Cookin’ The Canadians (It’s Cavalier Podcast), Cleveland Cavaliers, Cavs News, NBA
Oh We really cooked them Canadian bastards didn’t we I kid I kid welcome to another edition of the its Cavalier podcast it’s your boy Mac and tonight our Cleveland Cavaliers took on the Toronto Raptors for the third and final time this season the first matchup between the two was a
Tightly contested game and which which Cleveland held on to win 105 102 Darius Garland led the way as he dazzled his way to a game high 24 points on a very very efficient 10 of 16 from the field now the second matchup was another highly competitive contest but resulted
In a Raptor’s win by the score of 124 to 121 in that one not even 31 points Off the Bench from our own Carris Levert was enough to get the job done as the Raptor starters including new additions RJ Barrett and Emanuel quickley matched every single goddamn run the Cavs threw
Their way now in the rubber match or tonight’s game rather it was all Cavs as eight yes count them eight different Cavaliers managed to score in double figures and route to a decisive 11 19 to 95 throttling of the wraps what’s even more impressive is that not a single
Player scored 20 or more points in the process six players including all five starters took 10 or more shots but no no one took more than 13 it was about as well balanced an effort as you will ever see from this team everyone who played significant minutes for the W and
Golders tonight got involved there just seem to be an undeniable energy in the ball as the team as a whole finished with 36 total assists that’s the second highest mark this season behind only their January 3D victory over the Washington Wizards which they just completely beat the out of the
Wizards they had 37 in that game they was moving that damn ball tonight five different Cavaliers had at least four assists in this one led by recently returned darus Garland who had eight helpers on the night as he continues to try and reestablish himself and return to his Allstar caliber form and I’ll
Tell you guys his shot definitely looks a little flat but he’s getting there slowly but surely so just have some patience although he would finish the night with just 11 points on 411 from the field his control over the game you know that facilitation that floor
Generess that we all have come to love over the years uh made his impact definitely felt and it’s only a matter of time before his attempts start falling in my opinion I really really dig the pace that he operates at honestly and the chemistry that he’s managed to build with Jared Allen and
Evan Moy over the years have really been something that he can lean on as he works his way into the fold once more whether him uh whether it’s him using a simple dho or a pick and Rule set to free himself for either a drive to the
Bask or even a pocket pass to one of them all but two of his 11 attempts on the night came directly after a screen or multiple screens from The Bigs and really the only thing that I am not a fan of at the moment is when he elects
To pull up from three-point distance coming off of set screen and listen we all know including the opposition the Ops that Darius scarlin is a very capable and dangerous shooter which is evidenced by the fact that Defenders go over the screen often times to defend him it’s just not working right right
Now in fact since returning Darius scarland is shooting just 22.7% from three-point distance on about 3.7 attempts per game he’s five of 16 which is 31.2% for you math Buffs out there on pull up triples and an even worse two of 11 on catch and shoot
Threes in that same span of time now this does not discourage me not one bit I know he’s going to get his rhythm back and the only way for him to do it is by taking the shot so keep shooting the damn ball Darius that’s all I can say
Right now but honestly it’s got to be great to come back and have a steadying presence or multiple presences out there to take pressure off of you and that’s exactly what Darius has at his disposal take your pick whether it be Donovan Mitchell who proved beyond a shadow of a
Doubt that he has a fully capable option fully capable of stepping into the rule of floor General in DG’s absence Evan Mobley who continues to impress with a burgeoning three-point shot or the dominant Jared Allen who demands to be involved now the calfs have options which means Garland doesn’t have to kill
Himself trying to get back into the swing of things no matter how much we fans moan and groan about it he can take it slowly and allow others to take over if necessary it’s such a damn luxury C fans to have this level of positional versatility at your
Disposal now I know I’ve harped on Garland for a while now so let me switch gears here a moment and discuss Evan Moy who finished the game with 17 points and 11 rebounds which is his 16th double double of the season and fourth since returning to the lineup look his overall
Stat line has been impressive since coming back I mean he’s averaging 16.7 points 9.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists during the stretch but what has really really got me impressed is that this is finally establishing himself as a floor spacing presence out there at Power Forward which is an
