What we learned this week: Passing the national spotlight test
The Cavs proved the lights were not too bright on the national stage
The Cleveland Cavaliers may have had their 12-game winning streak snapped on Sunday night, but it doesn't take away from the fact that they are 33-5. Here’s what we learned.
No Mitchell, no problem
Remember last season, when Donovan Mitchell sat out? It was not pretty. The Cavs went 12-15 last season without Mitchell, and the offense was a shell of itself, to say the least. But this is a different, yet similar, Cavs team from the 2023-2024 version.
The Cavs downed a feisty (and now healthy) Toronto Raptors team 132-126 behind a 40-point outing from Darius Garland and a double-double from Evan Mobley. While the Raptors are not world-beaters in any sense, they are the kind of team that last year’s Cavs would have had issues overcoming without Mitchell. To make things even more challenging, the Cavs were playing on the second half of a back-to-back - with the first game being that heavyweight bout against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Speaking of which...
The lights were not too bright
As the title states, the Cavs demonstrated on the national stage that they are not the same team as years past that wilts when the moment is too big. Against the Western Conference-best Thunder, the Cavs never wavered. They clamped down defensively, found ways through the Thunder’s league-best defense, and overcame a poor shooting night from Mitchell.
Jarrett Allen showed up. Mobley had a double-double. Garland led the team in assists. The bench swung the game, namely Ty Jerome and Max Strus. The game felt like an NBA Finals preview, tense throughout and seemingly a chess game between Kenny Atkinson and Mark Daigneault meticulously working matchups. When the dust settled, the Cavs came out on top and ended the Thunder’s 15-game winning streak in the process. It was an impressive win.
All-Star Darius Garland
Nothing is officially official, but Garland found his way onto the second return list of All-Star fan voting. The 24-year-old was also just named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, averaging 26 points and 7.7 assists per game on 40.1% shooting from beyond the arc (52.8% overall).
Compare this season to last and it is apparent that Garland is not only healthy but a motivated and more comfortable player. Look at this late-game situation where Garland has to play the Mitchell role of alpha dog, breaking his defender (Scottie Barnes) down to get a stepback three up:
This level of aggressiveness was not in Garland’s arsenal last season, for one reason or another. But it is now, and it's paying dividends for the Cavs.
The bench is a strength
For the last few seasons, the Cavs bench was one of their glaring weaknesses. The starters were all excellent together, but the coaching staff was unable to find the right tonic that kept the momentum going with the bench unit. That has all flipped this season, as Atkinson has pulled the right switches seemingly every time.
Ty Jerome has been a revelation this season as one of the better backup point guards in the league, but both he and Strus flipped the game against the Thunder in a way that was just not seemingly possible in the last two seasons. Max Strus went 6-7 from deep and Jerome had 15 points in just under 12 minutes of court time. Even Isaac Okoro, fresh off a shoulder injury, led the team in +/- with a cool +12 while not scoring a point.
Even if Strus goes back into the starting lineup, which should be expected, Dean Wade looks more than capable of filling that role off the bench. Okoro will always be a pesky defender. Georges Niang is closer to what was expected of him when he signed in Cleveland two summers ago. Caris LeVert has bought in fully to his role and is excelling in it.
What was a black hole a few years ago should now regarded as a key strength for the Cavs, and a big reason for their wins this last week.