Recap: Hornets 122, Cavs 132 (2OT), or The Longest Time

Despite some road weary legs, the Cavs have finally put an end to their five game losing streak with an epic double overtime battle against the pesky, undermanned Charlotte Hornets 132-122. The Cavs obviously enjoyed a massive lift from their spiritual leader Jarrett Allen and their young stars Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley. Despite blowing a 10 point lead with 1:45 left in regulation due to two brutal turnovers (one clearly due to an uncalled Hornet foul), a slew of missed rebounds, and the villainy of Terry Rozier, Cleveland guttet out a win. After a sketchy first  overtime capped by heroics from Darius Garland just to tie it up, Cleveland poured it on in the second OT to back door cover the spread. Let’s dive into last night’s takeaways…

1. The Stars Align

The Cavs quartet of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Donovan Mitchell all put in masterclass performances to pull this game out. Starting off with DG, he had his most complete performance of the season with 41 points, six assists, six stocks (including a block???!!!), while posting a +21.3 net rating for the game which led all starters. His ability to take over the game in the fourth quarter and OT was nothing short of special. He hit the game tying three to send the game into the second overtime after a brilliant offensive rebound from Mobley and dominated both overtime periods to will his team to the win. It’s clear DG has finally reached a turning point in his season after his brutal eye injury and looks poised to take the league by storm. Just sit back and enjoy the ride:

Evan Mobley must’ve been reading CtB’s recaps because he silenced the doubters and haters with an MVP-level two way masterpiece with 21 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, three stocks, and a +16.5 net rating in 45 minutes of action. It was clear there was something different about Mobley’s approach last night when he recorded five rebounds and three assists in his first nine minutes on the court. It was easy to tell he came out with an intent to dominate the boards and he did his part, nearly reaching the iconic 20/20 double double. When Mobley’s on his game defensively, the Cavs are impossible to beat, and if he’s boarding like this (career best!) the Cavs’ ceiling just got a lot higher. His offensive rebound and kickout to Garland with 13 left in OT1 was a essential to the win. The next step in the process is consistency, and there’s no way yours truly will bet against Evan figuring it out:

The lift that Jarrett Allen’s return provided was palpable, especially on the defensive end as the Cavs recorded an elite 105.4 defensive rating while JA was on the court. Even better, JA’s offensive efficiency came back to its usual elite self, with an 8-11 shooting performance. There’s no Cav that typifies the “junkyard dawg” mentality better than JA, which is why yours truly calls him the spiritual leader of the team. He does all the dirty work, setting screens, scrapping for rebounds, putting his body on the line to challenge all comers who dare him at the rim. His willingness to do the little things sets the table for others to shine.

Last but not least, Donovan Mitchell posted another “ho-hum” 30+ point performance with some nice playmaking on the side. The thing that stands out about Spida’s game last night was his ability to cede to DG when DG had the hot hand in overtime. His ability to blend and play the team game and choosing his spots to dominate makes him a unique superstar in today’s NBA. Above all, Mitchell’s a very smart man… he knows there’s a golden career opportunity here in Cleveland and he’s seizing the moment. He’s just got to stop the late fourth quarter turnovers.

2. Caris LeVert rises to the occasion

It would be easy for a player such as Caris LeVert to take his “demotion” from the starting lineup with a bad attitude and selfishness. He did the exact opposite, providing timely plays and uplifting the Cavs when they needed it the most down the stretch as Lamar Stevens floundered late in the game and Isaac “Ice” Okoro unable to guard without fouling. Caris rose to the challenge and provided lock down defense as the Cavs posted an insanely good 88.1 defensive rating last night with Caris’ 30-plus minutes on the court.

It’s funny watching some Cavs fans sour on him so quickly when he’s been one of highest winning impact players on the team this season (+6.7 net rating this season in 15 games). He was put in a worse position by the coach through no fault of his own. Now that he’s coming off the bench it’ll be much easier for him to get him the ball and make plays, which he’s doing at an elite level this season (25.3 assist ratio, NBA average is 17.9). Such is the curse of lofty expectations I suppose…

After a wide open missed triple by starting SF Lamar Stevens during the Cavs’ collapse in regulation, Caris re-entered and played both OTs giving the home team some needed offense and defense (even though he struggled from the field). LeVert coming off the bench, but finishing with the starters feels like it could be the norm at least until Rubio’s return.

3. JB’s Thibs bit is wearing thin

Didn't know Thibs coached here. pic.twitter.com/vUR558zoCr

— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) November 19, 2022

This tweet is funny because Cavs’ beat writer Spencer Davies is a very positive guy who is one to never criticize. When Davies finally calls you out for something, the situation has approached painful obviousness. Apropos, Cedi Osman posted a team high +23.1 net rating in his scant seven minutes on the court, yet somehow found himself riding the pine most of the night. It’s just outright disrespectful of J.B. to yank minutes from a guy in Cedi that’s been instrumental off the bench (+11.3 net rating on the season) especially when the team was doing great when Cedi was in. Someone should send out a search crew for Raul Neto, who’s apparently gone missing, never to return. It’d be nice if someone, anyone, from the media was curious enough to ask about the short rotations even if J.B.’s reply is something pithy such as “they’re all young they’ll be fine.”

4. Quick note on Charlotte

Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets ran a disaster class in the off-season, with guys getting hurt or arrested left and right to the point where many NBA observers thought the Hornets’ best course of action this season was to stealth tank and reload the roster with another elite talent to pair with LaMelo Ball.  Despite Terry Rozier’s typical Cav killing moments late in the game, that plan appears fully intact with exception of the re-hiring of Coach Steve Clifford, who’s got his guys playing hard even if the end result is a bunch of futility. One move that Coach Clifford needs to make however is benching the washed Mason Plumlee for Nick Richards, who absolutely rose to the occasion and competed his ass off against the Cavs’ Tower City. There’s been years of trash center play in Charlotte, maybe they’ve found a diamond in the rough.

5. Next up, the Miami Heat

The Cavs welcome the Miami Heat to the shores of Lake Erie for a Sunday evening Eastern Conference showdown. The Heat have stumbled out of the gate this season and are looking to build some confidence towards the future, which a win on the road in Cleveland would surely accomplish. For the Cavs, it’s a chance to build some positive momentum, keep a good team buried in the standings, and try to survive a brutal stretch of games that includes the Hawks, the Blazers, and the Bucks. Hopefully, “James” Dean Wade is on the mend as well, Go Cavs!

6. For your listening pleasure…

Shoutout to Billy Joel for this banger, have a great Saturday Commentariat!!!