Cleveland Cavaliers’ Playoff Hopes HANG BY A THREAD | Will Injured Stars SAVE the Day?

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Playoff Hopes HANG BY A THREAD | Will Injured Stars SAVE the Day?

On today’s show, we’ve got injury updates. We’re going to talk about who might be able to play in tonight’s game three, how impactful that could be for the Cavs, and maybe some things we learned about this team in game one and two that could benefit them in game three. I brought in Spencer Davies. We’re going to talk about all that and so much more on today’s edition of Locked on Cavs. You are Locked on Cavs, your daily Cleveland Cavaliers podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. What’s up everybody? My name is Danny Cunningham. You might know me from my time covering the Cleveland Cavaliers, places like my Substack, The Inside Shot, Cleveland Magazine, 923 The Fan, and a number of other stops along the way. be joined today by Spencer Davies of Cleveland Cavaliers on SI in a large number of places as well. And we want to say thank you to you for making Lock on Cavs your first listen today and every day. You can find the show anywhere you get your podcast, Apple, Spotify, anywhere else. Drop us a fivestar rating. Leave us a nice review. Be a friend. Tell a friend about Lock on Cavs. Make sure you’re subscribed. Make sure a friend is subscribed as well. And if you’re getting your day started with us watching on YouTube, do me a favor. Hit that thumbs up button for me. Click subscribe and hit that notification bell so you don’t miss the latest lockdown cavs content. a proud part of the lockdown podcast network. Your team every day. We’ve got game three tonight against the Indiana Pacers. Cleveland Cavaliers of course trailing two games to nothing in this series. And the question that is on everybody’s mind and if you’re watching or listening to this podcast, I know what you’re saying right now. Get to the injury stuff already. Who’s going to play in game three? Spencer, I’m curious what you’ve heard, but I have heard that there is certainly optimism surrounding Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and DeAndre Hunter about their ability to potentially play in a game three tonight. Garland, of course, has not played in over two weeks at this point with that toe injury. Evan Mobley and DeAndre Hunter were both injured in game one, did not play in game two. But what what have you heard? And as we record this, it’s about 7:30 Thursday night, but what have you heard as of right now? Definitely the first thing I heard is that DeAndre’s thumb is getting better. So that was like the first thing that that I’ve kind of just kind of scoured a little bit um trying to figure that out. I haven’t really heard anything differently on on Darius Garland. Um Evan Mobley just by looking at him walking after game two. You could tell that he was moving a little bit better than he did obviously after the initial injury occurred in game one. But the the the big thing that I heard pretty much was that that Dre’s thumb is looking better. But the other stuff, I think that’s more of a game time deal. I’ve got a pretty decent feeling that that Dre will play. Yeah. And I I do think that obviously, listen, none of these guys played on Tuesday in game two. From what I gathered, DeAndre was the closest one to being able to play. um that didn’t happen, but I think that he was closer along to to being on the floor on Tuesday than Darius was, than Evan was. And at this point, Spencer, I would be more surprised if none of the three played than if all three played tonight. Um I I think it would be it’s more likely that all and I’m not saying that this is going to happen, but I think it’s more likely all three play that are questionable than none of the three play that are questionable. I think at least one goes that that I I feel like that is a good way to to put this and again I feel like it’s going to be Hunter. But you know how this works. It’s always up to date up to the minute. And that’s what’s so difficult. I mean I don’t know about you man but like I had like 170 texts this week just trying to figure out what the status of these guys are. And when you listen to Kenny Atinson and when you talk to people they’re just like look like this is an injury thing that they’re trying to figure out themselves. So they don’t even know sometimes with this stuff and it’s not easy because of the timing of how it’s happened and also just the severities have differed. Not every injury is oneizefits-all and not every solution is one sizefits-all. So it’s hard to really gauge sometimes for us and even for the coaching staff to figure out who’s going to be available and how long they’re going to be able to play for. So if you were if you were given the ability and I think this is a very interesting exercise but if you Spencer were given the ability to pick one of the three guys and say two of these guys are going to