Big wins locking in All-Star bids for Garland and Allen

On Wednesday night the Cleveland Cavaliers were the talk of the town. In a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, defending champions and flush with stars, the Cavs were no longer seen as the plucky upstart. After going four years without beating Giannis Antetokounmpo in a basketball game, the Cavs came out and romped the Bucks to the tune of 115-99.

Suddenly the Cavs were everywhere, making their appearances on the national shows and podcasts, appearing in a number of features. It took Vegas two months to adjust to the reality that the Cavs are a legitimately good team; it took the rest of the country a little longer.

Evan Mobley was a hit from the start with his incredible defensive impact, but now the team’s other tentpole stars are getting their due. For Kevin Love that means a legitimate Sixth Man of the Year campaign. For Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, it might just mean locking them in as All-Star selections.

The Cavs are getting natural recognition for their marquee wins. What impact will that have on All-Star cases for Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen?

The starters for the All-Star Game were announced on Thursday night. The Eastern Conference selections had no surprises (the West saw former Cavaliers draft pick Andrew Wiggins picked to start) with DeMar DeRozan and Trae Young starting in the backcourt, and Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid tabbed to start in the frontcourt.

Now the selection process shifts to the league’s coaches to pick the next seven players to make the team. These players will fill out the reserves. Coaches will pick three frontcourt players, two guards and two “wild cards” who will almost certainly be another pair of guards given this year’s field.

As recently as two weeks ago it looked like Garland would be on the outside looking in on the All-Star field, especially since DeRozan was counted as a guard and not in the frontcourt. Yet then he won Eastern Conference Player of the Week, led the Cavs to wins over the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, and has been roundly recognized as the best offensive player on one of the league’s best teams.

Jarrett Allen has an easier path to making the team, with fewer deserving frontcourt players in the mix, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t earned his place in the conversation. On top of solid numbers, Allen has shown up in big games and locked down talented frontcourt players. But outside of his play in those big games, getting the marquee wins draws attention to his season-long numbers, including 16.1 points, 11 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

The Cavs are now 8-1 in their last nine games, including wins over the Utah Jazz, Nets and Bucks. They have dropped the Bucks twice this season, are 2-0 against Miami, and have a win over the Bulls as well. They have proven they belong, and teams that belong get All-Star selections.

Can you really pick Domantas Sabonis over Allen when the Cavs are 13 games above them? John Collins’ Hawks are in 12th place, and Julius Randle’s Knicks in 11th; the Cavs are in third with the conference’s best net rating. Winning shouldn’t be the only deciding factor, but it does matter, especially to the coaches making the next selections.

Zach LaVine seems like a lock to make the roster as a reserve, but then Garland has as good of a case as anyone to fill in on the reserves. Fred VanVleet is having a great season, but the Raptors are .500. Bradley Beal is having a mediocre season and his team is two games below .500 and just gave up a billion-point lead. LaMelo Ball is in seventh. Jrue Holiday just shot 2-of-9 against Garland’s Cavs.

There is a lot more nuance to these conversations, but the Cavs’ players don’t need nuanced cases to try to sneak in. They are now the favorites, and the VanVleets and Balls and Randles of the world need to make their cases to overtake Garland and Allen. They have played well all season, but now the national media is catching on. These two players deserve to make the Eastern Conference All-Star Team.

The Cavs are good enough to hang with anyone, as they have proven over the course of the season. Now that the narratives are singing their praises, the increased spotlight will illuminate how deserving Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland are. These big wins should mean big recognition and a spot in Cleveland’s All-Star Game next month.