CLEVELAND — In 33 seconds, Evan Mobley changed the trajectory of Game 1. Whether he alters the trajectory of the series — and perhaps the Cavs’ entire postseason run — will be predicated on whether he can do it again and again.
Mobley made two 3-pointers on successive possessions in the first quarter of Cleveland’s 97-83 win over the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their first-round series Saturday, and while that may not sound like a big deal, it’s a really big deal for Mobley and the Cavs.
It changed the way Orlando guarded. Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff counted three different coverages the Magic employed after Mobley made those early 3s. It presumably gave Bickerstaff more confidence to roll with his best defensive lineups in a series predicated on defense, since Mobley and Jarrett Allen closed out the game’s final 5 1/2 minutes on the floor together. Mobley finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. He and Allen combined for 29 rebounds.
They played 23 minutes side-by-side in Game 1, which is about six more minutes than they averaged during the regular season. The result was an elite defensive rating of 87.8 — which admittedly was aided heavily by Orlando’s dreadful offense — and an overall net rating of plus-5.9. It’s just one game, but those are marks far better than what the two generated together during a wobbly regular season.
EV4 with back-to-back HUGE threes. 🎯@evanmobley | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/xnoaX4pcVJ
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) April 20, 2024
Bickerstaff often had to stagger his two best post players because of spacing issues, but he found a set where he can keep them on the floor together and still create driving lanes for Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.All of it is predicated, however, on Mobley continuing to make 3-pointers.
“He’s the guy,” Bickerstaff said. “If he’s making those shots, you can’t shift in and protect the paint as much as you want to, because you’re just giving him wide-open looks.”
The only club missing from Mobley’s bag has been a 3-point shot. We all know it. I’ve written about it multiple times. But we’ve seen glimpses this year, particularly over the back half of the season. It’s in there. It’s coming. From the start of February through the end of the regular season, he shot 41 percent from 3. He’s been more willing to look for those shots and more aggressive in taking them.
Opponents have to give up something in these playoffs, and that will likely mean leaving Mobley open on the perimeter, at least for now.So when he ran to the corner on a possession early in the first quarter Saturday, Orlando’s Paolo Banchero wasn’t within 15 feet of him. The Magic were happy to give him that shot. It’s the same strategy the Knicks employed last year on Isaac Okoro in their first-round series. It got to the point Okoro was unplayable because he couldn’t make that shot.
Mobley never hesitated and ripped the corner 3. He did it again on the Cavs’ next possession, sliding from the corner to the wing while Banchero was anchored in the lane. Jalen Suggs gave a half-hearted closeout, but it was clear Orlando was fine with Mobley taking those shots. When he made both of them, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley immediately called a timeout. Less than five minutes into the game, it was already time to change something.
“If you have to make an adjustment that early in the game, it takes you out of your game plan,” Bickerstaff said. “He was the trigger for that.”
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Everyone with the Cavs can breathe a little bit easier today with a 1-0 series lead. It was just the second time in their last seven postseason series the Cavs won a Game 1, and given the sharp criticism they endured all week, seemingly tanking the fourth quarter of the season finale to set up this matchup with Orlando, an early series victory was crucial. If the Cavs were indeed hunting the Magic, you saw why in Game 1.
Orlando’s offense is dreadful. The Cavs have the best player in the series in Mitchell and maybe three of the top four. And if Mobley continues to put the Magic in defensive predicaments with his outside shooting, this could be a quick series. Gary Harris went scoreless and missed all five of his 3-point attempts. Suggs drastically improved his 3-point shooting over last year, but he was 1 of 7 from 3 in Game 1. If Orlando’s starting backcourt continues to shoot 1-for-12 from deep, it cannot win this series. By using Mobley and Allen to close out the game together, the Cavs tried ensuring Orlando’s shooters couldn’t make a couple of garbage baskets late to build momentum toward Game 2.
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Both Mitchell and Bickerstaff believed the early 3-pointers from Mobley helped open him up later in the post, particularly since the Magic started switching more on pick-and-rolls. It created mismatches for Mobley on smaller guards inside that he was able to exploit. Orlando didn’t really blitz the Cavs’ ballhandlers, outside of the peculiar decision to double Garland on a possession 30 feet from the basket late in the fourth quarter. Garland flipped to a wide-open Mitchell, whose 3-pointer sealed the win.
BANG. @spidadmitchell | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/Wv92z2hlFg
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) April 20, 2024
The Magic will make changes before Game 2. Mosley went away from using Suggs, his top defender, on Mitchell for most of Game 1. That will likely change for Game 2 after Mitchell scored 30 points Saturday. Similarly, Orlando will have to figure out what to do with Mobley. It wouldn’t be a shock to see them leave him open again, at least to start the game. But if Mobley makes a couple of quick ones again, it will change everything. Again.
Mitchell is the Cavs’ best player and Allen is their defensive anchor.
Mobley might be the key to a lengthy postseason run.
(Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