Amazing development by the way in these six games he’s appeared in since coming back he is shooting 54.5% from three-point distance and before you get it twisted because I know some of you will I know it’s low volume but still he’s making 1.0 of his 1.8 3point
Attemps per game and is six of 11 total including this beauty that Scotty Barnes waved off this is when you get yourself truly back in the game Raptors down 15 the three Moy 1% from three-point range you know he just had to feel stupid about that one after the fact try him at
Your own risk a consistent three-point shot from Evan Mobley changes everything it really does not only could it help keep the defense honest and open the floor up even more for the others around him but it could completely shift The Narrative surrounding his fit with Jared
Which is tiring I’m so tired of seeing people suggest that these two cannot fit together now we know that these two are basically a match made in heaven from a defensive standpoint because of how well the two complement one another due to their switch but offensively speaking
The only thing truly holding this front Court pairing back is a consistent floor spacing presence we have hoped and dreamed for years now that one of them would develop a shot and Moy was always the one with more pure touch and skill as a shooter so it makes sense that he
Would be the one to do it he’s just got to do it every game now or at least consistently enough so that opposing team has to respect his shot enough not to completely disregard him this appears to be happening before our very eyes if he has truly unlocked this part
Of his game it’s over for the league nobody can beat us nobody can touch us and I know y’all are sick and tired to hear me say this is a title Contender without actual playoff success behind it to back my opinion but goddamn it let me
Sit up here and rant because I am seeing something special from this team and Evan Mobley taking that leap being able to knock down that three-point shot my God that just makes the Cavs even more scary and so appreciate that if Evan Mobley has in fact developed into a considerable at least respectable
Three-point shooter that just quells and squashes any potential narrative surrounding Jared Allen and him not being a good front Court pairing because of how well they fit with one another seriously on a defensive standpoint they can switch out to the perimeter if they need to they can defend the post both of
Them are interchangeable in that regard although Evan Mobley is slightly if not okay I’m not going to disrespect man he’s a better switch defender in that regard out in that perimeter than Jared Allen but Jared Allen is no slouch himself he can do the damn thing when it
Comes to that and then offensively speaking both of them can space the floor from a vertical standpoint we know how they are they are Lop threats out there we know Jared Allen has a pretty solid mid-range game that we all wish that he would uh he he would elect to
Take more of and Evan mbly is much the same he can do that he just hasn’t leaned into it this much uh that much this season he has in years past but if he can shoot that three-point shot maybe three or four attempts per game like he
Did tonight man that just changes things it opens the floor up it makes defenses have to respect you and it allows them to play Four out more seriously you can just surround the fiveman with Shooters out there and Evan Mobley could have could potentially be one of those
Shooters meaning you don’t have to stagger their minutes as much this is exciting stuff in case you couldn’t tell um Jered Allen was a force of nature out there tonight getting anything and everything that he wanted on his way to a stat line of 18 points 15 rebounds and
Two assists hell he had half of that by halftime if you guys didn’t realize that he recorded his 20 4th double double of the Season offensively speaking you will be hard pressed to find a more efficient player out there he knows his game and he excels at it tonight he attacked the
Paint like a man possessed there were floaters there were Ali oops there were contested dunks and perhaps one of my favorite sites from him has been the continued chemistry that he has developed with Max stru which is apparent on dribble handoffs between the two in which Allen will cut to the
Basket and stru will find him with a well-timed bounce pass for a makeable layup or two at The Rim he has just constantly found himself in the paint where all 18 of his points were scored tonight it was also Allen’s seventh game of the season in which he has had at
Least 15 rebounds and is eighth with at least six offensive rebounds now fun fact he’s actually fourth League wide in offensive rebounds per game his ability to generate Second Chance opportunities has been a really really underappreciate iated aspect of the Cavalier success this season in my opinion now Isaac auro
Also should be referenced here he had another good game he deserves a shout out for providing his typical brand of elite defense and finishing with yet another double digigit scoring total that’s already the 18th time he’s managed to do that this season now that might not sound like a worthwhile stat
