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'Best team in the league': The Cavaliers have a case for NBA superiority after beating OKC
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- 'Best team in the league': The Cavaliers have a case for NBA superiority after beating OKC
CLEVELAND — In the past, this was the marquee game the Cavaliers lost. This was the summit that was just out of reach despite a promising start. This was the failed test that kept them trapped in their status, or at least perception, as a second-tier contender in the East .
Not much truly matters until the playoffs. That won't change. But the Cavs have given themselves a reason to puff out their chests a little as, truly, one of the three no-doubt contenders to win an NBA title this June.
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"We're relentless. Best team in the league," said Darius Garland . "I don't know, man, this team is great."
In a matchup between two teams on pace to win roughly 70 games, and in a possible preview of the NBA Finals, the Cavs (32-4) battled and conquered the Oklahoma City Thunder 129-122 Wednesday night. It was as good of a regular season matchup for which the league could have hoped, the clear-cut, top two teams — both have leads of at least 5.5 games in their conferences — sizing each other up in a matchup that came down to the final minute.
It was a January game with a June feel, arguably the league's best offense (the Cavs) versus the No. 1 defense (the Thunder).
The player-led conversation in the locker room after the win was focused on one aspect: the growth of this Cavaliers core , now in its third year together.
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"It just speaks to our growth. I told everybody after the game, 'We don't win this game last year,'" said Donovan Mitchell . "This isn't just about one person. This is a group thing. We showed it tonight on the biggest stage."
Jarrett Allen had arguably his best game of the season, dominating the paint en route to 25 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Evan Mobley finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, including the biggest basket of the night late in the fourth quarter.
Garland had 18 points and seven assists and buried the dagger, a floater in the final minute, to put the Cavs up seven. Max Strus was 5 of 6 from 3-point range. The Cavaliers bench outscored OKC's 43-26. Cleveland won despite Mitchell only scoring 11 points. They put up 129 against the best defensive team in the league.
The score was tied eight separate times. There were 30 lead changes. In recent years, the Cavs had the ability to land a few punches, but they struggled to really get back off the mat after being knocked down against the league's best. That was the difference Wednesday night.
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"That says a lot about our growth and their maturity and kind of where they are and their evolution as a team," said Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson . "We all said before the game, 'Oh, we know it's one of 82,' but we know we're being judged at this level now."
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) celebrates with center Jarrett Allen (31) after the Cavaliers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 8, 2025, in Cleveland.
Cavaliers beat Thunder, show they can win with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen as two bigs
The most important takeaways from marquee matchups like this one in the regular season are the lessons playoff-bound teams can learn. The Cavs came away with two key insights.
The first is that Allen and Mobley can absolutely work while on the floor together in Atkinson's offense. That duo, against the league's best defensive lineup, combined for 46 points, 22 rebounds, 13 assists, four steals and two blocks.
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In a league that was sprinted away from a two-big lineup, Allen and Mobley have found their places within Atkinson's system.
In fact, when Atkinson was interviewing for the Cavs job, he looked at that duo together as a great opportunity, not something to work around. The talent is one thing, but the versatility it gives the Cavs could be extremely valuable as they try to navigate several seven-game series in the row.
"That was a big, big question — why these two can't play together. I came from a different angle, I thought, 'Why can't they play together?'" Atkinson said. "It gives you different ways to play. We play 'em together and then we can split 'em up. We really have three ways to win — two bigs, one big and we can play Dean Wade at the five. So now when the playoffs come, depending on who we play, we've got three different kinds of structures we can play out of."
Then there's the continued belief from the Cavs that Mobley is a star-level talent in the making, and the evidence for that keeps mounting. In the biggest possession of the biggest game to date, the Cavs went to Mobley. The matchup they wanted didn't materialize, but it just led to Mobley actually making a more difficult play in a one-on-one matchup with Isaiah Hartenstein .
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The Cavs now see Mobley as their third closer.
"He's just as much of a closer as myself and Darius," Mitchell said. "We should be looking at him in that light. … It's either going to be me, Evan or DG late in a game making a play. … We trust him in these moments."
Cavaliers lean on Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen on off night for Donovan Mitchell against Thunder
The second lesson from Wednesday's win over the Thunder (30-6) is the Cavs can beat the league's best even when Mitchell has an off night. He didn't score until nearly halftime but continued to facilitate as Garland, Mobley, Allen, Strus, Wade and Ty Jerome all picked up the scoring slack.
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"I think the guys feel good that they rose to the occasion, and I'm sure there was doubt, before the game, can we do it?" Atkinson said. "So it was an important win for us."
The Cavaliers continue to acknowledge that the time to be tested won't really arrive until the playoffs. That's when everything counts. But they're also aware of the narrative that they remain a few steps behind the Boston Celtics and perhaps a few other teams for superiority in the league. They're determined to change that.
"It's very clear that we belong here," Mitchell said. "I don't think we're waiting for the national media to be like, 'Oh, they belong.' For us, we knew, but you've got to go out there and prove it. … We were 31-4 and people still didn't believe. Win tonight, and people still don't believe. … Man, if you don't see it by now, then I don't know what else to say."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Playoff preview? Cavaliers beat Thunder, make case for NBA's top team