be out but you can pick which one is healthy. We obviously do not live in this reality like this is not how the world works. You don’t get to pick and choose who’s actually healthy, who’s actually available to play. But if you could pick one of those three guys, which one do you think the Cavs would pick in an ideal world to be healthy in game three tonight, knowing that the other two not available because of that? You know, it’s funny. I initially thought Evan Mobley just because matching the Pacer style, playing more five out, but after watching the first couple of games, I think that Darius Garland’s the most important player out of those three just because of the ball handling and the ability to draw attention and his just his energy and the fact that he can also run an offense. And I think that Ty Jerome’s going to bounce back. I just don’t know how much he can because Andrew Nemhard and Aaron Nesmith are so quick-footed. They’re strong guys and Tai is not the the fastest player. He plays at an unorthodox pace. He can do different things and he got to his floater decently enough. But if that’s not going and his jump shot’s not going, you need another guy that’s going to be able to to penetrate the paint and kick out or go to that floater or try and draw contact. take anything away from Donovan Mitchell being pressured all the time because Donovan had a 50% usage rate in game two and was cramping at the end of the game. Gave it all on the line and Darius is somebody that takes that off of him. And so I think DG is probably more important in this situation I feel like against an Indiana team that has done a really solid job of trying to limit their offense. So I firmly agree with that. Um, I thought you were going to say Evan just because of I I think that like in an in a vacuum he’s the most important of those players to the Cavs like long-term success. I think he’s the best of those three players. Um, obviously he’s the defensive player of the year and I I think if he were available it would be a good thing for the Cavs obviously, but I think the answer is Darius Garland because I think the Cavs really sorely miss his ball handling. There was a conversation to be had about the three-point shooting that we I’m sure we will get into later in this episode, but I think it’s Darius partially because I think this is a one big series. I don’t think that this is a series where the Cavs should be playing two bigs very often. In game one, Jared Allen and Evan Mobley played 18 minutes together on the floor. The Cavs outs scored by 20 points in those 18 minutes when those guys when it was just one of them on the floor. They were both positives alone. And we saw I think Jared Allen in game two have what I thought was certainly before he ran out of gas. A very very good game. I thought Jarrett was awesome in game two for the Cavs. And I do I think Evan would be better in that spot. I do. I think Evan would be better playing center against this team than Jarrett. But that’s not the world we live in. Like if if Evan is back, it’s going to mean some of the two big stuff that I just don’t think matches up well with what the Pacers do. And I think that the Cavs very much miss the shooting. And listen, Evan’s been a good shooter. He made a couple of threes in game one. Um, but I think that they miss the shooting Garland can provide. I think they miss the pop he can provide with the basketball. I think they miss I I and maybe this is the thing they miss most because of how this series has gone. I think that what Darius can do probably better than anyone on this team. This might be like his non-quantifiable superpower. I think he can dictate the pace of a basketball game better than anybody else the Cavs have. And I think Spencer, in the first two games, more so game one than game two, but in the first two games, I think that is the biggest area where the Cavs have struggled and I think that leads me to saying it if they could pick, they would bring back Darius Garland. It’s a tempo thing. I I think I agree with you on that one, too. And I am in complete agreement with you talking about one big series because you have the four shooters surrounding them. you’re able to spread the floor and then whatever you got to do from there. Swing it, end up working the pick and roll game like Donovan and Ja doing what they did all of last January in that game also like and then you don’t want Donovan driving to the paint. I don’t know how many drives he had in that game. I’m not going to even try to guess, but 21 free throw attempts. You can pretty much figure out how the game plan was. It was get downhill by any means necessary. Get to the free throw line. muck this game up as much as possible so that we can slow it down and slow the Pacers down as much as we can. The problem with that was they expended so much energy doing that that they lost their endurance and they lost their kind of energy and that’s why the Pacers were able