When Will Cavs Play A Complete Game?

This playoff season for the Cleveland Cavaliers is becoming very frustrating to watch. Outside of Game 1 of the first round series against the Toronto Raptors, Kenny Atkinson’s squad hasn’t played a complete good game.

They won Game 2 despite not playing well and were victorious in Game 5 because Dennis Schroder willed them to a triumph in the fourth quarter and won Game 7 because Jarrett Allen had an epic third quarter. They simply have not played well, not at the level a team wanting to make a deep run in the playoffs should be.

Another maddening trend is the falling behind early. In Tuesday night’s loss in Game 1 against Detroit, they fell behind by 16 after the first quarter, trailing 37-21.

Despite all that and a slew of turnovers, James Harden being the main culprit in that area, the Cavaliers fought back and tied the game with 5:28 remaining. They had a chance to take the lead after Cade Cunningham missed a three, but Harden’s floater was blocked by Jalen Duren at 5:01 left.

By the way, we read a lot of criticism of Harden, some of it justified, but to us, without the trade, Toronto wins the series. The small backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland get eaten up by the Raptors’ length.

After Harden’s shot was blocked, Cunningham drove to the basket twice in a row and found Duren for a pair of dunks, and then after Evan Mobley missed an ill-advised three, he dunked again and with three minutes left, the Cavs were down six.

We don’t like to blame coaches too much, but there are definitely things to question. Atkinson allowed Jarrett Allen to pick up his third foul in the first quarter, so he played just six minutes in the first half. However, he only played 12 minutes in the second half and fouls weren’t an issue then.

The Cavs need Allen available because at least in Game 1, Evan Mobley seemed to be not strong enough to guard Duren. Again, the lack of size, in this case, bulk is a problem.

We understand Dean Wade is an excellent defender and a darling of the +/- crowd, but we are sorry, but when he’s on the court, Cleveland is playing with four offensive players. He played 27 minutes and took three shots, a tip in, and two threes. As for being a “connector”, he had just one assist.

In 200 minutes of play in this post-season, Wade has taken 42 shots, 29 of them threes, and has just five assists. It’s not that he can’t shoot, it’s that he refuses. And that puts a burden on Donovan Mitchell and Harden, who face double teams because opponents know Wade is not an offensive threat.

By contrast, Jaylon Tyson, who is also a solid defender, who can also pass and score, has played just 127 minutes, taken as many shots as Wade, and has 16 assists.

It’s only one game, that’s what we keep telling ourselves, but this is the playoffs, and a team can’t expect to win playing in spurts. They must be able to play well for an extended period.

Just when are the Cavaliers going to play with some force and urgency? That’s the big question going forward. They have to win one game in Detroit. Tonight, would be a good time to do so.

A Game 7 Win And A Date With The Pistons

The nice thing about the NBA playoffs is that after every series, you start with a clean slate. So, that the Cleveland Cavaliers had a tougher time than expected with the Toronto Raptors means nothing when they start the Eastern Conference semifinals tonight against the Detroit Pistons.

As for game seven, the Cavs found themselves down 47-38 with 2:58 left in the second quarter. Max Strus drilled a three, got a steal which led to two free throws from James Harden. After an offensive foul drawn by Strus, Harden knocked down another three, and after another turnover, Jaylon Tyson hit another three and the home team went into the locker room tied.

The third quarter was the Jarrett Allen takeover. Allen scored 14 points and grabbed 10 boards in those 12 minutes, and Donovan Mitchell added nine more as Cleveland outscored the Raptors 38-19 and basically put the game away.

You can’t minimize what Strus, Tyson, and to a lesser extent Sam Merrill did in that quarter although Allen was clearly the star.

Strus did a little bit of everything, the all-around game the Cavs need, scoring 12 points with 8 rebounds and five assists. And we are a fan of Tyson (and would like to see him get more time) for the same reason. He had 7 points, 9 boards, and 4 assists.

And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention Evan Mobley’s aggressiveness in the first half. He wound up in foul trouble, but he had 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in 27 minutes. At times, his passiveness drives us crazy, but he came out to make an impact.

So, now it is on to the top seed in the East, the Pistons, who also needed seven games, and had to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the series, to defeat the Orlando Magic.

Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris took almost half of the Pistons shots in the first round series win and were the only Detroit players to average more than 11 points per game. By contrast, Mitchell and Harden, who took the most field goal attempts for the Cavs, combined to take 41% of them and Cleveland had four scorers who average more than 11 points per game, and Strus scored 10.3.

The Pistons did not shoot the three ball well in round one, knocking down just 32.7% of them, and Cunningham and Duncan Robinson made 40 of the 68 conversions. We would point out though that Toronto didn’t shoot the three well in the regular season, but the overhelping Cavs defense provides opponents with some wide-open looks, so Detroit may do better in the series.

Another challenge will be the physicality the Pistons play with, particularly their big men, Jalen Duran and Isaiah Stewart. Duran had 28 offensive rebounds in the Orlando series and Ausar Thompson had 25 more. The Cavaliers outrebounded Toronto for the series, but that was a result of the 60-33 advantage in the deciding game.

They will have to keep Detroit off the offensive glass.

Hopefully, the Cavaliers learned a lesson Sunday night and will come out with more intensity and physicality, especially on the defensive end in this series. And they don’t have homecourt advantage, meaning they will have to win at least one in the Motor City.

For all of the complaints we had about the Cavs’ play in round one, that all gets erased. It’s a new series and a new set of challenges.

A Game Seven For The Cavs And Perhaps A Mandate?

We will repeat, before the NBA playoffs started, we were asked about the chances of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and we replied that we could see them getting to the NBA Finals and we could also see them losing in the first round.

Today, one of those things could come true.

In we were scoring this series as a prize fight, we would score it as the Cavs winning the first round (Game 1), and every other game would either be even or in favor of the Raptors. No, Kenny Atkinson’s crew hasn’t played well in this series.

We figured Cleveland had the two best players in the series in Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, but we were wrong. Scottie Barnes has been that, averaging 24.2 points, 9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. He has been to the line 47 times in the series, compared to just 14 for Mitchell, and that is not a complaint about the officiating. Barnes has been the most aggressive player on the floor.

And remember, Immanuel Quickley, Toronto’s starting point guard, has not even played in the series, and Brandon Ingram, who we felt would be another problem for the Cavs, missed the second half of game five and all of game six.

There is a game seven today, because the Raptors have exposed what is wrong about the Cleveland roster.

We have complained for several years about the lack of bigger wings, and certainly Atkinson has no one to really combat the 6’8″ Barnes, and really 6’6″ R.J. Barrett and 6’7″ rookie Collin Murray-Boyles have also given the Cavs fits. Although part of that could be giving their most physical wing, Jaylon Tyson, who is 6’6″, just 15 minutes per night.

Atkinson is giving one-dimensional Sam Merrill and Max Strus more time than Tyson, and frankly, we don’t understand it. Strus started out strong in the first three games but has made just 2 of his last 11 long range shots. For the record, Tyson has outrebounded and out-assisted Merrill in the series, despite playing less minutes.

And we didn’t mention all three are getting more minutes than Dennis Schroder, who saved the wine and gold in game five with a tremendous second half performance.

The other problem with the roster assembled by Koby Altman is there are too many one-dimensional players. The Raptors have much more versatility.

Dean Wade, who is 5th in minutes in the series, is a great defender, particularly on the perimeter, but an unwilling and inconsistent shooter on offense. Sometimes it appears he can’t wait to get the basketball out of his hands.

Merrill works hard defensively, but let’s face it, if he’s not making shots, he’s a liability on the floor. Strus always brings hard-nosed play and toughness, but he’s not reliable in his shooting.

And none of them have the ability to create shots for themselves, outside of Schroder, who attacks relentlessly.

Compare that to Toronto. Heck, Jamal Shead is scoring just 8.2 points per game, and shooting just 37% from the field, but he’s made an impact with his defense. Ja’Kobe Walter, who averaged just 7.4 points per game in the regular season, is scoring 10.8 per game in the series.

There is simply more energy off the Raptors’ bench.

Part of this is the style of offense used by Cleveland since the Harden trade, which features more isolation and one-on-one play. Toronto is basically double teaming the ball, figuring no one else can make a play. And it’s working.

