The Cavs are on an early season roll! The Cavaliers played 3 games this week, including a HUGE early-season matchup vs the Boston Celtics. They won all 3, 2 by 10+ points and one by 9. Keep in mind, this is WITHOUT Garland, and they’re sitting at a 4-1 record.
The Washington Wizards came to town on October 23rd, and they played a tough game. The Wizards are a tough team, not a serious championship contender, but a tough team to beat. And they played as if they knew it. Bradley Beal was making plays all game long, keeping things close. Porzingis was hitting clutch shots for Washington all game long. The Cavalier offense, aside from Donovan Mitchell, seemed off. Mitchell scored 37 and was on fire all night. The Wizards fought and pushed us to Overtime. And then the Cavaliers took off in Overtime, outscoring the Wizards 14-4 in the extra period. Jarrett Allen’s defense was huge for us this game. The Cavaliers finished the game off with a 117-107 win.
Next up, the Cavaliers faced off against the Orlando Magic on October 26th. The Magic are a team that beat us late last season and despite their tragic record, Cavaliers fans knew they would play a complete game. And they did. If the season were to end now, Paulo Banchero wins ROTY easily. Against the Cavalier’s elite defense, he was the highest-scoring player on either team. He finished the night with 29 points. Donovan Mitchell struggled shooting the ball but made his presence felt elsewhere, with very good defense and passing. He finished with a stat line of 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 14 points. The Cavalier’s leading scorer was Evan Mobley, with 20 points. The Cavs win by a score of 103-92. The Magic have a bright future, in my opinion.
Now onto the last, and most important game of the week. The Cavaliers travel to Boston to take on the Boston Celtics. For those who need a reminder, the Celtics won the eastern conference last year and lost to the Warriors in the NBA Finals. They are a great, not just good, team. Jayson Tatum is an elite scorer with solid defense and Jaylen Brown can put up points any night as well, while also providing more than serviceable defense. They lay claim to having the reigning defensive player of the year as well, Marcus smart. As it turns out; none of that mattered. The Cavaliers started hot. They then managed to lose the lead and fell into a huge deficit at halftime. Cavalier fans were worried. But Caris LeVert and Donovan Mitchell must’ve drank their Gatorade before the game, as we had no reason to worry. We stormed back with suffocating defense and stunning offense. We fought and clawed back and forced overtime. Overtime is exactly what we needed, as we doubled up on the Celtics and scored 18 extra period points compared to the Celtics’ 9 points scored, and won by a score of 132-123. Donovan Mitchell, Caris Levert, and Evan Mobley combined for over 100 points. Mitchell and Levert scored 41 points each, and Mobley had 19. Great game, and showed off the talent that the Cavaliers have even without Darius Garland. A great game, that FELT like a post season game despite the season only being 5 games in. THIS is the reason we traded for Levert. It may have taken time, but he’s finally showing out in Cleveland. Cavs win, 132-123.
All stats provided are courtesy of NBA.com
John Zimmerman