4 most important moments of the Cleveland Cavaliers 2023-24 season
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The Cleveland Cavaliers’ last campaign was a stepping stone toward building a winner; its high moments shouldn’t be forgotten.
Donovan Mitchell splashed the sixth most triples in a season in Wine and Gold history (182). Jarrett Allen has the third-highest efficient year from the field of any Cavalier ever (EFG- 63.3 percent). And the squad came back from an 18-point hole in Game 7 of the first round against the Orlando Magic.
The season ended after five games with the Boston Celtics, meeting them for the ninth time in Playoff history. On top of that, the series win against the Magic was the first since LeBron James last repped The Land in 2018
Let’s review the important moments of last season….
In-Season Tournament game win in Philly
Two nights after defeating the Denver Nuggets by a dozen digits, the visiting Cavaliers engaged in a slow slugfest with the Philadelphia 76ers, ending the night as the nastier team on the glass and sharper from the field. The squad was also without the services of Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert. This Nov. 21 In-Season Tournament match extended to overtime with Jarrett Allen being the luminary late. Darius Garland also supplied 10 of 11 free throws, plus logged a nine-point fourth frame as his counterpart, Tyrese Maxey, added 11 marks.
Rookie Craig Porter Jr. was a super sub, adding 12 points and nine dimes for the Cavs. And notably, the unit contained the at the time reigning MVP Joel Embiid to three of 10 makes in the fourth quarter and extra time. The 122-119 road victory became one of the finest of the season because of the character shown by all involved.
Postgame, then coach J.B. Bickerstaff said about Garland, “It was put the ball in [his] hands and take the game over. Down the stretch, he fought through a lot of minutes and fatigue and a lot of pressure. He continued to make play after play and had nerves of steel making big free throws…”
The Spider and Co. leading the squad to a Game 7 victory
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic each won three games at home to set up a showdown at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The former had been without Allen since Game 4, who suffered a pierced rib. Before his absence, Allen and Evan Mobley were blowing up actions in the backline. Without the former, the Magic’s size overwhelmed the Cavaliers, as no extra helper was present.
Garland was performing way below standards and the Cavaliers were minus quality backup big Dean Wade, too. The team had no choice but to go small, with Isaac Okoro next to Mobley in the front court.
Then the first half of Game 7 was a disaster. Mitchell dragged his club with 15 inefficient marks, and the rest of the group converted 11 of 27 baskets. The Magic took an 18-point advantage four minutes before the break, but the hosts cut the deficit to 10 at intermission.
Yet, Mitchell was inevitable In the second half, recording as many field goals (eight) as the Magic starters logged. He buried two trays, downed six charity shots, scored on the break and shattered the lane on multiple rim attacks. He ended the night with 39 points on 40.7% accuracy, nine rebounds, five dimes, one steal, one block and a turnover.
Mad Max Strus’ and Garland’s second-half contributions can’t be ignored either. The former provided three triples, firing behind handoffs and a flare screen, and he curled into the lane for a layup plus cut up the baseline for a dunk. The latter took multiple trips for the line and set up three teammates.