Recap: Cavs 103, Magic 92 (or, Good Teams Win…)
2022-10-27The Cavs put forth a championship level defensive effort against a hapless Orlando Magic team to come away with an impressive 11-point win, 103-92. The Cavs held the Magic to only 42 points in the second half, let’s dive in for some takeaways from last night…
1. Good teams win, great teams cover
As the old adage goes, the Cavs won this game handily in spite of extremely ugly offense with shooting splits of 40/30/70. The offensive battery of Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert proceeded to shoot 8-31 on the night. With those type of stats one would think the Cavs would’ve lost the game, yet they actually came away with double-digit win. Interestingly, the narrative coming from the Cavs media is about how Coach J.B. Bickerstaff tore into the guys at halftime for their lackadaisical efforts and disrespectful attitudes toward their opponent. It’s clear that they took the challenge to heart and responded exactly how they should’ve. This was a gut check game and they passed with flying colors, so let the championship propaganda campaign commence!
2. Tower City builds positive momentum
It’s been a struggle for Tower City to start the season. The Cavs have a -8.29 net rating in the 92 minutes Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have shared the floor this season, including a disastrous 118.29 defensive rating. So what has J.B. done to mitigate their lack of success? Split them up! Here’s the numbers:
J.B. was quick to say that the lack of success for Tower City has had a lot to with Evan Mobley’s ankle injury he suffered during training camp, which is a fair point especially for a player as young as Mobley and the massive change to the starting lineup with the addition of Donovan Mitchell. But yours truly promises to never sugarcoat the truth, Mobley’s rebounding numbers (13.1% defensive rebound rate) and turnover rate (16.9%) stink to high heaven to start the season. He has looked every bit the 21 year old sophomore NBA player that he is, just learning the ropes.
But last night was a glimpse of what he’s been working on last summer: being a complete offensive force. He was able to score 22 points on excellent efficiency and passed out three dimes. This was no small feat considering how much the Cavs were struggling offensively. The next logical step for Mobley is getting the turnovers down and rebounds up. The fun is just beginning…
As for Jarrett Allen, one might say it was his best game of the season with 18 points, 16 rebounds, two stocks, and an assist. It was all working for Big Jay, who showed a ton of leadership with his board work and nasty finishes, authoring the play of the night:
Jarrett Allen on Bol Bol's head😤 pic.twitter.com/gUe5OoFAY6
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 27, 2022
The only thing left to do is get Tower City rolling… LET’S GO!
3. Ice on Ice
Quite literally the only negative on the night for the Cavs was Isaac Okoro, who helped the Cavs post a shocking -41.7 net rating in the 11 minutes he was on the floor. He was the only Cavs player to post a negative net rating. Credit to J.B. for pulling the plug on Ice first with the starting lineup shuffle, but then with the benching in favor of Raul Neto and Cedi Osman, who’s a budding Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
Tragically, Ice is just playing with no confidence and no clue of what he’s doing out there. Yours truly thinks it would behoove him to spend some time in the G-League honing his on-ball offensive skills. There’s simply no minutes to spare anymore for Okoro to “learn on the job” within the heat of a playoff chase on a team with high aspirations and expectations.
4. Quick note on the Magic
My goodness Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are a nightmare to deal with. Yours truly was a massive fan of Wagner coming out of Michigan, and it’s safe to say that the pro-Wagner agenda is thriving. And as for the rookie from Duke, he’s showing superstar potential as many from Duke do. (LET’S GO DUKE!). Did I mention I love Duke?
5. Darius Garland injury update
#Cavs Darius Garland is officially listed OUT for tomorrow night’s game here in Boston.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) October 27, 2022
6. Next up, Beantown…
The Cavs travel to the shores of the Massachusetts Bay to take on the Eastern Conference Finalist Boston Celtics in a proper measuring stick road game. It will be a massive opportunity for Tower City to take their momentum further against a Boston squad struggling with their front court depth. Tip off is scheduled for tomorrow at 7:30PM Eastern time, Go Cavs!
LT up!
sigh.. a very nice #6 pick.. averaging 21 ppg.. sigh…. get your ass into the gym ice and PRACTICE !
Bennedict Mathurin’s Hot Start Is No Fluke (The Ringer)The Pacers’ highest draft pick in decades is already shooting like a proven vet. And history shows that a rookie that scores from the jump can keep scoring throughout their career.
Why sigh? What’s Mathurin got to do with Okoro? Irrelevant because he was in a different draft. Some drafts are deeper and stronger than others. You look at that 2020 draft and the only pick at the time that would have been nice after Okoro was Haliburton and 6 other teams passed on him after the cavs. None of the other guys that would have realistically been taken in 5-11 are lighting the world on fire. Vessel has had a breakout year scoring but he isn’t scoring efficiently. Maybe Toppin, but he is a role player too and has taken… Read more »
the dude is currently #267 out of #267.. bottom of the barrel.. barely playable.. 3rd year as a pro.. not believing that he “worked” during the off-season.. muscle-memory don’t lie.. you do the work.. you improve.. that is biology.. this dude is a check-casher
Mitchell for MVP agenda >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Shoutout to Two-Way Caris and the Big Finnish!
