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Donovan Mitchell

Watch Donovan Mitchell demoralize the Bulls with a filthy spin move

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Just prior to Monday night’s Cavs-Bulls game in Chicago, the NBA named Darius Garland the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

It was a well-deserved honor for Garland, who averaged a team-high 25 points, 7.3 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 57.6% from 3-point range during Week 3 of NBA action.

Garland’s Player of the Week recognition comes one week after his backcourt teammate Donovan Mitchell received the same honor.

Last night at the United Center in Chicago, Mitchell reminded us why “Spida” has garnered Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors four times since joining the Cavs.

Spida led all scorers with 36 points – including seven 3-pointers – grabbed eight rebounds and had four steals. He also did this in the second quarter:

To set the stage for this, Mitchell drained a 3-pointer on the previous Cavs possession to give Cleveland a 48-42 lead with 8:49 left in the second. On the ensuing Bulls possession, Mitchell helped generate a turnover. After Mitchell’s 3-point attempt bounced off the rim, Evan Mobley secured the rebound and Spida swooped in for this acrobatic spinning layup, which prompted a Chicago timeout. (Take note of the Bulls’ body language after this shot.)

With back-to-back Eastern Conference Player of the Week honorees on the team, the Cavaliers have the luxury of star power and depth – and it was all on display Monday night in Chicago, as the Cavs became the eighth team in NBA history to start the season 12-0.

Darius Garland

Darius Garland named Eastern Conference Player of the Week

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Darius Garland is back, and the NBA is taking notice.

On Monday, the NBA announced that Garland has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 4 (Week 3).

Garland was key to the Cavaliers’ 4-0 record this past week, extending the team’s overall record to an NBA-best and franchise-record 11-0 start to the season. Cleveland became just the 12th team in league history to win their first 11 games of a season and the first since the 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors.

During the week, Garland averaged a team-high 25 points, 7.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 31.8 minutes while shooting a remarkable .617 from the field, .576 from 3-point range and .875 from the foul line.

The 24-year-old was the only player in the East to average at least 25 points while shooting at least .600 from the field and .500 from three-point range this past week.

Among Eastern Conference leaders, Garland ranked second in three-pointers made (19), second in plus/minus (+49), fourth in 3-point percentage (.576, minimum of 10 attempts), sixth in assists per game (7.3), seventh in field-goal percentage (.617) and tied for seventh in points per game (25).

It was a week bursting with highlights.

Nov. 4, Milwaukee

Garland opened the week with a season-high 39 points on 15-of-22 (.682) shooting from the field, including 7-for-11 (.636) from beyond the arc, and a game-high eight assists in 35 minutes during Cleveland’s 116-114 win over Milwaukee on Nov. 4. That night, he became just the fifth player in Cavaliers history to tally at least 39 points, seven 3-pointers and eight assists in a single game, joining LeBron James (three times), Mo Williams, Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell.

Nov. 6, New Orleans

The following contest, a 131-122 victory at New Orleans on Nov. 6, Garland posted a near double-double with 14 points, including 4-of-6 (.667) shooting from beyond the arc, a game-high nine assists and one block in 30 minutes.

Nov. 8, Golden State

During a 136-117 win versus Golden State on Nov. 8, Garland helped the team record its largest halftime lead in franchise history (+41, 83-42) and finished the night with a game-high 27 points on 9-of-17 (.529) shooting from the field, including 6-of-11 (.545) from the 3-point line, six assists and three steals in 30 minutes, while also passing Irving and Foots Walker (2,115) for fifth place on the Cavaliers’ all-time assists list.

Nov. 9, Brooklyn

In the final game of the week, a 105-100 victory over Brooklyn on Nov. 9, Garland helped the Cavaliers overcome a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter and recorded 20 points and six assists in 32 minutes. With his second 3-pointer in the win over the Nets, he tied Irving (723) for the fourth-most 3-pointers made in franchise history.

