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[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Watch Game 4 of Lakers vs. Timberwolves on Playback with us

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

We’ll be going live for the second half of Lakers vs. Timberwolves.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are off, but there’s a great slate of games today. One of those is Game 4 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

This has been the best first-round series so far. That likely won’t change considering how well LeBron James and Anthony Edwards are playing.

We’ll be going live for the second half of the game. The game tips off at 3:30, so we’ll go live at approximately 5 PM.

If you want to watch the games live with us, you only have to make a free account on Playback.

• Head over to playback.tv and create an account with your email address
• Connect and select your NBA League Pass login as your streaming account (sign up for League Pass here first if you don’t have it)
• Go to https://www.playback.tv/fearthesword and hit the JOIN button
• Make sure to activate push notifications so you know when we’re going live

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/4...of-lakers-vs-timberwolves-on-playback-with-us

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Darius Garland could miss Game 4

Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images

The Cavs may be without Darius Garland as they look to complete the sweep on Monday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to take care of the Miami Heat on Saturday in Game 3 without the help of Darius Garland. They may need to do so again if they look to keep this series from going back to Cleveland.

Garland is listed as questionable for Game 4 on Monday with a left great toe sprain. This is the same injury designation that kept him out of Saturday’s game and two late regular-season games.

The Cavaliers should be able to get past the Heat without Garland even if they were to drop Game 4. They have a significant talent advantage over the Heat that consistently showed through in Game 3, even though they were without Garland and Donovan Mitchell struggled to play up to his usual standards.

While that is the case in the first round, it won’t necessarily be so throughout the remainder of the playoffs. They will need Garland at 100% if they want to make it through the conference and a possible Eastern Conference Finals showdown with the Boston Celtics. Because of that, it’s better to play this safe for right now.

Fortunately, if the Cavs are able to wrap up this series in four, they would have a long break for Garland to recover. The Cavs would take on the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers series. Game 7 of that series is scheduled for Sunday, May 4. It may not go that far, but if it were, the Cavs wouldn’t start their second-round series until after that date.

The Cavs don’t have anyone else on the injury report besides Garland. Miami will still be without Kevin Love (personal) and Terry Rozier (ankle).

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/4...d-nba-playoffs-cleveland-cavaliers-miami-heat

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

This one skill from Max Strus has opened up Cavs offense

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Strus’s versatility has unlocked Cleveland’s offensive attack.

When Kenny Atkinson was first hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the one thing he emphasized was that he wanted to celebrate the team’s depth. He has done that this year, as the Cavs have run a 10-man rotation for most of the season.

Cleveland is built around their core four of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. They will go as far as those four take them. However, depth is the name of the game in the playoffs. How many guys can you rely upon on a game-to-game or series-to-series basis?

Luckily for the Cavs, their depth is peaking at the right time. De’Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome have been two super-subs for Cleveland, but one guy has arguably been the team’s best role player this postseason is Max Strus.

Strus is known as a spot-up shooter and he’s done a great job of that this playoffs, shooting 50% from three-point range and averaging 13.7 points.

In this series against the Heat, though, Strus has shown off his offensive versatility.

An underrated aspect of Strus’ game has been his ball handling and with Garland missing Game 3 due to a toe injury, Strus took the brunt of the playmaking responsibility. He finished with five assists in the game, but what was encouraging was his controlled aggressiveness in pick and roll. Take this play for example.

Strus is hounded by Andrew Wiggins in the corner, and instead of dribbling out and dishing it to Mitchell for a reset, he kept his dribble. Allen then sets a hard screen to free Strus for a moment and rolls to the basket. Strus sees Kel’el Ware is playing drop coverage and threads the pass to Allen for an easy dunk.

Here, Strus initiates the play, with Mobley setting a ball screen. Instead of forcing the lob to Mobley, who has Bam Adebayo in close proximity and was having a strong game in the paint, Strus goes all the way to the basket for the layup.

Take a look at a similar play later in the fourth.

Strus had two options coming off Allen’s screen and then Mitchell’s ghost screen: he could have lofted the ball over the top of Tyler Herro to get Mitchell a three, or hit Allen at the key. Strus chose the latter after he picked up his dribble, passed it to Allen, and immediately cut to the basket. This set up a pretty give and go between the two, getting Strus an easy layup.

Strus, being a ball handler, sets up a lot of easier looks for the Cavs’ offense. He has great synergy with Mobley and Allen and has shown incredible IQ and patience in pick-and-roll sets. With Garland, Mitchell, and Jerome getting a lot of attention as ball handlers when they are on the floor, having a secondary guy who can initiate offense allows for the Cavs’ offense to continue its flow.

Cleveland may have depth now on the wing in Hunter, Strus, Dean Wade, and Isaac Okoro, but along with Hunter, Strus is the most important piece in that group. His offensive versatility and defensive toughness are what make him the ideal fifth starter for the Cavs, and as the team looks to advance deeper in the playoffs, they are going to need the Strus to be loose in all aspects of the offense.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/4...miami-heat-cleveland-cavaliers-darius-garland

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

16 takeaways from Cavs 55-point Game 4 beatdown

Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

The Cavaliers have rebuilt something far more sustainable than Miami ever did in their post LeBron-era.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a significant talent advantage over the Miami Heat. They won 27 more games in the regular season for a reason. The Cavs were supposed to come out and show that they were the better team in the first round, and they did.

Cleveland completed the sweep by beating them into submission for a 55-point victory in Game 4.

Let’s get into the takeaways from this one.

This was absurd. Even though the Cavs are significantly better, you aren’t supposed to win playoff games like this. You aren’t supposed to go into Miami and defeat an Erik Spoelstra-led team by so much in both games that Donovan Mitchell only registered three combined fourth-quarter minutes in Games 3 and 4.

There wasn’t an area of the game that the Cavs didn’t thoroughly control.

Winning the possession game is so important. This has been a point of emphasis for head coach Kenny Atkinson leading up to the playoffs. He wasn’t happy with how they handled things in Game 2, and the Cavs responded well.

Cleveland won the turnover battle 19-12. This led to an astounding 18-point advantage in points off turnovers. They also won the second-chance points battle 19-16. In total, that’s 21 extra points due to valuing possessions.

Usually, playoff games are won around the margins. The Cavs have been winning around the edges in these two games in Miami, and also have significantly more talent. That’s how you get these last two blowouts.

Cleveland has real shooters. They have guys who can hit open shots. And they have guys who can consistently hit with a hand in their face.

Mitchell, De’Andre Hunter, and Ty Jerome knocked down some tough threes. Their teammates converted some easier ones. This led to Cleveland going 22-47 (46.8%) from beyond the arc. They hit 12 more threes than the Heat, which gave them a 36-point advantage from beyond the arc.

