Don’t look now but if the NBA Playoffs started today, the Cleveland Cavaliers would be making the short six hour trip to, ironically, the Windy City, where they would face the Chicago Bulls in the first round. Well if Wednesday’s game showed us anything, it’s that the Cavs might be very happy finishing in seventh place in the Eastern Conference as long as they get to take on the Bulls in the first round. Well if last night was a preview for the playoffs in the spring, I think Cleveland fans will be pleasantly surprised with their chances.
Granted, I’m not glossing over how Chicago was without several players because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and most notably, DeMar DeRozan. Alex Caruso was out with a hamstring injury, too, and obviously, those are crucial players. That said, the Cavs did still win in convincing fashion, and it’s not as if Cleveland hasn’t had its share of injuries throughout the season already.
On Wednesday night, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley combined to score 40 points, as the Cavs downed the second-place Bulls, regardless of the absences, 115-92. Garland rebounded from a tough shooting night in Cleveland’s loss on Monday at the Milwaukee Bucks, and was the star of the night individually. He finished with 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, and dished out six assists to lead the Cavaliers to victory.
However, Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio were pivotal off the bench, combining for 22 points in the game. But if you watched the game last night, there was one clear takeaway from the game, and that will be the stud of the night, which was the Cavaliers’ fantastic three-point shooting.
Cavs stud: Three-point shooting
It’s hard to believe that just a year ago, the Cavs were probably the worst three-point shooting team in the league. Whether it be the addition of Mobley, or the added pressure on defense, the Cavaliers have certainly found their rhythm this year behind the arc.
In 2020 they were shooting just 33.6 percent from deep. However, I will say the team did not have Kevin Love for a majority of the season last year, and this year he’s shooting 37 percent from deep, which has been huge off the bench. On top of that, the team also did not have Lauri Markkanen last year, who ironically enough was playing for the Bulls.
He’s shooting 34 percent from three, which is the worst of his career, yet he seems to be having a lot more success in Cleveland than in Chicago. Another note to add, is just that the sheer volume of threes that Markkanen shoots affects how a defense can defend a team for the whole game.
And since his return from COVID-19 protocols, Markkanen has found his rhythm again, and is shooting it far better than early on. In his last nine games since returning from protocols, he’s connected on 38.2 percent from three, to that point.
Cavs dud: Mobley’s rebounding positioning
I’ll just come out and admit this, there were very few things that did not go right for the Cavaliers last night. However, one thing I noticed multiple times throughout the game, is that rookie big Evan Mobley was routinely finding himself in tough positions to get a rebound. He’s young, and for the most of his life, rebounding has come easily to him. Nonetheless, in the NBA that is not the case.
There were multiple times in the second quarter where a shot would go up and Mobley was already being boxed out by two or three players. It’s nitpicking, I know, but as he continues to develop and put on weight, he should be able to muscle up a lot of opposing big men, and hopefully his rebounding will improve. Well, actually, let’s be honest, his rebounding is going to improve nearly every year.
I see you, Kevin
While I did take the time to go through the stud and dud from last night’s matchup, I also would like to talk about Kevin Love. He’s been an integral leader on this team, and he’s taken a back seat to do so. I remember when everybody wondered if Love would be okay taking a role off the bench in the offseason. On top of that, this summer he made the U.S. Olympic Roster but had to drop out. Leading up to the season, the situation with Love seemed to be getting worse.
However, I would argue that there hasn’t been a more valuable piece to this Cavs sqaud, minus the obvious names, than Love this season. By taking a role on the bench, he’s allowed the first unit to fully mesh and find ways to score. Not only that, while coming off the bench, he’s still a very good rebounder, and is likely still the best outlet passer in the NBA. I remember not even six months ago, people wanted Love out of Cleveland for a couple of nickels.
He’s done his job and more this season, though, and if the Cavs have any playoff aspirations, they would be wise to keep Love around as long as possible.