Cleveland Cavaliers deliver bayou beatdown to Pelicans in Donovan Mitchell’s return

Cleveland Cavaliers deliver bayou beatdown to Pelicans in Donovan Mitchell’s return

On today’s show I’m going solo because my co-host is addressing locked on Cav’s multi-billion dollar offshore accounts but speaking of on the shore the Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the New Orleans Pelicans down in the bayou he about why on today’s locked on Cavs are locked on Cavs your daily Cleveland Cavaliers podcast

As I had mentioned before I am Evan damal I am one of the voices of locked on Cavs the first podcast and sports podcast period to feature human voices that tickle your eard drums but before I get started talking about the Cleveland Cavaliers uh clipping the wings the New Orleans

Pelicans I have to let you know this episode of loton Cavs is brought to you by prize picks prize picks is the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports just go to prix.com lockon NBA and use code all lowercase locked on NBA like the National Basketball Association for a first

Deposit match up to $100 so let’s just get the elephant out of the room Donovan Mitchell was back for this game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and in my opinion was the deciding factor for the Cavs uh counting stats wise Mitchell had 14 points on five six shooting five assists two fouls

Four rebounds a block which I think really set the tone early into the game on what C of game this is going to be for the Cavs but just really gave the Cavs an edge that they more or less have been lacking all season long and I think in my

Opinion I mean you’re leaning on the side of optimism considering that he had a pretty major knee procedure is something that will set the tone for the remainder of the season and head into the playoffs I mean before this game the Cavs were three and four and 9-9 on the

Season Al Mitchell so clearly he is impactful to winning despite maybe what some angry elf men that try to cut off my co-host hands uh may tell you but it’s tough just because like Mitchell is a dynamic Force he is Center to everything that has due on offense

And defense yeah believe it or not defense Quinn Snider’s pinching air uh punching air rather um and it’s just been tricky but like Mitchell sets the tone for the Cavs um it’s a shot in the arm getting him tonight against New Orleans because it brought back normaly

To a Cleveland team that’s trying to find its way into the postseason within with less than 20 games to go in the regular season and it became a little bit more obvious because Mitchell May no longer be eligible for MVP but he uh is the MVP for the Cavs in

The court every night not just because of how impactful he is statistically but his presence ensures the Cavs remain highly competitive without him the blunders the Cavs have been showcasing lately would have continued against the Pelicans and become a little bit too common place but for what it’s worth

Mitchell is really uh steady things and for context statistically like when he’s on the court the Cavs outscore teams 9.6 points per 100 possessions averaging 11 18.4 points per 100 possessions overall but when he’s off the floor uh things get a little bumpier and um the Cavs

Only able to muster 113.5 points per 100 possessions per game and they’re being you know roughly outscored by 2.2 points per 100 possessions just because based on Cleveland’s defensive late rating um in more simpler terms for the Nerds not named Chris Manning uh when Mitchell’s

On the floor of the cbos a top three offense and a top two defense compared to the rest of the league but he’s not on the court whether it’s du to rest or when he was hamstrung um by injuries or I guess in this case not a hamstring

Injury but a nagging knee injury uh the offense is one of the League’s 10 worst and it’s a slightly below average defense when compared to the rest of the league and I think the numbers speak for themselves Mitchell is and always has been a perennial all NBA player it’s

Still wild to think that the first time he landed all NBA honors was with the Cavs but early into this game he set the tone for Cleveland pretty early like I I do wonder if it was by design by JB Viera to maybe kind of force feed

Mitchell a bit but there were two three-point attempts very early in this matchup that Mitchell connected on but then he also set the two-way tone by getting that pretty emphatic block against New Orleans and it kind of just led to a pretty strong tonal shift and a pretty strong momentum shift for the

Cavs early into this game and just led to a trickle down effect for the rest of the team whether it was Darius scarland who will touch on more in the second segment but I’ll touch on more in a second here or Isaac aoro George Nang Jared Allen like you name it if they

Started for the Cavs or played minutes in the first quarter they were part of the tone Setters which was spearheaded by Mitchell the team’s MVP but I did just say I was going to touch on Garland and I’m not a liar to despite maybe what um the the haters that are the waiters

At my table success may say but um Garland has admitted in the past he’s not 100% physically um he’s underweight he’s still playing himself back in the shape with the goal of being as close to 100% as possible by the time the postseason begins well we’re not really

That close to the start of the postseason in terms of just like days and games wise sure but the cap still have a healthy stretch in the reg remainder of the regular season schedule to kind of iron out some of these Kinks and deficiencies but also just let

