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'We've got to be more physical': Cavs counting on Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen in playoffs
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- 'We've got to be more physical': Cavs counting on Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen in playoffs
CLEVELAND — Not physical, strong or tough enough. Bullied, outmuscled and overpowered.
Cavaliers starting big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are well aware of the criticism they received for their performances a year ago in a 4-1 first-round playoff series loss to the New York Knicks .
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They are expected to play pivotal roles again when the fourth-seeded Cavs (48-34 in the regular season) clash with the fifth-seeded Orlando Magic (47-35) in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs beginning with Game 1 at 1 p.m. Saturday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Forward Mobley and center Allen are among the Cavs players who have explained they believe they're more ready for the postseason this time around.
Feb 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) rebounds beside forward Evan Mobley (4) in the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
"You can't teach experience," Mobley said Friday after practice. "Our first time in the playoffs last year, I feel like it really opened a lot of guys' eyes. It's definitely a different type of game.
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"All of the intensity, everything is just up. So you've got to be prepared for that and up your intensity as well, and take it even higher than you ever have before and be ready for all the contact and no calls."
Mar 2, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) moves between Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) and center Jarrett Allen (31) in the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Mobley hadn't tasted a best-of-seven playoff series until last season, his second in the NBA. Allen appeared in his third postseason series, the first two with the Brooklyn Nets before they traded him to the Cavs in 2021.
Still, after the Cavs were outrebounded 227-186, including 75-46 on the offensive end of the floor, and eliminated by the Knicks, Allen said, "Even for me, the lights were brighter than expected."
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The brutally honest quote has followed Allen, who has used his sense of humor to shrug it off multiple times this season.
This week, Allen said, "After the eclipse, we kept staring into the sun, so nothing can be as bright. So we'll be all right." Asked whether he regretted his highly publicized comment from April 2023, Allen added, "I've said a lot worse stuff in my life, so that doesn't mean much to me."
Feb 19, 2022; Cleveland, OH, USA; Team Cavs player Jarrett Allen (31) and player Evan Mobley (4) and player Darius Garland (10) in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge during the 2022 NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Rocket Mortgage Field House. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Allen will be able to laugh even more if he can bounce back and help the Cavs advance past the young, big, rugged Magic.
"I feel like we've got to be more ready. We've got to be more physical," he said.
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Mobley (15.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists) will primarily match up with All-Star forward Paolo Banchero (22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists). Allen (16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists) will square off against center Wendell Carter Jr. (11 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists).
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero drives against Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley in the first quarter, Feb. 22, 2024, in Cleveland.
The Cavs and Magic split their regular-season series with two wins apiece. In those four games, Banchero averaged a team-high 23 points for Orlando.
"He's a great player, shoots a lot of mid-range and also likes going right, getting downhill," Mobley said. "[I need to] try to use my length and size, have him keep shooting the mid-range but contest them pretty heavily and live with those shots and keep him out of the paint as best as we can."
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The third overall draft pick in 2021, Mobley had an injury-plagued regular season. Knee and ankle injuries limited him to 50 of 82 games. The good news for the Cavs is Mobley said on the eve of Game 1 he's "feeling as good as I ever have."
Jan 10, 2022; Sacramento, California, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) smiles with forward-center Evan Mobley (4) after scoring a basket against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Allen missed the first five games of the season with a left ankle bone bruise, yet he played the other 77 and finished with a career-high 42 double-doubles.
"Someone I always think about that brought the physicality this season, that kind of carried a big load and I'm extremely proud of is JA," Cavs backup center Tristan Thompson said. "... I still feel like he should have been an All Star, but I told him, 'If you're not going to be a regular-season All Star, it's better to be a playoff All Star. That's when your name is made.'"
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Mobley has received votes of confidence from teammates, too.
"Evan has shown that he's a high-level basketball player and he can go out there and impose his will, like I know he's going to do," Cavs backup forward Georges Niang said. "I'm not looking for anybody to show me anything. I think I've seen enough throughout this year and know that guys are prepared."
Actions speak louder than words, though. Mobley and Allen realize they must act to shed labels placed on them amid last year's disappointing finish.
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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs counting on Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen to rebound in NBA playoffs
