CLEVELAND, Ohio — The shorthanded Cavs, missing Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Max Strus, and Jaylon Tyson, pulled off the improbable Wednesday night – not just beating the Miami Heat, but dominating them down the stretch with a collection of role players and deep reserves.
“Miami was ahead 92 to 78 by 14 points with 3:57 to go in the third quarter. Over the next 15 minutes and 57 seconds, the Cavs, the depleted Cavs minus five every night, rotation players outscored Miami 52 to 24,” Chris Fedor detailed on the latest Wine and Gold Talk podcast. “I mean, think about that. That’s absurd.”
What powered this remarkable turnaround wasn’t superior talent – it was a desperate, nothing-to-lose mentality that saw bench players fighting with an intensity that hasn’t consistently appeared from the full-strength squad.
This raises a fascinating question for a team with championship aspirations: can the Cavaliers manufacture this same edge when their stars return?
Ethan Sands believes they should try. “I think this Cavs team might need to play with a little bit more of that underdog, desperation mentality on every given night,” he suggested on the podcast.
Fedor pushed back on whether that’s realistic: “I just think when you’re a team like the Cavs and it’s finals or bust, it’s hard to play 82 games with that kind of edge, with that kind of focus, with that kind of fire, with that underdog mentality, because they’re just not built that kind of way.”
This philosophical tension gets at the heart of Cleveland’s identity.
The full-strength Cavaliers roster features multiple All-Stars and a defined hierarchy. They win with talent, execution, and flashes of brilliance. Wednesday’s undermanned group won with sheer desperation – the energy of players who knew this might be their only opportunity for meaningful minutes.
“It’s different when it’s Nae’Qwan Tomlin because tonight may be the only shot he gets for the next two weeks. It’s different when it’s Luke Travers because this might be the only shot he gets for the next month,” Fedor explained. “The personnel that was available to them played part in that urgency, that ferocity that we saw.”
The contrast was stark.
One of the game’s most effective lineups featured Jarrett Allen alongside Craig Porter Jr., Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Dean Wade, and Tyrese Proctor – a combination that posted an astonishing 88.9 net rating in their four minutes on the floor together.
For coach Kenny Atkinson, the victory offers both validation and a challenge.
Can he extract elements of that desperate energy from his regular rotation? Can stars who are accustomed to 82-game seasons find ways to tap into that same hunger that backups fighting for their NBA lives naturally possess?
The answer might determine just how far this talented Cavaliers team can go.
Wednesday’s game showed that sometimes, wanting it more can overcome even significant talent disadvantages – a lesson that could serve Cleveland well if they can find ways to bottle even a portion of that same desperate energy.
For the complete breakdown of how the shorthanded Cavs stunned Miami and what it means for the team moving forward, listen to the full episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast with Ethan Sands and Chris Fedor.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
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