In 11 games this season, Garland is averaging 20.5 points, 6.6 assists and 1.18 steals in just 29.5 minutes per contest. He is the only player in the NBA averaging at least 20 points while shooting .500 from the field, .400 from 3-point range and .900 from the foul line.

This is Garland’s second career Player of the Week honor (once in 2021-2022), making him the seventh player in Cavaliers history to win the award multiple times, joining LeBron James (42), Kyrie Irving (four), Donovan Mitchell (four), Andre Miller (two), Terrell Brandon (two) and Mike Mitchell (two).

Garland’s recent honor also marks the 69th time a Cavalier has ever won the weekly award, and the second consecutive week a Cavalier has earned Player of the Week status, following Donovan Mitchell’s win in Week 2.

Ty Jerome

Two words: Ty Jerome

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When Ty Jerome injured his ankle in the second game of the 2023-2024 season, most Cavs fans probably didn’t realize what they were missing. I know I didn’t.

The Cavaliers signed Jerome to a two-year, $5 million contract in July 2023, snatching him from Golden State. At the time, the Virginia alum was a restricted free agent, after playing for one season with the Warriors. Golden State made him a qualifying offer but wasn’t willing to match Cleveland’s bid.

Since his NBA debut with Phoenix in 2019, Jerome has spent most of his career coming off the bench. Prior to this year, Jerome’s most productive season was with Oklahoma City in 2020, when he averaged 10.7 points and 3.6 assists a game. That season, Jerome shot 42% from 3-point range.

The severe high-ankle sprain that Jerome sustained during the Cavaliers’ 2023 home opener sidelined him for the rest of the season, so fans never got a chance to see why the Cavs snagged him from the Warriors – until now.

Thus far, Jerome is averaging 10 points, 3.3 assists and two rebounds per game for the Cavs. According to StatDefender, Jerome leads the NBA in most points per possession (1.56) as the ball handler on the pick-and-roll.

And the most impressive stat: He’s doing all of that in 16 minutes of playing time per game.

Even when he’s not putting up noteworthy numbers, Jerome knows how – and when – to make an impact. A perfect example is the Cavs’ 105-100 win over Brooklyn on Saturday.

Jerome had four points and five assists in that game. They all came in the fourth quarter, when the Cavs were digging out from under a double-digit deficit.

That wasn’t lost on head coach Kenny Atkinson.

“Ty was really good at the end of the game,” Atkinson said afterward. “ … Ty’s been a playmaker. You normally don’t think of Ty in that vein. You think more of a connector, smart player. But he’s making plays, and that’s completely surprising to me. That was a hell of a finish, and we needed it.”

While he acknowledged that Jerome “doesn’t have a great reputation as a defender,” Atkinson has been pleasantly surprised by Jerome’s defense as well.

“He’s defending this year, as well as he’s ever defended,” Atkinson said, . “ … He’s been outstanding.”

Through 11 games, Jerome is averaging 1.4 steals per game – a career high. Atkinson said he marvels at Jerome’s ability to generate turnovers, even if his techniques are a bit unconventional.

“He’s got great hands. Even if he gets beat, he pokes from behind. Then he’s got that one if a guy’s coming down really fast at him, he just dives in there and goes for the steal. … He’s got this weird knack for stealing the ball in an unusual way.”

Jerome’s clutch performance down the stretch Saturday night prompted this tweet from teammate Tristan Thompson, which inspired the headline for this article:

Those two words say it all.

Cavs getting teams' best shot

Cavaliers are ‘getting everyone’s best shot now’

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After a busy Sunday with the family, I’m rewatching Saturday night’s come-from-behind win over the Nets.

Mercifully, there was no Browns game this weekend, so Northeast Ohio was able to celebrate the Cavs’ 11-0 start without any distractions.

On the second night of a back-to-back – and the Cavaliers looking a bit sluggish at times – Evan Mobley led the Cavs with 23 points, 16 rebounds, four steals and a late-game block. He really stepped up when the team needed him.