to capitalize and come back from that 20point deficit the way that they did. So, I looked it up while you were talking. I want you to guess because you said you didn’t want to do this. I want you to guess how many drives according to second spectrum Donovan Mitchell had in game two to the basket. How many drives to the basket did Donovan Mitchell have in game two? This sounds crazy. Um let’s go around like 60. Oh no, no, that is way too high. Um 26 drives to the basket. He had 26 drives to the basket. Resulted in I was thinking in terms of the free throws. Well, and no free throws are counted in this. Resulted in 16 He went 10 of 16 shooting from the floor on those 26 drives. Went to the free throw line 12 times as a result of that. Scored 31 points. Only threw two passes on his 26 drives. Which might be the alarming number here is that when he was going, he was putting his head down. Um, and he was making it like he was putting his head down and he was just the ball’s either going to the basket, it’s missing, or I’m getting to the free throw line. But I do think that when that’s happening, and I think that was happening so much out of necessity because one, the Cavs have not shot the basketball very well in the first two games of this series. Their their numbers are horrific. And I think that if you want to be optimistic, and I talked about this on Thursday’s show, but if you want to be optimistic, that is one of the areas to be very optimistic about is that they have to regress to the mean at some point. like they’re not going to be a team that shoots 25.4% on open and wide openen threes. Like that’s just not what this roster is. But I think that his his drive number being so high and the pass percentage out of it being so low kind of is a result of well nobody’s making shots. I have to just put I have to carry this team. Yeah. And I think looking at the numbers of the passes per game for the Cavs in the playoffs, I think I saw was like their sixth out of the eight teams remaining. So that’s something that’s not indicative of what they’ve been used to. And that also goes back to Darius when we were talking about that. Now the 60 number, I don’t know why I thought, but I multiplied the amount of shots that Donovan took by two, and I don’t think that that was the correct formula to use. So, the math was not really math in there in my head. But, yeah, 20 25 26 makes a lot of more sense uh in this case, but I’m I’m right there with you. I think that they’re going to end up figuring out how to shoot. You saw the way that Sam Merrill set the tone in the first quarter, knocking down those first three. Um, you know, Max Streus made a lot of timely uh plays. I know that he was, you know, public enemy number one the last like, you know, couple minutes or whatever it had to be, but for the majority of that game, Max was terrific. Uh, I think that he will absolutely come out guns ablazing as well in in game three because he’s probably feeling a lot of that pressure on his shoulders for why the things gone had gone ary. And I think that when we spoke to Ty Jerome on on uh Thursday that he was really I love his attitude. He was very like collected, you know, like it’s somebody that that knows that it was not his best game. I think he even referred to it as one of the worst games or not the worst game of of the season. I think it’s the worst game he’s had all season. Yeah, I agree. Can’t think of the worst game and I am ditto ditto here for me. But I just think the the the the composed nature in which he was kind of acting with I think is good because you want these athletes to be measured. You want them not to be overly emotional and that goes back to what we’ve talked about in the past with Donovan and his leadership being so even keeled and measured. That trickles down into the locker room and I think it’s really helpful in a series like this where you have to be because if you are too up and down then you’re going to put yourself way behind the eightball especially going into a rockus environment in Indianapolis. Yes, I think it’ll be very interesting what things look tonight in Indie and what things look like for the Cavs tonight in Indie. There are things I think both of us think that they can take from games one and two and use it their advantage in game three. We’re going to talk about what those things are next right here on Locked on Cavs. Today’s show brought to you by Door Dash. NBA fans, you know what time it is? Playoffs. That means big performances and even bigger rewards. Door Dash is bringing the heat with a slam dunk deal for Dash Pass members during the 2025 NBA playoffs. It’s called they swoosh, you score. That’s right. Anytime a player drops 50 or more points in a playoff game, Dash Pass members can score a free threepiece crispy tender combo from Wingstop the very next day. Just place an order of $20 or more and use the code Wingstop 50, that is W I N S T O P50 at checkout and that combo