Cavs Just A Huge Inconsistent Mess Right Now

For many years, the Cleveland Browns have held the title of the most crazily run organization of the three major professional sports teams in the area. From what we’ve seen over the first few weeks of the NBA season, that title may have transferred to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Since they were swept in the Eastern Conference finals by the New York Knicks last spring, it has been one weird circumstance after another for the wine and gold, and the players, coach, and front office are all culpable.

Over the past five or six games, it looks like the players are in open revolt against Kenny Atkinson, although we don’t know why outwardly. Atkinson doesn’t appear to have an “in your face” coaching demeanor and generally goes out of his way to not throw any individuals under the bus.

Yes, he had the comment about analytics during the series against New York, which we would guess he wished he hadn’t said out loud, but that’s been more on him.

Atkinson isn’t perfect. His continued use of the small lineups drives us crazy, but then when you analyze the situation, you have to realize that seven of the 15 players currently on the Cleveland roster are 6’6″ or shorter, and four of the players who aren’t are two way players in Riley Minix, Norchad Ornier, Khalifa Diop and Ernest Udoh.

Adding to the confusion about the team was last night’s 115-107 win in New York. The Cavaliers’ players might think they are good enough to coast in the regular season and then turn it on in the playoffs, and maybe they are. However, that kind of attitude leads to poor habits.

There aren’t a lot of options to play with size, and that is the fault of Koby Altman, the president of basketball operations.

Altman has either overrated some of the players he has brought in or those players simply haven’t been utilized properly. The organization has been waiting for Evan Mobley to turn into a superstar for five years. Mobley is a solid player; he’s been the Defensive Player of the Year. But it looks like he’s an 18 points, 8 rebound per game guy. And he plays in spurts.

Even last night, he had just 10 points and five boards and was bullied by Karl-Anthony Towns. Jarrett Allen was far better with 11 points and 14 caroms.

Maybe it’s because Mobley has always played with ball dominant guards, but if so, whose fault is that?

Altman also is responsible for the lack of height/size on the roster. Remember that Isaiah Hartenstein was with the Cavs? It wasn’t a priority for the Cavs to keep him even though he showed skills while wearing a Cavaliers’ uniform.

Then you have the James Harden issue. We understand why the deal was made at the deadline, but we also always wrote any deal for Darius Garland shouldn’t be made about getting equal talent, it would be about getting a better fit.

Is it shocking that a 37-year-old guard looks like they may have hit the wall? His shooting numbers are way down and so are his assists. The Cavs inked him to a three-year deal after the season. Hard to see Altman getting out of that, although we all thought Shawn Kemp’s contract was impossible to get out of, and then GM Jim Paxson did it.

It also isn’t a good look for Donovan Mitchell either. Mitchell probably was consulted and let it be known he wasn’t happy with J.B. Bickerstaff, and so now he’s not happy with Atkinson either? And if he doesn’t have a problem with the coach, shouldn’t he stand up in front of his teammates and say that?

It’s just hard to believe that just five months ago, the Cavaliers advanced further than they ever have since LeBron James departed after 2018. Because now they seem like an inconsistent mess.

The Cavs Play Very Well Friday. The Next Night? Uh, Not So Much

Usually, we write on Saturday morning but after the Cavaliers very good performance on Friday night against the then 8-1 Philadelphia 76ers, we figured we would wait to see how the wine and gold followed up that performance against the defending champion New York Knicks, who swept Kenny Atkinson’s crew out of the playoffs last season in the Eastern Conference finals.

By the way, both games were at Rocket Arena.

Did the Cavs build on perhaps their best game of the young season on Friday? They did not, They trailed by 10 at the half and by 18 at the end of three quarters, losing by a dozen and dropping to 5-5.

This edition of the Cavaliers is befuddling for sure.

Yes, we know the team is battling injuries. One starter, Jarrett Allen is currently out, and two of their primary reserves, Jaylon Tyson and Sam Merrill, also were not available.

