CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Once again, the Cavaliers just found a way.
Seemingly sleepwalking for most of the night, the young Cavs woke up just in time to pull of another comeback.
Donovan Mitchell scored 40 while Evan Mobley added 25 points and 16 rebounds for the Cavs, who rallied from 14 points down after three quarters to beat the Celtics 118-114 in overtime Monday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Here’s our look Beyond the Box Score following win No. 41 that kept them in control of the No. 4 slot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
1. Whew. What had the potential to be an ugly loss, was a sigh of relief.
2. This Cavs team is like a roller coaster – fun to ride but they’ll freak you out at times. Monday night was the complete experience.
3. The Celtics played a double overtime game Sunday and were minus three starters – Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Robert Williams III – yet it was the Cavs who looked lethargic while searching for rhythm for most of the night before awakening in the fourth quarter and overtime. “Specifically of will to win an understanding of the moment and learning from our mistakes,” Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said about his team's turnaround. “That first half, that wasn't Cavalier basketball. Give the Celtics a ton of credit. They wanted to go out and win and they played that way and they took it to another level. We were fortunate enough to find it late but we've got to be better from the start.”
4. This was the third overtime win of the season over Boston. The Cavs remain undefeated – a perfect 7-0 when playing free basketball this season. Their resiliency is impressive. “It's different for every individual, but for us as a team, we come together even more, and that speaks to this group,” Mitchell said. “Obviously having a young group like we have for us to come together in those high pressure moments and those big moments, that's huge and we got to continue to build that when we get to the playoffs.”
5. It was also their 13th victory of the season when trailing by 10 or more. “Yeah, we have that grit at the end of the day we're going to fight to the end which is a great quality to have,” Mobley said, “but we got to definitely not get down by 10 or more later down in the stretch for later in the playoffs or in these games coming up. So we just got to fix some things early on and play a complete game.”
6. Mitchell essentially played Monday night with one hand – and still dazzled. Mitchell has a sprained left middle finger that was taped to protect it, yet he still dropped 40 and pulled down 11 rebounds. “Obviously it's not the opportune time for this to happen,” Mitchell said. “I think a lot of it for me is just the growth. I think last year I probably would've dwelled on it and probably would've been like, damn, why now? Why is this happening? Thinking just like, nah, it's part of it and finding a way to continue to push through and just find a way. Does it hurt? But at the end of the day, these guys need me and I need them. So just continue to find a way to push and just trying to be as great as I possibly can for this group.”
7. If this were Baseketball, Mitchell would’ve won the psych out of the night. Celtics reserve Grant Williams told Mitchell he’d make both free throws to win the game with 0.8 on the clock in regulation. “Yeah, he did,” Mitchell said. He missed them both thanks in part to the gamesmanship played by Mitchell after the guarantee. “I mean you just try to just mess with him mentally, just see what happens,” Mitchell said. “I have no doubt my mind if Grant's in that position again tomorrow or the next day he's going to make the free throws. But just trying to find a way, he's a great player, he's a good player. Just trying to find a way to just get in his head a little bit.”
8. The Cavs do not win this game without Lamar Stevens. “Lamar is a dog and he's willing to scrap to fight,” Bickerstaff said. “He's not afraid of the moment. He hit the big three then he drives down the lane with the physical finish and then every time we needed an extra possession, he went and got it and he made the right play after he got it. So I can't say enough about how proud I am of him and how deserving he is of a ton of credit for us winning this game tonight.” Stevens sat for the first three quarters before being called upon and he changed the game in the fourth quarter and overtime. His corner three then drive and spin lay-in flipped momentum from Cleveland trailing 112-111 to leading 116-112 with 1:35 left in OT. “I've only been here a few months, but you can tell as a locker room, as a group of guys, we trust in him and his voice and his leadership and then not only did he do it by voice, but by example when he's out there competing, fighting, screaming, getting buckets and also getting stops,” Mitchell said. “You got to be out there and doing the same thing. You don't want to let Lamar down and that's what he provides for us.” Stevens also pulled down eight rebounds – six of them on the offensive end to extend possessions. “I just felt like I could help with the little energy boost and just try to, I was just trying to find a way to impact the game however I could and just take the opportunities that came in front of me,” Stevens said.
9. They also might not have won it without Browns Hall of Famer Joe Thomas, who sat on the baseline to the left of the basket near the Cavs bench. With the Cavs down 14 after three and the crowd less than enthused, Thomas was called upon to fire up the crowd with some ‘Here we go Brownies’ chants. It worked. The building erupted and as the Cavs continued to rally, the decibel level remained at playoff intensity. And with the way the Cavs bench has been playing these days, maybe Thomas has a few buckets and box outs in him. A quick check of the rafters and No. 73 is available. Just saying.
10. Give Darius Garland some credit too. Garland had five points and five assists at halftime and seven points and eight assists after three. He scored 10 points and handed out four helpers in the fourth quarter and overtime to finish with 17 and 12. “I give him a lot of credit for this and I don't think we talk about it enough,” Mitchell said, “to come where you're an All-Star, the ball's in your hand for the most part, to now I come here and now you learn how to play with me. But also trying to still be yourself and then to come in fourth quarters when the game matters most and to still be yourself, to still be effective. That takes a lot of mental fortitude and I don't think we as a whole give him a lot of credit for him continuing to be who he is. He's a really good player, the leader, the head of our snake on offense and he's a guy that really puts us in our spots and continue and I help out obviously when I can.”
11. Mobley was a beast once again and the numbers don’t do it justice. His 25 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots were just as impressive as they looked. “It's super exciting,” Mobley said. “I mean, I'm making big plays like that. It's always fun and get your adrenaline up and get you going.”
12. Bickerstaff does a good job keeping his team in the moment, but they are well aware of where they stand in the playoff race. “We couldn't really afford to lose this one,” Mitchell said. “I don't know what the standings are exactly, but I know a game or two games, whatever it may be. So this was important. This was huge.” With the Knicks red hot winners of nine in a row and breathing down their necks a game and a half back, yes it was.