The best teams are the ones that consistently generate and hit outside shots. There’s a reason the Cavs have been the top offense in the league all season.

Mitchell has been consistently good in closeout games. He was phenomenal in Game 6 against the Orlando Magic last year. Mitchell nearly dragged the team to victory with 50 points in a game that no other Cavalier had it going. He then followed that up with 38 points in a Game 7 comeback victory.

That trend continued in the third closeout game he played as a Cavalier. Although the numbers aren’t as impressive (22 points and five assists), his start energized the team. He provided 13 points and three assists in the first quarter. The 20 first-quarter points he accounted for through points and assists were more than Miami had as an entire team (17).

Mitchell’s fast start helped Cleveland roll to their lopsided victory.

Tristan Thompson matched Tyler Herro’s scoring output.

Miami’s best offensive player didn’t have the same success Mitchell did. Herro had a tough time getting anything going and seemed to quit on the game. He put up just four points on 1-10 shooting in Game 4. That was as many as Thompson did in garbage time.

Herro did a lot of talking to not show up when his team’s season was on the line.

Atkinson shrunk the rotation for Game 4. He decided to go with an eight-man lineup in what he likely thought would be a tough road closeout game. That meant that Isaac Okoro didn’t see minutes until garbage time officially began at the end of the third quarter.

We’ll see if Okoro is the odd-man out in high-leverage games going forward. Atkinson has insisted that he wants to stick with a ten-man rotation in the postseason. He didn’t in Game 4.

Javonte Green made the most of his garbage time minutes. He tried to dunk over multiple Heat players at the end of the third quarter and then threw down a monstrous dunk at the start of the fourth.

hey alexa, play "the woo".@2Xtremebounce | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/oqVO8wBTfJ

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) April 29, 2025​

If you’re only getting garbage time minutes, you might as well make the most of them.

Atkinson doesn’t care about your feelings. He used a challenge while up 98-53 in the third quarter. It’s preposterous that he did that, but it also points to the kind of competitor he is.

This challenge was successful, just like everything else the Cavs did during their brief vacation in South Florida.

Jarrett Allen is putting past playoff failures behind him. He missed the second half of last season’s first-round series against the Magic with a rib injury. Although he was well on his way to moving past the playoff failures of 2023, he wasn’t able to fully vanquish those demons.

Allen took steps towards doing that in this series. The Heat are a bad team, but he took care of business like you’d expect. Allen played with a force that Miami’s frontcourt couldn’t match. That included his impressive start today, where he let the Heat know early on this wasn’t going to be their night.

Evan Mobley’s confidence continues to grow. It was an under-the-radar solid game from Mobley. He knocked down a few threes while being phenomenal on the defensive end. That’s worth mentioning in a game that so much else happened.

Cleveland’s bench scored 73 points. That’s a statement that would’ve seemed impossible last postseason or the one before. It’s also just ten fewer points than the entire Heat team had.

Everyone Atkinson brought in, including the garbage time unit, was ready to go. Monster games from Jerome and Hunter also contributed to that incredible performance

Having Jerome come off the bench is such an advantage. Few teams can bring in guys who can consistently create for themselves and others like Jerome can. His self-creation gives him such a high floor. And on a night where he’s hitting half-court threes, you can see just how incredibly high his and the team’s ceiling is.

TY. JEROME. #LETEMKNOW pic.twitter.com/uNGHlf7ch9

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) April 29, 2025​

I’m not sure how you stop the Cleveland’s offense when Hunter is rolling. Ideally, defenses would need to send extra attention his way to stay connected off-ball, but you can’t do that when some combination of Mobley, Mitchell, or Darius Garland (who missed Game 4) is on the floor with him.

We know Hunter isn’t the most consistent player night in and night out. That’s okay. Because when he’s playing well, this team can feel unbeatable, like they’ve been the last two games when he’s been on.

This was the kind of beatdown that sends your franchise into an existential crisis. What’s the point of winning two Play-In Games if you’re going to get annihilated like this?

I’m sure some version of that thought went through Pat Riley’s head as he watched the team he constructed lose by 122 combined points in four games. In case you’re wondering, that’s the largest series point differential in NBA history.

The Heat don’t have a clear direction from here. There aren’t any promising young players on the roster. And while Herro and Bam Adebayo are good pieces, neither are guys that can lead a competent playoff team. At least not one with this supporting cast.

Oh, and they don’t own their first-round pick for this upcoming draft.

These two franchises will always be linked by LeBron James. He split his prime between Miami and Cleveland. Both built championship teams around him. Both have since had to pick up the pieces when he left.

The Heat have had more success without James than Cleveland. They’ve gone to two Finals through trying to win around the margins and attract stars to Miami.

Meanwhile, the Cavs have tanked, built through the draft, and traded for a superstar who didn’t ask to come to Cleveland. The road was rocky, but they’ve built a 64-win team. That’s a number that Miami hasn’t come close to touching in the over a decade they’ve been without LeBron. The most they’ve accumulated since his departure is 53.

This Cavaliers team has work to do before they make it to the Finals like Miami has. But unlike the Heat, they have a solid foundation built around a team that’s greater than the sum of its parts. A team not centered around one star player, but a deep, 10-man rotation where each player complements the other in a way that highlights the group.

Miami is supposed to be that team. They’re supposed to have the culture that makes the whole greater than the sum of their parts. But that has never been the case for the Heat despite their forced marketing campaign.

When they had LeBron, they were as good as he was. When they had Jimmy Butler, they only succeeded when he did. Now that they don’t have any superstars, they’re just another rudderless, middle-of-the-road team that has no clear path forward and no assets to get there.

Koby Altman deserves his flowers. The Cavs haven’t accomplished much yet, but they have a phenomenal core under contract that is set up to succeed for years to come. Winning championships is the goal, but you can only do that with a core in place.

Cleveland has that because Altman stood strong on the idea that two undersized guards and two centers could play together. He filled out a roster around those four that complemented them. And then he hired the perfect coach to squeeze the most potential out of this group.

Things move quickly in the NBA, especially under the new CBA. Nothing lasts as long as you think it would. Maybe this team has a smaller contending window than we suspect. But we do know that they have one.

That is something worth celebrating for a franchise that has only been able to say that a few times in their history without LeBron.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/4...liers-lebron-james-donovan-mitchell-pat-riley

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Cavs to face Pacers in Eastern Conference Semifinals

Cleveland had a 1-3 record against Indiana in the regular season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers finally know who they’ll be playing in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. While the full schedule hasn’t been released yet, we know it’ll begin on Sunday, May 4.

The Indiana Pacers completed their gentleman’s sweep of the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night with a 119-118 overtime victory in Game 5.

The Pacers overcame multiple deficits to pull of the victory. This included an early 20-point first-half hole, being down four with just under a minute left in regulation, and trailing by seven with 40 seconds left in overtime.