Can the Cavaliers win today and advance? Sure. But, the next round, be it against Detroit or Orlando will likely present the same challenges.

And by the way, we didn’t even talk about the lack of toughness…

Raptors Bringing Physicality. Can Cavs Answer It?

To quote the great Jim Nantz, “it’s a tradition like any other”. Nantz, of course, is talking about The Masters, but we could use the same line to describe the performance of the Cleveland Cavaliers in their series against the Toronto Raptors.

It started with the first-round loss to the New York Knicks four years ago, when the Knicks started playing a physical brand, some might say, playoff brand of basketball and the wine and gold just never matched it.

Opponents play with force, a physicality, and the Cavaliers simply don’t match it. And that’s what has happened up north, and the two teams come back to Cleveland with the series tied at two games apiece.

To be it simply, Scottie Barnes bullied the Cavs in the two games in Toronto and Kenny Atkinson’s crew hasn’t answered back. Following Friday’s game three loss, Atkinson switched Dean Wade on to Barnes, moving Evan Mobley to Brandon Ingram, and to some extent it worked, they held the Raptors to 93 points, and the two Toronto forwards shot 12 of 37 from the floor.

But Barnes got to the line 14 times, had nine rebounds and six assists. Wade and Mobley were just 7 of 16 from the floor, and the latter had nine rebounds.

Barnes is attacking and the Cavaliers haven’t seemed to have challenged him all that much. Conversely, especially in game four, the outside shot wasn’t falling for Cleveland, yet they kept hoisting the three, taking 40 of their 87 shots from beyond the arc. They made just 10.

The Cavs looked to take control of the game in the middle of the second, third, and fourth quarters, only to see the Raptors close each time. In the second quarter, Cleveland led by seven (33-26) with 1:40 remaining, only to see Toronto close the half on a 12-3 run.

In that quarter, Dennis Schroder and James Harden started taking the ball to the basket and combined for 11 of the team’s 19 points, going 5 of 9 from the field. The rest of the team went 3 for 14.

Cleveland led 56-48 with 3:53 remaining in quarter three only to see the Raptors go on a 12-2 spurt to lead after three 60-58.

And of course, in the fourth quarter they had an eight-point lead at 84-76 with 4:55 on the clock, but the Raptors closed the game on a 17-5 run.

We hate to blame a coach, but we have to wonder what Sam Merrill is giving the Cavs, especially if he isn’t making shots. He did make 3 of 7 on Sunday, but prior was 3 for 10 in the series. And in game four, didn’t have a rebound or an assist.

In the playoffs, we think you need more all-around players. We felt down the stretch the Cavs needed someone else who could take the ball to the basket. Jaylon Tyson is willing to do that and he’s also a stronger rebounder and defender than Merrill.

This is the playoffs. The physical play is enhanced. As for the rotations, the coaching staff needs to go with the hot hand(s). Thomas Bryant needs to play if for no other reason than he’s a big body. Atkinson seems to have gone away from Keon Ellis, who hasn’t done much, but Schroder should get more time. There is no reason he should have played less than Merrill.

We understand Harden is taking a lot of heat nationally, but to us, it’s clear Mobley has to step up from both a physical standpoint and be more aggressive offensively. And Wade needs to shoot if Toronto is ignoring him.

They are doubling the guards and several times Wade took the ball into the paint from the wing, then turned around and passed the ball back outside. He has to be more aggressive offensively.

The Cavaliers can still win this series and really must win the series. They didn’t get Harden to lose in round one. But they have to be more physical.

What we don’t know is are they capable of doing that.

Cavs Take a 1-0 Advantage Over Toronto

The Cleveland Cavaliers kicked off their playoff series with a 126-113 over the Toronto Raptors to take a 1-0 series lead in the first-round best-of-seven series.

It was a sluggish first half for Kenny Atkinson’s squad, but a huge third quarter in which the Cavs outscored their opponents by a 36-22 count gave the wine and gold (or blue in yesterday’s case) a 21-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, which was more than enough for the win.

Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points, and James Harden added 22 more with 10 assists, but the x-factor for Cleveland was Max Strus, who provided a big spark towards the end of the second quarter and throughout the third. Strus made 8 of 10 shots, four of six from three, scoring 24 points and also provided tough defense on Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram.

