How the Cavs are winning by going Big

By Brian Winhorst in ESPN.COM

THE NEMACOLIN RESORT is tucked into the hills of southern Pennsylvania, a high-end property with a chateau hotel, two golf courses and a modern spa with everything from gentlemen's facials to IV nutrient infusions.

In September, the Cleveland Cavaliers' coaching staff checked in for a stay and enjoyed absolutely none of it.

For days, the group, led by coach J.B. Bickerstaff, was holed up in a conference room watching film, studying analytics and working through meals.

"It's a really nice place," Bickerstaff says. "But we mostly worked."

Preseason coaching retreats are common in the NBA, but the mission the Cavs had for that trip was not. In a league that has been on a decadelong march to get smaller and faster, the Cavs were workshopping how they were going to get bigger.

Bigger, in fact, than anything the NBA has seen in a generation.

And so what began inside a hotel conference room some 70 miles south of Pittsburgh has knocked a procession of teams off balance throughout a league that has become infatuated with small ball.

Using a starting lineup featuring three 7-footers and reintegrating a former All-Star big man, the Cavs have big-footed their way into Eastern Conference contention. And doing so has not only changed the fortunes of a franchise not long ago predicted to continue its residence in the East basement, but also served as a resurrection that could disrupt NBA roster construction.

LAST MAY, CAVS general manager Koby Altman held a brutal season-ending news conference. He was asked if he thought he might get fired after a 22-50 season that capped a three-year run during which the team had amassed the most losses in the NBA.

Altman was grilled about young guard Kevin Porter Jr., who showed flashes of brilliance with the Houston Rockets after he'd washed out with the Cavs following a series of off-court issues. He had to explain how the midseason trade for center Jarrett Allen had disrupted chemistry and led to a buyout of center Andre Drummond.

Altman had to dance around the future of disgruntled center Kevin Love, whose injuries and disillusionment with the team had led to an escalating series of embarrassing events, from him inbounding the ball to the opposing team to just refusing to shoot.

As Altman sat on that Zoom call, he said he and owner Dan Gilbert had the same vision. He explained that rebuilding teams take chances on draft picks and miss, and he wished Porter the best. He said he tried to do right by Drummond by letting him go, and that the trade for Allen was too compelling not to do. And Altman said -- and this may have been the hardest to believe -- he thought Love "can really help us, I really do."

Altman was convinced there were small victories all around him. He knew that young guard Darius Garland had a 25-game stretch after the All-Star break where he'd shown tremendous growth, averaging 20 points and seven assists while shooting 47%. He knew that the team's internal numbers had shown Allen, whom they picked up from the Nets as part of the James Harden trade, was their most effective player. He knew that as bad as things looked with Love, that the numbers had shown the team was better when he was out there. And when he had talked to his players, they said they liked playing with Love when he was actually focused.

"There's a lot of optimism as to where we are as a franchise," Altman said that day. "The future's really, really bright."

You could almost hear the eyes rolling.

"It wasn't a dark place when we were losing," Altman says now, seven months later. "We were there, we saw it. People liked coming to work. They stayed in the offseason. J.B. had worked hard to make it a welcoming place, and you felt that."

No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley is a front-runner for Rookie of the Year. David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

THEN, SOME LUCK. Projected to land the No. 5 pick, the Cavaliers heard their name called at No. 3 during June's draft lottery, a vital turn for a team in need of game-changing talent. Some years the No. 3 pick is a gold mine. Luka Doncic went third. So did Harden and Joel Embiid. But it's no guarantee, either: Jahlil Okafor, Otto Porter Jr. and Enes Freedom all were selected there in the previous decade.

Following the selections of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Green, the consensus top two picks in the 2021 draft, Evan Mobley from USC was on the board.

There was no mystery in the first two picks in the draft and for weeks the Cavs felt confident it was going to be Mobley there for them at three. So they dove deep on him. They'd already watched him a lot in his one season with the Trojans and their background data kept checking out positive.

They loved Mobley's size combined with his skill. They loved his attitude as the son of a coach, who their research told them liked to be coached. They loved his work ethic, a feeling solidified after the draft when he asked the team if they could send a strength coach to work with him in Los Angeles in the offseason.