Garland be comfortable and find more of himself within Cleveland’s offensive flow with Donovan Mitchell kind of being centrical to everything and I mean overall like sure Mitchell’s counting stats weren’t great um he was five of 16 from the floor like I said uh he may be forced a few shots I

I wonder if that is natural just because some of the rust that he was dealing with of missing several games for the Cavs but I think Donovan was phenomenal in his return for the for the Cavs and um the the spite of struck strikes uh whatever you want to call it but um

Cleveland did a phenomenal job just kind of getting him back in the flow of things and also just making him the number one option and kind of just keep curtailing and building their offense around them and as they look at it now like with more clarity like he did his

Damage in less than 28 minutes of action so like he is still working his way back to the floor is going to depend on how his knee is feeling going forward but All Things Considered with how up and down Cleveland was in their last 10 they were five and five in that stretch

Getting Mitchell back is a welcome repri for a team that was looking for some type of Direction and a steady ship is always the best way to navigate in Stormy Waters even if you’re the Cavs but I want to focus more on Darius scarland in the upcoming segment also

Give a shout to George Nang who is phenomenal in this game for the Cavs But first you know it I know it we live in a capitalist Society if you want to play the Kings game you got to play the price and in order to do that got to give a

Quick word from today’s sponsors today’s episode of Locked on Cavs is brought to you by eBay Motors passion drive and patience what brings home the winning trophy is also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors is everything you need to maintain your vehicle and to level it up with Peak to

To Peak Performance from superchargers roof racks exhaust kits LEDs headlights and more whether you’re into speed power or style or a combination of all three or just two of the three eBay Motors has got you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die

You’ll always find exactly what you’re looking for and with the eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because the eBay Motors you’re burning rubber not cash and with the parts you need at the prices you want it’s easy to

Turn your car into the MVP like Donovan Mitchell and bring home that win keep your r or die alive at ebaymotors.com El items only exclusion Supply eBay’s guaranteed fit is only available to us customers coming back in hot and heavy in three two one as you know locked on has launched

The first ever National Sports 24/7 streaming Channel locked on sports today Baseball fans mark your calendars for March 20th at 7:00 p.m. EST that is the time zone we live in for the best MLB season preview coming exclusively to locked on sports today on March 20th at

700 p.m. EST be the first to get local Insight from MLB Experts of the locked on podcast Network find it on March 20th at 700 p.m. EST if you didn’t hear me the first two times on the locked on sports today 2447 streaming Channel if you can hear me the first billion times

On YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels at so in this game I mean there’s a lot of substance you could say in this one the Cavs dominated the Pelicans especially in the third quarter where they just widen the Gap quite a bit uh they’re

Leading 87 to 68 by the end of the third but they outscored New Orleans 34 to 23 and I think a big figurehead and just Factor in this one was Darius Garland who in the third quarter had seven points and five assists and we’re going

To count together in real time as I type this out Darius Garland’s five assists resulted in three which is a Sam Marl three-pointer three which is a Sam Marl three-pointer two which is a Caris LeVert layup so if you’re doing math at home that’s eight points two which is a

Jared Allen layup or points to the paint in general that’s that’s 10 point or 10 points yes the math is mathing 13 points was is George which was touch on a second and then the final assist that came in that frame was that one the George three-pointer so the Darius

Garland was responsible for 20 of Cleveland’s 34 points and that offensive production is ideally and exactly what you need especially with a Russy and kind of uncomfortable Donovan Mitchell but I I’ve touched on this in the past um Garland and Mitchell kind of have this thunder and lightning Dynamic where

Mitchell’s able to BR the rumble and the Thunder early into the game allow Garland to be a a little bit more differential and assist and pass to other teammates kind of get them involved help them all find a Groove and also help Garland find a Groove in terms

Of just reading and reacting to the defense and kind of finding that comfort in how the opposition is going to defend him and at least in this case in the second half reeden react to how New Orleans may have made adjustments under Willie Green to kind of defend him

Differently comparatively to how he was playing in the first half but like Mitchell was pretty one note in this quarter he had two the third quarter he had two points two assists two rebounds he was on one of four shooting like wasn’t remarkable stuff but like Garland

Was locked in and loaded and really able to be a differen maker for the Cavs in this game and people were kind of maybe taking their Victory laps early but again for me Garland isn’t back 100% I will not believe he’s back until he says so because he’s been pretty honest and

Transparent about his recovery all throughout this process whether it’s the fact that he told told me that he lost 15 lbs and he’s still struggling to regain weight just because one he was drinking smoothies with his jaw wired shut for the better part of that recovery and then still had to deal with

The ramp up in general to handle the game physically so like he’s not a finished product and he’s had a pretty up and down season all year long but if you’re ever able to put a feather in your cap and say like okay Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell work