Donovan Mitchell wound up with 37 points and had an incredible fourth quarter but seemed to be the only Cavalier playing with any urgency, at least on the offensive end.

Cleveland took 50 three-point shots, they attempted 82 field goals for the game. That number would be fine if they had made say, 30 of the long-range shots. They made 16. In one possession late in the third quarter, they garnered two offensive rebounds, so they had three opportunities to score.

They attempt three shots from behind the line. They missed them all.

In the third quarter, the home team made 1 of 13 from beyond the arc. Didn’t someone on the floor or on the bench think maybe we should stop taking threes? We know, we know, that’s today’s NBA,

The other primary starters for the Cavs, Evan Mobley and James Harden, didn’t do much. Mobley in 33 minutes scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds. He took 11 shots, five of them from three-point range,

As for Harden, he scored seven points on nine shots and only got to the free throw line twice. Meanwhile the two Knick stars, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 60 points.

And as usual when the Cavaliers are defeated, they lost the battle of the boards, getting outrebounded 49-40.

We understand Atkinson has drawn fire recently, but we continue to question the decisions of president of basketball operations Koby Altman.

With Allen out, the lack of another big man has reared its ugly head. Among the first moves made this off-season were keeping both Thomas Bryant and Craig Porter Jr., and neither are in the rotation when everyone is healthy.

Bryant has taken 25 shots this season in the five games he has played and 15 of them have been threes.

We have questioned Porter’s ball handling especially when he is pressured, and he seems to have been passed in terms of playing time by second year player Tyrese Proctor and rookie Maleek Thomas.

Altman did trade for Peyton Watson, who starts, and signed Mario Hezonja as a free agent, but the coaching staff doesn’t seem to recognize the latter can play, despite last night’s 0 for 6 (5 threes!) from the floor. He did grab five rebounds, and is third on the team in boards, even though he gets only 20 minutes per game.

We have said the last two years, the Cavs’ success can’t be judged until they reach the playoffs, but it doesn’t mean inconsistency is fine during the regular season. And what is worse to us is the lack of any real plan. For example, we haven’t had an idea of what the team is trying to accomplish defensively for quite some time.

It’s frustrating to watch for sure, and really not a good viewing experience if you are a basketball fan. It’s more irritating than entertaining to watch this team right now.

It’s Basketball Time For The Wine And Gold

The Cleveland Cavaliers open the 2026-27 NBA season tonight and the expectations on the team are much like the last two seasons. What they do in the regular season will doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, how successful their season is will be determined by how far they go in the playoffs.

Last season, Kenny Atkinson’s squad got to the Eastern Conference finals, a step further than the year before. However, they blew a big fourth quarter lead in the first game and then were pretty much outclassed during the rest of the series.

It was the third straight season they were pretty much non-competitive in the series in which they were eliminated, and that means the good feeling about taking the next step are erased in the view of most basketball people.

Koby Altman did add some height to the roster, especially on the wings by trading for 6’8″ Peyton Watson, and he added 6’8″ Mario Hezonja, who will likely spend time at both forward spots. We also expect another 6’8″ player, Nae’Qwan Tomlin to have a bigger role this season once he returns to the court following a lower back injury.

We would have liked (and still would like) Altman to add another big man to back up Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Currently the main back up is veteran Thomas Bryant, but more likely than not, Atkinson will probably go smaller when Allen or Mobley are not on the floor. (Ugh!)

Altman swung big at the trade deadline a year ago, bringing in James Harden for Darius Garland. Harden brings a lot, both good and bad. He averaged 20.5 points and 7.7 assists in 26 games after coming over from the Clippers. He shot 43.5% from three and 46.6% from the floor overall.

He’s great at finding big men in the pick and roll too. Jarrett Allen averaged almost 20 points per game from February until the end of the season.