Tyrese Haliburton did what stars are supposed to do late in the fourth quarter. He got to the free-throw line to make it a two-point game with 40 seconds left in regulation. Then, with 11 seconds left, he drove for a game-tying dunk.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a chance to break the tie at the buzzer, but his low-percentage fadeaway 17-footer over two defenders didn’t go.

Haliburton hit a three on the first overtime possession. It seemed like Indiana was going to roll through the extra frame just like they did the final minute of the fourth quarter, but the Bucks fought back. They responded with a 9-0 run to retake the lead.

A late three from Gary Trent Jr., a timely basket inside from Antetokounmpo, and a free-throw from AJ Green gave Milwaukee a seven-point lead with 40 seconds left. It was a lead that even they should’ve been able to hold onto.

But, there’s a reason why this Bucks team has been ousted in the first round three seasons in a row.

The Pacers hit timely shots, but this was about the Bucks' collapse. They turned it over twice in a row, committed an unnecessary shooting foul on a Haliburton drive, and then played the worst defense you could imagine with your season on the line in the final possession.

Haliburton showed up late. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter and overtime in what was a ho-hum game by his standards through three quarters.

Pascal Siakam struggled all evening. He provided just 10 points on 5-11 shooting to go along with four rebounds, an assist, and two turnovers.

Antetokounmpo was outstanding in what could be his last game in a Bucks uniform. He put together a 30-point triple-double with 20 boards and 13 assists.

The stage is now set for a second-round matchup between the Cavs and Pacers.

Indiana won three out of four games against Cleveland this season. But how much you can take from those games is up to you. Both teams split their pair of games in January. Then, they met twice more in the final week of the regular season after the Cavs had already clinched the one seed.

The Cavaliers didn’t play any of their starters in the second half of either of their last two losses.

Cleveland had chances to win their first April meeting after great performances from Ty Jerome (24 points) and De’Andre Hunter (23), but Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson pulled all of his rotation players late in the fourth. He closed with a lineup featuring Tristan Thompson, Javonte Green, Craig Porter Jr, Jaylon Tyson, and Isaac Okoro.

Neither team played any of their regulars in the final April game, which resulted in an overtime win for Indiana.

The full schedule for the second round hasn’t been announced yet. Game 1 will be Sunday in Cleveland.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/4...waukee-bucks-nba-playoffs-cleveland-cavaliers

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Kyle Anderson believes Cavs are ‘better team’ without Darius Garland

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

The Cavaliers was better in the first round without Garland, but that’s because he wasn’t fully healthy.

Beating an opponent by 92 combined points in two playoff games is impressive. It’s also something that can lead to some conclusions that are simply untrue based on the 84 games the Cleveland Cavaliers played before sweeping the Miami Heat in the first round.

One of those is that the Cavs are actually better without All-Star point guard Darius Garland. That’s something that Miami forward Kyle Anderson believes.

Anderson was asked during Miami’s exit interviews on Wednesday what happened between games 2 and 3 that led to the blowouts. The Heat were competitive in the first two games of the series. They weren’t afterward. What changed?

“You want my honest answer?” Anderson said. “I don’t mean to throw shots at anybody. Or even entertain what was going on between them. But they look like a better team without Garland on the floor.

“I don’t know the numbers or anything. I think it played more into their favor once Garland wasn’t on the floor for them. They were able to dictate the tempo, get more stops on defense, it was hard for us to score. They had more guys out there on defense. Once we came across that, it made it tough for us.”

“If you want my honest answer.. they look like a better team without Garland on the floor. I think it played more to their favor once Garland wasn’t on the floor”

— Kyle Anderson on why the Heat struggled in games 3&4 vs Cavs pic.twitter.com/M598Q0BRFL

— Heat Culture (@HeatCulture13) April 30, 2025​

Garland missed the last two games of the series in Miami with a left great toe strain. It’s an injury that kept him out of two games during the last week of the regular season and was clearly bothering him in the playoffs. Specifically, the second half of Game 2, where he appeared considerably hobbled on defense.

Look at some of these defensive possessions in the fourth quarter of Game 2. Garland may not be known for his defense, but he has much better lateral quickness than he showed in the fourth quarter.

In each of these plays, he’s either unable to stay with his man on the perimeter whenever he had to shift his feet laterally or help and recover. He couldn’t reliably switch directions — which is what puts the most stress on your toe — when he was asked to do so.

That isn’t something that Garland has struggled with throughout his career and especially not this regular season.

It’s clear that his toe was bothering him.

From that perspective, Anderson was right.

The injured version of Garland we saw at the end of Game 2 was a liability. It’s why Cleveland had a 125 defensive rating in the 32 minutes Garland played in Game 2 and a 97 defensive rating in the 16 minutes he sat.

That, however, doesn’t mean that the Cavs as a team are better without Garland going forward. He’s proven to be a top guard in the league on a nightly basis while being able to hold his own defensively, including in tight matchups with the Boston Celtics.

There’s no reason to believe that he wouldn’t return to that skill level, provided he’s able to properly recover from the toe injury.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/4...-kyle-anderson-miami-heat-cleveland-cavaliers

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Donovan Mitchell and Cavs attend Guardians win

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

The Cavs braved the chilly weather to support the Guardians

A good synergy has developed between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Cleveland Guardians over the past few years. That bond only seems to be getting stronger.

Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan pulled out the sword before Game 2 of the Cavs' first-round series against the Miami Heat with most of his teammates in attendance.

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A post shared by Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs)​

Many of the Cavaliers, including Donovan Mitchell (with his New York Mets hat), Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill, and Max Strus, returned the favor. They showed up on Wednesday evening to see the Guardians defeat the Minnesota Twins.

View this post on Instagram​

A post shared by Cleveland Guardians (@cleguardians)​

Mitchell has made it a point to support the other professional sports teams in Cleveland. This includes making an effort to acknowledge them when he sees them at Rocket Arena during Cavs games.

“I loved it,” Mitchell said after Game 2 when asked about seeing the support from the Guardians.

“I saw José [Ramírez] behind the bench. I told him I was just trying to be like him. ... Obviously, you know my passion for baseball. Greg Newsome and Denzel Ward (of the Cleveland Browns) were over there as well. Like, it’s great to see. I think that’s one of the things I love about being here. It’s not just us. Everybody supports everybody. I think it’s a special place and it’s a special group, obviously within the athletes as well.”

The Cavs saw a pretty good game, even if the weather on Wednesday night wasn’t.

Luis Ortiz went six and a third scoreless innings. The Guardians waited until the bottom of the seventh to get on the board. Ramírez broke the tie by scoring on a throwing error. Bo Naylor followed it up with a three-run homer to give Cleveland a 4-0 lead that they turned into a 4-2 victory.