Together this is a good example of it Mitchell for all that it’s worth only missed a handful of games with the knee injury post PRP shots and the double overtime loss the Chicago blls but Garland then was tasked with the objective of shouldering the entire offensive load on top of what he does

Already and then you know the the remainder of the load was on Mitchell that that was expected to go to Garland and of course to an extent Carris LT maybe Sam Sam Marill or the random guard like it’s Craig Porter J or something that that’s out on the floor with

Garland but either way like this was a very very very like emphatic on very good Darius game and this is a good crystallization of how this partnership can work long term between Garland and Mitchell where Garland brings the Thunder and after Thunder always comes lightning and allows Garland to come on strong and

They continue to coexist with one another and it gave you some of those Sam and flashes to how they looked and function last year um when things kind of clicked almost simultaneously and they just continue to grow off with one another and more importantly like Mitchell’s still not going to be 100%

But he’s still going to command defensive attention every time he’s on the floor like that’s just the natural nature of the Beast especially when you’re dealing with a guy that is um Cleveland’s arguable MVP candidate and um I mean I think he is but people can debate in the comments below but

Um allows Garland to continue to find his comfort and familiarity something he’s just kind of struggled to find all season long but let’s just do a quick swerve like skirt and just say yeah this was uh a really good game for George Nang overall like I was one of nang’s

Biggest critics I was saying that maybe the Cavs should bench him outright and just play Dean Wade or Sam Marl more than him um I kind of give him some insight on the situation where the Cavs are tinkering with minutes to get Sam marrow more minutes on a nightly basis

Even when this team is fully healthy and maybe Nang or another player is the casualty of that but in this game there’s no Dean Wade who had missed the third game in a row for personal reasons um the Yang was phenomenal he was four of eight from three-point range and

Finished with 16 points six rebounds one assist the five fouls are tough no matter what like if you’re a player you never want to rack up five fouls just because you’re trying to play defense harder than the offense is pressing you but Nang was very impactful and just

Like is consistently giving you that role or what you hoped from him as a player because he is a bigger player that can play the three he started the three for Cleveland in this recent stretch but mostly play the four um but at least just give you big man minutes um that

Can space the floor give you a little bit of rebounding and just more more than anything give you more than what Dean Wade was in which was more of that fls for spacing more of that just three-point shooting and Nang if he’s feeling himself and he feeling that

Groove I think John Michael during the broadcast noted like I’m going to look now like this game he had double digits it’s the the Sun’s Game is currently loading for me the Suns game he was 06 and three-point range but he was still shooting it um against the Nets

He had 20 points three to five shooting from three-point range like George Nang is starting to find his group a lot more offensively and has been a very very very impactful player for the Cavs in this stretch and that is Paramount whether he’s starting whether he’s coming off the bench you know

Assumedly I think it’s fair to assume at least once Max Shu and Evan Mobly are back George going go back to the bench but like he’s carved out a very important Niche and role within this offense for Cleveland and found a lot of comfort and familiarity and footing that

Will just make him a much more impactful player come playoff wi time and um it kind of just gives the Cavs like an overabundance of luxury where they have Dean way they have George Nang guys that that are similar as bigger players I can play the three but do have clear

Differences where like Wade is able to maybe play a bit more of the five than Nang can and maybe Nang is more strictly a four but either way it’s semantics at this point um this is a good game for dang and I think he was just a guy who

Kind of kept hitting those like back breing breaking threes in the third quarter at least early on that kept the Pelicans from making this game interesting and setting this road trip off on the right note before the Cavs continue this trip before they head to Houston and before they head to Indiana

Which I will be talking more with the chase Downs Justin Rowan on the Friday show more about just this upcoming road trip and the General State of the Union Address for from excuse me from the the president show representation of Cleveland Cavaliers podcast host but before we get too far

Ahead of ourselves here let’s close The Notebook on this win over the Pelicans talk about any other small notes that were very impressive in this game um talk about Darius scarland we talked about Donovan Mitchell we talked about George theang quite a bit in this matchup other than that I think there’s

Still a few more things to glean but I still have to as always give a quick shout out to one of our many sponsors today’s episode of lockon Cav is also sponsored by priz fix prize fix is North America’s largest daily fantasy sports platform they are the easiest way

To make picks and the most exciting way to play DF DFS it’s just you against the numbers there’s no people that you’re competing with instead of battling thousands of players including pros and sharks and more you pick more than or less than on two to six players T

Projections and watch the winnings roll in personally prize fix is the most fun I’ve had winning up to 25 times my money than this B than any at any point in this basketball season all I had to do is select two or more players pick more