The Cavs had been in the lottery three straight years since LeBron James left for the Los Angeles Lakers, but this was the first time they were able to get an immediate difference-maker, a belief that has been backed up by his role in the Cavs' turnaround.

But teams always fall in love with their picks. The Cavs weren't just going against the grain; they were committing to a path that would be difficult, if not impossible, to untangle.

Four days after drafting Mobley, the team signed Allen to a five-year, $100 million contract. Some draft experts and scouts projected Mobley could develop into a franchise center in the current taste of the NBA. In truth, Mobley and his camp thought this was possible too, so when Allen got paid there was some chin rubbing.

"People were looking at us sideways. It's one thing to be big but we felt Jarrett and Evan were big and active. It was building around that." Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff Twenty-five days after that, the Cavs acquired 7-footer Lauri Markkanen from the Chicago Bulls -- and then didn't make a move with Love, either via a trade or a buyout as some had expected.

Back in the hotel conference room, Bickerstaff and his assistants churned through their most fundamental question: How do you design an offensive and defensive system with two centers in 2021?

Bickerstaff, 42, has been around the NBA a long time. This is his 18th season in the league, but he was a ball boy and sponge as a child next to his father, longtime NBA coach and executive Bernie Bickerstaff. Translation: He's new-school as a head coach; old-school in philosophy.

Ask him about his favorite teams and he'll talk about the 1990s, when his dad was GM of the Seattle SuperSonics and they started three guys 6-foot-10 and taller. He'll talk about when his dad drafted 6-foot-8 Jalen Rose to the Denver Nuggets and made him a point guard.

Lessons, he says, that inform now.

"People were looking at us sideways," Bickerstaff says. "It's one thing to be big but we felt Jarrett and Evan were big and active. It was building around that."

Says Altman: "We watched a lot of film and we looked at the last few champions. They were great defensive teams. The Bucks had Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and [Brook] Lopez. The Lakers had LeBron, [Anthony] Davis and [Dwight] Howard. They played big and they won.

"We didn't see Evan as a player exactly like Jarrett and thought they could play together."

CLEVELAND'S BIG SWING has been working. The Cavs ranked No. 25 in defense last season, and in 2019-20, when Bickerstaff took over midseason after John Beilein resigned, they ranked dead last.

This season, with Allen and Mobley, who are both mobile enough to switch out and defend the perimeter and long and defensive-minded enough to challenge shots in the paint, the Cavs' defense has soared up the rankings, settling in at No. 2 behind the NBA-best Golden State Warriors.

Their size has overwhelmed opponents, who are shooting a league-worst 59.3% in the restricted area against them. It's the bedrock for their turnaround, which has them 20-13 and in position to challenge for a top-four seed.

"The other teams really feel that size," Bickerstaff says.

The Cavs initially signed Markkanen to be a backup. After the signing, Altman met with Love. He told the veteran, who had two years and $60 million left on his contract, that he'd be a bench player for the first time in his career.

Love accepted the situation but had a request: If he earned minutes, he wanted to get them. Love saw veterans with big contracts get stuck when teams went young, namely John Wall in Houston, and wanted to know he wouldn't be buried to wait out his contract.

There was something else in mind for Love. Over the summer, Altman traded for Ricky Rubio to be a stabilizing backup guard. But it was also someone Love could connect with on the second unit. They played three seasons together in Minnesota, where Love became an All-Star.

Love came into camp in September in good condition -- which was in some doubt after he left Team USA training in July after struggling to get into shape. With limited depth on the wing, Bickerstaff made the decision to put Markkanen in the starting lineup at small forward so Love would have more room to play.

"I thought we had a tremendous offseason by getting Evan, Lauri and Rubio," Altman says. "We had [a] process and ping pong balls. But I really liked our top seven to eight guys and I knew we were going to take a step forward."

Led by big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, the Cavaliers' paint defense has suffocated opposing teams. EPA/SHAWN THEW Not everyone agreed. Sportsbooks set the Cavs' preseason over/under total between 26 and 27 wins. ESPN predicted a 26-56 season. The decision to start the three 7-footers was mocked. They gave up 255 points combined in their first two games. Then, 11 games in, Collin Sexton, Cleveland's leading scorer last season, was lost for the season with a torn meniscus in his left knee.

