CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s the latest edition of Hey, Chris!
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Hey, Chris: In recent weeks, the Cavs have played a number of games in which they have dug themselves into a deep hole by halftime and need to play really hard to get back into the game during the second half. What can they do to change this trend? — Stephen, Parma
Hey, Stephen: The most obvious answer is changing up their rotation a little bit.
The Cavs have been committed to a set substitution pattern early in first quarters. Around the seven-minute mark, Donovan Mitchell exits, Jarrett Allen exits, and Lonzo Ball and Dean Wade come in. From there, the offense funnels through Evan Mobley as the focal point. And we’ve talked about this a number of different times on the podcast — Evan as the number one option, Evan as the offensive focal point that evolution just hasn’t come. He just doesn’t seem comfortable in that role. He’s just not as effective in that role. And I don’t think the Cavs are as effective in that role.
That’s where the conversation starts. Those minutes — Mitchell off the floor, Mobley on the floor as the lead dog — haven’t gone well for the Cavs. So they may have to consider extending Donovan Mitchell’s first-quarter workload so he can stay on the floor longer and bring the effort, energy, playmaking and ball-handling they need to stabilize things.
I also think some of this might be remedied by Darius Garland coming back, which could be as soon as Friday against Indiana. It gives them another ball handler. It gives them another place to go for consistent, reliable offense.
Now, I wouldn’t sit here and say this is anything alarming. I don’t even know that it’s a nasty trend. I don’t think there’s a commonality to what’s taking place. I think it’s something they don’t have to overreact to — but they do have to have an honest assessment of what’s going on and how it can be fixed.
If this continues for another week, another two weeks, another three weeks even with Garland back, then we’re talking about something that might force them to rethink things. But I don’t think we’re there yet.
That said, going down 14 in the first quarter against Houston shows you what this looks like against an upper-echelon team. You’re expending so much energy to claw back that you don’t leave yourself enough left to finish. It’s one thing when it happens against Milwaukee or Memphis or a Miami team without Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. But Houston? You saw the result.
So it’s possible the Houston game was a wake-up call. A reminder that they can’t just flip the switch, can’t just turn it on for half a game and walk away with a win. They tried that; it wasn’t enough. We’ll see how they respond Friday against Indiana.
Ethan Sands’ take:
To me, the Indiana angle adds another layer. This matchup is reminiscent of what happened to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Semifinals — except this isn’t that Indiana team. It’s a completely restructured squad. No Tyrese Haliburton. Myles Turner is now in Milwaukee. Almost everything is different.
But the Cavs can’t keep bringing their B-team product, as Kenny Atkinson has said, especially not against upper-tier teams. And I think that’s where intensity and focus come in. Multiple players have talked about it — Craig Porter Jr., Donovan Mitchell — all saying they have to play a full 48-minute contest.
And that’s important here, Stephen, because this isn’t just about slow first quarters. Over the last few years, the Cavs haven’t been great in third quarters either. Traditionally, that’s been where games slip. But this season, it’s flipped — now they get through the first half, gather information, then hit a different gear later.
Still, the message is the same: the Cavs have had plenty of film, plenty of scouting prep. They know what they need to do to be successful. And being able to come out with a certain level of intensity from the jump is part of that.
I think that’s the message Atkinson was sending by starting Nae’Qwan Tomlin in the last game. That was a message about what this group might need. And if they’re going to be taken seriously against upper-echelon teams — and in the playoffs — that urgency has to start earlier than it has lately.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
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