Cavs Defense Keeps Hawks Grounded, Bucks Loom on the Horizon

On a brisk Saturday night in Hot-lanta, a monthlong reprieve in the schedule came full circle for the Cavs.

Flashback to early December (caution – the following content might be painful for some fans). The Cavs were 13-9 and recovering from a slow start to the 2023-2024 season. They were riding a three-game winning streak that included quality wins over Orlando (Dec. 6) and Miami (Dec. 8).

Then came the no-good very-bad really-very-bad week.

It started on Monday, Dec. 11, with a 104-94 loss to the upstart Magic, and went from bad to worse with their fateful trip to Boston. On Dec. 15 – the day after Darius Garland fractured his jaw in a crash with Kristaps Porzingis – the Cavs announced that Garland and Evan Mobley would miss a significant chunk of playing time.

But then the basketball gods took mercy on the hard-luck Cavaliers, with a favorable stretch of schedule that was just what the doctor ordered for a team that was nothing short of shellshocked.

It all started with a 127-119 win over Atlanta that tipped off a three-game homestand. Since that Dec. 16 win over the Hawks, the Cavs are 11-3, which is the best record in the NBA over that timeframe.

Make that 12-3 since Dec. 16.

With the Cavs’ easy 116-95 victory on Jan. 20 in Atlanta, they also own the NBA’s longest current winning streak at seven.

What a difference a newfound identity and a compassionate schedule make.

Playing Washington twice in the same week – at home – was karmic repayment for the Boston debacle, in my opinion. Playing Chicago twice – nice.

Playing the Hawks on the second night of a back-to-back (for them) – we’ll take it.

The soft patch in the schedule came at the perfect time, giving the Cavs a nice opportunity to recalibrate and try to rebuild their fro-mentum. They’ve done both, and then some.

They’re doing it the right way – with hustle and defense – and lead the NBA in rebounds, defensive rating and several other categories since Dec. 16.

As Brad Daugherty says early and often on recent Bally Sports telecasts, “It’s been fun to watch.” It’s about to get real, though.

Tough Test Ahead

The Cavs’ four-game roadtrip continues with a trip to Orlando on Monday and then to Milwaukee, for two games in three nights against the Bucks.

The Magic will be on the second night of a back-to-back, so the Cavs have that going for them. Which is nice.

Assuming Giannis is back in the lineup, the Bucks will be out for blood Wednesday night, after the Cavs’ 40-point win in Cleveland. But maybe, just maybe, the Cavs could eek out a Friday-night win at Fiserv Forum in Mee-lee-wah-kay, which is Algonquin for “the Good Land.” That would be fun to watch.

High Praise for Double T

Tristan Thompson isn’t going to stuff the stat sheet on most nights, but he did generate four points, three rebounds and two assists in his first six minutes of action Saturday night in Atlanta. He finished with six points and five rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.

When the Cavs signed Thompson in the offseason, it was an immediate upgrade over Robin Lopez. But for some of us – who maybe didn’t realize Thompson still played in the NBA – we didn’t know what the Cavs were getting beyond that.

Thompson has exceeded expectations, consistently flashing vintage Double T and being just a pest in the paint.

“He’s so hard to box out,“ Daugherty said on the Bally Sports telecast. “Offensively he’s just a nightmare because he will not stand still. … He’s excellent; one of the best offensive rebounders I’ve seen.”

Fro-nomenal

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Jarrett Allen’s franchise-record-tying 11th consecutive double-double. Allen had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Worth noting that Allen set the tone in the Dec. 16 win over Atlanta with a fro-nomenal 25 points and 14 rebounds that night.