Four Biggest Takeaways From Cavs vs Thunder
Cavs vs Thunder on Wednesday night was no ordinary regular season game. Cleveland entered the game with a league-best 31-4 record. The Thunder had a chance to snatch that from them with a win to add to their 30-5 record. Both teams were on pace to win 70 games which is a rare accomplishment for one team, let alone two, let alone two teams in the same game. It was also the first game between a team on a 15-game win streak (OKC) and a team on a 10-game win streak (Cleveland).
The game did not disappoint. At first, I was just excited to watch a high-stakes basketball game in January. Then I realized how much better these two teams are playing than the rest of the league and how refreshing it was to watch. As a Celtics fan but more importantly a fan of the game, I can’t tell you how sickening it can be to watch my team hoist three after three after three and suddenly find themselves in a 15-point hole against the Kings. Too many threes are terrible for basketball. And that’s the NBA Champion Celtics I’m talking about. Imagine how it feels as a Hornets fan to watch LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Josh Green shoot 42 threes in a loss every game.
While the rest of the NBA has been playing the checkers, the Cavs and Thunder were playing chess in this historic clash. Quick pace of play, double-big lineups, man to zone switches on every possession, extensive rotations, and of course, some of the league’s top superstars giving it their maximum effort. Ultimately, Cleveland prevailed 129-122, but I’d like to talk about the game altogether. Here are my four biggest takeaways.
1. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen Are the Best Frontcourt in the East
As you can tell, I loved this game for so many reasons, but the times when I was out of my seat were usually when Mobley and Allen played tiki-taka with the defense and one would lob to the other for an electrifying slam.
Mobley had 21 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists and Allen poured in 25 points along with 12 boards, and six dimes. Allen was incredibly efficient at the rim as he always has been—he’s third in field goal percentage at 70.6%. And Mobley, who has been maligned for not using his size on offense is finally learning to take possessions into his own hands and body people in the paint, showing shades of Kevin Garnett and that he deserves an All-Star bid.
Defensively, we already knew these two were the best frontcourt in the league. Leading a team with Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt to being a top-10 defense for three straight years is an incredible feat. But if these two can be as impactful on offense as they were against OKC, Cleveland will be unstoppable on that end of the floor.
2. OKC Still Has the Same Two Problems
With 1:39 left in the game, Darius Garland missed a three. The Thunder were down two with a chance to tie or take the lead. Except they couldn’t corral the board. Allen grabbed his 11th rebound and was fouled. He sunk the first free throw and missed the second, but Evan Mobley was right there for another offensive rebound. With 1:26 to play, Mitchell missed another three but the Cavs regained possession AGAIN with Allen’s 12th rebound. He kicked to Mobley who tried a three of his own but missed. I bet you can guess what happened next. Donovan Mitchell snared another offensive rebound and 12 seconds later, Mobley drilled a floater to raise the lead to five.
The Cavs had the ball from 2:02 to 1:07 in the fourth quarter of a crucial game. Now, luckily for OKC, this game won’t make or break this season, but it’s clear that if the Thunder are going to make the Finals like everyone says they will, they need a healthy Chet Holmgren to do so. Isaiah Hartenstein does a lot of nice things for the Thunder, but he looked like a 12-year-old as Mobley and Allen toyed with him on the offensive glass.
The other aspect of this game that was affirmed my concerns for OKC was their lack of confident ball-handlers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t shooting well down the stretch of the game and while Jalen Williams had 25 points and has sky-high potential, I’m still not sure he’ll be ready to be a legitimate number two on a championship team when the stakes are at their highest. Outside of SGA and JDub, OKC doesn’t have any proven primary ball-handlers. To avoid this issue in the playoffs, Sam Presti needs to get aggressive at the trade deadline by trading for Collin Sexton or Jordan Clarkson as a microwave scorer off the bench to take some of the offensive strain off SGA. I understand that neither of those players fit the defense-first, efficient-scorer OKC blueprint, but Presti has to quit being so stubborn about his current core.
3. The Cavs Have the Best Offense in the NBA
This is no longer a question. First of all, every statistic support Cleveland having the league’s top offense. They lead the NBA in offensive rating, points per game, field-goal percentage, and three-point percentage.
Secondly, they pass the eye test. As we saw with Mobley and Allen having their way offensively, anybody can go off on any given night. Garland had 40 points last night against the Raptors, and we all know what Mitchell is capable of. Isaac Okoro, Max Strus, and Georges Niang are all great plug-and-play guys. All three are shooting at least 38.7% from three this season. That’s not to mention Dean Wade who has the ability to light it up. And then, of course, there are Caris LeVert and Ty Jerome. LeVert is a pure bucket-getter and is just the type of player the Thunder could use coming off their bench. Jerome has no prior history of being this good of an offensive player, but in the Cavs system, he’s been a revelation. Jerome is averaging 10/2/3 on 41.2% shooting from three.
Against OKC, Jerome guided the Cavs in the fourth quarter. He had eight points including three key floaters and kept the Cavs in the lead with Mitchell on the bench. Overall, he finished the game with 15 points, displaying that anybody can thrive in this offense.
Lastly, Mitchell had a terrible game (he shot 3-for-16) and the Cavs still managed to score 129 points against one of the best defenses we’ve seen in years. Enough said.
4. Kenny Atkinson is the Runaway Coach of the Year
Ime Udoka and Jamahl Mosley might win this award in any other year, but what Kenny Atkinson has done to transform the Cavs is incredible. A year ago, Cleveland was playing their way out of contention. They only had success when one of their guards and one of their big men were on the floor together, handing the front office strong signals that one or two of their big four should be traded.
Instead, they trusted Atkinson and now, Garland, Mitchell, Mobley, and Allen flow as well as any group of stars. Donovan Mitchell has taken a back seat from being a ball-dominant superstar at all times to a star that makes his teammates better. Atkinson seems to be the Mobley whisperer given how much more aggressively and smartly the fourth-year man is playing this season. He’s also empowered Darius Garland, who I was not high on heading into this season. He’s averaging 21.0 points on career-high 50/43/88 splits.
Finally, seven of the last 11 coaches of the year led their conference in record. Since Mark Daigneault of the Thunder won the award last year, there is almost no chance he will win it again this year unless the Thunder win at least 70 games and five more games than the Cavs. History is on Atkinson’s side here.