However, the ball is in his hands a lot, so ball movement suffers. Also, Harden isn’t exactly quick, which presents a problem defensively. And the Cavs likely will not be getting a ton of transition baskets with Harden on the floor. That eliminates easy baskets.

The veteran averaged almost 35 minutes per game last season, and we know Harden takes pride in being on the floor. We wonder if he would play at a higher level getting fewer minutes, especially in the regular season. We will see how Atkinson divvies up the minutes.

With Harden and Donovan Mitchell or at least one of them on the court most of the time, there isn’t a huge need for a backup point guard, and we are curious about using Craig Porter Jr. there. In our opinion, his ball handling is questionable.

He’s a high energy player for us, but not really a lead guard. We wonder how long before second year player Tyrese Proctor gets minutes at that spot.

We will start getting answers in regard to how the Cavs will play and how the rotations work starting tonight. It’s probably not fair, but barring some bad injury luck, the Cavaliers are building toward starting their real season in April.

The goal should be winning the NBA title, especially this season. The “one step forward” nonsense is just that.

Time For A Little Hoops Talk.

With the Browns opening their season today and the Guardians in the midst of a race to play in the post-season, we thought we’d go against the grain a little bit and talk basketball. After all, the Cleveland Cavaliers did get to the Eastern Conference finals last season, and they open training camp in a few weeks under Kenny Atkinson.

Besides, both of those teams are very frustrating right now.

For years, we have said the wine and gold need to be bigger, and they have made some improvement along those lines. When they swung the big deal for James Harden in February was that if the Cavs were going to have a ball dominant guard who wasn’t a great defender, it is better for it to be the 6’5″ Harden, rather than 6’2″ Darius Garland.

Koby Altman has also acquired two 6’8″ wings in Mario Hezonja and Peyton Watson, who we would think will share time at the small forward spot with Jaylon Tyson. And don’t forget another 6’8″ player in Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who played in 64 games a year ago, getting most of his time before the trade deadline.

Remember that the deal for the 17-year veteran came late in the year. Harden only played in 26 games with the wine and gold, so the offensive became doing what Harden did best, using a lot of pick and roll. We are sure that will be the case again, with Harden getting the most out of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in that way.

Cleveland still has Tyson, Sam Merrill, and second-year player Tyrese Proctor to share time in the backcourt with Harden, and of course, Donovan Mitchell. With those players on the roster, we would love to see Harden’s and Mitchell’s regular season minutes controlled, especially Harden, who is now 37.

We would still love to see Altman add a better big man to back up Mobley and Allen than veteran Thomas Bryant, no disrespect to him, but Cleveland should consider itself a contender to win the title, and particularly in the playoffs, you need another big man who can make an impact. The Cavs saw that need in both their series against the Pistons with Paul Reid and the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson.

Because the Cavs like to play “small ball’, our guess is they think they can easily slide either Watson, Hezonja, or Tomlin over to the four, but we don’t like that from a rebounding standpoint. Defense isn’t over until you grab the rebound. Thus, the need for someone to play center/power forward and can give the Cavaliers about 18 solid minutes.

As it has been for the last few years, the biggest question for the Cavs is Evan Mobley. Can he take the next step into being a perennial all-star. His points, rebounds, and shooting all took a drop last season, and we have doubts as to whether or not he can do it. We just don’t think it’s in his personality to assert himself.

We have seen questions about the depth on the team and we will go back to the old adage of “if you don’t play your bench, you won’t have one”. We said it last year and we will say it again, Atkinson has to use and trust his second unit early in the year. It will pay dividends in the second half of the season.

Last season, he went away from Tyson and Tomlin after the trade and probably could’ve used both in the post-season. Hopefully, that’s a lesson learned.

Should Cavs Look At A Major Move?

If the Cleveland Cavaliers’ front office believes all of the analytics that Kenny Atkinson spoke about following Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals (we still can’t believe he said that out loud), then it is probably true the wine and gold won’t do more than a tweak to the roster going into next season.

And as we have addressed before, that’s a big mistake.