Donovan Mitchell went 4-for-4 from 3-point range in the first quarter and the Cavs jumped out to a 34-28 lead. But the feisty Nets – who lost to the Celtics in OT the night before – kept hitting shots, and seemingly had the Cavaliers on the ropes in the third quarter.

With Mobley and Darius Garland leading the way, the Cavs dug out of a 14-point deficit and outscored the Nets 35-18 in the fourth quarter, eking out a 105-100 win.

A few thoughts:

  1. Even with Dean Wade in uniform and presumably feeling better, coach Kenny Atkinson went with Isaac Okoro in the starting lineup, for the fourth straight game. On the telecast Saturday night, John Michael made a point to mention that Atkinson planned to stick with that lineup going forward. I like Okoro, but I like Wade better as a starter.
  2. Okoro had a great game Friday night against Golden State, going 4-for-6 from 3-point range. He finished with 16 points, four assists and a team-high +32 rating.
  3. The next night against Brooklyn, Okoro had three points and went 0-for-3 from 3-point range. He finished with a team-low -20 rating.
  4. Okoro wasn’t the only Cav who was in a funk. Jarrett Allen – the double-double machine – looked gassed in the second night of a back-to-back. The usually dependable Allen finished with four points and five rebounds, and Atkinson limited the Fro to 21 minutes of playing time.
  5. The Nets were on the second night of a back-to-back as well, and they gave the Cavaliers all they could handle, one night after giving the NBA champs all they could handle. Caris LeVert credited the Nets’ full-court pressure and physical defense for disrupting the Cavs’ flow.
  6. “They did a really good job just kind of mucking the game up, making it a little slower, not letting us move freely,” LeVert said. “We’ll watch the film and see how we can get better from it.”
  7. After the Cavaliers’ 105-100 victory, the Cavs’ NBA-leading scoring average dropped from 124.5 points per game to 122.7.
  8. LeVert had 12 points, six assists and two blocks for the Cavs off the bench. Commenting on the Nets’ defensive pressure, LeVert said: “You’re starting to see that we’re getting everyone’s best shot now. People are starting to take notice of what we’re doing, and it’s fun.”
  9. If this is the year that the Cavs take the next step, winning the second night of a back-to-back is just the latest sign that they’re ready. “It was a great challenge for us,” LeVert told reporters. “Great teams win the second nights of back-to-backs.”
  10. The Cavs’ camaraderie was on full display during Garland’s postgame interview, when Donovan Mitchell tried to douse Garland with water (or liquid LSD). Garland, who hit some clutch shots in the fourth quarter, was clearly gassed. “We fought for 48 minutes, literally,” Garland said. “Coming off a back-to-back, that was a big ****ing win. That was a good win.”

 

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 2

Cavs eviscerate Warriors, and I’m busting

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I’m trying not to overreact here.

It’s a long season.

A lot can happen between now and the end of April.

Still, it’s hard not to get super-pumped when you’ve parlayed $10 into $13.60 since downloading the FanDuel Sportsbook app. I’m on a two-game win streak, and the Cavs are on a 10-game win streak, so life is good (as they say in the popular parlance).

I am busting. Jerry, I’m busting!

 

 

The Cavs just gave the Golden State Warriors – our archnemesis, the evil empire – a taste of their own medicine in front of a rapturous home crowd. A comeuppance, if you will (and I will). The 3-point shots were falling, the offense was flowing and the camaraderie was on full display at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, on a Friday night to boot.

If I may be so bold: It wasn’t unlike watching the Warriors in their heyday.

As many fans probably do, I have a veritable Cavalanche of thoughts.