is yours. Crispy, delicious, totally free. offer valid noon to midnight the day after the game. Terms do apply. Maybe tonight again doing the show before Wolves Warriors. Maybe Anthony Edwards goes for 50. Had a bad game one. We saw Donovan Mitchell almost go for 50. Can Anthony Edwards repeat that except maybe score two more points and reward everybody on Friday. I don’t know. We’ll have to watch tonight and find out. But if he does, this is the deal for you. Sign up for Dash Pass to unlock this and more exclusive deals all season long. Again, when any player scores 50 or more in a playoff game, Dash Pass members can grab a free threepiece crispy tender combo from Wingstop the very next day with a $20 order and code Wingstop 50. That’s Dash Pass, your door to more savings, more flavors, and more ways to win. Today’s show is also brought to you by Epicor. Every team knows the value of hard work, of taking pride in what you build and practicing every detail to get the best results. But no one player, no matter how amazing, can do it all alone. Working together makes getting the win easier. And at Epicor, the Allstars are the hardworking manufacturers and distributors who create and deliver the things we all need. From aerospace to electrical to medical devices, Epicor ERP solutions are created by industry experts to help make every day easier. Senior whole supply chain is easier. Managing logistics is easier. Responding to price changes is easier. From small businesses with big dreams to growing enterprises with global visions, they’ll equip you with the right tools to move forward, think ahead, and lead the way. Because as the clock ticks down, you need to make the most out of every hardworking minute. Easier doesn’t cut corners. Easier takes the lead. Discover your success at easierwithepicore.com. That is easier with epicore.com. Thank you again for making Lockdown Cabs your first listen today and every day. Like I said earlier, you can find the show anywhere you get your podcast, Apple, Spotify, anywhere else. Drop us a fivestar rating. Leave us a nice review. Be a friend. Tell a friend about Lock on Cavs. Make sure you’re subscribed. Make sure a friend is subscribed as well. Spencer, not everything went poorly for the Cavs. And I I do think that there’s an alternate universe where they can look in the mirror and say, “We’ve actually outplayed the Pacers for more time in this series than they’ve outplayed us.” Like, I think the Cavs can truthfully say that and feel okay about it. Now, that does not change the fact that they are down two games to nothing in this series, but what do you look at maybe more so specifically from game two and say if the Caves do this or maybe a little bit better, they win game three. Defense defense. I mean, the the way that they came out and held him to 15 in the first quarter, uh, I know that that was not really sustainable to do that. Like, you never know with shot luck. You never know with a lot of different factors, but 15 is is really I don’t think they’re going to be able to hold the Pacers to 60 points. Exactly. Exactly. But bringing that intensity is definitely something that they can do. And I feel like Dean Wade was awesome with his defensive rotations in that game. I thought that Jared Allen worked his butt off to to work through different types of situations, whether it was switches or trying to to be the rim protector. You had so much good effort on that end of the floor. I think that even picking up full, you see guys like Max Streus making it tough on Hal. I thought that Tyrese Hallebertton didn’t even have that great of a game until I didn’t think he played well. I I I think the shot makes it look like he had an awesome game. Um I thought the Cavs did a great job on him. I mean, he hit like he hit the biggest shot of the game and full credit to him for doing so. I thought the Cavs were awesome defending him. And one of the things that I looked at before this series because he’s not going to be somebody that always impacts the game by scoring, right? Like he’s he’s not I don’t think that he’s capable of going out and having the game Donovan Mitchell had in game two where Donovan just put the team on his back, scored 48 points. Like I don’t think that’s who Tyrese Hallebertton is as a player. He finds success in different ways. And during the regular season, the Pacers in the 40 games that Hallebertton played and had nine assists or fewer, the Pacers were 20 and 20. I believe he had four assists only in that game. Now, Andrew Nemhard had 13, but he also had what, eight turnovers. Kyrie Hallebertton doesn’t turn the ball over. So, if somebody like Andrew Nemhar is going to have 13 assists and it comes with eight turnovers, you’ll take that if you’re the Cavs. Like, that’s a fine place to be. But, I thought the Cavs did a great job on him. And that’s kind of the number one thing that I look at and saying, “Okay, if you want to carry over one thing, whatever