Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images Allen is walking the road to redemption. Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were outrebounded in all but one game against the New York Knicks. This year, it’s a different story. They’ve won the rebounding battle in both games and hold a 2-0 series lead over the Orlando Magic. Jarrett Allen has led the charge with his control of the glass. Allen, who faced the most scrutiny for last year’s beatdown, has already surpassed his rebounding total from the entire Knicks series with 38 rebounds across his first two games against Orlando. In battles where neither te ..read more

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images Orlando’s offensive woes continued while the Cavaliers continued to keep rolling as they extended to an early 2-0 lead in the series  Stock Up: Mitchell’s momentum Donovan Mitchell has put the last postseason behind him and has made his presence felt early in the series against Orlando. Mitchell picked right up from his 30-point Game 1 performance with another strong showing scoring, 23 on 9-23 shooting. From the middle of the third quarter on it became clear the Cavaliers were not going to let up on this game causing Orlando to play desperate. Mitchell ..read more

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports The Cavs took care of business at home. With a 96-86 win, the Cleveland Cavaliers are now up 2-0 on the Orlando Magic. Nightly Notables Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 23 points. Evan Mobley (17 points), Jarrett Allen (16 points), Darius Garland (15 points) and Isaac Okoro (10 points also finished in double figures. Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 21 points. Well, that happened... Mitchell, and by extension the Cavaliers’ offense, was hot early. They scored around league-average efficiency — a big jump from Game 1 — and looked like they were in a rhythm. But ..read more

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images Cleveland displayed in game one against Orlando that the Magic will need to play outside their comfort zone to topple the Cavaliers in round one.  The first game of a series always feels like an introduction into who a team wants to be in the postseason, typically building off of the strengths they excelled in the regular season and avoiding their weaknesses. If Game 1 was any indication of the Orlando Magic, then simply the Cleveland Cavaliers knew who they thought Orlando was and it showed not only in the defensive scheme but also with the results. Orl ..read more

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images Orlando’s decision to put Gary Harris on Mitchell and not double-team was baffling. The Cleveland Cavaliers were 16-5 in the regular season when Donovan Mitchell scored 30 or more points. Orlando Magic head coach Jahmal Mosley didn’t seem to think this stat was relevant when he came up with his Game 1 strategy. Mitchell played the Magic three times this season. Twice, they used Jalen Suggs — one of the best perimeter defenders in the league — as the primary defender. This resulted in one win for Orlando as Mitchell averaged 23.5 points on .405/.27 ..read more

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images Cavs showed a toughness and physicality that held Orlando at bay. Stock Up: Donovan Mitchell looks like he can swing the series All eyes were on Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, who, for the latter half of the season, was hampered and looked like he was using game time as physical therapy. With extended rest since last Sunday, the big question was what version of Donovan Mitchell would fans see when the postseason tipped off? Mitchell flashed hints of greatness through various stretches of the series opener, but where it felt like the Cavaliers’ Su ..read more

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports The Cavaliers’ offense execution has become the focal point in what appears to be a defensive-oriented series. The Cleveland Cavaliers have put themselves in a very precarious position this postseason by knowingly signing up to face the Orlando Magic, an inexperienced team that is most prepared to cause trouble for them on the offensive side of the ball. Last year, all of Cleveland’s warts were exposed when their primary offensive sets were met early causing them to fall to option two. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, there was no secondary option. Middling ..read more

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images The story of Garland’s season isn’t completely written yet. Donovan Mitchell’s 33 points wasn’t enough to put the game away for the Cleveland Cavaliers last Friday against the Indiana Pacers. He needed help from Darius Garland to do that. Mitchell’s step-back three in the final minute of a two-point game came up short. Max Strus grabbed the offensive rebound and the ball found its way to Garland. Mitchell didn’t come get the ball — he let Garland take it from there. Garland, who had 13 points on 10 shot attempts with four turnovers up until that p ..read more

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports Banchero, the reigning Rookie of the Year, is the engine of Orlando’s offense. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a reputation as one of the league’s best defenses. But the last few weeks of the regular season have told a different story. The Cavs’ defense over the last 15 games of the season placed them fourth-worst in the league, with only Toronto, Utah, and Charlotte being worse. To make matters worse, Cleveland’s offense was also in the bottom third. Fortunately for the Cavs, their first-round opponent has offensive woes of their own. The Orlando Magic finish ..read more

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images Isaac’s defense will be an issue for Donovan Mitchell and company. The first-round series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic will be won by whatever team executes best in the half-court offense. Orlando’s second-rated defense and Jonathan Isaac will make it difficult for Cleveland to do so. The Magic have struggled to score all season. They have the 22nd-ranked offense which has primarily been supplemented by their ability to get to the line and create second-chance points. Wendall Carter Jr. has been the starting center for most of ..read more