Or less on the projected stats and place my bet testing my skills on prize fix this basketball season the most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports with these skills I can turn $10 and $250 just a few quick Taps prize pick is simple to play I can make my picks and

Submit my entry in less than 60 seconds it offers quick withdrawals quick and easy gameplay and enormous selection of players and Stat types making prize picks the number one fasy daily Sports app price pick offers weekly promotions that can lead to Big pay payouts every Taco Tuesday each Tuesday prize fix

Discounts selects player op projections of a 25% and provide even more value priz fix also now offers Apple pay for quick and easy deposits for you and your account this basketball season so as the basketball season heats up then the way the playoffs check out priz fix today go

To priz fix.com lockon NBA and use code lockon NBA all ler case for a first deposit match of 100 big ones again go to prix.com loton NBA use code lock on NVA again all over case for a first deposit match of $100 and enjoy daily fantasy sports Made

Easy today’s episode of lockon DS is also brought to you by Robin Hood did you know that even if you have a 401k for retirement you can still have an IRA and I don’t mean the Irish Republican Army Robin Hood is the only Ira that

Gives you a 3% boost on every dollar you contribute when you subscribed to Robin Hood gold but get Jake scrap that I realized I can’t make Ira jokes today’s episode of Locked on Cavs is also brought to you by Robin Hood did you know that you if you have a 401k for

Retirement you can still have an IRA Robin Hood has the only Ira that gives you a 3% boost on every dollar you can tribute when you subscribe to Robin Hood gold but get this now from April 30th Robin Hood is even boosting every single dollar you transfer in from other

Retirement accounts with a 3% match that’s right no cap on the 3% match Robin Hood gold gets you the most for the retirement thanks to their Ira with a 3% match this offer is good through April 30th get started robinhood.com for/ boost subscription fees apply and

Now I do have to disclose some legal info claim as of q1 2024 valid dat by radius Global Market Research investing involves risk including loss limitations apply to IRAs and 401ks a 3% match requires Robin Hood gold for one year from the date of your first 3% match

Must you must keep an IRA Robin Hood account for 5 years the 3% matching on transfers to the subject spefic terms and conditions Robin Hood Ira is aaable to us customers only in good standing Robin Hood Financial LLC member is a registered broker dealer okay well thanks to Robin Hood

And their Diamond hands and prize picks for making daily fantasy sports even easier than before but looking ahead and also to looking at the final notes of this game that the Cavs were very very solid whether it was from a coaching aspect I think JB biger staff

Coached his pants off in this matchup found really creative ways to get Donovan Mitchell rolling or just the fact that coaching wise he knew the right guys to lean on from his bench which I don’t know if he had on your bingo car cuz I sure as heck didn’t but

Damen Jones was incredibly impactful in this match up for Cleveland he finished with 14 points on 78 shooting six rebounds two fouls which you take as a big man a steal and a turnover whereas Sam Marill had 15 points a I believe career-high nine assists in two rebounds

In this matchup with all 15 of his points coming from the perimeter on 5 10 shooting but first on Jones it’s refreshing to see him finally look a little bit more comfortable and familiar within this lineup and rotation it’s unfortunate it took this long to get to

This point for him but if you’re getting this from Cleveland this is why you made the trade with the Utah Jazz in the first place to send them cash to go get a backup big man to relieve Jared Allen for a spell and he more than did that he played

Almost 21 minutes whereas Allen almost played 32 um and it’s up 48 minute game the math is mathing there again folks but um no Jones was great in this one he’s starting to look a lot more comfortable I think the Encore chemistry he has with Darius Garland or just any of

Cleveland’s guards is really encouraging to just because you naturally don’t expect a big man to create for you as much as possible at offense they’re very reliant on guards and the fact that he kind of has a niche and a role and a level of comfort that just kind of has

Him jelling a little bit makes you wonder like Tristan Thompson is back Saturday against the Rockets does JB bicker staff lean on Jones still to kind of give Allen a bit of bit of a reprieve or does bicker staff turn to and now completely dry peed wise Tristan Thompson to give Jared

Allen or God willing if like Evan moy’s back or even Dean Wade or George Yang a brief pause so you’re not over taxing them with minutes of the big man spot but at least in my eyes Jones has been very good for the Cavs in this last stretch and he’s really taking advantage

Of the fact that the Cavs have caught on his number because they’re short on depth um especially just with having Moy sidelined and have done a really really good job of just responding to the challenge presented to him and he played really well but uh I kind of tip my cap