The Cavaliers will start their second-round series against the Indiana Pacers at home on Sunday.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/4...aliers-guardians-steven-kwan-jose-ramirez-nba

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Darius Garland’s toe injury could linger throughout playoffs

Photo by Brian Kolin/NBAE via Getty Images

Garland practiced on Thursday, but couldn’t participate in contact.

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson provided some clarity on Darius Garland’s left toe sprain that kept him out of games 3 and 4 of their first-round series against the Miami Heat. Garland practiced on Thursday, but stayed away from contact.

“It’s day-to-day right now,” Atkinson said of Garland’s injury. “The toe is a tough one. There’s pain and all that. The good thing, when we watch him shooting right now, is that he’s moving well. {There’s] just no contact yet.”

Garland was seen getting shots up after practice when the media were allowed into the gym.

Some extra post-practice work for #Cavs star duo Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.

Garland missed Cleveland’s last two games with a sore left big toe. It’s encouraging to see him get some movement in. pic.twitter.com/ke5B1hhjrY

— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) May 1, 2025​

Getting shots up doesn’t exactly mean that Garland will be available for Game 1 on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers. That’s especially true when dealing with an injury like this.

“I know how they are,” Atkinson said when asked about whether this injury has lingered longer than he anticipated. “It’s not easy, especially with all the start and stop he does. So no, I’m not surprised. It’s not like something that goes away like that. ... I think it’s something he’s gonna have to deal with probably the rest of the playoffs.”

Atkinson mentioned that Sam Merrill could continue to start in Garland’s place if he’s unable to go in Game 1. He pointed to Merrill’s defense and ability to create off-ball as reasons why he would stick in the starting lineup. However, Atkinson did say that going against Tyrese Haliburton could mean that they opt for someone with more size in the starting lineup if Garland can’t go.

Right now, the Cavs aren’t sure if Garland will be able to go on Sunday.

“I’m not going to make a judgment either way [on whether Garland will be available to play],” Atkinson said. “Sure, there’s some concern there. I could see it going either way.”

Garland has missed four games with this toe injury: two at the end of the regular season, along with Cleveland’s last two playoff games. He finished the regular season averaging 20.6 points and 6.7 assists per game.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/5...a-playoffs-cleveland-cavaliers-indiana-pacers

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Cavs fans predict a dominant Round 2 vs Pacers

Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Cavs fans feel confident.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cleveland Cavaliers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Cleveland Cavalier fans were asked two questions about the NBA Playoffs. First, who was their team from round one? Second, how many games would they lose to the Indiana Pacers in round two?

Let’s check the results.

Cleveland ran Miami off the court in the opening round. No one was more valuable to that effort than Jarrett Allen, according to Cavs fans. Allen was a walking double-double as he averaged 14.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals in a clean sweep of the Heat.

Donovan Mitchell came in second place. He led the Cavs with his scoring, averaging 23.8 points in just 30.9 minutes. Mitchell’s electric shot-making was monumental. But Allen’s two-way presence likely gave him the edge in our poll.

Evan Mobley was a distant third. But keeping the big picture in mind, Mobley remains the second most likely Cavalier to win NBA Finals MVP according to FanDuel (+4200).

Our next question looked ahead to round two. Cavs vs Pacers. How many games does Cleveland lose?

Fans overwhelmingly picked a gentleman’s sweep. Maybe they’re a little biased, of course. Yet there’s plenty of reason for Cleveland to feel comfortable entering this series. The Cavs ranked better than Indiana across the board in the regular season.

FanDuel agrees with the Cavs fans. Cleveland is a clear favorite with -550 odds to win the series overall. A five-game series has the shortest odds on the books at +220. And if you believe Mitchell’s red-hot scoring from the first round will carry over to the second — you can bet on Mitchell to lead all scorers as a -650 favorite. The runner-up is Pascal Siakam at a distant +1300.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/5...avs-fans-predict-a-dominant-round-2-vs-pacers

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

3 ways the Cavs can attack the Pacers’ vulnerable defense

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Cleveland should be able to generate quality inside and outside looks in Round Two.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been winning with their offense all season. That same offensive attack will determine whether they advance past the Indiana Pacers in the second round.

Indiana’s improved, but still mediocre defense, plays right into what Cleveland wants to do offensively. The Pacers' preference not to switch on and off-ball screens should help the Cavs generate clean, easy looks for their bigs, guards, and off-ball shooters.

The Pacers have gone from one of the worst defenses in the league last year (24th) to the middle of the road this regular season (13th). Their defense last season was predicated on taking away the three-point shot (first in frequency against) in exchange for giving up looks at the rim (30th).

They’ve become a much more well-rounded defense this season. They still value protecting the three-point line over all else (fifth in defensive three-point shot frequency), but are doing a better job of keeping teams from getting to the rim (22nd in field attempts against at the rim). And when their opponent does get there, they’re contesting those shots well (eighth in defensive field goal percentage at the rim).

This showed through in Indiana’s first-round victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. They didn’t switch on or off-ball screens unless they absolutely had to or if the switch was between the power forward and center. This allowed them to keep their forwards attached to Giannis Antetokounmpo and help out on drives to the basket.

Switching screens is something we see often in the NBA, even when it feels like you don’t need to. The Pacers have been different in that regard all season. It works well when you’re going against an imposing forward like Antetokounmpo. It can get you into trouble when trying to defend a dynamic guard.

Damian Lillard understandably struggled in the few playoff games he played in Round One due to injuries. Even though he wasn’t his usual, on-and-off-ball threat, you could see how having a fully healthy version of Lillard could’ve changed the series.

Playing drop coverage with on-ball screens allowed Lillard to either attack or find his open teammates.

These three plays give a good example of how Lillard was able to generate efficient looks against the drop coverage even though he couldn’t convert some of these shots.

Not switching also opened up room for the big setting the screen to either pop out for an open three or roll to the basket depending on how Indiana defended the action.

We don’t need to guess how this type of defense would open up things for the Cavs because the regular season showed us. The Pacers did their best to avoid switching screens which allowed Cleveland’s dynamic offense to get Indiana into rotation early and often.

The best way to slow down an offense with a lot of player movement and off-ball screens is through switching everything. You will give up mismatches, but switching prevents the micro advantages and space that setting a solid screen gives.

Creating micro advantages is what Kenny Atkinson’s offense is based on. Playing drop coverage will help the Cavs get their bigs involved, allow their guards to score from the midrange and from distance, and make it easier for their off-ball shooters to get clean looks.

Let’s take a look at what I mean by that.

Getting the bigs involved in drop coverage​

Playing drop coverage is a way to stay out of mismatches and protect the paint with your bigs. But that can be difficult to do in drop if you have dynamic guards that you have to contain on drives.

This is where Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley come into the picture. If you give them daylight on a roll because you have to contain one of Cleveland’s guards, they can make you pay as a playmaker or finisher.

