Recap: Mavs 120, Cavs 112 (or, From Deep Ellum)

The Cavs were unable to close the deal after halftime as the Dallas Mavericks steal one from the hometown team 120-112 in what was surprisingly an old-fashioned Texas shootout. Neither of these top 10 defenses could do anything against the star power of Luka Dončić and Darius Garland, but Dallas’ role players were able to rise up and push this one over the finish line. Let’s dive right in…

1. From Deep Ellum

The first thing that jumps out off the stat sheet is the stark difference between the two team’s offensive strategies. The Mavs took 17 more three point attempts, and made five more threes than the Cavs. That’s the difference in the game in a nutshell. This is not a new problem for a J.B. Bickerstaff-coached Cavs team. It’s fine to grind out games at the rim when Tower City is on floor and Ricky Rubio and Dean Wade are stonewalling the perimeter on defense, but the massively-shorthanded Cavs should’ve made a strategic adjustment regarding shot selection now that they have to lean into a small-ball rotation. The Cavs shot over 40% from three, but only took 25 attempts. Whether Coach Bickerstaff likes it or not, inferior teams (whether due to injury, lack of talent, or both) have to use the three point line to mitigate their deficiencies. 25 attempts will never cut it in the NBA, not in the year 2022.

2. Wanted: Cavs’ perimeter defense

The Cavs starting trio of Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, and Lauri Markkanen played some of the worst defense anyone has ever laid eyes on. They simply didn’t step up to the challenge tonight. Here’s the tally:

Cavs’ defensive rating in Isaac Okoro’s minutes: 142.2
Cavs’ defensive rating in Caris LeVert’s minutes: 144.0
Cavs’ defensive rating in Lauri Markkanen’s minutes: 131.3

One thing that can be said in Markkanen’s defense is that he was a lot better at the small ball five position than the power forward position tonight, but that’s hardly consolation. There’s just no chance to win when this type of defense is being played. Could some of their poor performance have to do with the Cavs’ defensive schemes against Luka? Perhaps so, but one thing’s for sure… the Mavs looked like they were shooting practice shots all night so somebody’s at fault.

3. The Windler/Stevens Agenda victory tour

There were two wing players for the Cavs that did play defense, namely one Dylan Windler (no shock to regular CtB readers) and Lamar Stevens. Not sure what J.B. was watching but it was clear as the noon summer day Dallas sun that they had the length, athleticism, and junkyard dawg in them that bothered the Mavs in their minutes. The tale of the tape:

Cavs’ defensive rating in Dylan Windler’s minutes: 72.0
Cavs’ defensive rating in Lamar Stevens’ minutes: 98.0

These rants directed at J.B. will continue so long as injustice towards Dylan Windler continues. Sorry, not sorry.

4. Mixed results from the Moses Brown Agenda

As CtB correctly predicted in last night’s pod, the Moses Brown Agenda reached full fervor with the spot start for the UCLA product. Moses “Let My People Go” Brown played a fine game, especially for a newcomer who’s barely been with the team. He posted a near double double with 12 points on perfect shooting and nine rebounds. However, Brown’s lack of chemistry was apparent on the defensive end. He did not record a block or steal, and the Cavs posted a subpar 127.9 defensive rating in his minutes. It also appeared that Brown was a bit winded in the second half of the game, which is understandable with the lack of minutes prior to tonight’s game. On the positive side, Brown had immediate lob chemistry with DG, and was clearly a positive force on that end of the court. There’s no question he should still see consistent minutes so long as Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are out, but perhaps is better suited coming off the bench to keep his activity level as high as possible.

5. Dueling Superstars: DG vs. Luka

The Cavs needed an MVP performance from Darius Garland and they received one, with DG going toe to toe, punch for punch with Luka Dončić. DG stuffed the stat sheet with an efficient 25 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, four steals, and a +14.6 net rating, which was the only positive net rating among the starters. If there is any criticism of DG’s performance, it’s that he probably could’ve been more selfish offensively and launch more threes to get the Cavs back into the game. Luka seemed to have another gear in the second half that DG couldn’t quite muster, but there’s all the confidence in the world that DG will learn from this and get better. That should strike fear into every NBA team’s heart.

6. LeVert finds offensive rhythm

As bad as he was defensively, Caris LeVert was able to find his offensive rhythm with a Cavs’ career high 32 points on excellent efficiency. He was the complete package offensively, scoring at all three levels of the half court offense, making some plays via the pass, and making hustle plays off the glass. This is why J.B. wanted to put LeVert in the starting lineup. The most pressing question now is whether LeVert can catch up on the defensive end enough to win games down the stretch. Stay tuned.

7. Quick note on the Mavericks

Like the Toronto Raptors, the Dallas Mavericks have been an absolute tear since the beginning of February, around the time Luka Dončić finally played his way into shape. Also, the move to trade Kristaps Porziņģis was a shrewd one, since rumor has it Luka and KP did not get along at all. Coach Jason Kidd has them playing defense, which should make them a more formidable playoff foe. Will Luka finally get out of the first round and make some playoff noise? Here’s to hoping Dallas flops in the playoffs and Luka demands a trade to the Cavs, home to the largest Slovene population in the world outside of Slovenia!

8. Play-in/Playoff Race

As of the time of this writing, the Cavs are two games out of sixth and eight place. The Cavs could easily lose the next three games because of the impossible time frame along with the injuries. How far can the Cavs’ fall? They could easily find themselves at the bottom of the play-in scrum, without homecourt advantage. The Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks have finally decided to start trying on defense in their seasons, and are in hot pursuit of the 7/8 seeds. Ultimately, who cares… Cavs’ fans are guaranteed to see a play-in game, and possibly a seven game series. That’s unbelievable given where the season started! Go Cavs!