The Cleveland Cavaliers have certainly had a year to remember. Regardless of where this season goes, and how it finishes up, hopefully with a playoff run ahead, it’s been a fun season that has kept most of us on the edge of our seats every single game they play.
In their most recent victory over the Indiana Pacers, where they outlasted their opponents 127-124 and improved their record to 38-27 and maintained their sixth-place ranking in the Eastern Conference standings, the Cavs again showed that grit that has gotten them to this point in the season.
One of their big men, 7-footer, Jarrett Allen, recently was injured with a quad contusion and broken finger and will be out indefinitely. Their new trade acquisition Caris LeVert has also been out with a foot sprain. The team continues to find ways to get through all the various barriers they’ve been presented and jump over them often, though.
In their win against the Pacers both Cavs All-Star point guard Darius Garland and their rookie big man Evan Mobley had monster games. Garland went for 41 points, a career-best, and Mobley had another double-double, including 22 points and 12 rebounds.
The variety of ways this team has learned to win games this season has really been impressive to watch, especially after the previous three seasons of lackluster outcomes. There are always so many more questions to consider as this season progresses. We’ll take a run at a few questions that have me excited about this team moving forward but also have me agitated at times, especially when it comes to how we are perceiving things, especially the Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s role in all of this.
While many will see only the final results and results are important, I find myself hyped up because there are times this season where the outcomes, most of those where the team has lost, could have been different if the head coach would have taken a different approach. Let’s first discuss this topic on Coach Bickerstaff.
Question No. 1: Will Bickerstaff’s weaknesses as a coach hinder the Cavs chances moving toward the playoffs?
I’ve had my doubts and written about Bickerstaff in the past and discussed how much credit he should be given. Obviously, he should be given some credit because he is the head coach and leading a team for a variety of reasons isn’t a job for the faint of heart.
I was surprised a lot by Bickerstaff playing a different combination of players in the final quarter of play in the win against the Pacers the other night. The group was honestly the team’s best defensive players including Lamar Stevens, Dean Wade, Isaac Okoro, Mobley, and Garland.
Bickerstaff even acknowledged that at the postgame press conference, saying just that, that the group was the best defenders on the team and that he wanted them to be out there with Garland. Garland took charge offensively getting to that career-high of 41 points and the team, who was down by eight points going into that final frame, started getting the stops they needed to claw their way back in the game.
This was one of the few times that Bickerstaff went to such a lineup so late in the game and it honestly was shocking because I’ve been very critical of how Bickerstaff is playing his bench and the rotations he’s been throwing out there.
There have been far too many moments throughout the season where despite the obvious need for a change in rotation or playing or not playing a bench player, Bickerstaff seems to be hellbent on not making the necessary move. So is that because he is stubborn and doesn’t want to make a change for pride reasons or is it that he just doesn’t understand or read the situation and doesn’t have a feel for the game like you’d expect him to have?
Situational basketball is an important part of the game. Also, understanding the strengths of your players is also important when coaching.
In a recent loss to the Detroit Pistons, the team had an unusual ending where the team was in a close game but had a group of players that weren’t built to hit a three-point shot late to try and tie the game up.
Yes, they had their third big man Lauri Markkanen on the floor, but Bickerstaff was trying to have Markkanen try and back down his opponent and get to the rim. Markkanen is a three-point specialist, but he wasn’t asked to do that in this situation and rather messed up and turned the ball over as he tried to attack in the lane. The last moments had players like Evan Mobley and Brandon Goodwin taking open three-point shots. Where were forwards Kevin Love and Cedi Osman in this moment? Or even forward Dean Wade at this point? All three are excellent three-point shooters.
Good coaches give their players the credit, especially when the team wins, and Bickerstaff does that. But Bickerstaff needs to continue to improve in understanding his players’ strengths and weaknesses more and trust some of these different rotations, like the one he played at the end of the Pacers win because it changed the outcome of the game.
If the team is going to keep winning Bickerstaff will have to keep getting better, just as his players are expected to.
Question No. 2: How will Allen’s absence affect the Cavs’ chances at making the playoffs?
When your team is missing one of their key players, Jarrett Allen, then this will be different for the team. However, this Cavaliers team has dealt with issues, like injuries and COVID-19 absences all season. Allen even missed several games when he was in health and safety protocols, so the team has learned already how to play without him on the floor.
It does put a bit more pressure on the individual players, like Garland, Mobley, and Okoro to step up their game more. Garland has been electrifying in his efforts all season long. The performance he put on in the win at the Pacers Tuesday night was spectacular. Mobley stepped up and had one of his better games of the season and a player like Dean Wade can even provide a spark to the team.
Defense wins games and if this team can continue to hustle on defense and go after those 50/50 balls then they will still continue to win. Allen’s injury certainly makes the task even bigger to try and accomplish but it’s still attainable.
The biggest strength of this young Cavalier team is that they all have contributed to this team’s success many times over and that will be needed as the regular season wraps up. Allen is a big void for the group but they can survive.
Question No. 3: Can Garland carry this team to the finish line?
What Garland showcased in the victory over the Pacers with his 41 points was nothing short of amazing. Having the supporting cast of players out there too always helps. Those players and best defenders on the squad helped give Garland those opportunities to score and get back in that game.
Reminiscent of times that Cavaliers fans would watch former players like LeBron James and Kyrie Irving play, Garland was able to get his teammates in the game early with a nice array of assists. As the game wore on though and the team fell behind, Garland was masterful at going up against a variety of defensive scheming by the opponent and still was able to score.
Garland’s game and production have jumped significantly this season. He’s averaging 21 points a game and up to 8.2 assists a game. He’s shooting 48% from the field this season. He’s putting up almost two more shots a game on average at 16.6 a game.
He’s only had two games this season where he didn’t score in double figures, and he’s had 44 games where he tallied more than five assists. In the last seven games that Garland has been back since missing time due to back soreness, he’s averaging 29 points a game, and in the last three games, he’s averaging 14 assists.
So Garland has come back with a bang and the Cavs will certainly need that type of production. It’s been one of the reasons the team continues to win. Can he maintain that level of production?
It’ll be a test of wills, but the season is getting closer to the end and the playoffs are on the horizon. I expect Garland to continue to rise to the occasion.