5 games that defined the Cleveland Cavaliers 2022-23 regular season

Before the start of the 2022-2023 NBA season, most analysts and predictions showed the Cleveland Cavaliers competing for the sixth seed or for a Play-In spot. With the regular season finished, the Cavs became one of only six NBA teams to achieve 50 regular season wins with a record of 51-31.

As the chaos of the NBA Playoffs approaches, we can take a look at what brought Cleveland to this point and defined their success. With Donovan Mitchell at the helm, how has this Cavs team formed their destiny? These are the top five games that defined the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2022-2023 regular season campaign.

5. LeVert and Mitchell’s overtime masterclass vs. Boston

The Cavaliers struggled mightily with poor injury luck throughout all of last season. This year, while it was better, started out with a Darius Garland eye injury that sidelined him for a few weeks. In his place, Caris LeVert and Donovan Mitchell shouldered the scoring load, especially in their many overtime performances.

This overtime victory, along with another in this list, stands out as a cornerstone for Cleveland going forward. Up against the reigning Eastern Conference Champions Boston Celtics Caris LeVert and Donovan Mitchell provided 41 points each in a blow-for-blow brawl, ending in a 132-123 victory for the Believeland squad.

Cleveland’s starting roster rotated often for most of the season due to injury and a lack of true 3-and-D presence. In this game, Caris LeVert shined and solidified his place as a critical piece for Cleveland. Eventually, LeVert became the role as second unit leader and can now be described as an X-Factor for Cleveland.

While LeVert has had ups and downs this season, his performance in TD Garden gave Cleveland hope for the roster’s depth. More importantly, it gave Cleveland a reason to believe that injuries to Garland or key players would not be so heart breaking as they were the year before.

No. 4: Isaac Okoro’s first game winner

Admittedly, much of the questions surrounding the Cavs centers around having undersized wings who struggle to shoot consistently. This season, 2020 first-round pick Isaac Okoro started in 46 contests this season and averaged 7.8 points as a starter. When he started, Okoro shot 38.6% from deep.

Isaac “Ice” Okoro earned his nickname in Cleveland’s game in Brooklyn on March 23. With time winding down, Cleveland found themselves down by one. After Donovan Mitchell attempted to rebound a missed free throw for a tip-in twice but failed, the ball is swung out to Okoro on the corner with a wide open look at the basket. Shot goes up, and time froze (Ice does what Ice does). The shot goes in, and the Cavs bench erupts.

In his post-game interview, Okoro said “Once it left my hand, it was going in”. This newfound confidence from three and willingness to make the crucial play gave a new life to Okoro’s season. He had performed well all year but never had an opportunity to be THE clutch guy. Even if he is not the first option in the final minutes, Okoro proved he is nothing short of a true threat on offense and defense.

No. 3: Evan Mobley has arrived

All season, Evan Mobley has dominated opponents on defense. His defensive prowess has turned almost the entirety of Ohio into an Evan Mobley fan club. Mobley has given no shortage of phenomenal performances this season.

The question for the sophomore star has been how he will perform against other top NBA post defenders. On January 21, Evan Mobley faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks and scored a career high 38 points on 70% from the field. While Giannis Antetokounmpo was absent in this contest, Evan Mobley faced off against Defensive Player of the Year contender and NBA blocks per game leader Brook Lopez.

The dominant showing gave more than just a game to praise. After the game, the world saw the bond between the players in Cleveland as Mobley received quite the surprise celebration from teammates during his interview with Bally Sports and Cavs’ sideline reporter Serena Winters.

The core of Cleveland’s roster quickly became like family with Donovan Mitchell showing full loyalty to the city and team. Moments like these prove why win 1 through win 51 of the season came from a united, selfless team effort.

Similar to Isaac Okoro, an environment like such has given Evan Mobley the opportunity to grow his offensive game without concern over his teammates condemning every mistake. That’s just winning culture in basketball, honestly. And Cleveland has it.

No 2: Securing home court advantage

On April 4, win number 50 gave the Cavaliers more than just an impressive win total; it guaranteed home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

This win gave Cleveland’s year long efforts a much deserved accolade. From missing the NBA Playoffs last year to clinching a top four seed in their conference gave credence to going “all in” this past offseason by acquiring Donovan Mitchell.

Every contest gave the team more confidence as the wins piled up. Darius Garland’s playmaking and leadership shined as he continued his surge of impressive performances that began last season. While many worried about the fit of Garland and Mitchell, DG the PG made for a selfless leader with a focus on one thing: winning.

With a final home record of 31-10, the Cavaliers greatly improved their chances for a deep postseason campaign. Although Cleveland’s 20-21 road record is nothing too worrisome, bringing the first post-LeBron era playoff game home to the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is a tremendous way to usher in the new era of Cleveland basketball.

No. 1: Donovan Mitchell’s 71-point record-breaker

There is no other option as THE moment for the Cavaliers this season. The Cavaliers sent a historic package to Utah in order to acquire Donovan Mitchell. The trade was celebrated for keeping the Cavs’ young core intact, but surrendering as many draft picks as they did was a cause for concern to many.

The payoff needed to be clear, and Donovan Mitchell provided that clarity against the Chicago Bulls on January 2, 2023.

If you forgot the work of art or simply want to relive it in written word, here’s a quick recap. At the free throw line, Donovan Mitchell sinks the first shot, bringing Cleveland within two. A second made free throw guarantees one point, but does not give Cleveland a better chance to win. Instead, Spida intentionally missed his free throw and chased it for a tremendous put back shot, tying the game.

In the final moments, Chicago fails to score once more, taking the game to overtime. In the five-minute overtime, Mitchell scored 13 points on 4-of-4 field goal attempts made, three of which were from deep. In addition to the 71 points record for the Cavs, Mitchell also garnered 11 assists and 8 rebounds to give Cleveland the 145-134 victory.

The arrival of Donovan Mitchell has been nothing short of a historic catalyst for Cleveland. A countless list of games could be considered for a spot in this list, considering his record-setting 245 three-pointers made in a season for a Cleveland Cavalier, passing J.R. Smith’s record of 204 set in the 2015-2016 regular season campaign (spoiler alert: When Smith did that, the Cavs won the championship. Foreshadowing? One can only hope.)

Where does Cleveland go from here, then? The NBA Playoffs, obviously. The Cavaliers plan to Let ‘Em Know that this regular season was no fluke. The new era of Cleveland basketball has arrived, and it is ready to make history.