the plan was on Tyresese Hallebertton, forcing him left a lot, certainly that is very clearly part of their game plan. That needs to be bullet point number one for the Cavs in game three. Force him left and just make him a scorer.” I think that was the first thing I pointed out in our podcast, Courtside with Cavs on SI, me and Spencer German, we were talking about strategies for somebody as dynamic as Halbertton because like you said, he doesn’t hurt his team. That is something that he has been so good at since he’s come into the league. He is not somebody that will turn it over. He’s going to get his teammates involved and that in turn gets him going. If you just make him a one-trick pony, a one-man band, and leave Pascal Seakkum out of it, try not to let Miles Turner get into the pick and pop situations. Don’t let Andrew Nemhard get his looks. then I think you’re going to be in a better spot because you’re saying, “Okay, Tyrese, you can go ahead and try and drop 40, whatever you want to, as long as the other guys aren’t hurting us.” And the Pacers came into this series as one of the top corner shooting threes uh in the league. And I think that is something that they they have hurt them obviously in game one a ton hurt them like Aaron Kneesmith from the corners. I thought Obie Toppin had a good first game. um you know a lot of guys that that come off the bench and can really hurt you. Um and and then obviously Benedict Mattherin doing what he did. So that I think is is a top plan for them is to just make Hallebertton score and like you said force him left as much as you can and Ty Jerome even got into that too at practice. Yeah and I I think that has to be plan number one. I thought what they did on Seakum was really good too. Like if you look at the box score and this is, you know, not necessarily my favorite thing to do, but look how many guys had more shot attempts than Hallebertton and Siakum. Like Tyrese’s Hallebertton had 11 shot attempts. Pascal Syakam, I believe, was five of eight, which like good percentage, but if he’s only taking eight field goal attempts, I think that speaks more to the job the defense did than his overall efficiency. Like sure, shot over 50% from the floor, that’s great, but it’s such a low volume that I think he only scored 12 points in that game. Like I believe he had the fewest points of anyone in the starting lineup for the Pacers. Like that’s a win for the Cavs. So finding ways to repeat that. And then offensively, and this is where I think Garland being back, if he is back, and of course we don’t know this as we record this right now, could help the most, is the Cavs do need to do, I think, a better job generating three-pointers. Um they have shot the ball very very poorly so far in this series on good looks. They’ve actually it’s wild. They actually have a better shooting percentage on um tightly contested threes than they do wide open threes which is a wild thing and should not be the case. And one of my biggest reasons in believing the Cavs can do this is it that’s just going to at some point change. Um but they have only generated in the first two games 24 wide openen three-point looks. That number needs to be much much higher than 12 a game. Most definitely. And I feel like with Donovan driving so much and the game plan changing so much and the stylistic way that they’ve been playing, it’s kind of taken them out of their rhythm a little bit and you need to have a rhythm as a shooter. You know where you’re catching it in the pocket. You know where it’s coming from. And obviously like you you got to have someone that draws attention in because you need two three guys looking at the ball and then you got to be ready to shoot and go for it. You also got to just make them like I know a lot of people are picking on Isaac Coral. I think he did a heck of a job on Tyrese Hallebertton. Um I think he only got one field goal attempt off on him for real. But he does need to knock down a corner three or two. Dean Wade is going to have to knock down one or two. He has to shoot. It’s not even that he has to knock them down. He has to shoot them. Like that’s the problem with him is that he’s not shooting them. It’s not that he he’s not capable of making them. It’s that he doesn’t shoot the ball. Right. Right. I agree with that. Max Streus is not bashful, but continue to take 11 to 12 threes. Like Sam Merrill was coming out and and shooting the ball like crazy. He even had a he had a pullup. Uh so so more of that more of that to be honest with you. Um especially in transition. Uh but yeah, they’re they’re going to have to to knock him down like point, you know, period end paragraph. Like that’s that’s the name of this game, make or miss league, right? So, but I do I do think because Donovan has comeed the ball so much by necessity, not saying bad thing, that it has taken them out of their element a little. Yeah, I I think so, too. Is it as simple as they just need to make