But the Cavs started winning. Garland, with more playing time with Sexton out, expanded his play from last season and is a sudden All-Star candidate, averaging 19.5 points and 7.3 assists per game. Allen, whose big contract was questioned, has been a defensive rock and extremely efficient offensively, averaging a career-high 16.8 points and shooting 70%.

Mobley, 20, has shown he can shoot, pass and defend multiple positions. It is rare for a rookie to impact winning, but he's doing so. He is one of the front-runners for Rookie of the Year despite missing time with a sprained right elbow.

Love, for his part, is having his most efficient season since he came to the Cavs in 2014-15. He plays 20 minutes a game and has maintained a positive attitude throughout the season.

"We've got a good thing going and I'm having a lot of fun," Love said after he scored 22 points in a blowout win over the Toronto Raptors Sunday night. "It's going to be great watching this young team develop."

Through nearly half the season, the Cavs have played the toughest schedule of any team so far. Despite injuries and COVID-19 issues, Bickerstaff has them racking up milestones. They went 3-2 on an early Western Conference-heavy road swing, the first time they've had a winning record on a five-game trip since their title-winning 2016 campaign. They won in Miami for the first time in 20 tries. And they have the easiest schedule remaining.

On Christmas, the Cavs announced a contract extension for Bickerstaff through the 2026-27 season, the first time a Cavs coach has landed an extension since Mike Brown in 2008.

The team still has holes, notably at wing. But it is unquestionably overachieving -- a welcomed situation for a franchise that hasn't made the playoffs without James on the roster since 1998.

"We're not done evolving," Bickerstaff says. "But we like where we are."

NBA Finals Game 7

It has not happened since the 1970s the NBA final in both the confeerences have gone to Game 7.

It clearly shows why NBA always seems to increase its audience year on yer despite the league seems to be top heavy with the the increased salary cap.

If Lebron somehow manages to win Game 7 then he will be the undisputed king of basketball cause there is no other player in the past decade who could have pulled his team through turmoil and lackadaisical display like him

LeBron James put forth another all-time performance in an elimination game Friday night against the Celtics.

James pushes all issues aside, wills Cavs to a win and a Game 7

by Candace Buckner of Washington Post

CLEVELAND — Quicken Loans Arena had fallen into a hush and four concerned teammates huddled and stared at the city of Cleveland’s — and the Cavaliers’ — biggest fear realized: LeBron James, down on the court, holding his right knee and wincing in pain.

James slowly rose, his expression turned placid, and he finished what he started, turning in another dominant performance in a 109-99 win in Game 6 over the Celtics, forcing these Eastern Confrerence finals to a seventh game Sunday night in Boston.

With his team facing elimination, James pushed past his fourth-quarter leg issue to finish with 46 points in 46 minutes to go with 11 rebounds and nine assists.

 Friday night was not a “flu game” — the iconic moment Michael Jordan created in the 1997 NBA Finals — nor did it ascend to Willis Reed levels. Yet, James added another level to his legend. Consider: James has either had a triple-double or a 40-point game in each of the past seven games with his team facing elimination. He was 17 of 33 from the field against the Celtics, doing most of his damage after Kevin Love left the game in the first quarter.

He received help in the form of three teammates reaching double figures but make no mistake, the responsibility in beating back the Celtics belonged to James and he scored the big shots and made the necessary plays with the resolve of a man who has spent the last seven Junes on the hardwood.

When asked for his thoughts on James’s night, Cavaliers Coach Tyronn Lue stifled a chuckle then started with just one word. “Greatness,” Lue said. “I think championship pedigree. You know, giving it his all. We needed that, especially when Kevin went down.” While the backcourt of Terry Rozier (28 points) and Jaylen Brown (27) stabilized Boston, the duo could not stop James. Quite literally. Within the final minute of the game, James no longer limped as he drove at Brown and scored at the rim while getting hacked. After teammate Larry Nance Jr. fell into his knee, James went on to score 12 points.

