Cavs Week in Review (or, East Coast-ing)

Good evening CtB!

Here’s your retrospective over the past week or so of Cavs’ basketball…

1. Recap: Cavs 115, Nets 109 (or, East Coast-ing)

The Cavs coasted to a 115-109 win against the undermanned Brooklyn Nets, relying on their massive talent advantage and some elite offensive ball in the second and third quarters scoring 71 of their 115 points in said quarters. Donovan Mitchell put in an MVP performance with 31 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a team-high +20 plus/minus, while the bench duo of Caris LeVert and Cedi Osman combined for 30 points, seven assists, and six rebounds to round out the win.

The main downside to the game was the Cavs getting massively outrebounded 49-34, giving up nearly 20 offensive rebounds to one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA in the Nets. Since the time when Kevin Love was benched then subsequently bought out, the Cavs rank 29th in the NBA in defensive rebound rate at 68.3%. Prior to taking Love out of the rotation, the Cavs ranked 7th in defensive rebound rate at 73.2%. There have been more than a few ignorant voices among Cavs media and fandom that trashed Kevin Love’s defense in spite of clear evidence to the contrary, but Coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s decision to hand out minutes to either ineffective try-hards such as Lamar Stevens or even more washed veterans such as Danny Green has single handedly turned the Cavs’ ability to end defensive possessions from a clear strength to an abject disaster. To put a fine point on the Love decision:

Cavs’ defensive rating with Kevin Love in the rotation: 109.6
Cavs’ defensive rating with Kevin Love out of the rotation: 111.1

What’s the solution to this problem? Outside of consistent minutes to Dean Wade, there’s not much Bickerstaff can do except play more of Tower City. No wonder Love decided not to take Bickerstaff’s call after the buyout LMFAO.

2. Recap: Cavs 116, Nets 114 (or, Cold as Ice)

The Cavs’ East Coast-ing continued throughout most of the second game against the Nets on the road until a furious fourth quarter rally spearheaded by the game’s co-MVPs Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell culminated in a game winning three by none other than Isaac Okoro to break the hearts of Brooklyn 116-114. The Cavs did a better job on the boards narrowly losing the rebound battle 42-40, and took care of the basketball winning the turnover battle 15-9. These two wins against the Nets were crucial to wrapping up the Cavs’ pursuit of the playoffs and fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Here’s a look at the heroics of Caris LeVert and Isaac Okoro:

ISAAC OKORO FOR THE WIN 😱

WHAT A FINISH. pic.twitter.com/21XgHBFyRB

— NBA (@NBA) March 24, 2023

3. Recap: Rockets 91, Cavs 108 (or Back to Basics)

Outside of a third quarter lull, the Cavs played 36 minutes of dominant basketball to easily dispatch of the Houston Rockets 108-91. It was the “big four” who flexed their muscles and controlled this game. The Cavs got back to basics by feeding the big guys in the paint with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen combining for 43 points and 21 rebounds. The defense held the Rockets to 91 points and forced 16 turnovers. The only blemish on the game besides the third quarter has been the decline in play by Ricky Rubio. It appears he’s going through some fits of inconsistency as he tries to get back to pre-injury form.

4. CtB OGs Nate Smith and Adam Cathcart checking in…

Be sure to check out both Nate Smith’s recap on the Knicks’ game and Adam Cathcart’s recap on the Hawks’ game!

5. Recap: Pacers 105, Cavs 115 (or Zero Dark-Forty)

The Cavs paced themselves over the first three quarters before turning on the jets to dispatch of the Indiana Pacers 115-105 behind another 40-point MVP performance by Donovan Mitchell in a season full of them. It was a fourth quarter lineup of Caris LeVert, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, and Darius Garland that came through in the clutch as Coach J.B. Bickerstaff tries to solve the small-ball conundrum that the Cavs have struggled against numerous times over the season. But the real takeaway over the past few games has been how Spida has elevated his game to another level to lead this young team and set this team up for success going into the NBA playoffs. He impacted the game on both sides of the ball with 40 points, six rebounds, three steals, and a +16 plus/minus to lead all Cavs.

Another Cavs who deserves a shoutout for elevating his game has been Evan Mobley, especially at the center position. He also delivered a dominant two way performance with 14 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks, and +15 plus/minus in 39 minutes. He continues to expand his game, stuffing the stat sheet especially with his connective passing recently. Yours truly has a feeling that many NBA fans will remember the name Evan Mobley once the playoffs are underway…

6. Recap: Cavs 117, Magic 113 (or, Zero Dark-Forty: The Sequel)

Donovan Mitchell continued his stretch of MVP performances guiding the Cavs to a solid road win over a sneaky tough Orlando Magic squad 117-113, a win that secures the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference for the Cavs in the 2023 NBA playoffs. This was a game that the Cavs should’ve lost, losing the rebounding battle 47-30, the assist battle 25-23, and giving up over 50% shooting including 40% from three to the Magic. But the sheer force of will to win by Donovan Mitchell was the difference in the game, with a hyper-efficient 43 points, five rebounds, four assists, a block, and a +10 in 41 grueling minutes. Also chipping in on the win were two solid role player performances from Caris LeVert (19 points) and Jarrett Allen (+18 plus/minus in 34 minutes). The win allows the Cavs to load manage the last two games of the season and go into the playoffs against the New York Knicks as fresh as possible, which they will need to be because the Knicks are the toughest lower seeded team that any of the Eastern Conference teams will face.

#Cavs injury report for tomorrow's game against Orlando:

Jarrett Allen (groin), Darius Garland (lower leg contusion), Caris LeVert (knee soreness), Donovan Mitchell (finger sprain), Evan Mobley (rest), Isaac Okoro (knee soreness) and Dylan Windler (foot sprain) are all OUT.

— Kelsey Russo (@kelseyyrusso) April 5, 2023

7. CtB Knows Ball

Now that the season is wrapping up, it’s fun to go back and see how predictions turn out. As for CtB, the King Evil Genius was diabolically accurate, predicting the seed and record nearly perfectly (assuming the Cavs probably don’t win out solely because of load management). There were many Cavs fans and Cavs media with weak, timid takes that tried to sell the narrative that the Cavs weren’t ready for prime time and that the Cavs were “too young, too inexperienced” to make the playoffs and be a real contender. Not here at CtB, we saw the vision and trusted Donovan Mitchell’s ability to carry a team and play elite basketball. Now, the real fun starts… it’s clear the Cavs belong with the big boys, expectations should be high because time is ticking. Donovan Mitchell wants to prove himself as a champion, and it’s silly to think he isn’t fully capable of carrying a squad to the highest of heights. Yeah the Cavs are young, but these boys want to win, they’re elite already and just getting started… GO CAVS!