We are sure the front office believes it is making progress because they went a step further in the playoffs, going from a first round loss to a pair of second round defeats, and finally getting to the conference finals.

That’s one way to look at it.

The other is to recognize none of the series in which the Cavs lost over the last four seasons have been particularly close. The first three went five games before the sweep at the hands of the Knicks this year.

By the way, the last four seasons are the Donovan Mitchell era, which brings us to our point.

First, Mitchell is a phenomenal player. Since he has been a Cavalier, he’s made first team all-NBA (only the third Cleveland player in history to do so–Mark Price and LeBron James) and was second team once. He’s averaged at least 24 points per game every season in Cleveland.

And by all accounts has been a great spokesman for both the Cavaliers and the northeast Ohio area, going to high school games around town.

He’s also going to be 30 years old, 6’2″, and his contract runs out in two more years. The Cavs are expected to offer him a four-year deal worth $272 million this summer. That’s an average of $68 million per year, and they would be paying him that amount at 34 years old.

We would think very seriously about doing that. Not because Mitchell doesn’t deserve it, he’s arguably the second-best player ever to wear a Cleveland uniform. However, you have to wonder what kind of player he’s going to be in the last two seasons of that deal.

In our opinion, bigger players age better than smaller ones. Yes, we know about Stephen Curry and James Harden is still put up a bunch of points. Should the Cavs explore trades for Mitchell this off-season?

We know where the Cavs are in the NBA hierarchy, they were one of the last four teams standing this year, so moving on from Mitchell would be a step back in all likelihood. But it just might be the right way to go. Take a step back and not bottom out for another run at a title in a couple of years.

Another direction is what many talk about, going all in by dealing for someone like Giannis Antetokounmpo, dealing say Evan Mobley (as people have discussed), thus making Mitchell the second-best player on the team. That probably gives you a two-year window for a championship, and after you get it, you likely would have to rebuild.

Even doing that, the front office has other work to do. They need more versatile, longer players. They also need more depth at power forward and center.

Jaylon Tyson needs a bigger role. He seemed to get lost after the trade that brought James Harden to Cleveland. We also believe another young player who got lost in the last two months, Nae’Qwan Tomlin can be a contributor next season.

He’s 6’8″ and should fit in as a wing, especially if he can improve his shooting. And it doesn’t have to be three-point shooting, which frankly, we’d be fine if he never took another one of those. He’ll be 26 next season, and we believe he can be a wild card for Kenny Atkinson.

But the big decision is Mitchell. Most people believe it’s a no brainer. We think the front office should take a good long look.

Altman’s Presser Said Little, But His Moves Over The Years Say A Lot

Press conferences these days are really becoming obsolete. In today’s world, teams want to control the narrative, so they give the press very little, be it after games and after seasons.

We get it, let’s say after a Browns’ loss, we found it laughable that fans and media alike were angry when Kevin Stefanski didn’t come out and say, “our wide receivers can’t catch a cold”. As for Todd Monken? Well, we don’t know yet.

That’s why we believe little of what Cavaliers’ President of Basketball Operations Kobe Altman said in his post-season comments on Friday. And if Altman was telling the truth, then we would think his job will be in jeopardy following next season.

We have been a frequent critic of the way Altman has constructed his roster. When J.B. Bickerstaff was let go following a five-game series loss against Boston in the conference semi-finals in 2024, we felt the blame shouldn’t be put solely on the head coach.

Altman gets a lot of credit among fans because he built the Cavs back up pretty quickly after LeBron James departed for Los Angeles following the 2018 Finals. After three terrible seasons (19, 19, and 22 wins), Cleveland was back in the play-in tournament in 2022 with a 44-38 record, with a team led by Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and Lauri Markkanen.

But if we look at individual moves, how good has Altman been? His first big move was trading Kyrie Irving to Boston with the big prize being the Nets’ unprotected first round pick in 2018.

