game 4
Cavs crumbled in the second half once again.
STOCK DOWN:
Donovan Mitchell had another strong start followed by a frigid second half. He scored 18 points in the first two quarters before going scoreless in the second. Mitchell is now being outscored 86-84 by Franz Wagner — a trend that would spell doomsday for the Cavaliers.
Darius Garland wasn’t any better. Garland put together just 14 points in a follow-up to scoring only 5 points in Game 3. The Cavs offense was juiceless and much of it boils down to their floor general playing without any sense of urgency.
As for the rest of the team, an 0-5 shooting performance from the bench contributed to an overall abysmal 4-of-17 shooting night from downtown. The Cavaliers shot the ball more than any team in the NBA during their league-best run in January. Straying this far from their previous success is a puzzling and indefensible decision.
Basketball is a complex game but it can also be simple. For the Cavs, there isn’t much to discuss if their starting backcourt can’t pull them out of an offensive rut. 10 points in the third quarter and 29 points in an entire half will never be enough. The stocks are down across the board.
STOCK UP:
There wasn’t much, if anything, that the Cleveland Cavaliers could consider a positive from this game. But if there has been one player who has held steady even throughout the drastic shifts of momentum: Jarrett Allen
Allen led the team in scoring with 21 points and 9 rebounds in 29 minutes. He aggressively attacked the basket and held a deadbolt on the opposing rim before the rest of the Cavs collapsed around him.
While Allen was rightfully blasted for his performance in last year’s postseason, spare the him the blame for this one. Allen has been the best player for Cleveland. And at times, the only one who has shown up.