In the first half, the Cavs had no answer for Ingram who hurt them in the mid-range game, particularly when Jaylon Tyson guarded him. Tyson is just too small and got in foul trouble immediately, picking up three very quickly.

If we were Raptors’ coach Darko Rajakovic, we’d be wondering how to get the ball to Ingram more often. For the game, the former second overall pick took just nine shots, less than Barnes, R.J. Barrett, and Jamal Shead, who started in place of the injured Immanuel Quickley.

The Raptors couldn’t get their running game going, mostly due to Quickley, who averaged 16.4 points and 5.9 assists per game, shooting 37.4% from three, being out. His availability for Game 2 is still up in the air.

On the other hand, Toronto shot 35.4% from three as a team during the regular season, but knocked down 13 of 27 yesterday. If they return to form Monday night, that is definitely advantage Cleveland.

The home team had a huge advantage inside as Jarrett Allen (5 of 7) and Evan Mobley (6 of 9) had several dunks against the foes from The Great White North. With Harden continuously looking the duo rolling to the basket, that is something Toronto needs to find an answer.

Atkinson went with ten players until garbage time, and many referred to the cliche about team’s rotation shrinking in the playoffs. In reality, the number of players getting time lessens because of usually one or two aren’t playing well. Until that happens for Cleveland, we would continue to look for Atkinson to play ten. The Cavaliers have a deep roster.

The thing that is different about the playoffs is you play the same team over and over, and adjustments are made on a game-by-game basis. My guess is Toronto will want Harden to shoot more, stopping the rim runs by Allen and Mobley. Make Harden a high-volume shooter.

We also think they will make Sam Merrill and Tyson have to make shots. They combined for 1 for 8 yesterday.

And they will take to get Ingram going and keep him going, especially if Atkinson put Tyson and/or/ Strus on him. The latter did a solid job, but Ingram still has a height advantage.

This game figures to be a tougher challenge for the Cavs, but if they win, they have a huge leg up in the series. So again, it’s a big game.

If Quickley’s hamstring allows him to play, expect the Cavs to go at him defensively.

This is a #4 vs. #5 matchup. It’s not supposed to be a sweep. That doesn’t mean it can’t be though.

Looking At Cavs-Raptors Matchup

The long 82 game grind is over and the start of the NBA playoffs start this weekend with the Cavaliers taking on Toronto in a best-of-seven series with the Cavs having the home court advantage. Cleveland finished the regular season with 52 wins, six more than their first round opponent.

The teams played three times in the regular season with the Raptors winning all of them but those contests were all played before Thanksgiving and Kenny Atkinson’s roster is much different now.

The first game, played on Halloween was at Rocket Arena, a 112-101 Toronto win, and Atkinson started two players who aren’t even on the roster right now in De’Andre Hunter and Lonzo Ball. R.J. Barrett, Brandon Ingram, and Jamison Battle all scored 20 for Toronto, and Scottie Barnes had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The second game, also in Cleveland, was a 126-113 Raptors win. Donovan Mitchell scored 31 for the wine and gold, but Barnes had 28, Immanuel Quickley had 25, and Jacob Poeltl scored 20. Reserve big man Sandro Mamukelashvilli scored 13 off the bench.

The last game was a 110-99 in Canada and Ingram shredded the Cavs with 37 points with Barnes adding 18. The Cavs started Ball and Larry Nance Jr., in that game as Jarrett Allen was out.

In total, Allen has played 20 minutes against the Raptors this year, and all three games were before Koby Altman remade the roster with the deadline trades for James Harden, Keon Ellis, and Dennis Schroder.

We know the Cavaliers can score, the old coach in us worries about the defense, particularly the potential matchup problems Ingram and Barnes can present. Both are long, athletic players, the type the Cavaliers have had problems with over the last few years.

The plan should be to use Evan Mobley on Barnes and Dean Wade on Ingram, both very good defensive players. The concern with Wade is when will an opponent play him off the floor in these playoffs, because Wade seems to not want to shoot, and opponents could use the man supposedly assigned to him to start doubling on to either Mitchell or Harden.

