Watching the Market: Cavs vs. Magic Game 5

The Cavaliers made their mark with the series in a pivotal Game 5. 

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Evan Mobley showed up in the fourth quarter

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley found himself starting at center in a pivotal game against the Orlando Magic as Jarrett Allen was ruled out with a rib injury. This placed Mobley in a spot to sink or swim, causing lots of curiosity as to how he would stand against a sizeable Orlando roster.

As the game went along Mobley was able to find pockets in the defense to cut to the basket and be in great positions to finish at the rim.

However, where Mobley truly shined was in the fourth quarter and in particular, the closing minutes. Mobley single-handedly saved the Cavaliers in the final Orlando possession where it appeared Franz Wagner had gone past the Cavaliers’ defense only for Mobley to mimic a LeBron James-esque chase-down block sequence.

It was reassuring that Mobley could help close out a pivotal game at a position he generally has struggled to find his footing. Finishing with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists is an overall solid stat sheet for someone not in their comfort zone. As Game 6 approaches and the Cavaliers look to potentially close out the series without Allen, it is comforting to know Mobley is capable of nights like this.

Impactful rotational adjustments

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has gotten a lot of criticism over the years for not knowing when to make adjustments to the lineup until it is too late. When starting center Jarrett Allen was announced out just hours before tip-off, it appeared that fans were bracing for defacto backup big Georges Niang to get the call up to the starting lineup.

However, as a pleasant surprise, Isaac Okoro was slotted at the starting four while Evan Mobley at the five. Not only was Niang nowhere to be seen in the starting lineup he was removed from the rotation entirely. Niang has struggled mightily offensively in this series and it was refreshing to see Bickerstaff decide that switching up the rotation with a more well-rounded forward like Marcus Morris Sr. would be a potential jolt in the lineup.

Morris stood out in his minutes off the bench scoring pivotal baskets, including a few important threes. Morris also was reliable enough defensively finding himself holding up against Paolo Banchero enough to where he was not become a liability on that end of the floor. The staff must have agreed with his capabilities as he closed out the game for the Cavaliers and finished with 12 points and the second-highest plus-minus at +8.

Darius Garland starting strong

For the Cavaliers to take hold of Game 5, the star backcourt had to provide more of a presence offensively. Through the first four games, no one has taken as much criticism as Darius Garland had for disappearing during major stretches in the series against Orlando.

That was until tonight when Darius Garland erupted and truly carried the first-quarter offense on his back scoring 17 points in the opening quarter. Garland was looking like glimpses of the player fans grew accustomed to watching last season before injuries derailed this campaign.

Garland was able to slice through defenders to get to the rim and adjust his release in the air.

Garland was also letting it fly from the three-point line as well. He led the team in plus-minus with a net rating of +9 and it certainly felt that way.

If the Cavaliers can see this version of Garland going forward it would make this offense way more layered. Currently, it has felt all season it could go as far as Mitchell could take them. This was a reminder that a confident and aggressive Garland makes a serious impact.