  1. A relative in the Bay Area texted me earlier this week, feeling very confident about the Warriors. And this was before they beat the Celtics. I tried to temper his expectations, in the most loving way possible. I tried to convey just how scorching hot the Cavs are right now. But I guess he had to see for himself. He had to learn the hard way.
  2. Making history: At the end of the first half, with the Cavs up 83-42, FanDuel Sports Network’s Serena Winters noted that the 83-point outburst set a franchise record for most points scored in a first half. The Associated Press said the 41-point halftime lead is a franchise first. The Cavs came into the game holding the record for consecutive wins to open a season. The hits just keep coming.
  3. No news flash here: In a postgame interview, Ty Jerome affirmed that the Cavs are playing with a lot of confidence right now. Jerome had 20 points off the Cavalier bench. “We have a lot of depth, [and] we’re using it,” Jerome told Winters. “Different guys [are] stepping up every night. And we’re rolling.”
  4. The Warriors came to town riding a five-game win streak, and they were undefeated on the road. They were riding high after a big win in Boston. This throwback (or should I say “froback”) game had all the markings of a marquee matchup. But it didn’t play out that way. The Warriors never led in this game, and they looked lethargic. The first half looked like a Harlem Globetrotters game, at times.
  5. “I think the biggest thing is how we came out and set the tone right from the beginning,” Georges Niang said on the postgame show. “Just defensively wearing them out, and then getting the spots we wanted to get to and making shots.” It was raining threes inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Isaac Okoro, who started in place of Dean Wade, was 4-for-6 from 3-point range, while Ty Jerome was 3-for-3 and Darius Garland was 6-for-11 from long distance.
  6. Raising the bar: When you’re as hot as the Cavs are right now, you have to challenge yourself to get better, even after a decisive 136-117 win over Steph Curry and the Warriors. In the second half, Golden State outscored the Cavs 75-53. That wasn’t lost on Jerome. “We need to keep getting better everyday,” he said. “That second half wasn’t great. We picked up some bad habits. We kind of played to the score.”
  7. Jarrett Allen used that same phrase in his postgame interview. “We didn’t come out with the same intensity, the same defensive mindset,” Allen added. “They got a lot of easy baskets on us, and we weren’t sharing the ball.” Still, when you’ve built a 41-point lead at halftime, I think you’re allowed to pace yourself in the second half – especially on the first night of a back-to-back.
  8. Speaking of Allen, I made a $5 bet that The Fro would snag more than 10 rebounds in the game. I think he had six or seven at halftime. With the game trending in the direction that it was, my biggest concern was that Allen might see limited action in the second half, as Atkinson – who has leaned into the Cavs’ depth from Week 1 – might want to rest him with Saturday night’s game in mind. Fortunately (for me, at least), the Warriors played much better in the second half, and Allen grabbed 12 rebounds in 30 minutes of action. And I’m $2.08 richer.
  9. Would it be terrible if I said Allen probably would’ve played 44 minutes if J.B. Bickerstaff was still coaching? Am I a bad person for saying that?
  10. I feel like I’m late to the sports-betting party, and that’s probably a good thing, given my personality. It’s fun, though. One thing I don’t like is that it changes the way you watch a game. I found myself rooting for Golden State to make it a close game in the second half, simply because it increased the chances of Allen staying on the court. And every time the Cavs launched a 3-pointer – which was often – I was disappointed, just for a nanosecond, when it went in.
  11. This one goes to 11: While the Cavs cruised Friday night, the Nets lost to Boston in overtime, 108-104. In terms of “heavy legs,” Brooklyn likely will be at a disadvantage. The Cavs have an excellent shot at an 11th consecutive win to start the season.
New Orleans

Cavs set a franchise record in the Big Easy, and they make it look kinda easy

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We have a fruit-fly infestation in our home, and the Cavaliers set a franchise record by starting the season 9-0.

I’d rather talk about the Cavs.

The Cavaliers fell behind early, tied it at halftime and then overpowered the Pelicans in the second half. They’re absolutely rolling.

I’d like to tell you it wasn’t easy in the Big Easy, just so I can use that line, but … it kinda was. At least in the second half. Even with the Pelicans outscoring the Cavs 34-32 in the fourth quarter – and even with the disparity in foul shots – it never felt like the win streak was in serious jeopardy. The Cavs are just too locked-in right now.

