Darius Garland, Cavs Rising, Shining And Continue To Serve Notice

Raise your hand if you thought the Cavaliers would finish 5-1 on their longest road trip of the season.

And raise your hand if you though Darius Garland would do his best Steph Curry impersonation over the weekend.

Actually, Garland has a style all his own, and one night after erupting for 32 points in a win over the Spurs, he went for 27 points and 18 assists in a 107-102 win over the Thunder — a game in which the Cavs rallied after trailing by as many as 18.

So, yes, it’s been quite a season of surprise for these young Cleveland guns. And while Jarrett Allen, rookie Evan Mobley and others have been coming along very nicely, Garland is suddenly making a major splash.

“When you watch young guys develop, there’s a moment that you see where the belief is there,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Darius now believes that he’s amongst the elite in his position as a player in this league.”

Anyone who’s seen Garland play lately probably already knows that. And they too probably believe Garland is making his statement during a season in which a break out was predicted.

He already received a lot of praise last year. This year, he is showing everyone why.

Again, in the past three games, Garland has had a triple-double (in a win over the Jazz), the 32-points vs. the Spurs, capped by the 27-point, 18-assist explosion. That’s what you call a rise.

“He took command of the game in all aspects,” Bickerstaff said. “You saw a will in him to not allow us to lose this game. That’s the growth that we keep talking about individually and as a team is you see guys right in front of our eyes taking huge steps.”

Overall, the Cavs (26-18) have been keeping pace with the best in the Eastern Conference. They’re in sixth place in the conference, but they’re a mere 2.5 games back of the first-place Bulls.

All season, they have managed to do the unthinkable. So that unthinkable has suddenly become the fairly believable. That was particularly exemplified in Saturday’s riveting comeback.

“Tonight was another example of showing that grit and that toughness to bear down and go get a job done,” Bickerstaff said. “This is a great environment to play in. The fans are yelling and screaming and on your back. And for us to not get rattled, not to give in. That was a great sign for us.”

Mobley added 20 points vs. the Thunder, and Allen and Kevin Love scored 13 apiece. Love hit three 3-pointers in the process. Mobley also swatted a couple of shots.

And yes, defense has been a big part of this.

“I feel like we were shrinking and shrinking the floor, and in the right spots a lot of times in the fourth, which forced them to turn the ball over, shoot tougher shots than before,” Mobley said. “Earlier in the game, I felt like we were still playing defense. But we were just off a little bit, by like a second or two, and that created their open lanes and easier shots for them.”

The Cavs host the Nets on Monday. Brooklyn star forward Kevin Durant is expected to miss the game with an injured knee, but old friend Kyrie Irving should play.