“I’ll try to get him to bang his other knee, so he could get 24,” Lue joked after the game. “He delivered. He was up for the challenge,” Lue said. “He carried us home, as usual.” The chants of “M-V-P” resounded in the sold-out arena, and that praise peaked at the buzzer when the arena announcer intoned: “We’re going to Game 7!” James improved to 13-9 in elimination games.

In the 21 previous elimination games over his career, James has averaged 33.5 points, the most of any player in league history in those moments. Although he also played as an all-around threat (10.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists in elimination games), James embraced the instinct to score — quite possibly, because he had to take over. Only five minutes into the game, Love experienced a painful encounter with Jayson Tatum. As the Celtic rookie chased George Hill from the baseline to the three-point arc, Love, who was standing still and unaware of the action happening behind him, absorbed the worst end of a head-to-head collision with Tatum. Love crumpled to the hardwood, only peeling his hands from his head to signal to the Cleveland bench for help. Love walked to the locker room on his own power but his injury sapped Cleveland’s depth. After one freak accident, James was left without an all-star wingman and yet the crucial moment served as the backdrop to yet another masterful performance.

By the time Love exited the game, James had attempted just two shots but soon turned aggressive. He attempted a plodding drive against Marcus Morris, who’s not easily moved as a 6-foot-9 forward, and that post possession ended with a miss at the rim and James raising his arms in protest for a foul call. But by his next drive, James quit begging and simply barreled over the younger and skinnier Tatum. After the first quarter, Brown scored 15 of Boston’s 25 points and the Celtics held the five-point lead. James sat on eight points but wouldn’t rest again through the half. His night was just beginning.

In-game updates, by Tim Bontemps The Eastern Conference finals are headed to a seventh game. Back-to-back dagger threes from LeBron James in the exact same manner from the exact same spot pushed him up to 44 points on the night, giving the Cavaliers an 11-point lead in the final minutes. This is now the seventh time James has scored over 40 points in these playoffs, and Cleveland has needed all of them in a game the Cavaliers lost Kevin Love in the first quarter. When you have James on your side, though, it doesn’t matter.

 With under three minutes to go in Cleveland, the Cavaliers are clinging to a seven-point lead, and trying to get over the finish line to force a Game 7 Sunday night in Boston. With no Kevin Love, and with LeBron James having played all but 57 seconds at the end of the third quarter, the Cavaliers look to be tiring late — but should have enough of a lead to hold on. James has shown little bounce since injuring his leg, but has 38 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists as he tries to drag himself and his team over the finish line. LeBron James finally took a seat for the final 57.3 seconds of the third quarter, the first time in this game he’s spent any time on the bench. It’s been a remarkable performance from James with his season on the line, with 32 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while committing only two turnovers. Meanwhile, Cleveland goes into the fourth quarter leading 83-73 after Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier sandwiched three-pointers around a Kyle Korver triple inside that final minute as James watched from the bench.

It seems likely James will return to start the fourth quarter, and play the remainder of this one. And, with Kevin Love out for the game, James will need to keep banging home buckets for Cleveland to close this game out. Want to know what makes LeBron James special? This sequence:  There is no other player in the league capable of both sprinting out in a 2-on-1 fast break and converting that layup, only to then come flying back down at the other end full speed to reject Rozier’s layup at the rim. That’s especially true when one factors in James having played every second of this game so far, and playing in the 99th game of the 15th season of his NBA career. Has anyone figured out officially if he’s a cyborg yet? Because he just might be one.

Want to know one of the reasons why Boston finds itself in yet another hole on the road? Al Horford just scored his first basket of the game … in the first minute of the second half. It has truly been baffling how this series has zigged and zagged back and forth, depending on which team was the home team in each game. It’s one thing if that happened in the first round between evenly matched teams. But in the Eastern Conference finals? That’s another thing, entirely. The Cavaliers are without Kevin Love. They had to play LeBron James for the entire first half. And they still lead by 11 at halftime. A 28-8 run covering most of the second quarter allowed Cleveland to storm into the lead and take a 54-43 edge into halftime, putting the Cavaliers 24 minutes from a return trip to Boston for Game 7 Sunday night.