Here are some initial thoughts. With my ADHD brain, it’s hard to corral all of them.

  1. I think it’s safe to say that this is a really good situation for Kenny Atkinson, who now holds the record for the longest winning streak by a coach in their first year with a team. Atkinson inherited a team that made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. But he also got a group that must be a coach’s dream: talented, no-nonsense, unselfish. There’s great chemistry, and not a whiff of any LeBron-size egos. Most of them have been playing together for a few years, so there’s familiarity, continuity and trust. And they’re mostly healthy.
  2. Atkinson brings “a calm sort of confidence,” Caris LeVert told reporters after the Cavs won their ninth straight to start the season. “He never panics. I think he just fits perfectly with the group. It’s kind of been a seamless transfer.”
  3. That calm confidence was palpable when the Cavs fell behind early in the game. They steadily chipped away at a 12-point Pelicans lead, tying the game at 59-59 by halftime.
  4. The Cavs are a team that looks ready to take the next step, and Atkinson – after three years as an assistant to Steve Kerr in Golden State – looks like he’s ready to take his coaching career to the next level. He’s in the perfect spot to do that.
  5. One of the kids left an open smoothie bottle on the kitchen table. When we came back from a five-day trip to upstate New York, there were fruit flies everywhere. When I saw a cloud of fruit flies enveloping the smoothie bottle, it was clear that something comparable to an orgy had taken place in there.
  6. Speaking of smoothies, it seemed like there were a lot of empty seats at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The official attendance was 15,694, but the margin of error is a couple thousand, right?
  7. Atkinson was a hot topic of conversation during the Cavs postgame show. On Atkinson’s decision to pass up potential head-coaching jobs so he could continue working with Kerr in  Golden State, Austin Carr opined: “[Atkinson] knew he had to have a little bit more polish on his coaching game.” It sure seems like things are clicking for Atkinson now.
  8. LeVert picked up right where he left off after missing the last couple games with knee soreness. LeVert had 16 points, six rebounds and six assists in the win over New Orleans.
  9. “It’s just a fun group to play with,” LeVert told reporters after the game. “We enjoy being around each other. And we’re getting better every game.”
  10. I can’t say enough about Ty Jerome. He had 11 points, five assists and two steals in 15:48 of game action. “His IQ is through the roof,” Atkinson said of Jerome, who missed all but two games last year with a severe ankle injury. Not to be overlooked on his list of compliments, Atkinson added: “I’m really happy with his defense too.”
Darius Garland

Garland shines in come-from-behind win over Bucks

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When the Cavaliers went off for 73 points in the first half Monday night against the Milwaukee Bucks – who were playing without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo – it looked like an 8-0 start to the season was a foregone conclusion.

However, the Bucks showed some grit in the second half, outscoring the Cavs 31-16 in the third quarter to take a two-point lead into the final frame.

The Bucks held the lead until the 3:24 mark in the fourth quarter, when Darius Garland tied the game with a layup off a Donovan Mitchell steal.

Garland hit three more big shots down the stretch – none bigger than his step-back 3-pointer that gave the Cavs a 113-111 lead with 45 seconds left.

The Cavaliers held on for a 116-114 win to improve to 8-0 on the season, tying a franchise record dating back to 1976.

Garland was magnificent, leading all scorers with 39 points and outdueling his idol Damian Lillard.

Garland added eight assists. Kenny Atkinson raved about Garland’s late-game pass to Jarrett Allen, who was cutting to the basket off a pick-and-roll. Allen’s layup gave the Cavs a 115-111 lead with 12 seconds left.

“I don’t know how he got it there,” Atkinson said of Garland’s pass.

What impressed Atkinson the most about Garland?

