Dribbles: Cavs Give Fitting All-Star Performance In Grounding Hawks

CLEVELAND — Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ 137-115 home win over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday. …Evan Mobley, Cavaliers, Cavs, Hawks, NBA

1. The big news of the day came before the game, when it was announced Darius Garland and Evan Mobley would be joining Donovan Mitchell as NBA All-Stars. That stayed the hot topic, because the Cavs pretty much ran the Hawks off the court.

2. So, yes, Garland was named an All-Star reserve. Same goes for Mobley — for the first time in his four-year career. The Cavs (39-9) were waiting for this day. They always knew Garland and Mobley were All-Star talents. Now, they’re All-Stars in title, too.

3. Without a doubt, each has taken his game to another level this season. Garland suffered through an incredibly rocky 2023-24, thanks in large part to a broken jaw. Mobley was good, but had yet to come anywhere close to all the lofty expectations.

4. There are lots of reasons why the Cavs are 30 games over .500 right now. Garland and Mobley are two really big ones.

5. Garland on being named as a reserve: “Last year at this time I was at home, jaw wired shut, couldn’t eat, couldn’t talk. So it’s just a blessing. … It’s a team award, for all of us.”

6. Mobley added: “It was amazing when I found out (prior to tipoff). The whole team was there cheering me and DG on. It was a great feeling.”

7. So for just the third time in NBA history, three Cavaliers are headed to All-Star Weekend.

8. The other times it happened — 1989 with Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance and Mark Price; and 2017 with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.

9. A few reporters chatted with Daugherty before the game. I was among them. He mentioned how Ron Harper deserved to go to that All-Star Game, too. At the time, those Cavs were on their way to the best record in franchise history (57-25). Harper had a huge game on the night that it was revealed he’d been snubbed.

10. Speaking of snubs, a lot of people thought Cavs center Jarrett Allen deserved a reserve bid this year. Without question, you could make a case for Allen.

11. Coach Kenny Atkinson was asked if was disappointed Allen wasn’t picked. “Yes,” Atkinson responded quickly. “With our record … yes.”

12. Granted, the All-Star game itself has been awful in recent years. It’s become a big joke. And now there’s some sort of weird four-team format. But it’s not about actually playing in the game for most guys. It’s about the honor.

13. As for Thursday, the Cavs trailed for the first time in three games. But that was early in the first quarter. After that, they shut down Atlanta (22-26) and clicked on nearly every cylinder, and did so on the second night of a back-to-back. They extended the lead to 29 in the second half.

14. Garland led the way with 26 points and seven assists. Mitchell erupted for 24 and six, respectively, one night after scoring 34. Ty Jerome was also excellent with 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

12. There’s more. Mobley finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Allen scored nine and snagged a remarkable 15 rebounds. And rookie Jaylon Tyson played perhaps his best game as a pro with 15 points and five boards.

13. To tell you a little more about Tyson … well, how does diving head-first into the stands in chase of a loose ball with the Cavs up 20? “The ultimate role player,” Atkinson said of the rookie.

14. Hawks guard Trae Young was undoubtedly another All-Star snub. You’re going to have those every year. Maybe Kevin Durant is right. Maybe there should be 15 All-Star spots in each conference instead of 12.

15. Anyway, the Cavs did a nice job on Young (15 points, 5-of-16 shooting, 10 assists), something Atkinson said before the game was a point of emphasis. And so was just beating the Hawks — who had won both of the prior meetings.

16. It’s true that the Cavs played Wednesday night in Miami and then had to fly home. They scored 137, anyway. “We got into the paint,” Atkinson said. “Evan was super aggressive in that first half, got back to dunking the ball. I thought our rim presence was really good.”

17. Meanwhile, Mobley indicated he’s not solely responsible for his own success. “It’s a lot of fun going out there every night and knowing my teammates have my back,” he said. “Every night is like just another night of playing at the park with your friends.”

18. The Cavaliers now have some toughies coming up with Dallas at home on Sunday, followed by Boston at home on Tuesday. Those two teams were in the NBA Finals last season.

19. So those opponents have had what these Cavaliers want. “We still have a long way to go,” Mobley said. “The goal isn’t just to have the best record in the regular season; it’s to have it in the postseason.”

20. Spoken like a true All-Star.

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