The Cavs Showed Their Resiliency When It Mattered Most
Game 7. Those are the two best words in sports, but not if you are a fan of the two teams involved. The nerves and dread were palpable throughout northeast Ohio. Waking up on Sunday, the vibes from social media, friends and family, and even my colleagues from WFNY were simple: We're all just sick of the six-month roller coaster that this team has put us through. In a season filled with trials and tribulations, this series against the Orlando Magic was almost like the Spark Notes version of it. The Cleveland Cavaliers won ugly; they lost ugly, suffered a critical loss with Jarrett Allen's pierced rib, and had to survive playing shorthanded (again), a theme too familiar in a season hindered by injuries. This isn't a slight to the Orlando Magic; they came into the series with the 2nd best defensive rating, a rising superstar in Paolo Banchero, and Jalen Suggs, arguably the best defensive guard in the NBA; this was a classic 4-5 matchup where both teams were evenly matched both in style and talent quality.
Saunday’s decisive game started ominously; the Magic came out swinging with a 20-10 run, the Cavs offensively were stuck in the mud, and the team was frazzled by the ref's whistle and Orlando's defense for most of the first half. The lead ballooned to 18 points, and the worst-case scenario played out in real-time. The crowd that was raining down boos was ready to fire JB Bickerstaff and chuck him into Lake Erie with how things were going. Another offseason of questions about Donovan Mitchell's future and discussions of whether the core that Cleveland has put together would ever be a playoff threat seemed to await. Then, a funny thing happened: The Cavs never got the memo. In the closing minutes of the first half, the Cavs stormed back on a 12-4 run to cut the lead to ten. In the second half, Donovan Mitchell was taking all comers, driving to the basket at will, outscoring the Magic 20-19 at one point, willing the Cavs back into the game many thought was over. The defense tightened the screws holding the trio of Suggs, Wagner, and Banchero to 3-20 from the field in the 3rd quarter. It was the toughness and grit the Cavs faithful were waiting to see from this group, as they dominated the 2nd half, outscoring Orlando 63-31, completing the biggest comeback in a game 7 in NBA history.
This wasn't just a game-seven win; it was a showcase of the lessons learned after an embarrassing playoff debut against the Knicks. Facing a team that gave the Cavs similar issues, they stood tall and kept plugging away when all hope seemed lost. Many fans would've expected them to melt under the pressure, the tough whistle in the first half, and the relentlessness of the Orlando defense; the formula was all there for a potential disaster at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, but credit to the Cavs for not letting history repeat itself. It won't get easier as they'll soon face the Boston Celtics in 48 hours in the 2nd round, but they proved, at least for this moment, that the lights weren't too bright.