This type of defense will also make you susceptible to pick-and-pop threes, which is something Mobley benefited from in the regular season.

Indiana’s defense essentially gave Mobley these looks with his defender staying in the paint on these screens. This shot is something Cleveland will gladly accept if he’s hitting them like he did in the first round (8-17, 47.1%).

While this section is mostly about the bigs, everything said above applies to using Isaac Okoro in these actions. He can create for himself and others off of screens.

Okoro’s defense is only useful if he can stay on the court offensively. Using him as a screener against a team that plays drop coverage is a way for him to do so.

Guards are asked to score from the midrange and from three​

One of the purposes of this kind of defense is to keep guards from getting downhill and converting inside. Fortunately for Cleveland, that’s not necessarily the only area their guards look to attack when they’re coming around screens.

Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Ty Jerome are all elite midrange players. Playing drop coverage almost encourages them to get to their floater.

It also permits clean, pull-up threes if they can get a good screen. That’s a shot Atkinson wants his guards to take.

Off-ball shooting​

Collapsing defenders into the paint naturally leads to more opportunities for drive-and-kick threes.

The following plays are good examples of this. Each of these clean three-point looks was created because of how the defense had to rotate due to the initial defenders not being able to contain the pick-and-roll.

Not switching these screens also provides additional room for movement shooters like Max Strus and Sam Merrill. There’s a reason Merrill was able to score 12 fourth-quarter points in Cleveland’s most recent loss in Indiana.

The Pacers have to play this way because they don’t have the interior or exterior defenders who can hold up in isolation. The play below shows why. Merrill shouldn’t be blowing by your big this easily on a switch.

Playing drop coverage prevents things like this from happening. But there’s a limit to how far this defensive philosophy can take you.

While that strategy can allow you to get by in the regular season, it likely won’t work against a high-octane offense like the Cavs. Cleveland has the tools to make Indiana pay offensively for playing drop coverage in a way no other team can.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/5...and-cavaliers-donovan-mitchell-darius-garland

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Darius Garland is questionable for Game 1

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Cleveland could be without their All-Star point guard on Sunday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers could be without their All-Star point guard for the third playoff game in a row. Darius Garland is officially listed as questionable with a left great toe sprain. This is the same injury that kept him out of games 3 and 4 in Cleveland’s first-round series against the Miami Heat. It also kept him out of two regular-season games in April.

Garland didn’t practice on Saturday. This was by design after he went through a full, contact practice on Friday. Whether or not he’s able to go in Game 1 will be determined by how he responds on Sunday.

“Our thought was, he’s going to be off the court today,” Atkinson said after practice on Saturday. “So, we’ll see [about Game 1]. I think the feedback from tomorrow [will determine if he can play]. What does it feel like tomorrow?”

Atkinson isn’t quite set on a replacement for Garland in the starting lineup if he can’t go. Sam Merrill stepped in place for Garland in games 3 and 4 of the first round. That could happen again, but it’s not a guarantee.

“We have multiple options,” Atkinson said when asked who could fill in for Garland as a starter. “I’ll just say, [it’s a] different matchup. ... You look at what fits best on both sides of the ball.”

The Cavs were 4-3 in the regular season and 2-0 in the playoffs without Garland.

Cleveland doesn’t have any other players on the injury report. Isaiah Jackson (out, right Achilles tendon) is the only Pacer on the injury report.

Game 1 is at 6 PM on Sunday.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/5...diana-pacers-cleveland-cavaliers-nba-playoffs

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

15 Takeaways from Cavs Game 1 loss to Pacers

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

Cleveland simply couldn’t hit a shot.

CLEVELAND — You couldn’t have scripted a worse start to a series for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They couldn’t hit any threes while the Indiana Pacers couldn’t miss.

On top of that, Donovan Mitchell, De’Andre Hunter, and Evan Mobley all looked worse for wear coming out of Game 1. Afterward, head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t have a health update for any of them, but mentioned that recovery will be important for everyone before Tuesday.

This was simply an awful game from a team that’s had very few of them all season.

Indiana made everything. They came out of the gates hot, shooting 6-9 from three in the first quarter. That wasn’t just a good start. It was how they were going to shoot it the rest of the evening.

They finished the night going a scorching 52.8% from deep on 19-36 shooting.

Numerous factors allowed this to happen.

Their supporting players hit everything. Andrew Nembhard (5-6), Aaron Nesmith (4-6), and Bennedict Mathurin (3-5) aren’t guys that you all expect to be that good on the road. But the Cavs also dared some of them to make shots and they did. Indiana deserves credit for that.

Cleveland also continually overhelped in a way that they do when they don’t trust their individual defenders to make a play. This was especially true for their bigs. That can’t keep happening on a night their opponent is shooting this well.

Cleveland couldn’t buy a three. The Cavs went just 9-38 (23.7%) from beyond the arc. This led to them losing the three-point battle by 30(!) points. Being competitive in a game that you lose “the math” that decidedly is sort of surprising.

Atkinson wasn’t impressed with his team’s shot quality afterward. He said it was “average.” Maybe it was, but it certainly didn’t feel like that in the moment.

The Cavs generated looks for the right players. They came in with the strategy of attacking an opposing defense that goes under screens. Cleveland did so by creating high-quality off-the-dribble threes from screens and by using the screener in pick-and-pops.

This led to their best shooters getting the majority of the attempts. They just didn’t fall.

Mitchell went 1-11, Max Strus went 2-8, Ty Jermoe went 1-4, and Sam Merrill went 2-5.

“We missed good looks,” Mitchell said. “We missed a lot of good looks. And when you miss shots, that’s when they get going in transition. ... I like a lot of the looks we got.”

I’m not a statistician, but I know this type of three-point variance was unlikely.

The Cavs have only had one game where they had a worse three-point percentage and none where they made less than 10 threes. The only other game where they shot a lower percentage was against the Utah Jazz — a team that did nothing to actually make it difficult to hit threes against them.

Meanwhile, the Pacers had their third-best three-point percentage in a game.

That means, out of 87 regular-season and playoff games, the Cavs had their 86th-ranked three-point shooting performance. And out of 88 games, the Pacers had their third-best shooting game.

Both of those things happening on the same night is incredibly improbable and not something we are likely to see again at any point in the playoffs, let alone this series.

The Cavs didn’t adjust well to Indiana’s pace. This doesn’t show up on the statsheet or in the transition numbers, but it was something that Atkinson and his players mentioned postgame. And understandably so.

A lot of the Cavs' mistakes, both mental and physical, seemed to come from not being as sharp mentally as they needed to be. That is likely a result of having tired legs from playing at a pace you aren’t used to.

Indiana dared Evan Mobley to beat them. They went under on-ball screens, which gave him room to playmake as the roller and get off his three-point shot.

