The Cavaliers and Thunder met on Wednesday night in Cleveland in the most anticipated game of this regular season, as the two teams with the most wins in the league feature a combined record of 61-9. The game lived up to the hype, with the Cavs winning a 129-122 shootout despite an off-night from star guard Donovan Mitchell (11 points).
That Cleveland won the game without needing heroics from Mitchell was particularly notable given that has not been the case in big games in the past. With the caveat that this was still a regular season game, there was unquestionably some extra juice in the building and both teams seemed determined to live up to the occasion — as someone that previously covered the Atlanta Hawks, it felt an awful lot like the much-hyped Cavs-Warriors showdown in 2015. That atmosphere has not always been kind to this Cavs core, but they showed in the win that, despite a roster that’s mostly the same, they are a very different team this season.
The Cavs last two playoff appearances have featured disappearing acts from the non-Mitchell stars. Darius Garland has struggled as a creator and finisher against increased ball pressure and physicality in the postseason, while Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley were notably pushed around and dominated in the paint and on the glass by the Knicks two years ago. On Wednesday, it was that trio that lifted them to a win over an OKC team that prides itself on its defensive pressure and physicality, the exact kind of things that have bothered the Cavs in the past. It is certainly notable that the Thunder weren’t at full strength with Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso out injured, but even so, they employ a slew of strong perimeter defenders (Lu Dort was the primary reason for Mitchell’s struggles), along with one of the boogeymen for the Cavs from that Knicks series at center, Isaiah Hartenstein.
The thing the Cavs have lacked previously, aside from Mitchell, is the combination of confidence and aggression that is required to take down top competition. The best teams will provide ample opportunities for you to question yourself and try to break your confidence that you can accomplish your goals. To beat that requires a level of competitive spirit, self-belief, and determination that the Cavs have, quite frankly, not shown in the biggest moments. On Wednesday, that was all evident from their entire roster, showing the kind of growth that is necessary for this team to be a legitimate contender.
Allen, who famously said “the lights were brighter than expected” after their series loss to the Knicks, dominated on the glass in the kind of performance where it felt like every important rebound was going to end up in his hands by sheer will. He finished the night with 25 points (on 9-of-11 shooting) to lead the team and had 11 rebounds. Seven of those came on the offensive glass, including two offensive boards and a third tipped to Donovan Mitchell in a two-possession stretch in the final two minutes that helped the Cavs seal the win.
Mobley continued his breakout season offensively with 21 points (on 8-of-13 shooting), 10 rebounds, and seven assists, showing off all of his improvements under the biggest spotlight of the season. Mobley was once a tweener, a ball of potential with various partially developed skills, unsure of where he belonged on the floor offensively. Now, he’s just a monster who has more assurance and confidence in his abilities and knows the spots on the floor he is most effective from. Mobley has become another playmaker for this Cavs team rather than just a play-finisher, capable not only of getting himself a shot, but knowing where his outlet is when help comes and making those reads and passes on time and on target. He fed Allen a couple lobs and passes for layups, kicked out to his shooters, and when the opportunity presented itself, got to his spots to get buckets of his own. With the Cavs up three late, Mobley drove into the chest of Hartenstein — two years ago, he may have been bumped back and taken a fading, falling leaner. This time, went straight up and through Hartenstein, rising above him to flip in a short hook shot that gave Cleveland some cushion.
Garland wasn’t lighting it up from three (2-of-6 from deep) but still had a strong game with 18 points and seven assists. Being able to impact the game even when his jumper isn’t hot is a needed step, and he was attacking decisively and embracing the kind of contact that has given him issues in the past. His floater with 27 seconds to play was the exclamation point on the win, getting by Cason Wallace with a quick crossover and getting into the paint and his shot up before the help could arrive. It was the exact kind of confident decision-making that he’s lacked in big games in the past.
Beyond that trio, the Cavs got big lifts off the bench from Max Strus (17 points on 6-of-7 shooting), who gave them the shot-making they needed when they signed him two summers ago, and Ty Jerome (15 points on 6-of-7 shooting), who has been a bench boost as another surprising creator with a lethal float game in the lane. Every good team needs the occasional big game from “the others,” and while it’s not something teams want to bank on, the Cavs will have good reason to believe they’ve built out the kind of depth needed to have options for the playoffs with their rotation.
Wednesday’s win was the exact kind of game the Cavs needed to continue building their own confidence that this year really is different. All the questions about this team are reserved for the postseason, and they know as well as anyone that the real answers can’t come until then. At the same time, this game had that kind of atmosphere and should provide them with further belief that what they’re doing this season under Kenny Atkinson is a real step forward.
We’ll find out if they can put it all together in May and June, but at least for this test in January, Cleveland showed everything we’ve wanted to see from this group against the best competition they could ask for.