On the surface but considering that he has had 18 such games all season last year Color Me stoked he surpassed last year’s total and we still got over 31 games left on the season and at this rate I would not be surprised one damn bit if Isaac ended up with the first
Double digit scoring season of his career and even if he doesn’t because it’s very possible that he doesn’t now that he has headed back to the bench right this is still by far the best season of his career in my opinion his three-point percentage is way up his
Attempts are up his confidence is up the hair is up everything just seems to be going his way right now this is the version of Isaac aoro that the Cavs desperately need to make a de a deep playoff run and honestly had Isaac been healthier last year heading
Into the postseason the outcome may have been different because the confidence was there he was shooting the ball fairly well prior to exiting with the uh left knee soreness right that he had last year in which he returned obviously heading into the playoffs but he had a
Lengthy layoff and that threw off the Rhythm in my opinion and he was still nagging him it was nagging him this season because he sat out a few games because of it right but Isaac has been playing some of the best damn basketball of his career he’s been playing
Confidently teams are no longer going to be able to fully ignore him out on the perimeter because he one he’s pulling up more more than ever he is taking more shots from the corners more than ever and he is hitting them more than ever really everything about his game just
Screams Improvement even on the defensive side of the ball where he has held his matchups to below 44% on this season including below 35% from three-point distance the numbers just keep getting better and better and so I’ve been really really impressed with him you guys know I’ve been riding or
Dying for this dude all all of his career right and I made I made no bones about this Isaac was not the player that I wanted in the 2020 draft initially that would be Obi toppen for those of you who may not have heard me say that
Before because I am from Dayton Ohio and the Dayton Flyers they got robbed in 2020 due to the pandemic didn’t get to compete for an NCAA title which I feel like they had a pretty solid chance of winning uh winning and for me that was a huge reason why I
Wanted the Cavaliers to draft Obi toppen at that time so when we selected Isaac a COR I’m like okay you know what this is a perimeter Defender that the Cavs clearly need especially after drafting Darius scarland and Colin ston uh in years prior and Isaac he he really
Intrigued me because there was a three and D presence waiting to uh to be developed right it was in his game and I feel like that is while he’s still developing the the the dude is showing all signs that all the signs are are really starting to point to him becoming
That 3 and D prototype player that all NBA teams would love to have on the roster and honestly if this man does not finish with some all defensive attention this year the league can go itself I I mean I mean that with the most sincerity uh that I that I’ve ever
Echoed if this man does not get some all defensive attention I just do not know what people are looking for because he has been that good I think he will but you know I you never really know in regards to these things because some players make the all defensive team who
Uh Maybe not maybe not as deserving as others I’ll just put it that way but he was he was again phenomenal tonight now I have to go over to the Toronto side of things because I can’t just sit here sit up here and gloat about what a wonderful
Win this was in the face of Scotty Barnes who you know just recently got named to the All-Star team as a replacement over our own Jared Allen Travis the aside as that may be I can’t just ignore the game that he had because Scotty was pretty good tonight himself
He did finish the night with a triple double 24 points 10 boards 10 assists on nine to 15 from the field they have a block of steel too and he really was the the the the pillar out there for them he is their best player Now with uh with
The likes of Pascal cakam having moved on to the Indiana Pacers right and so they got some interesting pieces here you still got you got Barnes who you’re obviously building around you traded for RJ Barrett he got quickly you still got Gary Tren on your roster yaka purle and
As much as it pains me to say this because I hate his guts Kelly o lenck um Kelly o Len is a solid player I just would never like him for his role that he played in the 20 uh 20145 playoffs in which he ripped Kevin left’s shoulder out of his socket
I will never forget that and so I’ll probably always hate Kelly for that but I do respect Kelly’s game so he’s a solid piece that they have that they have there they have have oai abaji who was also included in that deal that brought Kelly to um to Toronto and so