“Thirty-nine points, but [only] two turnovers,” Atkinson told reporters. “Even the last game in Milwaukee, no one talked about Darius, but he had 10 assists and two turnovers. He is a true point guard. Now add the scoring to it, [and] you’ve got an All-Star guy. He’s really playing unbelievable basketball.”

Garland was 7-of-11 from 3-point range. After the game, Garland talked about how his 3-point shooting has a cascading effect on the rest of his game.

“When I make a couple, [the defense starts] overreacting,” Garland told reporters. “And that’s when the lane just starts to open up, and that’s when I get downhill, so I look for teammates so the floater’s there. [Atkinson] wants me to shoot more 3’s so it can open up [the rest of my game]. I think I’m a pretty good shooter, so if I make a couple, I think all hell will break loose from there.”

Garland looks like a different player this year, after a jaw injury sidelined him for 19 games. When he returned to game action last season, Garland struggled to find his groove.

When asked if he feels more like himself this season, Garland coyly responded: “No … and yes.”

“No because I always had that aggression. I always had that mindset that I can just blow by anybody, I can get to the spots that I want to get to,” Garland said. “Yes because my head is free. I’m playing freely, my confidence is super high, my teammates got my back.”

Garland added: “I really appreciate my teammates and my coaching staff … telling me to be me, and that’s what I’m trying to do for the rest of the season.”

Donovan Mitchell

Musings on the Cavs’ 7-0 start, Kenny Atkinson’s substitutions and Donovan Mitchell’s superstar status

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I just got back from a family wedding in upstate New York, where I learned that there still are places in the continental United States with little to no Wi-Fi or cellular coverage.

That couldn’t have come at a more inopportune time, of course. I ended up missing the Cavaliers’ thrilling 114-113 win over the hapless Bucks Saturday night.

To be clear, even with the luxury of a robust Wi-Fi signal, I probably wouldn’t have watched (much of) the game. There’s no way I would’ve let myself be that guy – the dork who’s glued to a regular-season NBA game at a wedding. But, streaming anything on this bucolic goat farm just wasn’t in the cards, so it’s purely academic at this point.

After watching the game Sunday in the privacy of my home, I have some thoughts that I wanted to record for posterity.

