Friday’s Disappointing Loss
Despite getting back Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen for the weekend, the Cavs were only able to win one out of two. Donovan Mitchell did Donovan Mitchell things on Friday Night. Unfortunately, it was not able to get the job done against the Pacers.
Friday’s game was the first group stage game for the Inaugural In-Season Tournament. (A rebranding of the Tournament name could help, a sponsor maybe). Like the first time they played, the Wine & Gold could not stop the Pacers from scoring. This version of the Cavaliers is not looking like the #1 Defensive Rating per 100 Possesions of last year. To get a top 4 Seed in the playoffs, the Cavs will have to figure out this part of their game.
Sunday Fun-day
The Cavaliers bounced back at home versus the 5-1 Golden State Warriors on Sunday. A balanced attack led by Mitchell and Darius Garland with shades of last year’s defense gave the Cavs the deserved win. This was probably their best performance overall this season at both ends of the court. The Cavs limited the Warriors to only 34% shooting from the floor and had key turnovers that led to 26 fast break points. In short, a good night of basketball.
The NBA season is still young and the Cavs have plenty of time to figure things out. Although, the nature of their performances leaves you with more questions than answers. Will their defense get stronger? Will their offense be consistent all 4 quarters? Can Darius Garland be the #2 option when defenses shut down Donovan Mitchell?
Time will tell.
Hopefully, this is the year that Donovan Mitchell-led teams can get over the hump in the playoffs. It’s early, but after reading NBA Random Thoughts about Spida, I’m starting to have some thoughts myself….
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