Donovan Mitchell

The French word for camaraderie is easy to remember.

It’s camaraderie.

That’s kind of a misleading statement, because camaraderie comes from the French word “camarade,” according to Merriam-Webster. So it might be more accurate to say that the English word for camaraderie is camaraderie.

Regardless of whether you call them French fries or freedom fries, strong camaraderie in the NBA is a universal language, and it travels well. And the Cavs’ relatively effortless win over the Brooklyn Nets in Paris was a contrast between one team that has camaraderie and chemistry and one team that’s still trying to build it.

During the pre-game show on Bally Sports Ohio, Serena Winters reported that a number of Cavs players said their favorite part of the whirlwind Paris trip was the plane ride, which gave the guys an opportunity to spend some quality time together and talk about stuff other than basketball. Bonding time, if you will.

It’s easy to see why this group of guys is meshing on and off the court. The 2023-2024 Cavs are about as likeable a group as I’ve seen since the Mark Price-Brad Daugherty era – the kind of guys you can’t help but root for.

On the other side of the ledger, you have the Brooklyn Nets.

Just prior to the start of the third quarter – with the Cavs up by 20 – Cavaliers assistant coach Dan Geriot told Winters that the Nets are “a very individually talented team,” and the Cavs were having success “pinching the basketball” on defense and forcing the hapless Nets to play as a team – which didn’t happen.

Geriot’s left-handed compliment was pretty much on point in characterizing a Nets team that had lost six of their previous seven contests coming into the game. In the aftermath of the Kevin Durant/Kyrie Irving experiment, the Nets are struggling to find an identity – or any continuity whatsoever.

That’s not the case for the Cavaliers, who are 9-3 since losing starters Darius Garland and Evan Mobley to injuries. Of course, it helps that the Cavs hit a soft patch in their schedule.

It also helps when you have a Donovan Mitchell.

Germany Has David Hasselhoff, Paris Has …

With the rest of the Cavs looking jet-lagged, Mitchell set the tone early, scoring 10 of their first 12 points.

He was just getting started.

Austin Carr correctly observed that the Cavs played true to their newfound identity in the first half – playing tight defense and moving without the ball – but slipped into a “ball-dominant” mode in the second half, which let the Nets back into the game. Fortunately, Mitchell was able to douse a furious rally (well, “furious” is a strong word) in the fourth quarter with some crafty drives and big shots that prompted a smattering of “MVP” chants from inside Accor Arena.

Mitchell’s final stat line was ridiculous: 45 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals.

For MVP of the game, he gets all my votes.

Meanwhile, Caris LeVert continued to make a strong case for Sixth Man of the Year. The gluten-free Michigan product chipped in 21 points in 34 minutes off the bench.

And in the Paris, the City of Light – and the City of Fro-mance – I’d be remiss without mentioning Jarrett Allen’s eighth consecutive double-double. Allen, like a lot of the Cavs, looked a bit out of sorts playing the franchise’s first-ever game in Europe, but he still finished with 12 points, 12 boards and four blocks.

Parting Shots

Regardless of whether the Cavs are playing in Paris, Cleveland, Toronto, Timbuktu or Mars (c’mon NBA, make it happen), you can count on J.B. Bickerstaff riding the officials like a rented mule.