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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>Fear The Sword -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>The Warriors blew a 3-1 lead - never forget that.</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50189/fts-fav.png</icon>
  6.  <updated>2024-05-17T08:10:36-05:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.fearthesword.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.fearthesword.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2024-05-17T08:10:36-05:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2024-05-17T08:10:36-05:00</updated>
  12.    <title>Optimism for a Donovan Mitchell extension is growing</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="Cleveland Cavaliers v Boston Celtics - Game One" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/COP1ModY6EglQTMowrAMY4w29js=/0x0:4587x3058/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73353475/2152050086.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p&gt;Recent reports give promising indications for Mitchell’s future in Cleveland. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="DiyYMm"&gt;A potential contract extension for Donovan Mitchell has loomed over the &lt;a href="https://www.fearthesword.com"&gt;Cleveland Cavaliers&lt;/a&gt; all year. Mitchell will not be eligible for free agency until next summer — but securing him to a multi-year deal would bring peace of mind to everyone. According to recent reports, there might not be much for Cavs fans to worry about. &lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="WQRSCB"&gt;“The Mitchell situation will be resolved this summer,” said a report from &lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5497268/2024/05/15/cavaliers-donovan-mitchell-darius-garland-jb-bickerstaff-future/"&gt;The Athletic&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="nDGOhR"&gt;“There is growing sentiment around the league that the Cavaliers will be able to position themselves to receive his commitment for a lucrative contract extension that would keep him in Cleveland past his 30th birthday.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  23. &lt;p id="bTfqav"&gt;The Cavs would not hesitate to put a max deal in front of Mitchell after two All-NBA caliber seasons from the 27-year-old guard. The franchise traded a ton of chips to acquire Mitchell and should spare no expense to keep him. One factor in all of this will be appropriately retooling the roster to build a serious contender around Mitchell. &lt;/p&gt;
  24. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="NPv9DT"&gt;“Teammates have described Mitchell this season as singularly focused on winning and wanting Cleveland to aim much higher than a first-round series victory for its measure of success.” &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  25. &lt;p id="HcTUWy"&gt;Satisfying Mitchell’s desire to compete for a title will be the key for Cleveland. Whether this means banking on the continuity/development of the core four — or cleaning house and restructuring the team around Mitchell — the Cavs have the resources to give him what he wants. &lt;/p&gt;
  26. &lt;p id="1DoQEc"&gt;Winning appears to be the most important thing to Mitchell. This dampens the big-market bias that has fueled much of the discourse surrounding Mitchell’s future. As far as Mitchell is concerned, there is nothing to complain about playing in a smaller city. &lt;/p&gt;
  27. &lt;p id="lXSF6O"&gt;“I am happy in Cleveland. I’ve been happy since I’ve arrived in Cleveland,” Mitchell told ESPN’s &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNCleveland/status/1791266510884708523"&gt;Adrian Wojnarowski&lt;/a&gt;. Mitchell was “emphatic” in saying he does not feel disgruntled in any way with his situation in the Land. &lt;/p&gt;
  28. &lt;p id="3Sw55T"&gt;Mitchell has also outwardly expressed support for his teammates throughout the playoffs and publicly debunked the notion that he is frustrated with their performances. This type of rallying is not the type of thing you’d expect of a player who has one foot out of the door. &lt;/p&gt;
  29. &lt;div id="XdsRHO"&gt;
  30. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  31. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Yeah aight   I’m sick of yall sometimes! &lt;a href="https://t.co/B7zdP8APDk"&gt;https://t.co/B7zdP8APDk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/spidadmitchell/status/1791168487978586457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 16, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  32. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  33. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  34.  
  35. &lt;/div&gt;
  36. &lt;p id="xafs7q"&gt;While Mitchell has yet to officially sign an extension — there seems to be enough reason to believe this summer could be less stressful than we imagined.  &lt;/p&gt;
  37.  
  38. </content>
  39.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/17/24158443/cleveland-cavaliers-rumors-optimism-for-a-donovan-mitchell-extension-is-growing"/>
  40.    <id>https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/17/24158443/cleveland-cavaliers-rumors-optimism-for-a-donovan-mitchell-extension-is-growing</id>
  41.    <author>
  42.      <name>Tony Pesta</name>
  43.    </author>
  44.  </entry>
  45.  <entry>
  46.    <published>2024-05-16T11:47:16-05:00</published>
  47.    <updated>2024-05-16T11:47:16-05:00</updated>
  48.    <title>Bickerstaff’s job reportedly in “serious jeopardy” </title>
  49.    <content type="html">  
  50.  
