Dribbles: Donovan Mitchell New King in Town as Cavs Crown LeBron, Lakers

CLEVELAND — Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ 116-102 win over the Lakers on Tuesday.

1. Well, well, well. Look who swept LeBron James‘ team for the first time in history. That’s right, your 2022-23 Cavaliers.

2. It wasn’t always easy. It wasn’t always pretty. But it was a whole lot of Donovan Mitchell in the fourth quarter, after a whole lot of Jarrett Allen in the first half. Nor did it hurt that Lakers star Anthony Davis only played eight minutes, before exiting with flu-like symptoms.

3. How fitting was it that Mitchell scored a career-high as a member of the Cavs, erupting for 43 points? If you needed evidence that this is a new day in Cleveland basketball, this win may have been it.

4. Meanwhile, Allen came back after a five-game absence and immediately put on his best Larry Bird-like performance — as Allen made each of his first 10 shots on his way to 24 points. Twenty-two of those came in the first two quarters.

5. LeBron said the addition of Mitchell only made the Cavs even “more dynamic.” And they were already “a good team last season,” he added. Now, the Cavs (16-9) are on their way to becoming a major player in the Eastern Conference. The Lakers? Yeah, probably not so much out West.

6. I’ve covered a lot of Cavs games. From 2010-20, nearly every one at home. So I’ve seen nearly all of LeBron’s return games. This one felt less like an event, and more just like an everyday NBA game on a Tuesday night.

7. That’s not intended to be anything other than exactly what it says. And it basically means that when the Cavs say this felt just like any other game, you can believe them. For long stretches, it felt like they were playing the Wizards, or maybe the Spurs. There were times it was easy to forgot that LeBron was on the other team.

8. James exited the arena near a bunch of kids, screaming his name and begging for an autograph. Walking with him were Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett and cornerback Greg Newsome. Former Cavs guard Damon Jones was also there, in a Lakers sweatshirt.

9. On the way out, James and Cavs guard Darius Garland embraced and chatted briefly. Both are represented by agent Rich Paul, another Clevelander.

10. The Cavs are 11-1 at home, by the way. That’s the NBA’s best home record.

11. Garland added 21 points and 11 big assists. No one else did much of note, and I’m still convinced the Cavs need to make a trade eventually for another shooter from the corners. They just might. But that’s a post for another day.

12. Allen, smiling, on Mitchell’s performance: “What can you say? That’s Donovan Mitchell.”

13. James finished with 21 points, and did everything he could to fill in for Davis by also pulling down 17 rebounds. But minus James and Davis, let’s face it, the Lakers (10-13) just aren’t very good.

14. For the Cavs, it’s just nice to get the LeBron portion of the schedule out of the way. While it’s not as big a deal as it used to be, it still sort of hangs over their heads. But beating LeBron and the Lakers in both LA and Cleveland offers more proof that this team, when healthy, is the real deal.

15. But hey, the Cleveland connections don’t end there. Friday night, former coach Mike Brown and his Kings come to town. It may not be mentioned anywhere but here. Still, you’d better not sleep on the Kings. Brown has them playing their best basketball in ages. He’s a good man who seems to have found the right job.

Now LeBron receives an even warmer welcome … pic.twitter.com/zVM5MQUvZw

— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) December 7, 2022