The Cavaliers and Thunder met Wednesday night in Cleveland in the most anticipated matchup of the regular season, with the two teams with the most wins in the league holding a combined record of 61-9. The game lived up to the hype, as the Cavaliers won the shootout 129-122 despite star guard Donovan Mitchell trailing (11 points).
Cleveland winning the game without needing Mitchell’s heroics was especially notable considering that has not been the case in big games in the past. With the caveat that this was still a regular season game, there was undoubtedly some extra juice in the building and both teams seemed determined to rise to the occasion – as someone who previously covered the Atlanta Hawks, it felt a lot like a much-hyped showdown between the Cavaliers and Warriors In 2015. That atmosphere hasn’t always been kind to the Cavaliers’ core, but they showed in the win that even though the roster is mostly the same, they’re a completely different team this year. season.
The Cavs’ last two playoff games have featured disappearing actions from stars other than Mitchell. Darius Garland struggled as a creator and scorer against increased ball pressure and physicality in the postseason, while Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley were noticeably pressured and dominated in the paint and glass by the Knicks two years ago. On Wednesday, it was that trio that lifted them to a win over an OKC team that prides itself on defensive and physical pressure, the exact kind of things that have troubled the Cavaliers in the past. It’s certainly worth noting that the Thunder haven’t been at full strength with Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso out injured, but despite that, they’re using a slew of solid defenders (Lou Dort has been the main reason for Mitchell’s struggles), along with one of the Cavs’ bogeymen From the Knicks series center, Isaiah Hartenstein.
Something the Cavaliers have previously lacked, with the exception of Mitchell, is the combination of confidence and aggression required to overcome top competition. The best teams will provide ample opportunities for you to doubt yourself and try to break your confidence in your ability to achieve your goals. To overcome that requires a level of competitiveness, self-confidence and determination that the Cavaliers have frankly not shown in big moments. On Wednesday, it was all evident from their entire roster, showing the kind of growth necessary for this team to be a legitimate contender.
Allen, who famously said “the lights were brighter than expected” after his loss to the Knicks, dominated the glass in the kind of performance where it seemed like every significant rebound would end up in his hands by his sheer will. He finished the night with a team-leading 25 points (on 9-of-11 shooting) and a team-high 11 rebounds. Seven of those came on the offensive glass, including two offensive boards and a third down passed to Donovan Mitchell on a two-possession in the final two minutes that helped the Cavaliers clinch the win.
Mobley continued his offensive season with 21 points (on 8-of-13 shooting), 10 rebounds, and seven assists, showcasing all of his improvements under the biggest spotlight of the season. Mobley was once a pro, a ball of potential with partially developed skill sets, who wasn’t sure where he belonged on the floor offensively. Now, he’s just a beast with more confidence and confidence in his abilities and knows the spots on the floor where he’s most effective. Mobley has become another playmaker for the Cavs rather than just a finisher, able to not only make shots for himself, but also know where his outlet is when help comes and make those reads and passes on time and on goal. He fed Allen a few layups and layups, dished it out to his own shooters, and when the opportunity presented itself, got in there to get buckets of his own. With the Cavs down three, Mobley drove into Hartenstein’s chest — two years ago, he might have hit the back and faded and fallen smaller. This time, he went straight up and past Hartenstein, rising above him to turn the ball over on a short layup that gave Cleveland some leverage.
Garland wasn’t lighting up from three (2 of 6 from deep) but still had a solid game with 18 points and seven assists. Being able to influence the game even when his jumper isn’t hot is a necessary step, and he’s been attacking decisively and adopting the kind of communication that has caused him problems in the past. His floater with 27 seconds to play was the exclamation point on the win, as he tipped it off Keason Wallace on a quick layup, got into the paint and sank his shot before the assist could arrive. It was the precise kind of confident decision-making that he has lacked in big matches in the past.
In addition to that trio, the Cavaliers got a big boost off the bench from Max Strus (17 points on 6-of-7 shooting), who gave them the shooting ability they needed when they signed him two summers ago, and Ty Jerome (15 points) on 6-of-7 shooting. 7), who was a boost off the bench as another surprise starter with a killer floater in the lane. Every good team needs a big game once in a while from “the others,” and while that’s not something teams want to rely on, the Cavaliers will have good reason to believe they’ve built the kind of depth needed to have playoff options with their rotation.
Wednesday’s win was the exact kind of game the Cavaliers needed to continue building their confidence that this year is truly different. All the questions about this team are reserved for the postseason, and they know as well as anyone that the real answers can’t come until then. At the same time, this game had that kind of atmosphere and should provide them with more belief that what they are doing this season under Kenny Atkinson is a real step forward.
We’ll find out if they can put it all together in May and June, but at least in that test in January, Cleveland showed everything we wanted to see from this group against the best competition they could ask for.