Quickley is the Raptors’ chief three-point shooter, but he has a hamstring injury, so how much he can contribute is in doubt.

The Raptors’ are in the bottom five in the league in three-point attempts, which defending those shots is a weakness for the Cavs. That’s a good thing.

We also can’t overlook the reputation for having a lack of toughness Cleveland has garnered over the past few years. We do think Altman addressed this by getting Schroder, who is an irritating player (that’s a compliment) and also because of Jaylon Tyson, who is a tough defender, who also can shoot the ball.

But we need to see Allen and Mobley respond the first time an opponent knocks a Cleveland player to the floor. That’s not saying dirty play, it is saying they need to get mad and play with an edge.

We will see how this plays out over this playoff season.

As for this series, Cleveland has the best two players on the floor in Mitchell and Harden. They also have two inside scorers in Mobley and Allen, who Harden can get the ball to inside. We talk about the Cavs’ lack of size inside, but outside of Poeltl, the Raptors don’t have much either.

A first-round loss would be a disaster for the Cavs, but we don’t see that happening. We also don’t think it will be a cake walk because of Ingram and Barnes.

Cavs Strategy This Week Is Sound. Better To Be Healthy

History does repeat itself, right?

A couple of years ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers were involved in a close race for the second through eighth spots in the Eastern Conference standings. With a couple of games to go, the Cavs’ first round opponent could have been Orlando, a young team getting to the playoffs for the first time as a group, Indiana, Philadelphia, or Miami, with their famous culture.

They could have moved up to second place in the conference standing in the last couple weeks of the season, meaning possibly having home court advantage for the second round, but kind of decided they wanted to play the Magic, which indeed happened, in the first round.

At the time (and maybe still is the case), outside of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, the Cavaliers weren’t very big, and Orlando had Paolo Banchero, Franz and Mo Wagner, and Jonathan Isaac. We weren’t thrilled by Cavs’ choice to play them, even with their inexperience.

It almost came back to bite them in the rear end, when the young, long, and athletic Magic took J.B. Bickerstaff’s team to seven games, and when Orlando led the last game by ten points at halftime, it looked very much like the organization made a bad call.

But Donovan Mitchell scored 24 second half points and the Cavs rallied to advance to the conference semifinals where they lost to the eventual champion Celtics in five games.

It looks like the wine and gold are doing the same thing this year or maybe not. It’s a weird circumstance for Kenny Atkinson’s squad.

Yes, Cleveland is just a game behind the New York Knicks for third place in the conference standings, which if all of the higher seeds win would mean a second-round match up against the Celtics, rather than taking on the top seed Detroit Pistons in the semis.

The Pistons have had a great season with 57 wins to date, but the Cavs have played them tough in two matchups a few weeks ago, despite playing without Donovan Mitchell in both contests.

On the other hand, the Cavaliers are in the midst of a pair of games against the team that could very well be their first-round opponent in the Atlanta Hawks. In last night’s win, Atkinson played his usual rotation. In fact, he kind of shortened it, albeit with Tyson out.

The last two games will probably be a different story. Cleveland hasn’t been healthy all year and now isn’t an exception. Jaylon Tyson and Dean Wade, who should both be in the playoff rotation haven’t played in a couple of weeks. Allen is battling tendonitis in his knee, so some time off would benefit him. Mitchell has an ankle sprain which kept him out of Monday’s game in Memphis.

And James Harden is 37 years old and could use some time off to get ready for the playoffs.

Playing Atlanta twice a week before having to play them possibly seven times in the next two weeks, it serves the Cavs no purpose whatsoever other than to be the blandest team to ever play. Why show them anything on either side of the ball.

We are sure we will see some of the primary players in the three remaining games just to keep them in game shape but even if some people are painting this as the Cavs picking their opponent in the first two rounds, it is really more about making sure the best players are the healthiest heading into the playoffs.

Besides, when you get past the first round of the post-season, all the teams are good. The Washington Wizards aren’t getting a bye into the tournament.

After a season filled with injuries, that’s just being smart.

Cavs’ Playoff Run? Your Guess Is As Good As Ours.

We were asked the other day what we thought the playoffs will hold for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who currently sit with the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference with just five games remaining.