  51.    &lt;figure&gt;
  52.      &lt;img alt="Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers - Game Three" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aVEYtcrrJZAi7ag1ErdvcZb3NP0=/0x0:4506x3004/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73351718/2152528694.0.jpg" /&gt;
  53.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  54.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  55.  
  56.  &lt;p&gt;Could Bickerstaff has coached his last game for the Cavs? &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="D2A4zm"&gt;With the &lt;a href="https://www.fearthesword.com"&gt;Cleveland Cavaliers&lt;/a&gt;’ season over, attention now turns to the offseason. And J.B. Bickerstaff’s status as head coach is one of the summer’s big questions. &lt;/p&gt;
  57. &lt;p id="hOcmGG"&gt;Per The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, Shams Charania and Jason Lloyd, Bickertstaff’s job is in “serious jeopardy.  The report also notes that the Cavs will take “some time” to make a decision about Bickerstaff, who has been in charge for the Cavs for the last five-plus years.  &lt;/p&gt;
  58. &lt;p id="Cecclh"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5497268/2024/05/15/cavaliers-donovan-mitchell-darius-garland-jb-bickerstaff-future/"&gt;From The Athletic ($):&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  59. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="rT7HrD"&gt;League sources briefed on the Cavaliers’ mindset told &lt;em&gt;The Athletic&lt;/em&gt; that Bickerstaff’s job is in serious jeopardy after five and a half years as head coach, following the team’s season-ending loss in Game 5 of the second round to the &lt;a href="https://www.celticsblog.com"&gt;Boston Celtics&lt;/a&gt;. Two league sources said the team is likely to take some time — multiple days — to make a decision. Bickerstaff, despite all the pressure he and members of the organization above and below him were under this season, has built equity with the front office and was at the helm for Cleveland’s first appearance in a conference semifinal since 2018. This spring marked the Cavs’ first playoff series win without LeBron James on the roster since 1993.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  60. &lt;p id="RnyiSO"&gt;Bickerstaff has done an admirable job with the Cavs. He took over for John Beilein at a low point for the organization and has been with the team on their ascent from one of the worst teams in the league to a team that, with some plays, made it to the second round this year. It’s worth noting that, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, &lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40155849/cavaliers-coach-jb-bickerstaff-wants-return-organization-set-evaluate-future"&gt;the organization is “fond” of Bickerstaff. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  61. &lt;p id="pr3I5l"&gt;But is he the exact right coach for this team at this point in time? Is he the guy who can get the team to evolve and hit that next level? Or is there someone better out there? That’s the question the Cavs will be answering in the coming days. &lt;/p&gt;
  62.  
  63. </content>
  64.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/16/24158309/jb-bickerstaff-cleveland-cavaliers-job-rumors"/>
  65.    <id>https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/16/24158309/jb-bickerstaff-cleveland-cavaliers-job-rumors</id>
  66.    <author>
  67.      <name>Chris Manning</name>
  68.    </author>
  69.  </entry>
  70.  <entry>
  71.    <published>2024-05-16T08:05:18-05:00</published>
  72.    <updated>2024-05-16T08:05:18-05:00</updated>
  73.    <title>Watching the market: Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics - Game 5</title>
  74.    <content type="html">  
  75.  
  76.    &lt;figure&gt;
  77.      &lt;img alt="NBA: Playoffs-Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eJqJ-XTkIVwTLk-UUxpKAYGxIh8=/0x0:4332x2888/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73351129/usa_today_23283404.0.jpg" /&gt;
  78.        &lt;figcaption&gt;David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  79.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  80.  
