Double Bigs, Double Trouble
Cavs vs Thunder on Wednesday night was absolute cinema. The far and away best game of the year in the NBA was a wire-to-wire barn burner with 30 lead changes, elite shotmaking, and stifling defense on both sides of the ball. It was everything you could've wanted as an NBA fan. The biggest standouts of the most anticipated game of the year were the frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, a pairing that many nationally and even some locally have questioned could even coexist, let alone play consistently at the highest level. The dup showcased to a national TV audience the damage they can do against the leagues best defense in the Oklahoma City Thunder—the proof of concept of why the organization was adamant that this could work.
While many outside of Clevland know how elite they are on the defensive end, they are far from one-trick ponies. Tower City combined for 46 points, 21 rebounds, and 14 assists in a game they needed to dominate from inside the arch. On a night where Donovan Mitchell was ice cold from the field while being hounded and blitzed all night defensively, he deferred to the bigs, and they made them pay repeatedly in the short roll. Allen and Mobley displayed a rare blend of playmaking, size, and scoring that many teams do not have an answer for across the league. Mobley's growth is more apparent game after game; his newfound confidence is shining through as a scorer, which will lead him to his first All-Star Game. Alongside him is Allen, the often-overlooked member of the Core Four, making you remember why he was an All-Star not too long ago through his polished all-around game. It is why they brought in Kenny Atkinson to diversify the offense and make them not just a more potent team from the perimeter but inside the paint. They have a 123.2 offensive rating while both bigs are on the floor this year, which is a vast improvement from the 111.3 offensive rating the year before. NBA defenses are now picking their poison rather than having an easy path to muddy up the Cavs' offense on a night-to-night basis.
As the Cavs end the Thunder's 15-game winning streak while continuing their own, there are many reasons why they are an incredible 32-4, but a big piece of it is thanks to Allen and Mobley. When many wanted to trade away either big to get more conventional with the roster makeup and get the long-awaited wing player that many fans clamored for, Koby Altman stuck to his guns and hired a new coach who gave Tower City a new lease on life. They are not only enjoying the spoil of riches of an offense statistically on pace to become one of the best in league history but reaffirming why the double big frontcourt can work in the modern NBA.