  1. That was one of the best regular-season NBA games I’ve seen in a long time. There’s a grossly grossly overused sports cliché – “This feels like a heavyweight fight” – and I feel comfortable using it to describe this game, a Central Division showdown that featured 19 lead changes. (I also would’ve accepted “This game had a playoff atmosphere.”)
  2. Donovan Mitchell is a heckuva player, but I sometimes wonder if he qualifies as a bona fide superstar. And what, pray tell, are the criteria for being deemed a superstar? A clutch, clutch shot like the game-winner Saturday night in Milwaukee – and his 30-point performance on the second night of a back-to-back – helped answer both questions for me.
  3. FanDuel Sports Network play-by-play announcer John Michael called Mitchell’s game-winning jump shot “the Donovan Dagger.” I think I can work with that.
  4. Mitchell isn’t afraid to talk some smack on the court, and that’s one of the things I like most about him (that, and he can back it up). It brings some much-needed attitude and swagger to an otherwise mild-mannered team.
  5. When the Cavs acquired Mitchell in 2022, Koby Altman said something to the effect that the Cavs were interested in Donovan Mitchell the player and the person. I think about that quote when I watch Mitchell’s interviews with the media. Mitchell is likeable, authentic and well-put-together, and always quick to credit his teammates.
  6. After he cooly drained the game-winning shot Saturday night in Milwaukee, Mitchell told Serena Winters: “That’s not about the shot. That’s about Isaac Okoro’s rebound. We don’t get that possession without Isaac Okoro diving on the floor, calling that timeout, doing the little things. That what it’s all about. … It’s a group effort. I’m proud of the way we fought.”
  7. I really like having Dean Wade in the starting lineup. I like his size and length, his tenacious defense and his hustle. If you’re looking for a stat-sheet stuffer, this isn’t your guy. But if you’re looking for an athletic big who can knock down a few 3-pointers, snag some key rebounds and doggedly defend guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo when the game is on the line, look no further than Wade.
  8. It’s great to see Wade being more assertive in the paint this season. In the past, Wade was a bit timid. He’d get the ball and immediately kick it out to someone on the perimeter. If he can evolve into a low-post scoring threat, that would be a huge step forward in Wade’s development.
  9. It’s going to be interesting to see what Kenny Atkinson does when Max Strus returns. I know where I stand on this issue (see Thought No. 8).
  10. I love Atkinson’s substitutions. With Caris LeVert nursing a sore knee, Atkinson relied heavily on Sam Merrill and Isaac Okoro, and they both provided a spark that the Cavs desperately needed.
  11. As expected, the once-mighty Bucks (now 1-5) came out with a chip on their shoulder in the first quarter. When it looked like the game was getting out of hand, Merrill steadied the ship with three first-quarter 3-pointers, and Okoro drained another to pull the Cavs within seven. Merrill finished with 17 points (and he drew a charge), and Okoro was 3-of-4 from 3-point range, finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds while playing his little heart out trying to corral Damian Lillard (unsuccessfully, I might add). Little-used point guard Craig Porter Jr. dropped a couple dimes in 5:26 of playing time.
  12. Jarrett Allen is listed at 6-9 (6-10 with the fro), and he’s kind of slight compared to a lot of the other centers and power forwards in the league. Despite giving up some height and width to guys like Giannis, Joel Embiid and Brook Lopez, Allen will mix it up with anybody – as evidenced by his 15-point, 12-rebound performance in Milwaukee. Lunchpail in hand, The Fro does what The Fro does, and we love him for it.
  13. The Cavaliers are playing with a lot of confidence right now. On the second night of a back-to-back – against a desperate team playing in front of a raucous home crowd – the Cavs took the Bucks’ best shot and didn’t flinch. They stayed as cool as the statue of Arthur Fonzarelli on the Milwaukee waterfront.
  14. As mentioned earlier, the Bucks are 1-5. Yes, it’s a long season. But it seems like the perennial championship contenders have lost their mojo. The superficial take is the Bucks simply don’t have the supporting cast that they’ve had in years past, forcing Antetokounmpo and Lillard to shoulder a disproportionate amount of the load. If the Bucks don’t turn things around soon, expect the Antetokounmpo trade rumors to hit a fever pitch.
  15. Merrill is a stone-cold assassin. The guy can get set for a 3-point shot faster than you can say “I wanna see ya in a Ken Ganley Kia.”
Cavs are 5-0

The 5-0 Cavs are exorcising some demons

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The undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers are rapidly approaching “Putting the Rest of the NBA on Notice” territory.

Yes, it’s early. And the Cavs front-loaded three quick wins over inferior opponents to tip off the 2024-2025 season.

But Monday’s night’s slugfest in Madison Square Garden – in which the Cavs battled back from a 13-point deficit to knock off the Knicks – was a statement win over a team that’s had their number in recent years.

And Wednesday night’s demolition of the Los Angeles Lakers was an exclamation point to that statement.

As of Thursday, the Cavs have the best record in the NBA at 5-0, and are one of only two undefeated teams in the association.

Heading into Wednesday night’s showdown with the Lakers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, LeBron James was 9-2 against the Cavs. With Anthony Davis controlling the boards, the Lakers went 2-0 against the Cavaliers last season.

But things are different this year.

The Cavs pushed the pace against the Lakers – a point of emphasis for Kenny Atkinson this season – and jumped out to a 42-23 first-quarter lead. Their biggest lead of the game was a 28-point margin.

En route to a 134-110 win, Evan Mobley led the Cavaliers with 25 points in just 19 minutes of action. Mobley was absolutely dominant in the fourth quarter – despite being saddled with four fouls to start the quarter – and scored the first 11 Cavs points of the final frame.

