CLEVELAND — The best pass of Evan Mobley's life, Caris LeVert's worst tackle and only the second-best buzzer-beater to win a game in Max Strus's nearly 28 years on this planet.
This is what chaos looked like on Tuesday night in Cleveland.
Strus unleashed and sank a 59-footer just before time expired, helping his Cavaliers to a thrilling 121-119 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. That's a shot several steps past the midcourt line and, according to ESPN Stats and Info, the second-longest game-winning shot at the buzzer in NBA history.
“I did,” Strus said when asked if he knew his shot was going to be good. “I don’t even know what happened next.”
Well, Max, you sprinted toward your own basket in a state of euphoria and shock. LeVert chased you and tried to tackle you, but the video replay shows that you took him down the same way he attacked you. The Cavs sort of dodged a real dogpile, but most of Strus' teammates hovered over him, shouting “who knows what” in complete disbelief at what they had just seen.
“I don't know what I said on the microphone (after the game),” said Donovan Mitchell, who was out of the game for Strus' game-winner. “If Bally Sports has it, please make sure it is edited.”
MAX STRUS FROM HALF COURT FOR THE VICTORY 🤯
What a graduation in Cleveland.
🎥 @NBATVpic.twitter.com/NU9jpS1QTF
– The Athlete (@TheAthletic) February 28, 2024
The last 30 seconds of this game were drunk. It started with Mitchell hitting a 3 for a 118-115 lead. Kyrie Irving, the former Cavalier with the best shot in franchise history, sank a short jumper with 23.8 seconds left – which, of course, gave the ball back to the Cavs even though the shot clock was off. Dallas didn't need to foul right away and decided to apply pressure, nearly tying Darius Garland for a jump ball when Cleveland insisted Garland was fouled. The Cavs used their final timeout to preserve the possession, but when it came out again, Mobley threw the ball away.
As expected, the Mavericks looked for Luka Dončić (game-high: 45 points, 14 assists, nine rebounds), but Maxi Kleber's pass was almost intercepted by Mobley. Dončić parried the ball, and instead of shooting it himself, he passed to an open PJ Washington for a layup with 2.6 seconds left.
“I was pretty damn depressed because I don’t expect Max to hit the bullseye,” Mitchell said. “But at the end of the day, that’s why you play until the last second.”
Yes, about that, the last two seconds and the change. Out of timeout, Strus threw the ball to Mobley in the frontcourt, who immediately threw it back to Strus (and later agreed that it was the best, or at least smartest, pass he had ever thrown). As his momentum carried him toward the basket, Strus uncorked a ball over Dončić's hand and watched as it stayed on track until it went through the basket.
Ball game.
“Stand up,” Strus said when asked what was going through his mind when Mobley passed him the ball. “I had space, I don’t know. I just shot it.”
Strus also reminded reporters that he had done this before.
“At my Division II (college), I made a three-quarter throw to win the game,” he said. Strus attended Lewis, a small school in Illinois, before transferring to DePaul. “I think it was No. 1 on ESPN.”
Aside from 59-foot prayers, Strus wrestled the Cavs from the jaws of a tough defeat. Cleveland led by as many as 15 points in the first half and was down by 10 with about four minutes left when Strus showed up. He responded with four consecutive 3s, cutting the deficit to one and scoring 15 of his 21 points in the final frame – all on 3s. Each of Strus' seven field goals came from behind the arc, one also from behind the timeline and the halfway line. He was 5 of 5 from 3 in the final 3:42 of the game.
“What he did tonight was absolutely ridiculous, but that's what Max is,” said a hoarse JB Bickerstaff, who desperately needs some Halls and herbal tea for the Cavs' next game Wednesday night in Chicago. “Max never gives up. We were down and he had the same mentality. He didn’t want to give up.”
Mitchell led the Cavs with 31 points and Jarrett Allen contributed 19 points and nine points. Cleveland (38-19) stayed one game ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks for second place in the Eastern Conference.
After seven straight wins, the Mavericks (33-25) have now lost two straight and play again on Wednesday in Toronto.
“I can honestly say this is the first time I’ve lost a half-court throw,” Irving said. “Just someone shoots three-quarter court and it goes into the net without touching anything. So it's an unfortunate circumstance. We gave everything in the home stretch and gave ourselves the chance to win the ball game.”
In a game decided by the last shot, all moves count. To that end, Irving committed an uncharacteristic turnover that cost the Mavs. As Strus was just beginning his 3-point shooting in the fourth quarter (he scored four in 66 seconds), Irving was said to have been in the game when he caught a pass from Tim Hardaway Jr. after Strus' first 3. The Mavs tried Irving wanted to throw the ball in, but an official said he was already in play when he caught the ball from Hardaway before it went over the line.
“We put ourselves in a position to beat one of the best teams in the league, not just in the Eastern Conference but in the league, and we came up short,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said.
Required reading
(Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images)