CLEVELAND — The one participant on the Cleveland Cavaliers to really win a championship was stretched out at his locker, returning texts on his telephone after the Cavs’ spectacular 121-100 Sport 1 win over the Miami Warmth.
That is the twenty third playoff collection Tristan Thompson has been a part of within the NBA. There’s something distinctive about dealing with the Warmth on this collection that he compares to 2016, when the Cavs opened their playoff run in opposition to the eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons and ended it with a parade.
The Pistons had been robust and bodily. Each sport was shut. They had been led by a savvy veteran coach in Stan Van Gundy, who served as a worthy adversary for Ty Lue, a rookie coach going via a postseason take a look at for the primary time.
The Cavs swept the Pistons in 2016, nevertheless it was under no circumstances straightforward. They received three of the 4 video games by 10 factors or fewer and trailed within the second half of the one sport that ended a bit lopsided.
They wanted a nook 3-pointer from Kyrie Irving within the remaining minute of Sport 4 to complete the sweep. Lue noticed how Van Gundy countered the Cavs’ inbounds performs in Sport 3 and knew he wanted one thing completely different. He scribbled down the game-winning play on a serviette in his workplace simply minutes earlier than the tipoff of Sport 4.
Thompson can recall the sequence and the complete collection prefer it occurred 9 days in the past, not 9 years in the past. He seems at Warmth coach Erik Spoelstra and this veteran Miami roster and believes it will probably occur once more.
“Detroit made us higher,” Thompson stated. “They ready us for what was coming.”
Within the reverse nook of the Cavs locker room Sunday evening was Donovan Mitchell, who started peppering Thompson with questions concerning the gamers and groups concerned within the 2018 postseason. Mitchell was a rookie then on a Utah Jazz crew that misplaced to the Houston Rockets within the second spherical.
Now, Mitchell is the face and the engine of a Cavs crew anticipating to make a deep run. He took two weeks off to relaxation his sore ankle, then responded with 30 factors Sunday, primarily by attacking the paint.
💪 An excessive amount of muscle. @spidadmitchell | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/NUhuBowXIg
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) April 21, 2025
Mitchell missed his first six 3-point makes an attempt, a unbroken pattern since he shot simply 25 % on 3s from March via the tip of his common season. He made a few 3s within the second half, and the legislation of averages ought to dictate he’ll shoot it higher as these playoffs progress.
It was the way in which he attacked the rim all through the evening that was maybe probably the most encouraging signal. Mitchell struggled on the rim all through the common season. His 61 % on rim photographs was the third-worst mark of his profession, in accordance with Cleansing the Glass, and his lowest since arriving in Cleveland. He additionally took fewer photographs on the basket.
Towards a Miami crew that lacks measurement, Mitchell was aggressive attending to the paint and transformed 7 of 8 photographs across the basket. Though Miami likes to play zone and pack the paint, Mitchell is dynamic sufficient that photographs within the paint must be obtainable to him all through this collection.
The Warmth had been enjoying their third high-intensity sport in 5 days and every sport was in a distinct metropolis. The Cavs knew they’d be drained and anticipated to see the Warmth’s zone early, which they did. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t love the way in which his gamers responded to it.
Atkinson caught to his 10-man rotation, not less than for now, though Dean Wade, Isaac Okoro and DeAndre Hunter all struggled badly in Sport 1. Hunter will likely be nice. I don’t understand how Okoro can keep on the ground if he’s not making photographs (he has a protracted historical past of not making photographs within the postseason), and I’m beginning to wonder if Wade has the abdomen for playoff basketball. He performed simply seven pretty empty minutes, the fewest of all of the rotation regulars. He didn’t play within the second half till rubbish time.
Miami gamers can get a number of days off their ft now. They’ll watch movie on Monday, observe on Tuesday and sure play a lot better in Sport 2 on Wednesday. The truth is the Warmth most likely don’t have the muscle to punch again when the Cavs go on their offensive tears. Thompson’s comparability between the Warmth and people 2016 Pistons could show to be astute.
Sweeping the Chicago Bulls or the Atlanta Hawks on this first spherical most likely wouldn’t have achieved a lot for a crew making an attempt to win a championship. 4 or 5 bodily, mentally demanding video games on this collection could possibly be much more worthwhile.
It is going to even be a problem for Atkinson to match Spoelstra play for play. Atkinson was already voted Coach of the 12 months by his friends, and the award from the writers must be coming subsequent. He isn’t fairly the rookie coach nonetheless questioning if he’s ok, however he isn’t deep on playoff video games as a head coach, both.
Whether or not he has a napkin-in-the-office second stays to be seen. Lue was a lot youthful and earlier into his teaching profession in 2016 than Atkinson is now. Lue was ecstatic within the days after his play design in Sport 4 labored. I do not know whether or not he wanted the boldness increase, nevertheless it demonstrated he was up for the duty.
These Cavs already consider they’re ok. Darius Garland was terrific in Sport 1, Ty Jerome continues to carry out like an eight-time All-Star and Sam Merrill was so good he ended up enjoying extra minutes than Max Strus.
Such is life within the postseason, the place each sport is a clear serviette simply ready for the subsequent nice concept.
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(Photograph of Donovan Mitchell: Jason Miller / Getty Pictures)