Our answer was not a cop out, although it sounds like it was. The reply was we can see Kenny Atkinson’s squad winning the East and getting to the NBA Finals. And we can also say them losing in the first round to Atlanta, Philadelphia, or Toronto, three possible opponents in the opening round.

To be completely honest, when we look at basketball, we first think about defensive matchups. Why? Because pretty much every player in the NBA can score. That’s why they are in the league. We have watched the wine and gold over the last month and don’t see a lot of good things defensively.

They seem to play effectively on that end of the floor in spurts. The last four games, after getting beat at home by Miami, they have played well. Will they have more attention to detail in the playoffs? You would hope so.

But we can definitively say the Cavaliers will play good defense when the playoffs start in two weeks? We just don’t know.

When Koby Altman traded for James Harden, we wrote that we guess if the Cavs were going to have a ball dominant guard who doesn’t play much defense, they might as well get a bigger one, which Harden is. The veteran can stand his ground if he is taken into the post.

And what we fear most (and as always) is Cleveland’s lack of size, particularly at the wings, and the lack of size depth up front.

We know the Cavs have Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley at the #4 and #5 spots. There is no problem there. But, they only have one other big man to protect the rim, Thomas Bryant.

Many in the Cleveland hoops media will point out Dean Wade, who is an excellent wing defender. He’s also missed 18 games since the beginning of 2026 (Cavs have played 40) and hasn’t been super durable in his career.

And offensively, let’s just say he’s an unwilling participant. We feel that opponents are going to make Wade play offense in the playoffs by using his man to double on others, namely Donovan Mitchell and Harden.

If Wade does start, the Cavs will match up well in the starting lineup, going 6’3″ (Mitchell), 6’5″ (Harden), 6’9″ (Wade), 6’11” (Mobley) and 6’9″ (Allen).

After Bryant, who is the sub for Allen/Mobley, who is the next biggest Cavaliers in Atkinson’s rotation? Jaylon Tyson at 6’6″? 6’5″ Max Strus? Sam Merrill and Keon Ellis at 6’4″?

And if Wade is played off the court, Atkinson will have to put a smaller wing, although a more offensive minded one in his spot.

That a worry if the Cavs go against a team where they have wings around 6’7″ or 6’8″ like Boston. Or Toronto with Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, both 6’8″.

Or Philadelphia with Paul George and Kelly Oubre, both 6’8″.

Strus and Tyson have some bulk. We have loved the defensive impact in the passing lanes Ellis has made, he’s amazing, but he is slightly built. And we can’t get it out of our heads watching Jaylin Brown from the Celtics bullying Ellis into the paint and shooting over him with his 3″ advantage.

Can the Cavs overcome this defensive issue? Sure, they have two great offensive players in Mitchell and Harden, capable of taking over a game. But that puts a tremendous burden on both.

That’s why the playoffs will be fascinating. We can’t wait to see how it plays out.

Folks Don’t Want To Trade Jarrett Allen Now

Ever since the Cavs drafted Evan Mobley, there have been a segment of fans, usually younger ones, who wanted to trade Jarrett Allen. The logic being you can’t have two big men that cannot shoot from outside.

Part of this is the league has gone three point happy, among fans and players alike. We watch the end of many NBA games and are convinced players can’t help themselves. They’ve been playing the same style for so many years now, it has become a reflex action to hoist a three, even if there team is ahead by say six with under two minutes to play.

The smart play would be to take a little time off the clock and get a shot with a better than 50/50 chance of going in.

Anyway, back to the Cavs and Allen. So, the hope was Mobley could develop a reliable three point shot and that would solve the problem. But after two years of being in the 37% range (the first year with limited attempts, last season he averaged taking three per game), the reigning Defensive Player of the Year has dropped to 30%.

We always figured having the two bigs could work. You can stagger their minutes, and you can also space them better. Run sets with Mobley at the high post and Allen on the opposite low post. With the three-point shooters the Cavs have we don’t think doubling the post would be a problem, nor do many teams do that anymore anyway.

Allen has had a career renaissance over the last couple of months and has been even better since the trade for James Harden at the deadline.

Since February 1st, Allen has played in 14 games (he just missed 10 in a row with tendonitis in the knee) and have averaging 20.8 points per game on 66% shooting and has grabbed over 10 rebounds per contest.