Mobley and Allen still great on defense:
I tend to agree with Jason below on the small forward question. I’ve always felt like the expectation that you have a locked starting five rather than a more fluid, matchup-dependent rotation is short-sighted and caters to player egos rather than team success. I get that it helps players to have lineup consistency, but with a group as connected and supportive as ours, I don’t see JA/EM/DG/DM slipping much if you mix it up at the three, giving Dean, Caris, Cedi — and hopefully Okoro if/when he can pull it together — the start depending on the opponent. They all… Read more »
I think it’s less concern about the 5th starter, and more a concern about the balance of the core 4 at this point. Cavs are missing a impact 2 way player. The front court is filled with defensive guys who aren’t great at creating for themselves. Back court filled with incredible offensive talent (though remains to be seen how great they can be together), but defensively challenged. Would be ideal to balance it out with a 3 who you could rely on to get a stop, or get a bucket when you need it. Right now they have some guys… Read more »
Regular season the Cavs are talented enough and deep enough it shouldn’t be a major concern. But it could become glaring come playoffs if someone doesn’t make a leap.
yeah, fair assessment bw good post.
LeVert has been very good on D so far.
See above chart.
The funny thing about LeVert is the Cavs are doing this with him being something like 3-24 on layups. And truth be told I like him much better at the three (offensively) than at guard. He will not shoot 47% from deep all year, but he will get better at layups.
agreed, good point Nate!
I know it’s early but that’s awesome and the Lakers
Best team in the NBA? THATS RIGHT!!!
Zach Lowe has Okoro’s struggles in his top 10.
https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/34890754/lowe-10-things-dislike-including-filthy-ja-morant-banishment-stupidest-nba-rule
Though I must say, he fails to mention Cedi as an option at the 3. Fails to notice his brilliant play. Or the fact that LeVert is shooting 47.6%+ from deep early on. Or that the Cavs are 3-1 without DG and rank #2 in DRtg despite the fact that LeVert plays poor defense at the 3.
He does mention Wade as a starting option. And the fact that Devin Vassell (20 ppg on 3 pt attempts per) would look awful good at the 3.
Still, I tend to agree with Raoul, I am not teriibly worried about our situation at SF right now. Of the 4 guys who had a shot, 3 of them are playing well.
Can’t access but he’s usually very pro-Cedi when the Cavs come up on his podcast. Not as much as he likes Dean Wade though.
Cool. I just am accustomed to Lowe seeing the whole picture. He says the Cavs need a 5th guy to close with. It is like he just watched the Toronto game and then stopped. We have gotten good SF play from everyone BUT Okoro. Are 3-1 without DG. #2 in DefRtg. And near the top of the pack in Net Rtg. He is acting like there is a problem in need of a solution when there isn’t. LeVert & Osman are both over 47% from deep, and Wade is at 57%. One can certainly say that is unsustainable, but hardly… Read more »
Lastly, I disagree with his take on LeVert starting being a no-confidence vote on Okoro. At this stage, LeVert is a MUCH more accomplished player than Okoro. Even more so on offense. We spent a 1st to get him here. Lowe fails to see the issue with an Okoro-Mobley-Allen frontcourt (3 non-shooters) and how that it could clog things for Spida & DG. Plus, if Okoro starts, the situation gets Westbrookian for him everytime his misses an open shot. He does not need that right now. We need to make a decision on LeVert this year. And he is our… Read more »
We hardly got a look at DG, Mobley, and Allen with LeVert last year. We need to see if he works as the 5th guy in that lineup to see if we should be paying him starter’s money, or not. And if it is a not, is he OK with that? Okoro is already signed for NEXT year and basically under team control the year after. There is much more time on him. And he is a younger guy. I never thought Okoro waa a serious option to start unless he just started draining 3s left and right, and improved… Read more »
For me, it was always Wade or LeVert. And while I think LeVert works better as a 6th man type, I get why we want to see him have first crack at SF. It makes sense to me. And Wade is still largely theoretical, rather than proven.
Last thing is, I am excited, rather than worried, about our SF situation. 3/4ths of iur wing guys have been good (LeVert) or excellent (Cedi, Wade).
Definitely with you there regarding Wade starting, Levert 6th man. Not a knock on Levert who is doing a lot of things well. Fit just makes much more sense. Ultimately though, as much as I like all of the contenders, and they’re all doing things well at them moment, none have proved they can do it consistently enough that come playoff time we won’t be worrying about that spot.
With Wade I worry over a longer span of games we look at him and go, well that was underwhelming. He might look great at times, but then disappear.
Cedi runs very hot very cold. Has to prove he can stay closer to that upper bound, and productive when his shots not falling.