This a little bit but the Cavs by Design are giving or finding more ways to get Sam Merl minutes just because Sam is dynamic for the team offensively especially when there is no Max truce available like you need that movement shooting you need that floor stretching that Merill can give you it certainly

Helps and I think it in fact makes life easier for guys like George the because they’re not dealing with so much defensive pressure or even Darius Garland who is 6 to 10 from the floor Donovan Mitchell from three-point range rather for Garland four of n from three-o range for Mitchell um like it

Makes life easier across the Rubicon for Cleveland if they have guys that can unlock the offense and streu is certainly in that vein he’s going to be a guy who’s a heavy minute getter when he’s 100% but having an extra option in Merl just makes it a lot more palatable

And presentable for the Cavs to kind of find some familiarity and balance like I don’t know if Merrill’s in the playoff rotation or anything like that you’d have to assume assume that it’s the quote unquote core 4 plus TRS for the starting lineup and it’s Isaac aoro

Caris Li for sure in the bench rotation minutes and you’re going about eight maybe nine players top come postseason time and it becomes a chalk up like do you want to play George the Yang do you want to play Sam Merill do you want to

Play goly Craig Porter Jr if you want to as well maybe um other to like maybe Tai Jerome just becomes healthy all of a sudden it fing play for the first time since Cleveland’s home opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder back in October just to crystallize that but neither here nor there Um yeah I I think ml’s done plenty to earn minutes I think he’s done enough to earn consideration come playoff time but I think it is going to be more matchup base but like at least for Merill it’s become clear to me that you’re willing to write out the the cold streaks that

He deals with to watch him to find a Groove like he did against the Pelicans because he does have the potential to go off once he sees the ball in go go in once or twice and also I completely blanked I didn’t even mention Dean Wade

Who should be in the playoff rotation as well and but either way between Merill Nang and Wade it’s going to kind of be in a tossup based on the matchup or just like if you want to go bigger yeah you play more minutes to weit in Yang and

Less to Merill but if you’re able to find ways to let Merill pick a part of Team on the perimeter because especially if they don’t have the wing support or you maybe exploit some of the bigs that the opposing team has come play off time

Like yeah you can find a minutes and the opportunities for Sam Barrow but really good win for the Cavs I think this is a really really good tone Setter after a pretty Topsy Turvy stretch over the last 10 especially without Donavan Mitchell without Evan Mobley and and maybe instead of limping towards the

Finish Line into the postseason the Cavs start to build some pretty good momentum in what’s typically considered some pretty crappy basketball overall and and you know if the other team wants to suck it up the Cavs want to suck up their failures and turn it into

Success more power to them but it’ll be exciting to see it’ll be interesting to see what happens next when they play the Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers Chris will be talking more about the Rockets game in depth on Saturday but before that I’ll be joined by the chase Downs

Justin Rowan before that to talk all about the state of the Cleveland Cavaliers as the two podcast presidents for the Cleveland cavali ear space but if you liked my voice my name’s Evan damell I run the show at right down uid where we’re a nonprofit news organization that is 100% supported by

Reader donations hint hint and we cover the Cleveland sports scenes at large with fully credentialed access and behind the scenes coverage that you may not find elsewhere or just you know are the temple simple boilerplate prbs that you cor accustomed to and that’s unacceptable but I’ll be back tomorrow Justin Rowan he’ll hear

Less of me and more of him um but yeah won’t be a debate it’ll be a joining of friends cuz Carter Rodriguez is too good to ever come on the show but until then I’m Evan daml Jake marer produced this show uh Chris Manning be careful with

The cartel until then love you all Bye

On a new episode of Locked on Cavs (Thursday, March 14, 2024) host and Right Down Euclid founder Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) goes solo to talk about the Cleveland Cavaliers beating the bricks off of the New Orleans Pelicans in Donovan Mitchell’s return to the floor.

Jake Stephens produced this episode. Check out his latest EP “If We Fall Asleep Too Early” on Spotify or wherever you listen to music.

Our intro music is from our friends at Astral Radio.

Subscribe to the Locked on Cavs Subtext – claim your free one-month trial now!

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

Stitch Fix
Find the style that makes you feel as good as you look—get started today at StitchFix.com/LOCKEDON

Nissan
Our friends at Nissan have a lineup of SUV’s with the capabilities to take your adventure to the next level. Take the Nissan Rogue, Nissan Pathfinder, or Nissan Armada and go find your next big adventure. Shop
NissanUSA.com.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Terms and conditions apply.

eBay Motors
For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit is only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.

BetterHelp
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.

PrizePicks
Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.

FanDuel
Get buckets with your first bet on FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – if your bet wins! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable free bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOCavs?sid=YouTube

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

#Cavs #ClevelandCavaliers #NBA