That trade was a bust as the two players acquired from Boston, Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas were both moved during the season and the draft pick, which people figured would be a top five choice, ended up being 8th because the Nets performed better than expected.

The Nets’ coach that year? Yes, it was Kenny Atkinson. And instead of getting a player like Deandre Ayton (1st), Jaren Jackson Jr (4th), or even 3rd overall pick Luca Doncic, Cleveland picked Collin Sexton with the pick.

As for Allen, yes, Altman picked him up in ironically, a James Harden transaction, where the Cavs gave up a second-round pick for a then 21-year-old center who averaged 11 points and nine rebounds per game in his third year in the league. We think any GM in the sport would have done that.

After drafting Sexton, he doubled down the following year, picking another small guard, Garland with a top five choice. Garland has been one of the better players in that draft, but it is the duplication on position that is the issue. And the lack of size.

He drafted a defense first wing in Isaac Okoro with another top five pick the following year, which is frankly his worst selection. We wanted Obi Toppin, but Dino Avdija, Devin Vassell, and Tyrese Haliburton were still on the board.

The next season it was Evan Mobley, who has been an all-star and Defensive Player of the Year, yet people are wondering now about his progression as a player. In his fifth season, his scoring average has always been between 15.0 and 18.5 and his rebounding always hovers around 9.0 per contest.

His signature move is the trade for Donovan Mitchell, in which Markkanen was the biggest (literally) piece going to Utah. The trade for Mitchell, no doubt a proven scorer in the NBA, boosted Cleveland to a 50 win team and the least number of wins for the Cavs since Mitchell arrived has been 48.

But then we have the playoff performances. In each of the last four seasons, the series that sent the team home have been blowouts. Five games to the Knicks, Celtics, and Pacers, and this year’s sweep in the conference finals.

And most often the reason can be pointed to a lack of size on the roster despite what the “analytics” tell them.

Does Altman correct that problem this summer? That should be the focus on what the Cavaliers do this off-season. Or maybe he is like Bickerstaff, a guy who can rebuild, but can’t get you over the top.

Cavs Pull It Off, Now Get Ready For The Knicks

It was the one outcome we didn’t figure was possible. We thought it was possible for the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Detroit Pistons, but we surely did not foresee a blowout win.

Kenny Atkinson’s squad returned the favor from Friday night, dominated the Pistons in a 125-94 win and advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 2018.

The opponent will be the New York Knicks, who started the questions about this basketball team a few years ago when they beat up Cleveland in a five game first round series win.

What it made us think is why can’t the Cavs play like that more often? Cleveland came out and Donovan Mitchell got his big guys involved early. Evan Mobley had five points, four rebounds, and three assists in the first quarter, while Jarrett Allen scored six. And the cherry on top was the wine and gold knocked down 6 of 13 from long distance, including a halfcourt buzzer beater by Mitchell at the end.

The Cavs also needed someone to step up off the bench and Sam Merrill, who we admit we would have lessened his minutes before the game, turned out to be that guy, showing we don’t know as much as we think we do.

Merrill hit his first two threes, which we have seen before, but he kept it going, ending with five makes in eight attempts and 23 points. Cleveland only made 32.4% from three, but Merrill had the hot hand.

We also have to mention the impact Mobley made in this series. We have always wondered about the physicality with Mobley, but for the series, he scored 15.9 points, grabbed 7.4 boards, and perhaps most surprisingly, dished out 4.9 assists, second on the team to James Harden. He shot 52% from the floor and more importantly was a force inside, blocking 19 shots.

He looked like the player Cavs’ fans have been hoping for since Cleveland became a playoff team.

So, now the wine and gold go from one former coach in J.B. Bickerstaff to another in Mike Brown, now the head man with the Knicks. It is important to point out the Knicks won just one more regular season game than the Cavaliers, finishing at 53-29.