Mobley was ready for this. He aggressively looked for his shot early on as he scored Cleveland’s first five points.

This was a good game for Mobley, even if it was one you’d like to see him continue to stay assertive in.

Donovan Mitchell was able to get into the paint whenever he wanted. The Pacers' defense is predicated on contesting shots at the rim. You wouldn’t have known that by watching what Mitchell was able to do inside.

He finished the game 8-12 in the restricted area and 4-7 in the short mid-range. He was completely dominant in the exact way that Indiana doesn’t want him to be.

via NBA.com
Donovan Mitchell’s shot chart on May 4, 2025

This was a good performance from Mitchell offensively, minus the whole not being able to make a three thing. That bodes well for Cleveland’s ability to get back on track.

The Cavs controlled the paint on both sides of the ball. They kept Indiana from getting inside (36th percentile in attempts at the rim) and forced misses when they got there (17th percentile in rim accuracy).

Meanwhile, the Cavs scored 70 points in the paint because they were consistently able to drive inside (74th percentile in attempts). A lot of that is due to Mitchell, but it does show how well the Cavs were still able to generate offense even on a night they had their second-worst three-point shooting performance of the season.

Kenny Atkinson isn’t afraid to be creative defensively. He went to a 3-2 zone with Hunter at the top of the zone for portions of the first quarter with Dean Wade and Mobley at the bottom.

The results weren’t great — mostly because Indiana just kept hitting threes — but it was intriguing. This is a creative way to use Hunter’s length on the perimeter without worrying about him getting blown by or leading to rebounding issues.

I’m unsure if this is a look Atkinson will be returning to. However, he is willing to try different things. We’ll see if he does anything different in Game 2 to slow down Indiana’s shooting.

This isn’t an Isaac Okoro series. On paper, it should be one where he could excel. They need someone to guard Tyrese Haliburton, and this series does set up well for someone who can generate offense as a screener.

Okoro didn’t do either of those things to a high enough level in Game 1. He was relegated (or relegated himself) to the corner and wasn’t a factor on offense. You can’t have someone not involved to that level in a series with two high-powered offenses like this.

Unfortunately, this is just the same conversation we’ve had about Okoro in all of his previous postseasons.

The Cavaliers finally won the possession game. They hardly turned it over (eight) while forcing 17 out of Indiana. This led to a 22-9 advantage in points off turnovers.

Cleveland also did a good job of cleaning the glass. They grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to Indiana’s seven and leveraged that to a 21-4 advantage in second-chance points.

Controlling these areas has been an issue for the Cavs all year. Winning them so emphatically on Sunday is a good sign going forward.

The Cavs could’ve used more Ty Jerome. He wasn’t great and forced some shots, but he was someone who could dribble and create for himself. Having multiple guys on the court who can do that is incredibly important and limits the amount of self-creation work that Mitchell has to do.

Atkinson has kept Jerome’s minutes under 30 all year. He’s only exceeded that barrier three times this season and didn’t in Game 1.

That will need to change if Darius Garland remains sidelined. You can’t have as many minutes as the Cavs did with just one ball-handler on the court.

The offense was uncharacteristically stagnant. The extra passes weren’t there. The ball wasn’t pinging around the perimeter.

The Cavs generated decent shots, but how they did so was out of their typical flow. The ball simply wasn’t moving like we’ve become accustomed to seeing.

This showed why Darius Garland is so important to this team. The Cavs needed someone who could reliably get the offense going and establish some type of ball movement. As good as Mitchell and Jerome are, they aren’t players who can tableset for the bigs and keep the offense on schedule like Garland can.

There’s nothing to worry about unless the Cavs have more injury issues. Mobley, Hunter, and Mitchell all appeared to get banged up at various points in Game 1. We’ll see if this influences any of their availability for Game 2. Provided that everyone who played on Sunday is available going forward, the Cavs should be fine.

It can be reductive to boil everything down to three-point variance, but it also can’t be ignored. The Pacers played the best they possibly could due to their outside shooting. The Cavs did the opposite because they couldn’t make anything. Even a C- three-point shooting game from Cleveland could’ve been enough to get the win.

The Cavaliers' talent advantage showed through even as poorly as they shot. You’d expect that to be enough to carry the day if they merely had an awful shooting game instead of a catastrophically bad one.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/5...leveland-cavaliers-donovan-mitchell-ty-jerome

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

‘Real concerns’ for status of key Cavs players in Game 2

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

Cavs could be without three key players.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are facing a scary reality, down 0-1 with multiple key players listed as questionable for a pivotal Game 2. Kenny Atkinson said there are real concerns for the status of Evan Mobley, De’Andre Hunter and Darius Garland.

There is "real concern" about Evan Mobley and DeAndre Hunter's status for game 2 against the Pacers, per @Cavs HC Kenny Atkinson. pic.twitter.com/ZL3nIPIamq

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) May 5, 2025​

Hunter reportedly dislocated the thumb on his shooting hand after a hard fall while attacking the basket. Indiana’s Bennadict Mathurian delivered a shove to Hunter’s chest while he was airborne — but no foul was called. Atkinson called this play an example of “crossing the line” when discussing Hunter’s status.

“I don’t think they were dirty plays, but I think it passed a line of physicality,” said Atkinson. “That line we’ve kind of been talking about where it became excessive.”

Mobley rolled his ankle on another play that Aktinson deemed excessive. After spinning into the lane, Mobley rose for a post-hook while Myles Turner took away his landing space. The result was a turned ankle that has Mobley listed as questionable for Game 2.

“Turner contests his two-point shot, comes under, clearly under him. And shooters need space to land, and is pushed off balance in kind of our opinion and tweaks his ankle pretty bad,” said Atkinson. “I think you guys saw him [Mobley] limping the rest of the game.”

As for Garland, the same toe injury has him in limbo. Its difficult for an athlete to “suck it up” and play with an injury that limits their movement. This isn’t just a case of pain tolerance — it’s a mobility issue. The same goes for Mobley and likely Hunter. It’s hard to play on a twisted ankle or be an effective shooter with a dislocated thumb.

That said, no one has been ruled out for Game 2. Given the circumstances, we’d assume all stops will be pulled. If Garland, Mobley or Hunter are healthy enough to play — then I imagine they will.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/5...iers-evan-mobey-deandre-hunter-indiana-pacers

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Cavaliers Head Coach Kenny Atkinson wins NBA Coach of the Year

David Richard-Imagn Images

Atkinson led the Cavs to 64 wins and the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has been named NBA Coach of the Year according to an official league press release. A global media panel of 100 voters selected Atkinson, who guided the Cavs to 64 wins in his first season at the helm. Cleveland secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference in the process and won a franchise-record 16 games in a row from February 5th to March 14th.

