1 stud and 1 dud from Cavs blown lead against Atlanta Hawks

At a certain point on New Year’s Eve, it looked like the Cleveland Cavaliers were back on track. After a rough week that saw the team lose three times with some number of its rotation in health and safety protocols, and saw a beloved and crucial teammate in Ricky Rubio tear his ACL, the Cavs had righted the ship.

Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro were back, and even if Darius Garland wasn’t the Cavs were cruising without him. They held a 15-point halftime lead over the Atlanta Hawks, who were down a whopping 12 players in the health and safety protocols. Then everything fell apart as the Hawks outscored the Cavs 40-22 in the third quarter to take a lead they would never relinquish.

The Cavs were up big on the Hawks but fell apart in the second half. Who were 1 stud and 1 dud from the blown lead on New Year’s Eve?

The standout performers from the Hawks and their limited rotation were clear. Trae Young scored 35 points and dished 11 assists, and Clint Capela put up 18 points and 23 rebounds. The Hawks held off a late rally by the Cavs to win 121-118, snapping their three-game losing streak and handing Cleveland its fourth loss in five games.

Who stood out from the Cavs side of the ledger? The stud is obvious to anyone who watched the game or looked at a box score, as Kevin Love was balling out like it was 2016. Who was the dud? That answer falls on the shoulders of a certain backup point guard pressed into duty. Let’s break it down.

1 stud from Cavs blown lead vs Hawks: Kevin Love

Cast your memory back to this summer, when Kevin Love flunked out of Team USA because he was physically unfit to play. It was never made clear whether that was related to injury, conditioning or his body having lost too many steps. At that moment in time Love looked like entirely dead weight with his massive contract, and discussions of a buyout were rumored to be going on.

Now fast forward to today, when Kevin Love just led all reserve players in scoring, rebounding and 3-pointers for the month of December, capped by a truly dominant game on New Year’s Eve. The onetime All-NBA big man dialed back the clock to his prime and poured in 35 points with 11 rebounds and four assists.

Love’s big night was not one-dimensional, but it was certainly built on his outside shooting. Love was hitting everything from beyond the arc, from catch-and-shoot triples to sidestep corner 3s to his massive 3 in semi-transition to bring the game within three points with about a minute to go. Overall he went 7-of-14 from 3-point range.

Yet Love was making his imprint all over the game, not simply behind the arc. He pumped and drove into the defense to finish over multiple Hawks defenders. He had a couple of nifty moves inside for layups. He got to the free-throw line for 10 attempts, his most in two years, going 8-of-10 from the stripe. Love was everywhere, carrying a team without the scoring of Darius Garland or Collin Sexton.

1 dud from Cavs blown lead vs Hawks: Kevin Pangos

This is not a fair position for Kevin Pangos to be in. He was completely outside the rotation for a team in position for homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference. He played 10 games all season before this outbreak hit the team, almost always in garbage time. He was the third-string point guard behind two high-minute options.

Then Omicron hit, and Ricky Rubio tore his ACL, and now Pangos is the starting point guard. For all that this situation is unfair, Pangos has failed to step up and seize the opportunity. Over the last four games Pangos has shot just 7-of-26 (26.9 percent) from the field, and just 5-of-17 in two games as a starter. He has missed his last 10 3-point attempts, and hasn’t drawn a single free-throw since mid-November.

Against the Hawks Pangos was merely fine in the first half and absolutely atrocious in the second, scoring eight points on nine shots overall with four assists and one turnover. Four other Cavs either matched or exceeded his assist total, as Pangos hasn’t been able to score or effectively set up his teammates with easy shots.

Pangos’ poor play has had ripple effects throughout the team. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff felt he couldn’t trust Pangos in the Cavs’ loss to the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this week, playing Ricky Rubio a large number of minutes prior to his injury and then closing the game with Denzel Valentine at point guard. That lack of trust bled over to Koby Altman and the front office, who made a fast deal to add Rajon Rondo so they don’t have to rely on Pangos.

That was necessary, because the Cavs can’t rely on him. He was a -14 against the Hawks in a three-point loss. Bickerstaff went to Brandon Goodwin, who had only been with the team for a day, as the backup point guard, playing him even minutes with Pangos. Goodwin was a +11 in his 24 minutes and scored 13 points.

The coup de grace of Pangos’ bad night came on the final possession. With just a few seconds to go and the Cavs down three, he raced the ball up the court but was met by the Hawks’ own hardship signing in big man Cameron Oliver. Pangos couldn’t shake him and couldn’t find a teammate, leading to a tightly-contested 3-pointer that was off its mark.

Kevin Love led the way for a Cavs team ready to have its floor general back. Darius Garland should clear health and safety protocols at any point, which will be a huge blessing for a team that so desperately needs him. Kevin Pangos just hasn’t been up to the task.