The Cleveland Cavaliers took three and a half quarters to wake up. But when they did, they left the Memphis Grizzlies in the dust.
WINNER - Lonzo Ball’s Jumper
The Cavs knew that Ball wasn’t going to carry them with his shooting. The entire sell of Ball is that he can impact a game without scoring. Even so, the team needed him to hit a few shots at some point. Ball finally started to find his range tonight.
Lonzo entered this game shooting 31.3% from deep. But he shot 3-5 from downtown tonight and scored 9 points to go with 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
This won’t change everything. The Cavs are knee-deep in quicksand and it will take more than a league-average shooting night from Ball to pull them out of it. But a good thing is a good thing. It was nice to see Zo find his touch for a night.
WINNER - Nae’Qwan Tomlin, again
Tomlin has been outhustling and outworking everyone on the roster for a full week now. He’s playing with energy and intention. Two things this team is currently lacking. That’s why his minutes have felt like such a jolt of lightning. It’s refreshing to see someone get on the court and burn rubber.
More, Tomlin understands his role. He has a clear goal on every possession. First, he’s relentlessly going after the ball. Then, if he manages to get the ball, he’s taking it to the rim or getting fouled trying. This straightforward approach has cut out all of the fat and made Tomlin one of the most effective players on the floor. That’s because the rest of the team is struggling to play with this level of intention.
Even at his worst, like when he’s fouling someone on an overzealous contest, Tomlin was a bright spot in an otherwise dim game from the Cavs.
LOSER - Evan Mobley’s first three quarters
Bear with me — Mobley will appear again in this story under a more positive header.
I mentioned that Tomlin was one of the only Cavaliers playing with intention. Now, let’s look at what happens when you play without it.
Take any number of Evan Mobley’s offensive possessions from tonight. Does it look like Mobley knows where he wants to get on the floor? Is he looking for a specific spot to score from? I would argue no, Mobley doesn’t have a comfortable go-to spot that he’s searching for on every possession.
That’s a problem.
There’s value in simply playing with intention. Again, think of Tomlin. He knows that he’s cutting to the basket or driving to the hoop on every possession. If he isn’t given the ball, he’s crashing the offensive glass to go and get it. This is the type of approach that we need more of from Mobley.
Of course, Mobley is asked to be more dynamic than Tomlin. The Cavs want Mobley to be more than a rim runner. He needs to shoot, pass and anchor the defense. But… when all else fails… even the best in the league are apt to put their heads down and attack the basket. Maybe it’s time for Mobley to be this stubborn.
WINNER - Evan Mobley’s fourth quarter
Yep, we have our first dual performance of the season.
Mobley spent most of this game meandering on both ends of the floor. He looked tired. Unsure of himself. It was a near repeat of his recent lackluster performance against the Toronto Raptors.
And then, just like that, he was back.
I don’t know exactly what changed. Mobley started to find his rhythym and fight into the paint as Cleveland regained momentum in the fourth quarter. As if he was charging up, Mobley suddenly became hyperactive on defense again. Gobbling up drives and deterring Memphis from scoring in the paint. Mobley destroyed the Grizzlies on both ends of the floor to close this game.
Mobley finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks.
THIS is what you want to see from Mobley. Growing pains are part of the process. But fighting through those pains is a non-negotiable. Mobley weathered one of the worst seven quarters of his career and responded with an awesome fourth quarter to secure a victory.
LOSER - The Cavalanche can not be defined
Earlier this season, the Cavaliers announced they were partnering with Wendy’s this season to provide fans with free Junior Frostys anytime the Cavs recorded a Cavalanche. Naturally, we wondered how they would define a Cavalanche.
It turns out no one knows.
The Cavs outscored Memphis 32-16 in the fourth quarter. The bulk of their comeback came in a 27-8 run that saw the Cavs not only erase an eight-point deficit, but take a double-digit lead of their own. All of this madness was capped off by a Jarrett Allen dunk that led directly to a Memphis timeout. The Cleveland crowd was going bonkers. Was this a Cavalanche? Absolutely.
And yet, no fake snow. No Frostys.
This just goes to show that you can’t capture the magic of nature. Corporate interest can’t co-opt a Cavalanche. It’s a feeling that can’t be quantified, and no confetti machine or sweet treat will define it.
WINNER - Growing through adversity
Look, you’ve likely read plenty of criticism over the last few days. Most of it was warranted. The Cavs are hoping to compete for a championship this season and they haven’t been playing championship-caliber basketball.
But it isn’t all bad.
Most teams aren’t capable of flipping a switch as quickly as the Cavs did tonight. A three-point explosion from Donovan Mitchell wasn’t the only thing that went right. The team, as a whole, was ignited. The defense suddenly looked connected. The offense was humming and moving the ball from inside to out. Everyone fell into place and the Cavs looked like themselves again — even if only for a few minutes.
The start of the season has been rough. We knew this would be the case with all of the injuries and growing pains. But adversity can make you stronger if you’re willing to work through it. The Cavs won a valuable battle tonight. They showed they can get through this stretch as a better team than when they started.