  81.  &lt;p&gt;The Cavs’ season ends with a 15-point loss in Boston&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="0QhXRg"&gt;The Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, a 113-98 loss to the Boston Celtics in TD Garden. The Cavs fought valiantly in the last two games, both without superstar Donovan Mitchell, but they ultimately came up short in final quarter. While disappointing, there are still positives to take away from the game. Here is the final market watch of the season. &lt;/p&gt;
  82. &lt;h3 id="myvkXt"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stock Up: Evan Mobley’s future&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  83. &lt;p id="Oqcq8Y"&gt;While the futures of some of the Cavs’ other players is in flux, the same likely cannot be said about Evan Mobley. The 22-year-old finished Game 5 with 33 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks on 15-24 shooting. He put together some of his most complete games of his career this postseason, and the growth has been evident. &lt;/p&gt;
  84. &lt;p id="lJhN9a"&gt;Since Game 6 against the Orlando Magic, a game in which he had three points en route to a disappointing Cavs loss, Mobley has looked much more dominant. In the six games since, Mobley has three double-doubles and scored 17 or more points in all but one of those games. His comfort level on offense has gradually improved, all while playing out of his normal position of power forward. Mobley had to bang around in the post with Al Horford, no easy task for a young player. The defense from Mobley has always been stout, but he really seemed like a guy who was coming into his own on offense. &lt;/p&gt;
  85. &lt;p id="Gxo3DH"&gt;Mobley is due an extension, and there should be little doubt in what the Cavs need to do. Game 5 for Mobley was one the Cavs can look back on fondly this summer with hope for the future — no matter what it holds. &lt;/p&gt;
  86. &lt;h3 id="CZN90F"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stock Down: Darius Garland’s last game with the Cavs?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  87. &lt;p id="qg0OgH"&gt;The only player more criticized than Mobley this season has been Darius Garland. It was a difficult year for Garland, who suffered multiple injuries and personal loss that deeply impacted his play on the court. Too often, all season, Garland would disappear for multiple games and look passive with the ball. He was careless with the basketball, turning it over 14.8% of the time (19th percentile) &lt;a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4576#tab-offensive_overview"&gt;per Cleaning the Glass&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
  88. &lt;p id="d50wol"&gt;Fans saw that seesaw in Games 4 and 5 against the Celtics. Garland had 30 points in Game 4 and paced the offense, but collapsed in Game 5. He finished with 11 points on 4-17 shooting, nine assists, and two turnovers. He also failed to hit a three-pointer in a game for the first time this postseason. Boston has excellent defenders, and Garland was targeted even more with Mitchell out, but the expectations for a player who just received a max contract extension are higher. &lt;/p&gt;
  89. &lt;p id="V5wrmy"&gt;The Cavs are headed for change this offseason, and the backcourt will be at the center of things. Garland’s name has already popped up in trade talks if the Mitchell re-signs with Cleveland, and trying to move him at his absolute lowest value would likely not net a good return. It was a disappointing finish to a disappointing season for Garland, but one that he can hopefully build on as well. &lt;/p&gt;
  90. &lt;h3 id="dlP85K"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stock Down: J.B. Bickerstaff’s future&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  91. &lt;p id="OfpMFq"&gt;Whether or not you approved of J.B. Bickerstaff’s job as head coach this past season, it's hard to deny that the progression he's made with the team has been upward and linear. The Cavs went from the lottery, the play-in, the first-round, and now the second-round. Bickerstaff led the Cavs to their first playoff series win without LeBron James since 1993. He stabilized the role when John Beilein was unceremoniously let go. But the Cavs are at a crossroads with the head coach. &lt;/p&gt;
  92. &lt;p id="yExrNs"&gt;Never mind the &lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5497268/2024/05/15/cavaliers-donovan-mitchell-darius-garland-jb-bickerstaff-future/"&gt;article from The Athletic&lt;/a&gt; that highlighted players’ discontent with Bickerstaff, which has been downplayed all season, the Cavs may need a new coach to push the team forward. Too often the Cavs seemed out of position, without adjustments in critical moments, and not focused. At times, the Cavs seemed in dire need of a Tyronn Lue type of coach who commanded respect, made halftime adjustments, and pushed players hard to be better and sharper. For a team that wanted to be great, there was seemingly never enough of a desire to do the thing necessary to make that happen. &lt;/p&gt;
  93. &lt;h3 id="gDkTpv"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stock Down: Koby Altman’s offseason moves&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  94. &lt;p id="jQHvp5"&gt;Last summer, Koby Altman made essentially three moves to try and close up the gaps that the Cavs exhibited in the playoffs against the Knicks: acquired Max Strus, signed Georges Niang, and signed Ty Jerome. Those moves did not work. &lt;/p&gt;
  95. &lt;p id="t6AzI4"&gt;Strus was even more hot and cold than normal, and never really found his footing shooting-wise all season. In the playoffs, he was really only cold aside from a spot here and there. Niang was completely unplayable, especially since his shot never came around. Jerome never even made it on the court with a mysterious ankle injury. &lt;/p&gt;
  96. &lt;p id="djsOgW"&gt;Now, Altman is faced with fixing the mess and logjam of misfit toys. He has some levers to pull, but the bench largely failed the Cavs once again this season after being tragically bad last year as well.&lt;/p&gt;
  97.  
  98. </content>
  99.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/16/24158048/watching-the-market-cleveland-cavaliers-at-boston-celtics-game-5"/>
  100.    <id>https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/16/24158048/watching-the-market-cleveland-cavaliers-at-boston-celtics-game-5</id>
  101.    <author>
  102.      <name>Mike Anguilano</name>
  103.    </author>
  104.  </entry>
  105.  <entry>
  106.    <published>2024-05-15T23:20:30-05:00</published>
  107.    <updated>2024-05-15T23:20:30-05:00</updated>
  108.    <title>Darius Garland’s future with Cavs in doubt if Donovan Mitchell re-signs</title>
  109.    <content type="html">  
  110.  