shots? We’re going to discuss that next right here on Locked on Calves. Today’s show brought to you by Amazon Fire TV. Did you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices. No console required. Just grab your paired controller, subscribe, or sign in to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with EA Play included, and you’re ready to play. dive into hundreds of premium titles from EA Sports College football 25 that is my personal favorite. Very excited for the new one to come out later this summer to Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and Avowed as easily as you stream your favorite shows. It’s gaming made simple and it’s all on your Fire TV. You can play high quality Xbox games at a fraction of the cost of a console. You already have a console? Well, a Fire TV Stick 4K device more affordable and easier to travel with. I’m going on the road. Well, right now, if you’re listening to this, I’m probably driving to Indianapolis because that’s the beauty of podcasting. I could record the night before, but if you’re going on the road like me, you still want to be able to, you know, you’re gonna have time. You want to be able to get the gaming in. This is the way to do it. So, what you need to do, head to amazon.com/firetv locked on to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required. available on select devices, including a Fire TV Stick 4K second generation, Fire TV Stick 4K Max first and second generation, and Fire TV Cube third generation. Thank you again for making Lockdown Cabs your first watch today and every day. You can find the show anywhere you get your podcasts, Spotify, Apple, and on YouTube. Make sure if you’re watching, hit that thumbs up button for us, click subscribe, and hit that notification bell so you don’t miss the latest from uh Spencer. I read off some of the shooting numbers on yesterday’s show and the Cavs are well below in the first two games and two games obviously a very very small sample size but they are well below who they have been for this entire season as a shooting team. So in the first two games they are six of 24 25% for those of you pulling out the calendar right now on wide openen threes nine of 35 which is 25.7% for again those of you pulling out the calculators on open threes that is 15 of 59 on open or wide open threes in the first two games of the series. Is it as simple as the Cavs just need to make the shots the Cavs have made all year and they’ll be fine? I think so. Like, is it bad that because I’m I’m kind of there, too. Like, I I wrote something for my substack, the inside shot today about how I just like reasons for optimism. The Cavs are if the Cavs shoot like this, they can’t beat anybody, at least not consistently. If they shoot like they did, like their average performance during the season, wide openen threes 42%. Open threes 39.8%. like if they just shoot to their averages, they will not lose. If they shoot below their averages, I don’t know that they’ll win. And that’s kind of I think where we’re at right now. And Kenny loves to use expected field goal percentage for both ends of the floor. And I I’m sure that when we ask him on Friday, like he’ll probably say the same thing like something similar to it is like guys got to make shots. It is what it is. Like and it’s funny you mentioned that too cuz like you know you said 15 of 59 or something like that, right? Yes. 15 of 59. Okay. So I think of that and I I’m I’m looking at the other series in the East and Boston goes out and and shoots 15 of 60 from deep in one of those games and then they can’t hit the broadside of the barn in game two either. Like do they have the same thought? If we just make our shots we win. I don’t know. I don’t know if that’s the case or not. I would assume the case would be that because they’ve been doing it for a number of years now. And I think with the Cavs, the the optimistic part is that the Pacers have won by what a collected 10 points. What is it like? 10 points. They won by nine in game one. Obviously, they won by one in game two. Yeah. So, and and if the Cavs did had lo they lost those games with those numbers, then I think that perspective kind of shows you everything and that’s still being down, you know, down bodies. So, and you bring up the expected field goal percentage thing and the Cavs do like to use that. I don’t know that they use the exact same expected field goal percentage metric that I find. Um, I use one from PBP stats that I think is pretty good. But in the first two games of this series, in both game one and game two, the Cavs had a higher expected field goal percentage than the Pacers did. So basically, they generated better shots than the Pacers did, but they underperformed their mark in each game. They their effective field goal percentage was at least 10 points lower in both games than their expected field goal. Like that is so drastic. And the Pacers in both games have overperformed their