James was magnificent in the first half, going for 25 points, five rebounds and five assists while playing every second — something that may have happened anyway, but had to happen once Love went to the locker room a few minutes into the first quarter after a collision with Jayson Tatum and didn’t return. Jaylen Brown had an outstanding first quarter for Boston, scoring 15 of his 17 points, while Terry Rozier added 13 on 5-for-7 shooting from the field. Jeff Green, meanwhile, gave Cleveland a big boost off the bench with nine points playing in place of Love, and likely will get the start for him in the second half. Love is being evaluated for a concussion and will not return to the game. LeBron James remains on the court well into the second quarter, and Kevin Love remains in the locker room. That might be the case for the remainder of this game. If Love is unable to come back, it might take a 48-minute effort from James for Cleveland to win this game. The Cavaliers needed George Hill to have a big game in Game 6, and that was before Kevin Love left the game in the first quarter after colliding with Jayson Tatum. With six quick points early on, Hill is delivering. Cleveland has been a far different team in this series when Hill has been engaged and attacking, taking the Cavaliers from a staid offense to a dynamic one. Like so many things on both sides in this series, Hill has looked generally looked this way at home and then far less on the road.

Cleveland can worry about that changing in a possible Game 7 if the Cavaliers can make it there. In the meantime, they’ll take Hill keeping this up for another 36 minutes or so. The last thing the Cavaliers needed in the do-or-die situation in which they find themselves was for Kevin Love to be lying on the court holding his head halfway through the first quarter. That’s exactly what happened after Love got the worse end of an accidental head-to-head collision with Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum, crashing to the ground and holding his head, to the point where George Hill had to commit an intentional foul to stop play while Love made no attempt to get up. Love headed to Cleveland’s locker room, having gingerly walked off the court. It seems likely that he will be entering into the league’s concussion protocol, which he’d have to pass before returning. Cleveland has struggled to get consistent offense in this series outside of Love and LeBron James. If Love has to miss any time here, that could be a massive problem for Cleveland’s chances of pushing this series to a seventh game Sunday night.

When this season began, the expectation was that the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers would meet for a fourth straight time in the NBA Finals. Now, the NBA heads into Memorial Day weekend with a seemingly unfathomable scenario unfolding: first the Cavaliers, and then the Warriors, hosting games that could end their seasons. That’s not how this was supposed to happen. Cleveland and, in particular, Golden State, were supposed to roll through the playoffs. But here we are, staring at the two teams that have ruled the league for four years both on the brink. Cleveland will first welcome the Boston Celtics to Quicken Loans Arena Friday night. Boston — a dreadful road team this postseason, going just 1-6 away from the friendly confines of TD Garden — will try to become the first team to dethrone LeBron James in the East since … the Celtics, when they beat James in 2010 to end his first stint in Cleveland with a resounding thud.

The circumstances this time are different. The Cavaliers have won a championship this time, and have made the Finals the past three years in a row. This year’s team wildly and unpredictably swings from one pole to the other, never providing a good barometer on a game-to-game basis for how it will perform. Still, it’s hard to see James and the Cavaliers losing this game, in part because it’s just hard to ever see him losing a game that matters. As the greatest player of his generation, James always seems to find a way to get it done when it counts. But the Celtics’ wretched play away from Boston also factors in. Will that change in a road elimination game against James? That seems like a bridge too far for a team that couldn’t close out the Milwaukee Bucks in the same situation two rounds ago. Stopping James is just a bit harder than that. For the league, though, there’s nothing better than a potential holiday weekend full of climatic action, with the league’s two most iconic teams fighting for their playoff lives.