  111.    &lt;figure&gt;
  112.      &lt;img alt="Cleveland Cavaliers v Golden State Warriors" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mfFF6sHRRj_489LJs_eX0BDJKJM=/0x0:4707x3138/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73350622/1777140147.0.jpg" /&gt;
  113.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  114.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  115.  
  116.  &lt;p&gt;We could’ve seen the last game of the Garland and Mitchell pairing.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="HeqMnD"&gt;Donovan Mitchell will determine how the offseason plays out for the &lt;a href="https://www.fearthesword.com"&gt;Cleveland Cavaliers&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5497268/2024/05/15/cavaliers-donovan-mitchell-darius-garland-jb-bickerstaff-future/"&gt;According to The Athletic&lt;/a&gt;, this could affect Darius Garland’s future in Cleveland.&lt;/p&gt;
  117. &lt;p id="l3nZzl"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5497268/2024/05/15/cavaliers-donovan-mitchell-darius-garland-jb-bickerstaff-future/"&gt;From The Athletic’s report&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
  118. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="0lTpp3"&gt;Furthermore, rival executives believe the Cavs will have to seriously evaluate the fit of Mitchell and Garland and ultimately may have to choose one or the other. Should Mitchell decide to stay long term, sources briefed on the matter say Garland’s representation, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, would have a conversation with Cavs officials on potentially finding a new home for the one-time All-Star.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  119. &lt;p id="dQDRcl"&gt;The Mitchell and Garland pairing has always worked better on paper than it has in reality. Garland had a nightmare campaign. He averaged 18 points and 6.5 assists this season after averaging over 21.6 points and 7.8 assists last season and 21.7 points and 8.6 assists the year before that.&lt;/p&gt;
  120. &lt;p id="2I2cIe"&gt;The duo performed well out of the gates last season but never found their footing after the disastrous playoff series against the &lt;a href="https://www.postingandtoasting.com"&gt;New York Knicks&lt;/a&gt;. This past season started out bumpy for the team as a whole until Garland broke his jaw. Mitchell played arguably the best basketball of his career from December through the All-Star break. The majority of which was when Garland was off the floor. &lt;/p&gt;
  121. &lt;p id="1rcvQd"&gt;Garland was never able to fit into a reduced role alongside Mitchell when he returned and didn’t easily transition back into a featured role when Mitchell was injured. This all adds up to each player potentially being better off without the other.&lt;/p&gt;
  122. &lt;p id="oY5E8I"&gt;It’s fair to point out that the report doesn’t say that Garland will ask out if Mitchell re-signs. A conversation about potentially asking out isn’t a demand, but it does indicate the relationship isn’t on good ground. Additionally, there’s no guarantee that Mitchell extends in Cleveland this summer so this could all be a moot point.&lt;/p&gt;
  123. &lt;p id="u19Urj"&gt;Mitchell had repeatedly said throughout the season that he wanted the partnership between him and Garland to work.&lt;/p&gt;
  124. &lt;p id="2mSZyW"&gt;“He’s an all-star guard,” Mitchell said about Garland after his injury in December. “We came and made this thing for us to be together. So it’s definitely not me versus him. That’s my brother, that’s my dog.”&lt;/p&gt;
  125. &lt;p id="JxMIE3"&gt;But wanting something to work and actually having that play out on the court are two separate things. Through two years, it’s safe to say that neither accents the other the way that Koby Altman likely envisioned when he pushed all of his chips in for Mitchell.&lt;/p&gt;
  126. &lt;p id="KOKdfW"&gt;This team will likely look very different next fall. It’s possible that Game 3 against the &lt;a href="https://www.celticsblog.com"&gt;Boston Celtics&lt;/a&gt; was the last time both suited up in a Cavaliers’ uniform.&lt;/p&gt;
  127.  
  128. </content>
  129.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/15/24157956/report-darius-garlands-future-with-cleveland-cavaliers-in-doubt-if-donovan-mitchell-re-signs"/>
  130.    <id>https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/15/24157956/report-darius-garlands-future-with-cleveland-cavaliers-in-doubt-if-donovan-mitchell-re-signs</id>
  131.    <author>
  132.      <name>Jackson Flickinger</name>
  133.    </author>
  134.  </entry>
  135.  <entry>
  136.    <published>2024-05-15T20:31:26-05:00</published>
  137.    <updated>2024-05-15T20:31:26-05:00</updated>
  138.    <title>Cavaliers season ends with 113-98 loss in Game 5</title>
  139.    <content type="html">  
  140.  