Abaji uh that is somebody I’m probably going to be keeping my eye on for the next couple of Seasons just because of his connections to the Cavaliers after being drafted but they do have some solid young Talent there but I say all this to say these two teams are in two
Different tiers right now clearly Toronto is still trying to figure things out at at 19-34 right now after making all these deals and they’ve essentially in my opinion punted on this season and probably rightfully so it was time to just fully cut the cord on the OG Saga
On the Pascal Saga just because those two guys they just didn’t fit the timeline anymore in regards to what they wanted to do as leftover relics of a bygone era for from Championship era in Toronto with Qui leard and Company but even in saying that um I still like what
Direction that they are headed in they do have some Talent there and this series between the Cavaliers and Toronto it’s not lebronto anymore right although Cleveland has won the SE season series now at two to one it’s no longer lebronto these are competitive matchups and I love to see it and just purely
Based off the fact that Scotty and Evan were taken backto back right in in the draft um they’re they’re always going to be linked those two will always be linked in some form or fashion and the the fuel to the fire that that has been Scotty just absolutely ripping
Award season recognition or All-Star recognition away from the Cavaliers is just it only adds fuel to the fire right first not only does he steal Rookie of the Year away from Evan Mobley but he steals the All-Star replacement spot from Jared Allen and so there’s always
Going to be some level of um contention between our fan bases but it I feel like it’s a respectful Condition it’s not like the New York Knicks right now where where fans are just chirping at at Cavaliers fans because of that Series last year and by God never have I seen
One series just impact two fan bases so much it’s not like either of them won a championship uh but yes it’s not that there’s a healthy respect between two opponents and and that’s something that I can get behind and I just love it man the Cavaliers ERS are in a good spot
They have now won 17 of their last 18 games which is just Flatout phenomenal they’ve won their last nine games so they’re on a nine game win streak first time they’ve done that in years uh just I could not be any happier about the place that this team is in and
I do truly believe that they are a title container despite not having seen them won a playoff series yet with this current core but stay tuned because I feel like that is on the way everything is better than this year we have more spacing we have the depth our coaching
Has improved literally there is no aspect of this team that is the same as last year and so that’s what kills me some people see this team and they’re like oh yes you’ve had this regular season success but until it translates into the postseason we don’t give a
About what you’re doing not realizing that what they’re doing is quite special honestly and just not being able to enjoy the ride for those fans I say hop on board but if you haven’t come to playoffs I will save you a seat in the second round because that is how
Confident I am in this team I can’t wait man I can’t wait this team if I’m not mistaken they have two games left heading into the All-Star break and then they get to recharge they get to refresh for a little bit maybe uh you know sit
Down take a break have a few drinks whatever I don’t know what these guys do in their all time but uh I hope they take a break because they certainly deserve it we know we know Donovan at least we know what he’s going to be doing he will be participating in the
All-Star festivities as he is going to be a participant in the All-Star game itself as well as the three-point challenge right which we all believe Sam Marl should have been part of what a ridiculous turnout that is but uh yeah this team they’re in a good
Place right now and so hopefully they are starting to change your opinion if you’re one of those fans that that deep down in your heart you want to ro for the team but you’re just scared because of what happened in that series just let
That hurt go man let it go this is a different team this is a different year and the East is as open as it’s been in a long long time that said as I always tell you guys if you’d like to reach out to me you know how you can it’s Cavalier
Corod on Twitter Tik Tok Instagram YouTube and more if you would like to be added to it’s Cavalier Discord chat you know what to do leave a rating leave a review take a screenshot of set review and send it to it Cavalier for 3@gmail.com and I will send you an invite go caps
Mack reacts to Cleveland’s victory over the Toronto Raptors including Darius Garland’s impact, Evan Mobley shifting the narrative, Jarrett Allen getting his, Isaac Okoro’s development and more!
#cavs #clevelandcavaliers #cavaliers #nba #basketball #donovanmitchell #dariusgarland #evanmobley #jarrettallen #evanmobley #isaacokoro #scottiebarnes #torontoraptors #raptors
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Damn fine podcast.
If DG gets his shot back – and Mobley can make 2+ three point shots a game – on top of rest of team’s recent shooting – hot damn