CLEVELAND, Ohio — Doodles in my notebook as the Cavaliers play their biggest game of the season at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday against the Atlanta Hawks:
1. Anyone surprised by the 115-108 loss to Brooklyn in the first round of the play-in tournament? The Cavs are a young team. Brooklyn has two future Hall of Famers in Kevin Durrant and Kyrie Irving. It would have been delicious to beat the Nets in a big game on their home court, but highly unlikely.
2. The disappointing part was being down 40-20 at the end of the first quarter. The Cavs had just played Brooklyn in Cleveland last week. In that game, they fell 34-19 at the end of the first quarter. In the third third they actually took the lead, but then lost 118:107.
3. In both games, lousy first quarters were the difference. It’s one of the few times this season where I have some doubts about the coaching staff. Few adjustments between last week and Tuesday evening, at least in relation to the first quarter.
4. It was smart and it worked that Kevin Love was substituted in all season. Love played 74 games, had his healthiest season since 2015/16 (77 games). In Tuesday’s loss, he had 14 points and 13 rebounds in 29 minutes. The Cavs outplayed the Nets by 10 points with Love on court.
The Cavs beat Brooklyn by 10 points with Kevin Love on court. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
5. Time to start Love in the biggest game of the season – it’s Friday. The Cavs need a good first quarter at home against the Hawks. How about a return to the big front with Evan Mobley, Lauri Markkanen and Love starting for the injured Jarrett Allen? The team was built on greatness, love can help.
6. That’s especially true for Isaac Okoro, who’s suddenly completely lost. Playing just 13 minutes against the nets, he missed all three wide-open 3-pointers from the corner. In March, Okoro averaged 9.3 points. He shot .510 from the field and .452 on 3-pointers. That’s gone.
7. I’m not counting the season-ending home game against Milwaukee where the Bucks rested all of their starters. But in four other key games (two against Brooklyn, one against Philadelphia and Orlando) the defense has ignored Okoro. He has played 103 minutes in those games, scoring 11 points and shooting 3-for-11.
8. Some of Okoro’s minutes should go to Lamar Stevens. He scored seven points in seven minutes on Tuesday night’s 2-of-3 shooting. The problem is that the defense allows Okoro or Stevens to shoot from the outside and both fight in that area. Stevens plays with more confidence now.
9. I still like Okoro and remember he’s only 21 and this is his second NBA season. We were spoiled by the rise of Darius Garland and the amazing Mobley. These two young men were ready for Brooklyn. Garland had 34 points (13 out of 24) and tried to carry offense. He had six turnovers because he sometimes got into trouble against multiple defenders. But he’s only 22!
Evan Mobley had 19 points and seven rebounds in the loss to the Nets. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
10. The 20-year-old Mobley averaged 18 points, 7.0 rebounds and shot 54 percent in the two games against Brooklyn. He’s so balanced. If you’re a Cavs fan, watching Garland and Mobley’s performance in these games is exciting. The best of them is yet to come.
11. A big disappointment was Caris LeVert. He missed seven of eight shots to open the game. He finished with 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting. He usually draws fouls but was only 3-of-3 from the foul line. Not many tries. He often drove to the edge, was swarmed by the defense and missed a shot.
12. LeVert had a better game overall than I thought he would. He had seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. LeVert is 27 years old. He came into Tuesday night after playing in nine postseason games in his career, averaging 20.7 points. He can be an effective goalscorer, but he’s a driver and a middle-range shooter. Friday is huge for him.
13. Rajon Rondo had a solid game with eight points in 26 minutes. The Cavs beat Brooklyn by two points with him on the court. He had nine team-high assists. But he’s not a goalscorer. LeVert needs to help Garland in this area. Cedi Osman played 21 minutes, missed all four shots from the field and looked overwhelmed. His inconsistency makes it difficult to trust him in big games.
14. Markkanen was paired with Kevin Durant, no bargain. It also pulled him away from the basket. He only had four rebounds and 13 points in 29 minutes. Markkanen has played well in April’s big games, averaging 18.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and .515 shots from the field.
15. Writing about the young Cavs in big playoff games is fun. Let’s see how they react under the pressure.
CURRENT TERRY PLUTO COLUMNS
Hey Terry, how about Bobby Bradley? Steven Kwan?
The importance of contract extensions for legal guardians
Is Baker Mayfield that bad? Is there a “Watson Tax”?
Regardless of the playoff situation, this season has been a massive improvement for Cavs
Termination of contract for the new CSU coach Daniyal Robinson
The remarkable story of Daniyal Robinson’s journey to becoming CSU head coach
Paul Dolan performs, Jose Ramirez loves Cleveland!
Daniyal Robinson becomes the head coach of Cleveland State
Terry Francona’s big challenge as Guardians open the season