  141.    &lt;figure&gt;
  142.      &lt;img alt="2024 NBA Playoffs - Cleveland Cavaliers v Boston Celtics" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zACf4C3dzUBl9M5VCsqUl1O1a-s=/0x0:5568x3712/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73350392/2152574179.0.jpg" /&gt;
  143.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  144.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  145.  
  146.  &lt;p&gt;The Cavs’ season ends in the second round. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="gzMGRU"&gt;Game 5 final: &lt;a href="https://www.celticsblog.com"&gt;Boston Celtics&lt;/a&gt; 113, &lt;a href="https://www.fearthesword.com"&gt;Cleveland Cavaliers&lt;/a&gt; 98. This loss marks the end of the Cavaliers’ 2023-24 season. &lt;/p&gt;
  147. &lt;h3 id="egjluJ"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nightly Notables&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  148. &lt;p id="98NlPc"&gt;Evan Mobley was Cleveland’s best player in Game 5, operating with confidence from the center spot and doing everything he could to keep the Cavs in it. Mobley scored 33 points on 15-24 shooting to go with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. Marcus Morris Sr. added 25 points off the bench, 15 of which from three, in his highest-scoring game as a Cavalier. &lt;/p&gt;
  149. &lt;p id="RtqkJL"&gt;The Celtics had six players finish in double figures, led by Jayson Tatum with 25 points. &lt;/p&gt;
  150. &lt;h3 id="xyIBzi"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Well, that happened&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  151. &lt;p id="6KPjwz"&gt;Darius Garland struggled in Game 5. Which makes sense — with Donovan Mitchell and no Caris LeVert due to injury, Boston was able to throw more Garland’s way and deny him space. Garland just couldn’t convert enough of the looks he had even, whether it was on a switch against Al Horford or on the perimeter against a guard. &lt;/p&gt;
  152. &lt;p id="M062fE"&gt;Garland finished 4-17 from the field, including 0-4 from three, and had just 2 assists. That was not going to be enough for the Cavs to extend the series. &lt;/p&gt;
  153. &lt;h3 id="G9EHOA"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Big Picture&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  154. &lt;p id="iegaIe"&gt;The Cavs are now headed into a pivotal offseason. What happens with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, with Mitchell, with Garland, with Jarrett Allen — there’s so much to be worked through this summer. &lt;/p&gt;
  155. &lt;p id="6E7H0w"&gt;This is an organization that has choices to make. (And, with Mitchell at least, choices made for them if he wants out or doesn’t sign an extension.) They have a path to pick this summer. Is the foundation here something that can still be built on? What changes need to be make to strengthen that foundation? And how drastic do those changes need to be? We’re going to find out what Cleveland thinks the answers to hose questions are. &lt;/p&gt;
  156. &lt;p id="byxQQC"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Up next: &lt;/strong&gt;No Cavs game until the fall, unless you count Summer League in July. &lt;/p&gt;
  157. &lt;p id="l8evOR"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  158.  
  159. </content>
  160.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/15/24157866/final-score-cleveland-cavaliers-season-ends-with-113-98-loss-in-game-5"/>
  161.    <id>https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/15/24157866/final-score-cleveland-cavaliers-season-ends-with-113-98-loss-in-game-5</id>
  162.    <author>
  163.      <name>Chris Manning</name>
  164.    </author>
  165.  </entry>
  166.  <entry>
  167.    <published>2024-05-15T12:04:06-05:00</published>
  168.    <updated>2024-05-15T12:04:06-05:00</updated>
  169.    <title>The Cavaliers left Game 4 with the wrong message </title>
  170.    <content type="html">  
  171.  
  172.    &lt;figure&gt;
  173.      &lt;img alt="NBA: Playoffs-Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HVLQB-I95Q9aSLgbsiEgI77J_Ew=/0x0:4286x2857/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73349263/usa_today_23266873.0.jpg" /&gt;
  174.        &lt;figcaption&gt;David Richard-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  175.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  176.  