“I think he was a little frustrated with the foul situation and the minutes and all that,” Atkinson said of Mobley after the game. “We ran the first play for him. Then they went zone. We talked about it before the game, they go to that 3-2 zone. … We got him the ball at the foul line, and he just started playmaking. He’s so, so talented.”

Atkinson also had high praise for Caris LeVert, who chipped in 16 points off the bench.

“I just can’t say enough [about LeVert],” Atkinson told reporters.  “We’re imploring him to be a more efficient player, to embrace the catch-and-shoot. He’s such a good ball handler, but man the way the league is now, we need his shooting too. … He’s doing it on both ends, I think defensively he’s been phenomenal.”

Donovan Mitchell had 24 points, while Jarrett Allen had 20 points and hauled in 17 big rebounds.

Atkinson, who coached Allen in Brooklyn, raved about The Fro as well, asserting that Allen is “dominating on both ends right now.”

Five games into the season, the Cavs lead the NBA in field-goal percentage (53.9%) and 3-point percentage (41.1%). The Cavaliers are second in points per game (125.6) and steals per game (12).

The next test comes Friday night, when Orlando comes to town.

Darius Garland

Darius Garland has returned to form, and that’s bad news for Cavs opponents

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Count me among those Cavaliers fans who were underwhelmed by the team’s offseason moves.

Don’t get me wrong: Signing Donovan Mitchell to a three-year extension was a big deal (not to mention a middle finger to every national sports pundit who said there was zero chance that Mitchell would stay in Cleveland). Locking down Evan Mobley was a no-brainer, in my opinion, and extending Jarrett Allen’s contract after a career year made sense.

And J.B. Bickerstaff had to go.

But, absent any splashy free-agent signings or convoluted multi-team trades, what did the Cavs do to put themselves in a stronger position to compete with the Boston Celtics this season?

How about bringing back a healthy Darius Garland?

While that’s maybe not the answer you were looking for, the Cavaliers are 4-0 to start the season, and Garland is a big reason why.

At his best, Garland is a quick, crafty, elusive slasher who can create his own shot and score on demand. Garland is a perimeter threat as well, and when his 3-point shot is falling – like it was Monday night in Madison Square Garden – it can leave opposing teams gobsmacked. Let’s not forget that Garland is a gifted passer as well, and was among the league leaders in assists for the past two seasons prior to 2023.

Speaking of last season, Garland missed 19 games after suffering a broken jaw in a collision with Kristaps Porzingis on Dec. 14, 2023. When he came back from the grueling recovery, Garland had lost weight, and never regained his groove. Even on his best nights after the jaw injury, he was a shell of his former self.

Fast-forward to Monday night.

In a rock-‘em sock-‘em, grind-it-out win over the Knicks, Garland was sensational, leading all scorers with 34 points. But it wasn’t even the point total that was most impressive. It was when he did it.

When Miles McBride hit a 3-pointer to give New York an 87-86 lead with 7:14 left, Garland answered with a trey to put Cleveland back on top, 89-87.

After Jalen Brunson tied the game at 89-89, Garland hit a floating jump shot off the glass to make it 91-89. After a Brunson miss on the next possession, Garland found Allen cutting to the basket to extend the Cavs’ lead.

Down the stretch, Garland drained two more 3-pointers, hit another jumper, canned two free throws and had two steals and two blocks – yes, blocks.

One of the aforementioned blocks came when Brunson was barreling toward the basket with just under two minutes to play, and the Cavs were clinging to a four-point lead. Backpedaling, Garland was the only obstacle in Brunson’s path, and he thwarted a potentially momentum-shifting Brunson dunk.

“Everyone’s gonna talk about his offensive game,” coach Kenny Atkinson said of Garland after the game. “I’m gonna talk about his two stops – his two blocks at the end of the game. Those were huge plays.

“ … To get that offensive game, we all know he can do that. But to add the defense to it, just a 10-out-of-10 game for him. He was phenomenal.”

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