expected field goal. Like in in game two it was they very very barely overperformed it in game one. They overperformed it by a ton. Um, but I think that these are just kind of I I hate to say that the Cavs have been unlucky and that’s why they’re down 02 in the series because it’s more than that. Like they they got a little unlucky at the end of game two, but they also did a lot to shoot themselves in the foot and just like I I went on a rant about the last two-minute report yesterday and just like how the Cavs should have won that game. Like it did not matter that um Tony Brothers and his crew missed lane violations. That didn’t matter. The Cavs should have won that game no matter what. And they didn’t because it was their own fault. They have nobody to blame but themselves. But I also look at this and say this is a team right now that I think is due for good luck in a hurry. And if that good luck starts tonight, I actually think the Cavs have a really good chance to win the series. Like it’s not it’s far from impossible. Um I wouldn’t say like it’s 50/50, but if they win game three tonight, um I think everything is back on the table. Obviously, like if they lose game three tonight, this this series is over, but if they win game three tonight, everything is back on the table. How many winning streaks have they had this year? They have had I I put this in my story for today. They have had five winning streaks this year of four or more games. And you might say, “Well, they won 64 games. That sounds really low.” And you’d be right. That is low for a team that won 64 games, but they had a 16game winning streak, they had a 15game winning streak, and they had a 12-game winning streak. So when you take away, you know, we can all do the math there to where that is what 43 of their games that they played, right? 16 and 15 is 31 + 12 is 43. Right. Right. Right. Better job than me earlier. So that is 43 of their 64 wins. So you only have 21 of their games left. Of course you’re not going to be able to find so many four-game winning streaks. But they won 64 games. And that’s what I keep coming back to is that this team, yes, they’re beat up. They’re not as healthy as they’d like to be. Donovan Mitchell very clearly battling through a calf injury right now. But they’re still really really good and they still should be able to find a way. I wouldn’t call them the favorites in the series. I think it’s probably a little improbable that they win this series, but I also don’t think it’s necessarily as bad as you would typically feel about an O2 deficit. And they’re top team in the East for a reason. That’s the other part of this. They’re deep. They obviously know how to shoot, play offense. They can adapt to different styles. they can defend really, really well when they put their minds to it. And I think that’s what we’re gonna see tonight in Indianapolis. And I have one more thing here, too. I’m surprised that Indianapolis isn’t playing a little bit further off of Donovan, honestly, because of the jumper. I’m surprised that they’re not dropping more or giving him a little bit more space and having him try to beat him from deep because Donovan’s jumper is broke right now. And it’s no fault of his own. It’s obviously the calf and ankle injury that’s been bothering him, but if I was Indie, I would be kind of being a little bit softer on him and and not allowing him any kind of How much do you think that would paint? How much do you think that would matter? Because I also don’t think right now that like he’s the most explosive he’s ever been. I don’t think that’s some controversial thing to say about a guy with a calf injury, right? But he’s still getting to the rim. He is. I I still I think if they were to change that up and and plant somebody a little bit more close to the middle of the floor that it would change stuff. I think it would. Okay. Personally, I think that is I think that’s very interesting. I think tonight will be very interesting. I mean, the the fact of the matter, Spencer, is season is on the line for the Cavs tonight. If they win, um they’ll go into game four on Sunday feeling as if the series is right in their grasp. If they lose, they could get swept on Sunday. Like, I think that this is, and I said this about Tuesday’s game because I felt it to be true about Tuesday’s game, and I think it rings true for tonight’s game as well, this is the most important game that Donovan Mitchell has played as a member of the Cavs. Um, I thought Tuesday was, and I think because they lost on Tuesday, this goes past that. I mean, back against the wall, possibly being a second round exit. Injuries be damned. legacy on the line. That’s kind of how it goes. It’s a resultsoriented business is what it is. Yeah, I I couldn’t agree more. And the results of this podcast, I like to think pretty good one. So, thank you for making this your first listen today and every day. Spencer, where can everyone find your stuff before we