  177.  &lt;p&gt;The Cavaliers left Game 4 with the wrong impression of where things went wrong. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="UXxToQ"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.fearthesword.com"&gt;Cleveland Cavaliers&lt;/a&gt; needed to be perfect without Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen to beat the &lt;a href="https://www.celticsblog.com"&gt;Boston Celtics&lt;/a&gt;. They weren’t. The Cavaliers were less introspective and more focused on the outside factors at play during the post-game press conferences.&lt;/p&gt;
  178. &lt;p id="Fzl4to"&gt;“You know, I will be honest with you, I was disappointed with the way the whistle blew tonight,” &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_IWik5LI5g"&gt;J.B. Bickerstaff said&lt;/a&gt;. “I thought our guys deserved much better the way that they were competing, attacking the paint… We are not asking for anything more, but we are asking for equal and I do not think we got an equal opportunity from that standpoint.” &lt;/p&gt;
  179. &lt;p id="2UpHNI"&gt;The players echoed a similar sentiment.&lt;/p&gt;
  180. &lt;p id="UeCIEr"&gt;“Seven free throw attempts in 48 minutes is really tough,” &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYufGH3wfyE"&gt;Darius Garland responded&lt;/a&gt; when asked about the officiating in Game 4. “I know how many times I get hit. I know how many times my teammates get hit, put on the floor, and we can’t reciprocate it. It’s tough.” &lt;/p&gt;
  181. &lt;p id="9zAjsO"&gt;“I wouldn’t say they were more aggressive going to the rim than we were,” &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4F-xOUSLC8"&gt;Caris LeVert said&lt;/a&gt;. “I just feel like we both were aggressive going to the rim, sometimes that happens like that.”&lt;/p&gt;
  182. &lt;p id="74jH7d"&gt;To blame the officials rather than their own faults is the wrong message. It’s fair to emphasize Boston shot 17 more free throws than Cleveland (24-to-7 disparity). However, the lack of calls is an invalid excuse for why they ended up losing the game. &lt;/p&gt;
  183. &lt;p id="ap5ERT"&gt;The Cavaliers gave Boston an admirable fight, even overcoming a 13-point deficit they faced early in the second quarter. They came out with their best punch, playing to Boston’s style of offense and matching them punch for punch until roughly the two-minute mark in the fourth quarter. &lt;/p&gt;
  184. &lt;p id="qyyFwy"&gt;The Cavaliers headed into the last minute thirty of the game on a 14-4 run and needed to execute down the stretch and that’s where the game slipped away from them. The Cavaliers would have a litany of options for what caused their falter when it became crunch time. &lt;/p&gt;
  185. &lt;p id="fC8Uvr"&gt;One point that could have been addressed was Max Strus taking a deeply contested three with ten seconds left on the shot clock or the fact that once Jaylen Brown corralled the rebound Strus committed his sixth foul causing him to foul out. Now, Strus not only botched a late-game possession but also forced the Cavaliers in need of keeping offensive threats on the floor, to thrust Sam Merrill, whom the Celtics have targeted defensively, into the game. &lt;/p&gt;
  186. &lt;p id="Cl4yvr"&gt;The Cavaliers’ defense also had limited options and couldn’t close out the Celtics’ offense. The offensive firepower the Celtics have is hard on a Cleveland defense that cannot handle Boston’s wings when healthy. Nevertheless, without both of the primary wings in Strus fouling out and Isaac Okoro essentially unplayable after one of his worst playoff games this season. These reasons led to Jayson Tatum getting his matchup of choice (Garland) and blowing by him only to have LeVert crash for help leaving Jaylen Brown open for what the game-sealing three. &lt;/p&gt;
  187. &lt;p id="4JE7qa"&gt;Overall, the Cavaliers showed a lot of fight and played as close to a perfect game as they could muster considering who was available. The team fought, clawed, and scraped their way only to then stand on their soapbox and complain that the way the whistle blew was a detriment to the team. &lt;/p&gt;
  188. &lt;p id="qsGOOE"&gt;Moral victories or not, losing a playoff game will always sting. The Cavaliers, when it came down to the brass tacks, simply did not execute in crunch time. Execution was the deciding factor, for as wavering as the Celtics were in the closing stretch, they buckled down when the Cavaliers faltered. &lt;/p&gt;
  189. &lt;p id="6hNBsF"&gt;No referee calls decided why the Cavaliers did not win on Monday night. When the team looks back at those last few possessions they will be able to see the sobering tale of the tape that they beat themselves.  &lt;/p&gt;
  190. &lt;p id="otd2ty"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  191.  
  192. </content>
  193.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/15/24157348/the-cleveland-cavaliers-left-game-4-with-the-wrong-message"/>
  194.    <id>https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/15/24157348/the-cleveland-cavaliers-left-game-4-with-the-wrong-message</id>
  195.    <author>
  196.      <name>Corey Walsh</name>
  197.    </author>
  198.  </entry>
  199.  <entry>
  200.    <published>2024-05-15T11:19:56-05:00</published>
  201.    <updated>2024-05-15T11:19:56-05:00</updated>
  202.    <title>Caris LeVert is questionable for Game </title>
  203.    <content type="html">  
  204.  