NBA playoffs: Cavaliers finally play good defense but fizzle on offense in Game 5 loss LeBron James and the Cavaliers miss Kyrie Irving more than the Celtics do The Warriors’ unbalanced roster is catching up with them at the worst possible time Rockets draw even with Warriors in Western Conference finals The graybeard Cavaliers have turned experience into their best weapon against the Celtics The Cavaliers were left for dead. Now, it feels like their series to lose. Only Steph Curry can make the Warriors the most dangerous version of themselves The NBA Finals blueprint for the Cavs, Celtics, Rockets and Warriors If the Rockets are going to get back into this Warriors series, they must play faster With all these blowouts in the NBA playoffs, will fans stop paying attention? Stephen Curry’s mom scolded him over his potty mouth Luka Doncic should go No. 1 and other thoughts from the NBA draft combine In Cavaliers-Celtics, a tale of two coaches: Scorn for Tyronn Lue, praise for Brad Stevens At the NBA draft combine, mystery is more valuable than getting on the court Draymond Green trademarks ‘Hampton 5,’ doesn’t seem to realize it’s not The Hamptons Faced with a make-or-break moment, the Rockets responded like champions If the Rockets beat the Warriors, Clint Capela will be the reason LeBron James may have had a lousy Game 1, but he still has a mind like a steel trap LeBron James owns the NBA’s Eastern Conference and isn’t ready to let go What I got wrong about the Boston Celtics James Harden’s biggest advantage is his brain The Rockets can limit the effectiveness of the Warriors’ ‘Hamptons Five’ lineup Steve Kerr touts Warriors’ experience edge over Rockets: ‘Our guys have rings’ Rockets are the toughest playoff opponent Steve Kerr’s Warriors have ever faced Pau Gasol: ‘Becky Hammon can coach NBA basketball. Period.’ Dragging these flawed Cavs to the NBA Finals would be LeBron James’s most remarkable feat

It is time for the playoff again!!

It is time for the NBA playoffs and me getting up early for watching the live matches.On the ongoing series 2 of them are interesting, Grizzlies Vs Warriors and Bulls Vs Cavaliers.

Here is an article from SBNation's Tim CaTO on a pivotal Game 3 at Memphis

That the Golden State Warriors would make a fourth-quarter comeback and narrow a 20-point lead to just a few was inevitable. The only question was if the Memphis Grizzlies could weather the storm.

They did. The Warriors cut what was once a 19-point deficit to four thanks to a parade to the free throw line, but Memphis never gave up the lead on its way to a 99-89 win on Saturday. With another game in Memphis looming on Monday, it's the Grizzlies who hold a surprising 2-1 lead over the NBA's best regular season team.

It was a tough night for the Warriors shooters, who missed both open and contested shots without discretion. Golden State is renowned for its ability to make shots this season, but 43 percent from the floor and just 25 percent from behind the arc through three quarters wasn't enough, not for the quality of looks the Warriors



The Warriors will blame themselves for missing those looks, but it was also clear they were rattled. Arriving in the Grindhouse in the raucous Memphis arena, and facing Tony Allen and Marc Gasol defensively, the Warriors had to work for everything. Memphis' identity isn't rooted in transition three-pointers or superb athleticism, but grit and toughness. Their goal is to make opposing teams feel it for 48 minutes and it took most of the game for the Warriors to react appropriately.

Let's say the Warriors felt it for at least 40, since they did make that fourth-quarter comeback. After pushing Memphis into the penalty, they closed the gap at the free throw line and found some easy shots inside. Down 91-85 with 2:05 to play, Golden State played great defense and forced a Gasol back-breaking prayer.

Here are three things we learned. 1. There is no one tougher than Mike Conley It wasn't a great offensive night, but it didn't matter. Conley's main impact came from relentless, physical defense on Stephen Curry throughout the game, bothering him around every screen and on every screen. He knew exactly what he could get away with from the refs on his home court, and he faced up and took a charge even with his face injury. Without Conley, the Grizzlies wouldn't have a 2-1 series lead, and in true Memphis fashion, he's fighting through the pain when he team needs it most.

2. You have to make shots to win The best three-point shooting team hit 6-of-26 from deep. There are surely technical adjustments for Steve Kerr to make, but the main thing for Golden State is simply to hit some shots going forward. Curry was just 2-of-10 while taking the same mix of pull-ups that he does every game. Taking nothing away from the Grizzlies, the Warriors just aren't playing like themselves.

3. Zach Randolph just keeps going Once again, the big man led the Grizzlies with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, plus eight rebounds and three steals. Memphis' style is to never adjust from its big-man heavy, grind it out lineups. There were questions whether they might have to against a killer small-ball Warriors team, but Randolph has more than held his own and punished Golden State at its own game all series.