Will the real Cleveland Cavaliers please stand up? WOW! That's more like it! This is the team many were hoping to see. This is the team that could beat just about anybody on any given night when they play like this!
They played with heart, emotion, physicality, passion, and just looked like they were having fun out there on the hardwood. Darius Garland lit up the Knicks by scoring 32, and Caris LeVert had himself a huge night coming in off the bench, scoring 24 points. But there was so much more that went into this one. Let's take a look at the Keys to Victory, shall we?
Match or exceed the energy the Knicks are bringing
I'm just gonna say it, folks: This game represented Cleveland to a tee. Tough, physical, unrelenting, high energy, and not afraid to knock the opponent around a little bit. For as much as the Knicks bullied Cleveland in Game 1, the Cavaliers flipped the script in Game 2, and gave New York a big taste of their own medicine.
It didn't start out that way though. I remember at the beginning of the game, I saw a lot of the same things that doomed the Cavs in Game 1. They looked soft. New York had their way in the paint early with rebounding. And it just looked like the Cavs hadn't flipped the switch. But somewhere in the second quarter, things changed. It all seemed to start with Jalen Brunson being trapped in a double team by Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. They met him halfway up the floor, and when he tried to split the double team, it was like he hit a wall. They were immovable. They stonewalled him, and they forced him into a bad turnover, which directly led to a fast break bucket on the other end of the floor. That sparked a big 13-2 run at the time, set the tone for the rest of the night, and sent me into full Animal mode! I was screaming like crazy every time the Cavaliers made a defensive stop like that one!
Guys were also diving on the floor and fighting in the paint for rebounds time and again, and for the first time this series, the Cavaliers held their own, as they won the rebounding battle 43-36. This is the kind of energy and effort Cleveland is going to have to bring every single night if they want to not only win Game 3, but win the series. But this was definitely an encouraging sign!
Hit the high percentage shots, and don't settle for jumpers
Aggressive defense often leads to forcing an opponent into turnovers, and creating high percentage shots in transition at the other end of the floor. Cleveland did several things right in this area of the game tonight. They scored 29 points off turnovers, and won the battle in the paint, outscoring the Knicks 42-38. They didn't push the ball up the floor in the fast break as much as I would have liked, but overall I was very happy with their effort to get high percentage shots for most of the night.
And Evan Mobley had himself a great night compared to Game 1! The second-year big man out of USC scored 13 points, and snagged 13 rebounds, and went 6-11 shooting on the night for a double-double. Happy for him! Now I just hope he can keep it going into Game 3 and beyond.
Batman needs Robin
Donovan Mitchell still chipped in 17 points, and was instrumental in this game like he's expected to be. But the Cavs' "Batman" got a little bit of a breather tonight, as several of his teammates picked up the scoring slack.
Nobody worked harder to take the load off his shoulders than Darius Garland, who was absolutely FEELING it tonight. Garland went off, scoring 32 points to lead the way for the Cavaliers. Apparently at some point after practice on Monday, Donovan Mitchell pulled Garland aside and told him he needed to be more aggressive and forceful, according to ESPN and the Associated Press. Garland apparently took that to heart, and it translated incredibly well to the hardwood.
If the Cavaliers are balanced like this, this is when they are at their best. This is the team that beat Boston twice in a week, and battled Milwaukee and Philadelphia incredibly hard. This team still has a lot of growing to do. But if they can learn to win games with balance, they will become incredibly hard to beat over the next few years. Perhaps they'll be built like the San Antonio Spurs were during their extended run of success under Gregg Popovich.
That team had incredible balance, and could beat you in several different ways. I'm not saying this Cavs team will turn into that, or that they'll win five Championships like the Spurs did. But the blueprint is definitely similar, and is a proven way to succeed. And it takes pressure off star players when everyone pulls their weight.
The bench needs to show up!
They've been found! At least for one game, that is. But the Cavaliers' role players scored 36 points off the bench, led by Caris LeVert's 24 points. LeVert did so well, that Cavs head coach JB Bickerstaff decided to start him in the second half. All he did was go 9-16 from the field, including 4-9 from long range, in 40 minutes of action. That's the kind of production this bench needs if the Cavaliers are eventually going to win this series.
Danny Green (3 points) Cedi Osman, (5 points), and Robin Lopez (4 points) rounded out the bench scoring for the Cavaliers. I wasn't expecting such a big night from any one player coming in off the bench, but boy am I glad I was wrong!
With their impressive win in Game 2, the Cavaliers now have a little bit of momentum heading into Friday's clash at Madison Square Garden in NYC. It will be interesting to see which way this series goes now. Cleveland doesn't absolutely have to win Game 3. But if they did? The pressure would be squarely on the Knicks to win Game 4 this Sunday.
I expect the series to be tied 2-2 once it eventually heads back to Cleveland for Game 5. But for now, the Cavaliers got a win that they absolutely had to have before they head into a hostile Big Apple this weekend. This team showed they are capable of playing extremely well, and that they belong here in the Playoffs. Extremely proud of their effort tonight!
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get some good rest. I need to catch some shuteye... so I can see Stephen A. Smith make all kinds of excuses and eat all kinds of crow tomorrow morning.
GO CAVS!
Stats Leaders
Darius Garland: 8-17, 32 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 6-10 from long range
Caris LeVert: 9-16, 24 points, 4-9 from long range
Donovan Mitchell: 6-11, 17 points, 13 assists
Sources: ESPN, Cavs App
Picture Credit: ESPN
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