In a three game week, there were highs and lows for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland defeated the West’s best in the Oklahoma City Thunder, but also saw their 12-game winning streak end last night in a 108-93 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
With that said, what were the biggest themes from the Cavs’ 2-1 week? Here are the three biggest takeaways from Week 12 of Cleveland basketball.
1. The Cavs can hang with the league’s best
The matchup between the Thunder and Cavs was one of the more historic ones in NBA history. It was the first time in NBA history where two teams with records of 30-5 or better met in a regular season matchup. On the national stage, Cleveland came out on top 129-122.
Against the league’s top-ranked defense, the Cavs scored 129 points. This was despite the fact that Donovan Mitchell had one of his worst games as a Cav, shooting 3-of-16 from the field and scoring 11 points. Fortunately, Cleveland’s frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen stole the show, combining for 46 points and 21 rebounds and taking advantage of an undermanned Thunder frontcourt.
There were a lot of questions about whether or not the historic offensive start for the Cavs was legit and they more than answered the call against one of the league’s top teams.
2. Darius Garland is an All-Star
Garland and his teammates have not been shy about campaigning for his second All-Star selection and if it was not already clear, this week cemented his case. Across the three games, Garland averaged 26 points per game and eight assists on 52/41 shooting splits.
For the season, Garland is averaging about 21 points per game to go with just under seven assists on 49.8 percent shooting and 43 percent from three-point range. He is very close to achieving 50/40/90 efficiency. This includes last week’s outburst against the Raptors, when Garland scored 40 points on 14-of-22 shooting and also dished out nine assists.
Where Garland has impressed the most is clutch situations. He is shooting a scorching 65 percent from the field in the clutch and 50 percent from three-point range and Cleveland is 14-2 in his clutch games.
There should be no doubt about Garland’s All-Star candidacy amidst the most efficient season of his career. He likely won’t be a starter, but he more than deserves a reserve spot.
3. Blueprint to beat the Cavs?
All season, most teams have tried and failed to figure out how to stop Cleveland’s high-powered offense. However, three of the Cavs’ losses against the Hawks and Pacers have shown a blueprint on how to slow down Cleveland.
Both Atlanta and Indiana were able to muck the game up by crashing the offensive glass and being more physical than Cleveland. In losses this season, the Cavs have gotten outrebounded by about seven.
Both teams also upped their on-ball pressure and the Pacers even full court pressed the Cavs, causing them to rush their offensive sets.
It is still a long season and coach Kenny Atkinson has shown a great ability to adjust. The Cavs have time to figure out how to deal with relentless rebounding and ball pressure, but for now, that is how you can slow them down.