get out of here? Yeah, I’m on uh Twitter and Instagram at spin Davies. You could also find Cleveland Cavaliers on SICE Cavs on SI. Also, Cleveland Cavaliers on SI YouTube channel. Please subscribe, like, and uh rate that. Uh, same with our podcast, Courtzside with Cavs on SI. Uh, Spencer German, Anthony Meguin do such a great job. si.comnbavaliers is where the written content is. As Danny said, RG Media, that’s where I do most of my NBA features. Uh, Babcock Hoops where I do my NBA draft features. And then also been working on a documentary with Isaac Aoro and Holo Footwear in partnership with Close-up 360. Episode one is out on Close-Up 360’s YouTube channel. So, go check that out. It’s been a blast to help try and produce that and I think it’s uh really had a good turnout so far. So excited for Randy obviously. And just one more note, I can’t believe that I said Donovan Mitchell drove to the rim 60 times in one game. Yeah, that is a different one. Maybe use the division symbol instead of the multiplication symbol next time. Huh? Yeah, you idiot. I will never forgive you for that. But I I will I will forgive you if you make today your first listen. If you make Everyday Locked on Cavs your first listen. Like I said earlier, you can find the show anywhere you get your podcast. Apple, Spotify, anywhere else. Make sure to drop us a fivestar rating. Leave us a nice review as well. Be a friend. Tell a friend about Locked on Cass. And if you’re watching as you on YouTube as we get out of here, do me a favor. Hit that thumbs up button for me. Click subscribe and hit that notification bell so you don’t miss the latest locked on content. I will be back later tonight, early tomorrow, coming to you live from Indianapolis talking about game number three.

On this episode of Locked On Cavs, Danny Cunningham (The Inside Shot, Cleveland Magazine, 92.3 The Fan) and Spencer Davies (Cleveland Cavaliers on SI) focus on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ NBA playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. With the Cavs trailing 0-2, they discuss injury updates for Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter, analyzing their potential impact on Game 3. The conversation highlights Donovan Mitchell’s aggressive play, particularly his drives to the basket, and the need for improved ball movement. They address the Cavaliers’ shooting struggles, expressing optimism for a turnaround. Defensive strategies against key Pacers players like Tyrese Haliburton are examined, with praise for limiting his facilitation. The episode underscores the critical nature of Game 3, potentially the most important game of Donovan Mitchell’s tenure with the Cavs, as a win could shift the series momentum.
Check out Danny’s Substack, The Inside Shot: https://theinsideshot.substack.com/
Email the show: LOCavsmailbag@gmail.com
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k
Did you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required.
Betterhelp
This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp. Your well-being is worth it. Visit BetterHelp.com/lockedonnba today to get 10% off your first month.
Upwork
Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. With Upwork, you can find specialized freelancers in marketing, development, design, and more—experts ready to help you take your business to the next level.
OpenPhone
Streamline and scale your customer communications with OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first 6 months at www.openphone.com/lockedonnba
Door Dash
Sign up for DashPass and when any player scores 50+ in a playoff game, DashPass members can grab a free 3PC Crispy Tenders Combo from Wingstop the next day, with a $20+ order and code WINGSTOP50. That’s DashPass: your door to more savings, more flavor, and more ways to win. Terms apply.
Valid only at participating Wingstop locations. Fees (including service fee), taxes, and gratuity still apply. Orders must have a minimum subtotal of $20, excluding taxes and fees. Offer valid on 4/15/25-6/22 /25 or while supplies last. Valid for one (1) promotional redemption per customer. DoubleDash promotions apply only to your DoubleDash add-on order, not your primary order. DoubleDash orders are not valid for the purchase of alcohol. No cash value. Non-transferable. Discount applies to subtotal only; does not apply to fees, taxes, and gratuity. Not valid for pickup. Limit one per person. Not valid for the purchase of alcohol. Fees, taxes, and gratuity still apply. Must have an active DashPass account. Use promo code WINGSTOP50 to redeem. See full terms and conditions at drd.sh/qnAXuU
Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNBA at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.
Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.
FanDuel
Right now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOCavs?sid=YouTube

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

#Cavs #ClevelandCavaliers #NBA