  205.    &lt;figure&gt;
  206.      &lt;img alt="2024 NBA Playoffs - Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fjGkr--ehG9ekHUN0FL5ULVP9fE=/0x0:4628x3085/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73349121/2151984792.0.jpg" /&gt;
  207.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  208.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  209.  
  210.  &lt;p&gt;LeVert joins Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen on the ever-growing injury report.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="DVhjaD"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.fearthesword.com"&gt;Cleveland Cavaliers&lt;/a&gt; could be down to one available ball-handling guard in Game 5 vs. the &lt;a href="https://www.celticsblog.com"&gt;Boston Celtics&lt;/a&gt;. Caris LeVert is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game due to a left knee bone bruise. &lt;/p&gt;
  211. &lt;p id="bXg2dD"&gt;LeVert, Donovan Mitchell (&lt;a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1790767627826061525"&gt;ruled out&lt;/a&gt; for Game 5), and Jarrett Allen were not present for shootaround on Wednesday morning when media members were initially let in. LeVert and Mitchell came out later sometime later. Allen (rib contusion) is still officially questionable which has been his designation since Game 5 of the first round.&lt;/p&gt;
  212. &lt;div id="dwcAkf"&gt;
  213. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  214. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert later came out to the court while their teammates were shooting. Mitchell is questionable with a calf strain, and LeVert with a bone bruise in his knee. &lt;a href="https://t.co/RLILm8t1zz"&gt;https://t.co/RLILm8t1zz&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TimBontemps/status/1790759773056512426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 15, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  215. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  216. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  217.  
  218. &lt;/div&gt;
  219. &lt;p id="4eHme7"&gt;LeVert averaged 14 points and 5.1 assists on 42.1% shooting from the floor in the regular season. His production has decreased in the playoffs as he’s averaging 10.1 points and 2.3 assists on .431/.182/.654 shooting splits in 11 games. He contributed 19 points on 9-18 shooting with three assists and two steals in the loss on Monday.&lt;/p&gt;
  220. &lt;p id="mhaZk0"&gt;The Cavs have numerous guys trying to play through injuries now that aren’t on the injury report. Dean Wade is on a minutes restriction and is dealing with “&lt;a href="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2024/05/dean-wade-opens-up-about-concerning-knee-injury-that-kept-him-out-two-months-and-may-require-surgery.html"&gt;a couple tears here and there&lt;/a&gt;” in his knee. Evan Mobley missed most of the third quarter in Game 3 with an ankle injury. This has left the Cavs a shell of their former self against a team they aren’t as talented as even when fully healthy.&lt;/p&gt;
  221. &lt;p id="2GQL1V"&gt;“It sucks that we’re not 100% right now,” LeVert said after Game 4. “Obviously your mind goes to that, but I think it’s important to stay present right now and kind of be where are feet are.”&lt;/p&gt;
  222. &lt;p id="VXdZeB"&gt;Cleveland doesn’t have many ballhandling guards if LeVert isn’t able to play on Wednesday. This would likely put Dean Wade or Marcus Morris into the starting lineup with Sam Merrill as the only guard coming off the bench. Craig Porter Jr. has been upgraded from out to doubtful with a left ankle sprain. There’s an outside chance he’s able to go on Wednesday &lt;/p&gt;
  223. &lt;p id="VqYGrx"&gt;Darius Garland was forced to step up in Game 4 and he did. His burden will be increased exponentially if he’s the only true on-ball creator in the starting lineup on Wednesday. Cleveland will likely need an A+ game from him just to stay competitive.&lt;/p&gt;
  224.  
  225. </content>
  226.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/15/24157359/cleveland-cavaliers-caris-levert-is-questionable-for-game-5-vs-boston-celtics"/>
  227.    <id>https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/15/24157359/cleveland-cavaliers-caris-levert-is-questionable-for-game-5-vs-boston-celtics</id>
  228.    <author>
  229.      <name>Jackson Flickinger</name>
  230.    </author>
  231.  </entry>
  232.  <entry>
  233.    <published>2024-05-13T21:53:47-05:00</published>
  234.    <updated>2024-05-13T21:53:47-05:00</updated>
  235.    <title>Watching the Market: Cavaliers vs. Celtics Game 4</title>
  236.    <content type="html">  
  237.  
  238.    &lt;figure&gt;
  239.      &lt;img alt="Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers - Game Four" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/poZrInrPMPXcN7Y7hDN4yd9Xhug=/0x0:7998x5332/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73345604/2152818628.0.jpg" /&gt;
  240.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  241.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  242.  
