Cavs News: Comeback Cavaliers, Mitchell’s groin, best-yet trade
In Monday’s matinee game against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Cleveland Cavaliers entered the fourth quarter down by three points. They proceeded to rip off an 11-0 run to start the quarter and never looked back, ultimately winning by by 10.
If that comeback felt familiar, it’s because the Cavs have pulled it off a number of times before. Monday was the ninth time the Cavs have won a game after trailing in the fourth quarter, and their 11th victory after trailing by double digits in a game. Per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, both numbers lead the league.
That doesn’t even count the games where the Cavs came back from a deficit only for the opponent to ultimately pull out the win, like their loss to the Indiana Pacers a few weeks ago. The explosive nature of Cleveland’s offense paired with some lockdown defenders make this team capable of a two-way explosion at any point in a game.
Would it be better if the Cavs simply cruised in each of their victories, not digging the holes that they then needed to climb out of? Perhaps, but basketball games are 48 minutes, and the final outcome and margin of victory is what matters, not the game script. That margin of victory points to the Cavs as a top-5 team in the NBA, and their comeback superpower has been a major part of that success.
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Donovan Mitchell exited Monday’s victory early with a “groin strain” and did not return. Nate Duncan shared on his podcast that his rule of thumb when a player has to leave a game due to a muscle injury is that it is a two-week minimum absence.
Groin injuries are hard to diagnose (often called a pull, or tightness, or soreness, or any number of terms all describing the same general injury) and can easily result in a reinjury if a player comes back too soon. The fact that Mitchell is doubtful for tonight’s game suggests he may be closer to a return than not, but the Cavs and Mitchell would do well to be careful with this injury.
Handling the short-term absence of Mitchell is a smaller challenge than filling the long-term need at small forward. Longtime media figure Bill Simmons proposed a trade for the Cavs in a recent podcast and it actually might be the best trade proposal yet, as we discussed on the website this morning.
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The Cavaliers entered Tuesday night’s slate just a half-game behind three different teams, and all three were in action on Tuesday. The San Antonio Spurs pulled off the unlikeliest upset by beating the Brooklyn Nets 106-98 as Keldon Johnson exploded for 36 points. The Milwaukee Bucks won despite being without Giannis Antetekounmpo and the Philadelphia 76ers came back to top the LA Clippers.
That drops the Nets into a tie with the Cavaliers, while the 76ers are a half-game up and the Bucks another half-game beyond that. Cleveland has the best net rating of the group, and the fight down the stretch to see who gets what seed will be an important one. No one wants to be in the 4-5 game, playing a tough opponent in the first round before facing the Boston Celtics in the second round.
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Coming up: The Cavaliers play Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies tonight at 8:00 PM.