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Cavs playoffs | Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen talks postseason lessons, reputation in Q&A
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- Cavs playoffs | Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen talks postseason lessons, reputation in Q&A
INDEPENDENCE — On the eve of the Cavaliers beginning the 2025 NBA playoffs , Cavs starting center Jarrett Allen sat down with the Beacon Journal's Nate Ulrich to discuss a potpourri of topics mixing serious with fun after a practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts.
Then Allen posted a double-double (12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 11 rebounds) to help the top-seeded Cavs defeat the No. 8 Miami Heat 121-100 in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series. Game 2 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, at Rocket Arena.
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Allen , who turned 27 on April 21, figures to be an important Cavs figure in these playoffs.
Here is what he shared in our postseason-themed interview:
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen on lessons from previous Cavs playoffs and the status of his postseason reputation
NU: How do you think you're better after your last two playoff experiences with the Cavs?
JA: Just learning from them. I feel like when you play in situations like that, especially high-intensity playoffs, you just get used to it. It's like people playing in the league season after season. The game slows down for them. They understand the situation more.
NU: Two years ago, you were open about not handling physicality well enough in a first-round series against the New York Knicks . Then you were great last year in a Round 1 series against the Orlando Magic , but your postseason was cut short due to a broken rib. Do you feel like you're still fighting a playoff reputation from two years ago?
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JA: I don't think so. I honestly don't know what the reputation about me is right now, and that's obviously not too much on my mind. I know I did probably get that reputation of not being a physical defender during the Knick series, and I think some of it was washed away with how the Orlando series went before I got hurt. But currently I'm not sure how the word on the street about me is.
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NU: Were you playing your best ball last year when you were injured and knocked out of the Orlando series after four games?
JA: I think I was on the path to helping the team win. I don't know if I could have took it to another level. Maybe. I never know for sure about me, but I think I was doing everything to contribute in the right way.
Cleveland Cavs big man Jarrett Allen discusses his uncharacteristic ejection against the Detroit Pistons
NU: You're a likable, friendly guy, and when a player is a really nice person, fans and media sometimes think he's not capable of developing a mean streak on the court. But then you set a pick Feb. 5 in Detroit on Pistons forward Ausar Thompson , which resulted in flagrant 2 foul and an ejection. What happened because it seemed to come out of nowhere?
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JA: I just felt like the whole game I was just getting grabbed, and just a frustration builds up. At the end of the day, I probably do seem like a jolly guy off the court and on the court. But I still feel like I garner respect. I want to garner respect out there and people to realize I'm not somebody to be messed with on the court, even though I give this nonchalant, friendly vibe.
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NU: Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said you thought you were slapped in the face before you retaliated with the hard screen on Thompson. Were you hit?
JA: I remember feeling a hand to my face. The guys around the team say differently, but I'm pretty sure he hit me.
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) looks to pass between Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) and center Kel'el Ware (7) during a first-round NBA playoff game April 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
NU: Speaking of Atkinson, you had a history with him before the Cavs hired him in June because he coached you when you began your NBA career with the Brooklyn Nets . Some of your teammates have said he connects particularly well with you. Do you feel like you respond well to his style?
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JA: I feel like I do. Because I feel like he has a good way of respecting the player and their emotions and how they're feeling, but at the same time, knowing when we need that extra boost, knowing when he needs to throw a water bottle or knowing when he wants to kick a soccer ball and keep things light. Ever since I came into the league, he's had an amazing balance in respecting the game and respecting us as players.
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) falls into the first row of seats during a first-round NBA playoff game against the Miami Heat on April 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
What is Cavs center Jarrett Allen's height? How did his Let Em Meow and ethical basketball jokes start?
NU: Let's do some rapid fire questions. What is your actual height? There are different numbers out there.
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JA: I am 6-10, just a hair under 6-10, so 6-9¾, something like that — maybe.
NU: Do you see the different numbers, too?
JA: Oh, all the time. All the time.
NU: Where did you come up with the "ethical basketball" jokes?
JA: I saw it online, and I just rolled with. I like saying things in interviews that kind of just bring light and fun into the realm.
NU: How much fun are you having with the "Let Em Meow" catchphrase inspired by you fathering two cats?
JA: Oh, I thought that was hilarious. Obviously, you love your animals, but just how random that was to find [a "Let em meow" T-shirt] in my locker. I just rolled with it. [A fan] made it for me. [My cats are named] Sasha and CeeLo
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NU: What are your expectations for these playoffs — individually and for the team?
JA: Individually, I just feel like I want to go out there and go further than I played in every other playoffs. I'm not the guy to set goals, but I just want to go out there and just feel like everything I've done this year, everything I've worked on, is going to be able to showcase to the highest in the playoffs. And for the team, I've got high expectations for us. I'm not going to put a number or a name on where we're going to go, but I feel like being the No. 1 seed, winning all of these games in a row and just how everybody's playing, I think we can go very far this year.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jarrett Allen on Cavs playoffs, his reputation, height, cats and more
