Repeated mistakes are bound to get punished in a cutthroat league like the NBA. Then it doesn’t if it’s the best team in the NBA or the worst. Tonight, even after holding a 13-point advantage after the first quarter, the Orlando Magic snapped the Cavaliers’ 16-game win streak. For the second game in a row, the top-seeded Cavs lacked in their late-game execution.
Over the last minute of the game, they missed five shots. That opened up the gates of a comeback from the Magic in a game where the leads switched sides 19 times. The Cavs though ran into a strange problem. In the fourth quarter, the returning Donovan Mitchell shot the most shots (12). No other player aside from Garland such as Jarrett Allen could get some points in interior shot more than two.
The one-dimensional offense led to zero free throw attempts for the Cavaliers in the pivotal quarter. Likewise, after the game the media wondered whether Allen hopes to find himself in more scoring situations in such slumps. However, there seems to be a clear order within the Cavs. The first action will come through either Garland or Mitchell.
“I feel like for me in that situation is to get them open you know so that they can have their big fourth quarter moments. You know get them open on screens, let them create, shoot the three or do whatever and you know my job is just to clean up after,” the Cavaliers center revealed.
Nov 1, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) dribbles the ball in the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
It may be a contentious mindset considering the Cavaliers didn’t have great size with the absence of Mobley. Allen was also their second-leading scorer on the night with 20 points, regularly dominating in the paint. But instead of utilizing an efficient tactic, they chose to live and die by the three. Tonight, that cost them their win streak.
And since it has been an ongoing issue over the past few games, the Cavaliers need to be better at closing. As Kenny Atkinson said after the last game, “If you want to be a lead program you got to close out games better,”. With high aspirations for the postseason, that’s where the Cavaliers need to divert their attention as they set off on the road.
But Atkinson may have another quizzing situation looming over him.
Comply with wishes or look after the team, a tough riddle for Atkinson
The way the Cleveland Cavaliers have played this season, they are a team that addresses their issues quickly. Atkinson and his coaching staff are meticulous. Hence, these late-game woes may be eradicated soon. However, there’s a complex battle the coach is fighting right now. It involves trying to keep Jarrett Allen off the floor.
That sounds weird doesn’t it. Allen makes the Cavaliers 6.6 points better per game when on the floor. But the dynamic center has been dealing with an index finger sprain which he admits is “still bothering me quite a bit”. The only way for it to properly heal is to give it some rest. But Jarrett Allen has a target for the season.
He wants to play all 82 regular season games. Hence, he doesn’t wish to sit out with the objective well within his sights.
This has put Kenny Atkinson in a difficult position. Having a player who wants to play all the games is a good problem to have. But at the same time, because the injury is nagging him, it poses the risk of aggravating in the event of a misfortune. Hence, Atkinson doesn’t know what to do at this moment.
“We’ve talked about about it. He’s pretty adamant about playing 82 so we’ll probably have that conversation again and I respect that… If it ever gets to the point where it’s like man you know Steve says we got to sit him we’ll tell him but right now you know he wants to go,” Kenny Atkinson said about Allen.
Jarrett Allen has come close to playing all regular season games before. In his second season, he played 80 games for the Nets and even last season got hung up on 77 games missing the first five games of the season due to an ankle injury. So now he doesn’t want a minor injury to stand in his way. If that means enduring some pain, Allen doesn’t mind.
However, if the injury does get concerning, the Cavaliers will have to force him to take some time off to ensure he remains fully healthy for the playoffs.
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