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson is the recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year. pic.twitter.com/mKnRg5z32l

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 5, 2025​

Atkinson beat out former Cavaliers head coach JB Bickerstaff, who led the Detroit Pistons to a historic turnaround. The Pistons won just 14 games last season, but flipped their script by winning 44 games and making the playoffs outright. The Cavs relieved Bickerstaff of his duties last spring after they were eliminated by the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the second round.

The 57-year-old Atkinson finished with 59 first place votes, 33 second place votes, and seven third-place votes for a total of 401 points. Bickerstaff had 31 first-place votes, 44 second-place votes, and 18 third-place votes for a total of 305 points. Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka (113 points) and Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault (41 points) rounded out the top-four. Another former Cavs coach, Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers, finished fifth with 35 points.

The Cavs put together a historic season under Atkinson’s first season in Cleveland, with three winning streaks of 12 games or more - the first time that has happened since 2006-2007. Cleveland also led the league in points per game (121.9), displaying a relentlessness that appeared absent in last year’s team.

Perhaps the biggest impact that Atkinson has had, however, is in getting the most out of his players in a way that was not seen last season. Evan Mobley, in particular, has transformed from a very good defender with a limited offensive game to dominant on both ends of the floor. Mobley improved his offense dramatically, all while maintaining elite defense. After all, he did win Defensive Player of the Year.

Atkinson joins Bill Fitch (1975-1976) and Mike Brown (2008-2009) as the only other coaches in Cavaliers history to win Coach of the Year. He also won NBA Coach of the Month twice (October/November, December) and served as head coach in the All-Star Game.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/5...ach-kenny-atkinson-wins-nba-coach-of-the-year

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Cavs need to prove they aren’t just last year’s team

David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cavs look alarmingly like the last few playoff failure teams.

Injuries, poor coaching decisions, and bad performances when it mattered most. Does it sound like the 2023-24 Cleveland Cavaliers that scraped by the inferior Orlando Magic? Maybe the 2022-2023 squad that floundered against the New York Knicks?

It could be either of them, but now it may also be the 2024-25 team.

The Cavs’ collapse in the final minute of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals reeked of the final two J.B. Bickerstaff seasons. Brain cramps and mistakes, like not being able to inbound the basketball or box out free throws, ended up being the dagger straight to the aorta.

Injuries have derailed an otherwise relatively unscathed regular season. And when it mattered most, the key players didn’t play well.

Ty Jerome had a “burn the tape” game, shooting 1-14 from the floor and appeared way short on his shot attempts. His patented slow floater was entirely ineffective. Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro combined for eight points as replacements for Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter. Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Max Strus carried their own in the starting lineup, but combined for 11 turnovers and made some late-game mistakes.

Mitchell’s sparkling 48 points went to waste in an eerily similar feeling to last year when he was tasked with carrying the offensive load.

But the last sixty seconds were a culminating moment that felt all too familiar. Strus, for as well as he played (a playoff career-high 23 points), made a terrible inbounds pass with 25 seconds left that was stolen by Indiana. Mitchell got called for a charge on one play, and didn’t box out on another — resulting in a dunk. Jerome’s awful shooting night looms extremely large, as the Cavs already had a very slim margin for error with so many key players out. Had he made just one more basket, the situation would have looked a lot different.

NBA Coach of the Year, Kenny Atkinson, gets some blame too. He called a critical and unnecessary timeout with under 30 seconds remaining, just a split second before the ball was eventually inbounded to Allen. That timeout could have been used on the ensuing inbound (which was a turnover), to challenge a foul call on Jerome, or advance the ball after Tyrese Halliburton drilled a cold-blooded three that went on to win the game. Instead, the Cavs did everything wrong and had to take a 0.01% chance last-second heave.

Yet, despite all of this, they still put themselves in a position to win. Twice.

This Cavs team is certainly good enough to win the next two games in Indiana. But the biggest question, regardless of whether their injured stars can play, will be how they respond to adversity. Last year’s team wilted under pressure in big moments. The offensive burden was shouldered by Mitchell, who is dealing with a calf injury once again. This year’s team is better-equipped to lighten the load of their best player, but the injury bug has hit at the worst time, and the late-game collapses are evidently still there.

The mental weight is getting heavier, and the Cavs need to push back.

Without Garland, Jerome has to be playing at his best. Facilitating the offense, getting to his spots, and playing the passing lanes is the bare minimum for the Sixth-Man of the Year candidate. Poor shooting nights happen, but Jerome’s inability to stop shooting and resort to a facilitator role hurt the Cavs. Shooting 7% in a near must-win game is inexcusable, but some pick and rolls with Allen — a two-man game that works with Garland — should have been implemented to make things a little easier.

Replacing Mobley, the NBA’s Defensive Player of The Year, is no small feat. Dean Wade did his best, trying hard on the defensive end and snagging 10 rebounds while his assignment, Pascal Siakam, only had 12 points. But Wade only attempted four shots last night, hitting one of them. His floor-stretching ability could have been utilized more.

Despite missing their All-Star point guard, Defensive Player of the Year, and their best bench player, the Cavs are a bad shooting night and one minute of horrific closing play away from being up 2-0. That should give a glimmer of optimism heading into an even more must-win game Friday night.

The Cavs and their fanbase were shunned by national media coverage for a while, but became unavoidably good in the regular season. However, there have been wisps of skepticism from those media outlets about Cleveland’s ability to maintain its play in the postseason setting. Right now, the Cavs are proving those people right.

A 64-win regular season from the Cavs showed they can dominate anyone at any given moment. It’s time to show that in Game 3, or risk an early — and greatly disappointing — exit from the playoffs.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/5...iana-pacers-game-3-ty-jerome-donovan-mitchell

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

L2M report confirms that two missed calls went against the Cavs during their Game 2 collapse

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Cleveland’s fourth-quarter collapse was assisted by the refs.

The Cleveland Cavaliers deserved to lose Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers. They were the ones who turned it over twice in the final minute. They were the ones who gave up multiple offensive rebounds. And they were the ones that allowed Tyrese Haliburton to hit the game-winning three.

That said, the final-minute collapse likely wouldn’t have happened without these missed calls.

The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report confirmed that there were two missed lane violations in the final minute that led to five points for Indiana, including the game-winning three. There was also an additional defensive three-second violation that should’ve gone against Donovan Mitchell, but wasn’t called.

The first missed call was for a double lane violation on Pascal Siakam’s second-missed free throw.

The report states:

Multiple players enter the lane and cross the three-point line before the ball is released for the free throw. The basket should have been nullified and a jump ball held at midcourt.

The Cavs also entered the lane early, so this being called correctly wouldn’t have resulted in Cleveland’s ball. But a jump ball would’ve been a preferable option.

