It has been a rough week away from home for the Cavs. They started their road trip on March 18 with a blowout loss against the Clippers. Then, they faced another defeat the following night in Sacramento. Then the third one a couple of days later, against the Suns. Definitely not what’s expected of the East’s top-seeded team. With only two games remaining before heading back to Cleveland, the Cavs regrouped and finished the trip with two straight wins – latest one coming last night against the Blazers.
After the much-needed win, Jarrett Allen detailed the locker room’s mental and physical grind in the past week, “Yeah, you know first they’re a good team. So, we have to lock in till the end of the road trip. I mean we all know that we’re ready to be in our own beds, ready to be back in Cleveland but we still have a job to do. We still gotta go out there and play our best basketball.”
Even the twelfth-seeded Blazers posed a difficult challenge for the Cavs and it took a collective effort from the entire team to beat them. Of course, a major reason behind their initial struggles was that their best player Donovan Mitchell was not playing – Out with a groin injury. Moreover, Spida looked out of sorts this entire road trip as he scored only 16 points in Utah and just 7 in Phoenix.
Despite the toll it took on the team, Allen looked back on the road trip in a positive light, “It’s been a fun road trip. It’s been long but I feel like every single city we had something to look forward to whether it’s just hanging out as a team or just going to a book store or doing something like that.” Obviously, the two wins at the end help. However, the road trip might also have exposed one major issue.
Ty Jerome praises Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley’s defense but hints at Cavs’ major concern
With Mitchell out, rest of the players stepped up big time on offense as the starters combined for 81 points. But it was their impressive defense that got the job done. All credit to big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, who have been elite rim protectors all season. Even last night, Mobley got four crucial blocks while Allen got a big steal.
However, Ty Jerome saw a potential problem in Mobley and Allen’s impressive performance, as he said postgame, “That’s what I say all the time about Ev and JA as well, they really hold our defense down and we rely on them maybe too much to hold that paint down for us.” Yes, the shooting guard believes his team relies a lot on their rim protectors. Although that’s not a problem right now, it could be if either of the two bigs get injured.
Nov 4, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) and forward Evan Mobley (4) celebrate during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Although that’s something the Cavs might need to work on, Jerome was just happy that they ended the road trip on a win and had high praise for Allen and Mobley, “Tonight, especially in that fourth quarter both of them really stepped up tremendously. That’s who they both are. That’s who we need them to be. That’s what makes this team special is those two down there.” He even deemed Mobley the Defensive Player of the Year for this season. Well, Mobley has been elite this year, averaging nearly 10 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. And with his team finishing as the top seed, he could take home the DPOY trophy.
The more important thing however is that the Cavs finally return home after the grueling road trip and will face the Spurs on Thursday, hoping to extend their winning streak. Do you think they can end their season strong despite Jerome’s concern?
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