Cavaliers

Cavs Agonize Over One That Got Away: ‘We Just Gotta Capitalize’

February 29, 2024

The Cavaliers had it won. Then they didn’t. Then they did again.

Finally, they had a chance to put it away when Donovan Mitchell stepped to the line with 13 seconds to go in overtime and the Cavs up two. Make both, and the Cavs would be up four and in complete command.

But Mitchell only made one.

On the ensuing possession, Jarrett Allen fouled Chicago Bulls guard/forward DeMar DeRozan on a 3-point attempt. DeRozan buried all three free throws and off we went to a second OT — with the Bulls dominating that session on the way to a 312-123 victory.

For the Cavs, giving away a victory was a painful lesson.

“We had opportunities to seize it,” said forward Evan Mobley, who led the Cavs with 25 points and 13 rebounds. “We just gotta capitalize. Sometimes, games don’t go your way so you got to learn from them and try to do better for the next games.”

The Cavs (38-20) were coming off an emotional home win over the Dallas Mavericks, courtesy of a 59-footer at the buzzer from Max Strus. Had Strus not hit that shot, they’d be 2-5 in their last seven.

This after a nine-game winning streak and winning 17 of 18.

Early in the fourth quarter in Chicago, they led 89-78. But the offense slowed and the Bulls demolished them on the boards.

That’s not what coach JB Bickerstaff likes to call “Cavaliers Basketball.”

The playoffs are now less than two months away. The Cavs will have bad nights and Wednesday was undoubtedly one of them. It doesn’t mean you change the rotation or overreact. It’s about getting the most out of the men who are on the court.

That will be up to Bickerstaff. The rest will be up to the players themselves. The Cavs know they are better than they’ve shown lately. Now they have to figure out how to get it back.

“We just didn’t make enough plays down the stretch,” Bickerstaff said. “A multitude of things we can improve on. We had an opportunity to put the game away and didn’t close it.”

For now, the Cavs remain in first place in the Central Division and second in the Eastern Conference. But the Milwaukee Bucks (38-21) are a mere half-game behind. What matters is that the Cavs are playing their best when it means the most. March and early April are important, though, because you develop the habits to take you where you want to go.