Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports The Cavs put together a lifeless performance en route to a massive blowout. The Cleveland Cavaliers were blown out in Game 3 against the Orlando Magic, a startling development after winning the first two games of the series. It was a complete failure from top to bottom, with both the players and coaching staff bearing plenty of blame. Here is how the market looks following the laughable loss. Stock Down: Darius Garland is not dependable The Magic did something that inexplicably hadn't done all series yet: put Jalen Suggs on Donovan Mitchell and trap him when possi ..read more

Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports The Cavs were fully outplayed on Thursday. Final Score: Orlando Magic 121, Cleveland Cavaliers 83. Nightly Notables Not much notable from this one. When Tristan Thompson and Marcus Morris entered the game in the third quarter, the Cavs effectively punted on the game. Which already felt over. The Cavs finished the game shooting 39% from the field and 23.5% from three. Well, that happened... Cavs’ last six quarter point totals: 22, 16, 21, 24, 16, 22. It’s hard to win playoff games when your offense isn’t functioning anymore. Donovan Mitchell finishing 6-16 is a big ..read more

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images Will the real Cavaliers please stand up? You don’t know how good a team is until they show they can confront and overcome adversity. Last season, we found out that the Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t a good team despite having the second-best net rating in the league because they never got off the mat when they first got punched in the face by the New York Knicks. They’ve shown that they aren’t that team this playoffs through two games, but the jury is still out. The Cavs haven’t been punched in the face yet. That should change in Game 3. The first tw ..read more

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports Let’s get into it. Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cleveland Cavaliers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. Two questions this week, both very straightforward: First: If the Cavs beat the Magic, do they have a shot against the Celtics? (Yes, no) Second: The Cavs are doing better than expected against the Magic. (Yes, no) Answers to these questions could change. There’s still a series to be finished against the Magic. Bu ..read more

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images Cleveland is executing J.B. Bickerstaff’s plan to perfection. Paolo Banchero had an open transition three after two Cleveland Cavaliers fell down behind the play midway through the first quarter of Game 2. Instead of confidentially taking it, he pump-faked and tried to drive into the paint, which allowed the defenders to get back into the play. He settled for a contested midrange jumper that led to a fastbreak dunk the other way. This is what it looks like when a team is out of its comfort zone. Orlando Magic head coach Jahmal Mosley said after Game 1 that he ..read more

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