  243.  &lt;p&gt;The Cavaliers, while resilient and showing fight, cost themselves a winnable game losing to Boston 102-109. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 id="cNgD1K"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stock up: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  244. &lt;h3 id="twOIMt"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Darius Garland and Evan Mobley understood the assignment&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  245. &lt;p id="CyAfpb"&gt;Without Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen, the Cavaliers were arguably down their two best players in a pivotal series. These are career-defining moments and it felt like both Garland and Mobley operated as if the team were to go as far as they would take them. &lt;/p&gt;
  246. &lt;p id="a7LYQM"&gt;Early on it seemed like the offense was going to run despite the pair. But around the second quarter, both seemed to understand the magnitude of the situation and got going. &lt;/p&gt;
  247. &lt;p id="z4XmiR"&gt;For Garland, it felt like the shots he needed to convert on late, he was able to meet the moment. Garland has had good looks for most of the series but it simply felt like they were not falling. Tonight, it felt during stretches that Garland couldn’t miss, he was also great at setting up looks for others when he got into his groove. Garland was one of two players on the Cavs tonight to play 40+ minutes and still netted a positive plus minus (+1). &lt;/p&gt;
  248. &lt;p id="SZejPJ"&gt;Mobley, similar to Garland, was tentative off the tip and was shying away from bigger matchups. Once Mobley got comfortable with his back to the basket the floor opened up for him. Finding a groove off the roll with Garland and Max Strus opened up his offensive game along with taking advantage of switches on smaller guards. &lt;/p&gt;
  249. &lt;p id="JUcjPQ"&gt;Defensively, it was going to be tougher to stand out, when the Cavaliers were having to throw out weaker defensive lineups to alleviate a Mitchell-less offense. Mobley, for instance, looked comfortable at the five. If/when the Cavs lose this series, this should be a beneficial experience in his basketball education. &lt;/p&gt;
  250. &lt;h2 id="ZFg4GD"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stock Down: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  251. &lt;h3 id="4uHIg1"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Max Strus did not understand the assignment &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  252. &lt;p id="xmLQAJ"&gt;While the box score would indicate offensively Strus had a good night, the eye test would show that Strus treated the game a little too lax. Strus was blindly aggressive, nearly shooting the Cavaliers out of attempted comebacks. &lt;/p&gt;
  253. &lt;p id="oNlQOU"&gt;To accompany Strus not hitting a shot for quarter-long stretches, he was fouling at some of the most inopportune times. The final foul he committed was after a deep contested three, where in a fit of anger fouled Jaylen Brown in the closing minutes. &lt;/p&gt;
  254. &lt;p id="IyCciC"&gt;While Strus wasn’t killing it outside of the first quarter offensively, it is more valuable to have Strus out on the floor in the closing minutes over Sam Merrill due to a stronger defensive presence. For as dialed in Strus was early on in the game, it felt like the longer the game went along, the shorter Strus’ composure got as well. &lt;/p&gt;
  255. &lt;h3 id="sehsWv"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Executing the little things&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  256. &lt;p id="FGLGJT"&gt;Without Donovan Mitchell, it feels like in order to pull wins out, teams have to button up and allow no room for error. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers it felt like the team beat themselves more than Boston did.&lt;/p&gt;
  257. &lt;p id="HFxLls"&gt;All night Boston was able to have Cleveland’s offense collapse on itself for minute long stretches just as the Cavs were gaining their composure. Boston generated 15 turnovers resulting in 26 points off of the blunders. When the team was going to be challenged to cover the points lost with Mitchell on the sidelines execution was paramount. &lt;/p&gt;
  258. &lt;p id="t57lRg"&gt;Overall, it felt like little moments that compiled into bigger issues as the game progressed for Cleveland. Whether it was Tatum able to secure his own offensive rebound twice in the closing minutes while Strus and Wade were already moving back in transition, or just draining the shot clock as the game was dwindling down. For the majority of the game, the Cavaliers played a good enough game to win. But as the game was winding down, it felt like the team got too loose and beat themselves.&lt;/p&gt;
  259.  
  260. </content>
  261.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/13/24156088/watching-the-market-cleveland-cavaliers-vs-boston-celtics-game-4"/>
  262.    <id>https://www.fearthesword.com/2024/5/13/24156088/watching-the-market-cleveland-cavaliers-vs-boston-celtics-game-4</id>
  263.    <author>
  264.      <name>Corey Walsh</name>
  265.    </author>
  266.  </entry>
  267. </feed>
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