But they have had an easier road in the playoffs, winning the first round in six games and sweeping the 76ers in the semi-finals. The don’t have a big height advantage in the starting lineup, with just one player over 6’7″ in Karl-Anthony Towns, but they do play physical on the perimeter with 6’5″ Josh Hart and 6’7″ OG Anunoby. And of course, their star is 6’2″ Jalen Brunson, who we would say, plays a lot like Harden.

The two teams met three times, but only once after the trade deadline. Opening night saw the Cavs drop a 119-111 decision with Anunoby scoring 24 and Brunson getting 23. On Christmas Day in New York, the Cavs blew a big lead, up by 12 after three quarters before losing by two, 126-124. Mobley came off the bench that day, his first game back after an injury.

Mitchell and Brunson each had 34 points.

In the lone game at Rocket Arena, Cleveland won 109-94 behind 23 from Mitchell and 20 from Harden.

Can the Cavs beat New York and get to the Finals without LeBron James for the first time in team history? Sure, the Knicks are far from a perfect team, they have flaws like the Cavaliers. But the Cavs have to play with the same energy, physicality, and attention to detail as they played with in both Game 7s.

That seems to be a tall task for this group although we don’t know why.

Don’t Know What To Expect From Cavs Tonight. That’s An Issue

The Cleveland Cavaliers seized home court advantage in the conference semi-finals against Detroit with a stirring overtime victory in Motown. All they had to do was win at home and they would advance to the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks.

But the Jekyll and Hyde nature of this team came out and they were dominated in game six at Rocket Arena. Now, either they win tonight or they clean out their lockers tomorrow.

Perhaps the tone was set in the first quarter when the Cavs forced three consecutive missed shots and Detroit kept the possession alive with three offensive rebounds, and after the third Cade Cunningham hit a three.

The Pistons had 13 offensive rebounds and Cleveland had just 24 on the defensive end. Add in the Cavs’ 39% shooting from the floor and you can see why Kenny Atkinson’s squad lost by 21 points.

There is an old saying in the NBA that role players play better at home because they are more comfortable, but Cleveland got little off their bench, getting just 5 of 19 shooting from Max Strus, Dennis Schroder, and Sam Merrill, while Duncan Robinson, Marcus Sasser, and Paul Reid scored 40 points.

And remember, Sasser and Reid didn’t play much early in the series, so kudos to JB Bickerstaff for trying something different. Atkinson has gone away from Jaylon Tyson and Keon Ellis.

So, Atkinson isn’t using anyone taller that 6’5″ off his bench right now. The fact that Bickerstaff has been able to move off Isaiah Stewart and go to Reid talks about roster construction. Atkinson’s third big man, Thomas Bryant has been of no use in the series.

But the thing that sticks out about the Cavaliers’ team is simply the sense of urgency. We have heard people blaming the coach for this, but really, it’s not up to Kenny Atkinson to let the players know a potential series clinching game is important. If they don’t understand that, it’s a big problem.

However, with James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, the Cleveland offense comes down to one-on-one play, with the guards breaking down their defender off the dribble. And if both aren’t playing well, the Cavs are in trouble.

Mitchell shot 6 of 20 Friday night and has shot just 28.3% from three in the series, compared to the 36% in the regular season. Harden had eight turnovers. Detroit’s Ausar Thompson has been a defensive menace, but the Cavs don’t seem to realize he is shooting gaps looking for deflections and steals and are still throwing lazy passes on the perimeter.

And one reason Thompson can be disruptive is because Cleveland gave someone 22 minutes who has absolutely no interest in playing offense. We know. We know Dean Wade is a tremendous perimeter defender, but Thompson has managed to put up 39 shots in the series. Wade has taken just 14.

That’s unacceptable.

So, which Cavaliers’ team will show up tonight? We wish we knew. Before the playoffs started, we made the observation that we wouldn’t be surprised if the Cavs lost in the first round, nor would we be shocked if they went to the NBA Finals.

We’ve seen nothing to make us change that opinion. After 13 playoff games, that’s not optimal.

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 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…