And since we have talked about the lack of size on the roster, when Allen is out of the lineup it forces more minutes for Thomas Bryant and Dean Wade has to play minutes at power forward, thus Kenny Atkinson loses his biggest wing defender.

With Harden on the roster, there has been a resurgence for both starting big men, mainly because Harden is such a tremendous passer, particularly in the pick-and-roll game, he gets Allen and Mobley the ball going downhill most of the time.

As for those fans who didn’t think it would work, we believe they only look at the offensive side of the floor. We have seen that in discussions about Darius Garland. Many fans want to look at his gaudy offensive numbers, while ignoring that he is a liability defensively.

(And yes, we know Harden isn’t a lockdown defender either, but he’s also 6’5″ and can hold his own if being posted up)

With both bigs on the floor, it allows Allen to be the rim protector and Mobley to play more on the perimeter and the Cavs will need that in the playoffs, especially if the play a team with size on the wings.

There is room for teams to play differently and still win. The defending champs, Oklahoma City, play a different style than does Boston, and the Knicks and Pistons play a very physical style of basketball. It doesn’t have to be the free-flowing shooting threes game.

For example, since Harden came aboard, Cleveland has played at a much slower pace. And if they are advancing through the playoffs, no one is going to care.

A Frustrating Time For NBA Teams. Cavs Are No Exception

What is frustrating about the Cleveland Cavaliers these days is as one NBA play-by-play man would say, they seem to be “playing with their food”.

Like the other night in Chicago, when Kenny Atkinson’s squad were leading by 29 points in the third quarter and the Bulls trimmed that advantage all the way to one before the Cavs won. In a postgame interview, James Harden, who led Cleveland with 36 points, wasn’t really happy that his team went away from the basketball that got them the big lead.

On the other hand, look at the record over the last ten games for the rest of what would be the top four seeds in the East:

Detroit 6-4
Boston 7-3
New York 7-3
Cleveland 6-4

It’s a malaise that sinks in at this point of the year. The finish line is in plain sight and teams without a doubt do seem to lose focus knowing that the games which really count are about three weeks away.

However, that doesn’t make it less frustrating to watch.

When Koby Altman made the moves at the trade deadline, particularly the big swing for Harden, it was done with a lot of anticipation of getting beyond the conference semifinals and getting the opportunity to play for a spot in the NBA Finals.

Frankly, we can see the Cavaliers getting to the Finals, and we can also see them getting bounced in the first round. Right now, they are that kind of team.

To be fair, Cleveland can’t seem to get their best players on the floor for any long stretch of games. Currently, Jarrett Allen is out with knee tendonitis, and regular readers know how we complain about the lack of big men on the Cavs’ roster. With Allen out, that shows up on a night basis, the lack of size up front.

Since Harden arrived in town, Sam Merrill, Allen, Evan Mobley, Jaylon Tyson, Dean Wade, and even Donovan Mitchell have missed games. Max Strus just played in his first game last Sunday.

It’s tough to develop continuity with players constantly shuffling in and out of the lineup. Meaning consistent play also suffers.

On the other hand, the old saying is that defense should show up every night, and in the last five games, the Cavs have allowed 128 points to Orlando, a possible first round matchup, and 130 to Dallas, a tanking team, and one the wine and gold obliterated two nights prior.

Frustration.

We seem to see Atkinson using a lot of groups including four guards, playing Harden, Mitchell, Keon Ellis, and either Merrill or Dennis Schroder together. Hopefully that’s an experiment because playing against a team with several 6’6″/6’7″ players will be a problem.

And this is where we advocate for Jaylon Tyson (again). Tyson should be the starter at the #3 because he brings a toughness to the starting unit and he is an offensive threat. If you ranked the Cleveland players, we believe he’s their 5th best player behind Mitchell, Harden, Mobley, and Allen.

For a team that has been accused of being soft at times, having Tyson out there to start a game puts some grit out there immediately. Then you can bring Schroder and Ellis off the bench to put even more irritants on the court.

A big week is coming up. Three games at home against playoff teams in Orlando and Miami. One solid week of games would help alleviate the frustration.