Dribbles: Cavs Start Second Half With Boom In Brooklyn

February 20, 2025

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 110-97 road win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday. …

1. Well, that’s one way to start the post-All-Star portion of the season. With a Cavalanche.

2. For the uninitiated, that means the game was tight for a while. The Nets were confident. They were dunking and talking trash. You started to wonder if maybe this wouldn’t be the Cavs’ night.

3. That was way back in the first half, though. And part of the third quarter. Then it happened. A 20-2 run. A staggering punch. Brooklyn was done.

4. None of this should be a surprise. It’s been the Cavalier Way all season. They’re just better than most. Eventually, you’re gonna find that out.

5. Also, as is usually the case, it’s hard to pick just one star. But as is usually the case, you can start with the core four. Donovan Mitchell led everyone with a game-high 26 points. A few of them highlight worthy near-dunks that led to fouls. Darius Garland scored 18, and good gosh, some amazing passes that led to easy baskets (nine assists).

6. Evan Mobley also scored 18 and pulled down 13 rebounds. And that might not have even been the best frontcourt performance. How about Jarrett Allen? How do 16 points … and TWENTY rebounds sound?

7. Not that Mobley and Allen are in some sort of competition. It just goes to show you what the frontcourt can do. In this everyday, run-of-the-mill regular season game, it utterly dominated.

8. Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill and De’Andre Hunter were others who played their part, as did Isaac Okoro, who returned from his shoulder injury. Dean Wade (knee) very well could be back Friday.

9. Coach Kenny Atkinson has been talking about the Cavs displaying a better sense of urgency in the third quarter. It’s something he’d like to see considerably more with just 27 regular-season games to go. His team delivered on this night.

10. Atkinson to reporters: “It wasn’t a masterpiece, that’s for sure. But give the Nets credit. They’re physical. That kind of makes the game choppy. So we didn’t ever catch an offensive rhythm, but I thought our defense was good all night.”

11. Ah, yes. The defense. Atkinson wants that to be even better in the post-break. And it should be. On the bright side, this game sort of had a playoff feel — and the Cavs won it on the road.

12. Granted, the Cavs (45-10) should beat a team like the Nets (20-35). But if there’s one thing the Nets do, it’s play hungry and tough under first-year coach and old friend Jordi Fernandez. Translation: This is the NBA. There’s no such thing as an easy night.

13. Up next: The Knicks at home. It’s right around the corner, Friday night at the newly christened Rocket Arena. They’re better than the Nets. That much you know. So yeah, no easy nights.

14. Back to Allen and Mobley. Atkinson on how they dictated so much of what happened in this game: “First of all, you have two elite rim protectors, and two guys that can guard the perimeter. Offensively, Evan can do both, shoot 3s and get to the rim, and JA just kind of cleans everything up.”

15. So on to the next, and if this part of the break is anything like the last, we can expect more of the same.