The camera angle on this play wasn’t great, but you can clearly see that Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard were nearly at the free-throw line while the ball was still on Siakam’s fingertips.

This big of a head start allowed both Nesmith and Nembhard to be almost in the restricted area before the ball hit the rim.

Yes, Mitchell and Ty Jerome should’ve boxed out better, or at all really. But what can you do when one team gets this kind of a head start?

The second missed call benefited the Cavs. Mitchell should’ve been whistled for a three-second violation on the Haliburton drive that ended with a Jerome shooting foul.

It’s almost comical how long Mitchell was in the paint guarding no one. Additionally, he wasn’t taking away the three-point line, which is what the Cavs' defense was supposed to be doing here.

From this clip, it’s clear that Mitchell’s calf was really bothering him late, as he said postgame.

This being called correctly would’ve resulted in a technical free-throw and the Pacers keeping the ball before the Haliburton layup attempt.

The shooting foul was on Jerome on the Haliburton drive. The league confirmed that it was the correct call there. If Mitchell wasn’t standing in the lane like he was, it’s possible that this would’ve been an and-one. That would’ve changed how this game played out.

The last incorrect call was from the missed Haliburton free throw that resulted in the game-winning three. Again, this was a double lane violation that would’ve benefited the Cavs if called correctly.

The report states:

Multiple players enter the lane and cross the three-point line before the ball is released for the free throw, and the shooter steps over the plane of the free throw line before the ball touches the rim. The call should have been made and a jump ball held at midcourt.

Haliburton was in the lane before the ball hit the rim. He’s the one who got the rebound. On the surface, it looks like the Cavs were robbed again.

But as you see from the image below, while yes, this was a violation. The violation wasn’t why he got the rebound.

Haliburton was hardly in the paint before the ball hit the rim. And he got the rebound because the ball took a crazy bounce after Myles Turner, Jarrett Allen, and Mitchell all got a hand on it.

While this was still a missed call, it wasn’t one that directly led to the harm like the blown lane violation on the Nesmith putback.

The Last Two Minute Report offers little to no solace. It doesn’t change the outcome of the game or admit anything that we didn’t already know. Everyone watching live saw that this was a lane violation.

The refereeing isn’t why the Cavs lost this game. These wounds were self-inflicted. At the same time, the collapse doesn’t happen if the referees did their job correctly. That’s frustrating, coming on the heels of a Game 1 that saw two key Cavaliers injured on what head coach Kenny Atkinson felt were “overexcessive” plays.

So far, everything that could go wrong is going wrong for the Cavs in the second round.

The series shifts to Indianapolis Friday. The Pacers lead the series 2-0.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/5...-cavaliers-tyrese-haliburton-donovan-mitchell

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Cavs get blurry injury updates for injured players

Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images

We still aren’t sure who is playing on Friday.

Everyone is waiting to find out who will be available for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. That wait might take longer than we’d like. Only Donovan Mitchell received a positive injury update today. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter remain totally unknown.

UPDATE: Joe Vardon of The Athletic reports there is “optimism” that all three of Mobley, Garland and Hunter will “try to play” on Friday.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson said that he “doesn’t anticipate” Mitchell will have any injury label for Friday’s Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers. He confirmed the opposite for Garland, Hunter and Mobley. All three are questionable.

The Cavs had what Atkinson would describe as a shootaround on Thursday before heading to Indianapolis. No one participated in any contact drill. The three questionable players participated in the shootaround.

This has been a frustrating process for everyone, including for Atkinson.

“It’s so hard with these,” Atkinson said Thursday when asked about the injuries, specifically Garland’s, who’s been listed as questionable but missed the team’s last four playoff games.

“The only way I can answer that is if I kind of got in their bodies. Otherwise, I’m just playing a guessing game. You just never know. And I do think this is just life in the NBA. I think it’s frustrating for all of us, right? It’s not an indictment on anybody or the players. It’s not any of that. It’s just, you know, injuries are a tough thing.”

Garland has been questionable to play since Game 3 of the Miami Heat series. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reassured the fanbase that Garland is “truly hurt” and struggling with a toe sprain. At a certain point, players can only be so effective with an injury that affects their mobility. Atkinson urged fans to understand this sentiment.

“You have to support him,” Atkinson said. “He wants to desperately get on the court.”

Hunter dislocated his thumb in Game 1 of the second round. He’ll have four full days of rest before Game 3. It’s unclear if he’ll be able to play.

Mobley twisted his ankle at the end of Game 1. As of Tuesday, Mobley was still dealing with swelling and unable to put his full weight on the ankle.

It’s impossible to say who will play on Friday. We likely won’t have a concrete answer until shortly before tip-off. So buckle up for a tense 24 hours, Cavs fans.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/5...van-mobley-deandre-hunter-cleveland-cavaliers

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Injured Cavs take positive step toward possible Game 3 return

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter all participated in shootaround on Friday morning.

The Cleveland Cavaliers could be getting a much-needed shot in the arm heading into a near must-win Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers. Their three injured players, Darius Garland (toe), Evan Mobley (ankle), and De’Andre Hunter (hand) participated in shootaround on Friday morning. All three are still listed as questionable for Friday’s game.

Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter all here at Game 3 shootaround for #Cavs. pic.twitter.com/G3yZFtARvR

— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) May 9, 2025​

Shootaround participation isn’t the best indicator of whether or not someone can play in a postseason game. There’s no contact at shootaround. It’s just a quick morning warmup ahead of the game.

That said, it’s still encouraging since these three players didn’t take part in morning shootaround ahead of Game 2. Each was listed as questionable ahead of Game 2, even though it didn’t seem like any of them were true game-time decisions. That seems to be different today.

While head coach Kenny Atkinson was cryptic about whether or not the questionable players would play when asked about it after practice on Thursday, there has been growing optimism that some combination of these three could be back on the court.

The Cavs need all the help they can get. Atkinson talked about overextending his top players after Game 2. That showed through in the final minutes on Tuesday as the Cavs made mental and physical lapses down the stretch to cough up a game they absolutely should’ve won.

Adding three top rotation players would provide considerable depth even if they aren’t at 100% or can’t carry their normal workload.

The Cavaliers haven’t had anything go right for them yet this series. Getting some of their core players back would be a positive step in the right direction as they look to climb out of their 0-2 hole.

Update: Shams Charania went on the Pat McAfee show to say that Garland is expected to play. Mobey is less concrete, as there are still issues with him putting weight on his foot.

“All three, to my knowledge, are aiming to go into tonight’s game with the intent to warm up and play,” Charania said.

"I'm expecting Darius Garland to play tonight..

To my knowledge Garland, Mobley, and Hunter are all aiming to play in this pivotal game three"@ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/uv97dw8F2f

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 9, 2025​

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/5...dre-hunter-cleveland-cavaliers-indiana-pacers