CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – After a 12-minute lapse in the third quarter that led to a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on New Year’s Eve, Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff wanted his team to make a conscious effort to put together a full 48 minutes in their next outing.
“We got down a little bit, but we figured out a way and it was through the scrap, and it was together like, we always talk about,” Bickerstaff said. “There may be an individual who makes a play, but not one of us can do it by ourselves. Once we see somebody, then everybody jumps on board, and I thought we had some great leadership in that third quarter.
In a game that featured 15 ties and 16 lead changes, the Cavaliers rode the rollercoaster and gutted out a 108-104 win over the Indiana Pacers Sunday evening at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
“The dogs definitely came out today. I feel like we scrapped for that win,” said Lamar Stevens. “They’re a tough, physical team, and we had to exceed that. It's definitely something that we preach, and you know, we hang our hats on just being those dogs every night.”
It’s tough times in Cavalier land right now. But there’s a saying about tough time, and the people who endure them.
The season was brimming with optimism: the Cavaliers recently landed in the Top 5 of the NBA’s power rankings. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen were putting together All-Star caliber seasons and the Wine and Gold were firmly in a playoff position.
What a difference a week makes.
“The results matter. As coaches, we love to talk about the process. But, you know, with the position that we're currently in, all these wins matter,” Bickerstaff said. “To come out and be able to do it shorthanded is a big deal for our group. Guys who hadn't had big moments had to find big moments and step up. To be able to do that collectively is what this team is all about.”
Sunday night Isaac Okoro was the latest victim to the injury bug. Okoro Collided with Domantas Sabonis on a screen and immediately headed to the locker room. He was listed as questionable and never checked back in.
Bickerstaff had no update on his status following the game.
The Cavs were already down their best ball handlers, now they were forced to deal with the loss of one of their best defenders. As a result, Stevens, Kevin Pangos and newly signed Brandon Goodwin shouldered the load again.
“What Brandon has done is fit right in with the rest of the group and try to help this team win.
And that's all that matters to them,” Bickerstaff said. “I mean, that's not an easy one, the position that he's in. But, you know, that's been most impressive to me.”
Down Okoro and 11 points midway through the third quarter, the Cavs went on a furious run to close out the quarter. Kevin Love capped off a 15-0 spurt over the final 3:04 with a triple that beat the buzzer.
Love surpassed 20 points for the fifth straight game by tallying 20 points and eight rebounds while carrying some of the scoring burden through the Cavs thin rotation. Stevens chipped in with 15 points off the bench and played 19 of his 31 minutes after Okoro went down.
“I felt like we needed another ball handler on the floor so that we could work, you know, strong side and weak side, and we could get a little bit more movement and a little bit more secondary action,” Bickerstaff said. “So, it just wasn't going to fall on one person to handle the ball and make all the decision and make all the plays.”
One game after missing 10 free throws against the Hawks, the Wine and Gold knocked down 20-of-28 against the Pacers, including 7-of-12 in the fourth quarter.
Perhaps none bigger than Goodwin, who hasn’t even had an opportunity to practice with the squad.
Goodwin split two with 6.9 seconds to play to give the Cavs a four-point lead. He finished the night with 7 points and 5 assists.
“For him (Goodwin) to just come in, not even have a practice with us, just do some individual work, you know, trying to learn what we do, understanding our culture and our identity. I thought he did a good job of it,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s not easy what he's going through and what he's been asked to do, but he's gone through it, chin down and been a great part of an addition to the team.”
The Cavaliers knew that Indiana would come in and be physical, specifically with Mobley. But the young rookie didn’t flinch pouring in 24 points and pulling down nine rebounds.
“Every single game, it's just easier. You see more and more things. You learn different things. You get used to the pace of the game,” Mobley said. “I feel like I'm more aggressive now than I was back then, but I feel like there are two main things that change.”
Mobley and Jarrett Allen, who added 18 points and 11 rebounds, helped protect the rim and give the Cavs a 58-26 edge in points from the paint.
The pair had their work cut out for them against Sabonis, who led all scorers with 32 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
The dynamic between Allen and Mobley is a special one, taking his time to mentor Mobley on what it’s like to be a young big man in the NBA.
“I'm going to be a little tough him, he still has a way to go. You know, there there's some points when he's guarding Sabonis. He didn't do what you're supposed to do defensively,” Allen said. “But I mean, even in that little snippet, he still did amazing there in the game. He still was able to be in the right spot, protect the rim and do what he needed to do.”
By protecting the paint, the Cavs forced the Pacers into launching 47 long balls. Despite coming into Sunday night’s game shooting 32.3 percent from long range, Indiana knocked down 19 triples and shot 44-percent from 3-point range.
“They’re big and they're skilled and they’re physical,” Bickerstaff said. “They made some shots from the perimeter tonight. But you know, I thought our ability to lock down the paint and not give them too many second chance opportunities is why we won the game.”