LeVert – my concern might be unfounded. I worry about length. Just feel like teams can shoot over the Cavs with no resistance. Maybe the numbers dont bare that out though.
re: LeVert, the Cavs defensive rating with him on the floor: 98.9
SSS of course, but nothing to be concerned about yet!
again….its very early for any conclusions..but the fact Okoro still looks lost…in year 3…after there being another off season where coaching/mgmt brass have hyped his growth and this is it..only for reality to be…he’s just not that good and a top 5 pick was wasted. Again…early…but man…that draft was kinda shitty…but can’t waste top 5 picks
guess what? — that draft was three years ago.
the Cavs are looking fine.
why is everyone looking for spilt milk to cry over?
figured out the new nike headline ad.. “be like a spida”
that’s right!
No Garland tomorrow… Trent Jr. still in the league?
great question!
from FanSided King James Bible.. How a Cavs player is twice as inept as Russell Westbrook by Josh Cornelissen 1 minute ago..
not hard to guess who the cavs bricklayer is
Three rebounds total in two games, one steal. That’s it.
Look at the statistics any way you like, and they all say the same thing: Isaac Okoro has been a dismal failure at this point in the season. His six total points in 70 minutes this season ranks last among 267 players to play at least 50 minutes. 267th!! He’s also the only guard in the league to log even 60 minutes and not record a single assist, and leaguewide only center Noah Vonleh has cleared that threshold without an assist.
yikes, those are some depressing stats!
KJB occasionally has something good, but usually reading it is like having a random drunk sit down next to you at a bar and want to argue about something.
When you lust for more Cavs news, FTS is a big step up from KJB
Thanks CTB for the content – Dean Wade at the three should be strongly considered when DG comes back (though Caris played well) – banchero does not look like a rookie (in the best sense), physically or skill wise. I would trade him straight up for Mobley tomorrow – Mobley (and I LOVE him) is still awkward offensively. Elbow touches and finishing lobs on O but should not be asked to iso much this year. – Jarrett Allen is a beast and seems like such a good dude. Seems like everyone loses Harden trades but not us – Contract Cedi… Read more »
my initial reaction was agast at giving mobley up for Banchero. I thought about it a bit…it’s enticing on the surface. But no. It’s not even close. Mobley was a defensive player of the year option in his rookie year. He missed camp and is obviously still not confident in traffic with his ankle. The rebounding numbers (i am assuming of course…) reflect that. He made positive steps against the admittedly weird and terrible magic at finishing in traffic. Banchero seems awesome and likely will be ROY if he continues this production and usage. But Mobley had an insanely good… Read more »
The pro for the trade would be the nba officiating/rules completely devaluing bigs and defense in the game in the last 7 o 8 years. Banchero plays more like a wing and therefore has an automatic advantage because of how the nba wants the game to be played today, eg all perimeter scoring, no d or physicality allowed in the paint and especially on the perimeter.
Nice cap, Chris!
A Dukie, hmmmm, that explains a lot.
LMFAOOOOOO IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW! GO CAVS!
Also props to Dean Wade and Neto. Nice performances from both
100% they were excellent, I definitely see a junkyard chain award in Neto’s future
Nice cap, especially for a Duke fan. Multisyllabic words!
LMFAOOOOOO Thanks Nate!!! You know Adam Silver is a Duke alum!
Well I have to be a sparty fan now, so it’s Izzo and Co. for me (Dray excluded)
Oh man, you’ve gone to the dark side… although maybe you can schmooz with CavsDan I think he’s a Sparty!!! LMFAOO
I’ve always liked sparty, but now that my Kid’s one, it’s kind of required.
OH NICE LETS GOOOOOOO!!!!
Did you adopt Bray??
MY SCHEDULE RECENTLY HASN’T ALLOWED ME TO WATCH THE CAVS LIVE OR BE WITH MY CTB BROS—–LIFE SUCKS SOMETIMES —–SO I APPRECIATE THE RECAP CLF—-DID WATCH THE REPLAY FOR A LITTLE —–THERE ARE ALOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT ICE—DESERVEDLY SO —-I DID CHECK ON JIMMY :BUCKETS ” BUTLER—HE DIDN’T REALLY FLOURISH UNTIL YEAR 4 AND HE WAS 25 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME SO I GUESS IDON’T WANT TO GIVE UP ON HIM YET —BUT MAN HE HAS TO SHOW SOME GLIMMER OF AN OFFENSIVE GAME—-GLEAGUE MIGHT DO HIM GOOD—ONLY NEGATIVE WOULD BE IF HE GOES DOWN THERE AND CONTINUES TO… Read more »
Agree on Ice, too young to give up on but can’t be worried about his ego going to G League, he’s a professional he’s gotta produce.
I love that setting for him to learn how to dribble, pass, and finish at the rim, and start developing some type of midrange jumper.
I agree go Cavs
THEOTHERJASON THROWS THE HAMMER DOWN!!!
Good Stuff!
Go Cavs!!
Go Cavs!!! Absolutely loving this team rn and truly cannot wait for both DG and ravishing Rick to get that fully healthy squad !