CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – It’s one thing to talk about what NBA playoff basketball is like. It’s another to experience it.
The young Cavaliers found that out firsthand Tuesday night in Brooklyn that saw them fall behind by as many as 22 points in the opening quarter and trail by 20 through 12 minutes.
But after getting overwhelmed early, they rallied to outscore Brooklyn in each of the final three quarters by a total of 13 points giving them the confidence they can advance to the playoffs Friday night.
“We’ve been tested, and I feel like our guys have done a really good job of responding,” Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Thursday, “and when they’ve been in a certain situation, they don’t make the same mistake twice. They come out and they learn from it, and they improve on in the next time out.”
If it weren’t for that disastrous start against the Nets, the Cavs would be off Friday night and be preparing for the playoffs as the No. 7 seed against Boston. Instead, the Hawks swoop into town for a fight for the eighth seed and a Sunday afternoon date with the top-seeded Heat in Miami.
“We just can’t dig a hole,” veteran guard Rajon Rondo said. “I think if we don’t dig a hole in the first half, I think we’ll be in pretty good shape.”
A two-time NBA champion, Rondo has played in 134 playoff games and his experience is invaluable. He had seven points, nine assists, three rebounds in over 26 minutes against the Nets but struggled to define what makes him ‘Playoff Rondo.”
“I can’t really put it into words,” Rondo said. “I get a little more time to rest my body. I usually play a lot more minutes. The coaches usually allow me to do what I do best — manipulate the game and try to do what’s best for the team and stay on the same page with my teammates, along with getting W’s.”
The Cavs spent Wednesday night as a team watching the Hawks beat the Hornets. Call it a live scouting session in preparation for their work in practice Thursday afternoon.
After being unable to contain Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant Tuesday, Cleveland’s focus for Atlanta is on their dynamic All-Star guard Trae Young.
“What he does impacts everybody else and his ability to one, make all the shots from all over the floor, two, to make all the plays with the ball in his hand, the passes and then that pick-and-roll game that they run,” Bickerstaff said.
Young, who scored 24 points in Wednesday’s win over Charlotte to advance to Cleveland, averaged 32.5 points in four games this season against the Cavs.
“They played well and they moved the ball well as a team,” Rondo said. “Trae accepted the double teams that Charlotte threw at him at the start of the game. He got off the ball extremely well, he shared the ball with his teammates and they made plays for each other.”
The Hawks, who are among the best 3-point shooting teams this season, blew out the Cavs 131-107 in their most recent matchup March 31, but Cleveland was shorthanded due to injury.
There could be some good news on that front with Jarrett Allen being listed as questionable and multiple reports indicate that Allen will try to play with Cleveland’s season hanging in the balance.
They desperately need their All-Star center, who has been out since March 6 with a broken left middle finger, on the floor.
“As much as we talk about the 3 and get enamored with the 3, the game’s going to be won or lost in the trenches,” Bickerstaff said. “That’s just not whether or not you’re giving up layups, that’s are you allowing [Clint] Capela to dominate the offensive boards and the job you’re doing on the defensive glass. We still have to do the job to win the paint. If you don’t win the paint, you won’t give yourself a chance to win this game.”
The Cavs are trying to make the playoffs without LeBron James on the roster for the first time since 1997-98, and they’ll get the opportunity on their home floor where they went 25-16 this past season.
“We’re going to need our fans,” Rondo said. “It’s going to be rockin’ in our building [Friday night] and looking forward to them giving us an extra boost.”