Cavaliers, Magic Game 7 Instant Reaction: Takeaways From Cleveland's 106-94 Win

With their season on the brink, the Cavaliers rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit to take down Orlando and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

May 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff reacts during the / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

For the second consecutive year it looked like the lights may just be too bright for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Wine and Gold looked lifeless in the first half, trailing the Magic by as much as 18 and looking poised for a trip to Cancun rather than one to Boston.

Then they flipped the script in the second half, outscoring the Magic 63-41 behind 39 points from Donovan Mitchll to take Game 7 and advance on to the second round. It was a memorable performance, featuring plenty of highs and lows.

Here are 5 takeaways from the Cavs 106-94 win.

1) Slow Start

Three-point shooting has been hard to come by throughout this series for the Cavaliers, but in a Game 7 when they needed it most, it still was no where to be found. The first quarter told the story of the game, as Cleveland finished the first quarter shooting just 27% from the floor and going 0-for-7 from deep. They had scored just 18 points after one.

It took nearly four minutes into the second for the Cavs to score their first bucket of the second quarter. They didn't knock down their first three of the game until the 6:38 mark of the second quarter. Going 2-for-11 is as brutal as it gets. Somehow the Cavs overcame it.

2) Gutting It Out

People can say what they want about Donovan Mitchell and his inability to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs throughout his career, the Cavs star gutted his way through a 50-point performance on Friday and 39 more in Game 7, trying to will his team to a win. The latter of the two efforts paid off to help lift Cleveland to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Mitchell claimed before the series, after a week off, that he was 100% healthy and maybe he felt that way when the series started That week off before this series started helped him come in to Game 1 feeling really good, but as the series continued it became pretty evident that he wasn't right. He labored through this series and delivered back-to-back legendary performances. If there were still questions about his stardom he answered them these last two games.

3) Redemption

It's been an up and down season for Darius Garland and that played out in Game 7. Garland was 1-of-9 for most of the second half before a really cool sequence played out with six minutes to play. Garland missed a wide open three from the corner, but Issac Okoro grabbed the board and it wound up in Garland's hands in the same exact spot. This time he knocked it down and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse went wild.

The first to celebrate with him after the sequence: Mitchell, who assisted the bucket. It's fair to wonder if there's been a mental roadblock for Garland this season, particularly after suffering that broken jaw back in December. But even amidst his struggles on the biggest stage he had a moment to shine.

4) 4 years, $63 million

Max Strus went into the half with more fouls (3) than points (0). His only two shot attempts in the half came from three and he missed both. Then came a Cavalanche of a third quarter for Cleveland that saw it put up 32 points, a run Strus played a key role in knocking down three shots from long-range and scoring 11 to ultimately finish with 13. It was exactly what Cleveland needed in a Game 7 from their biggest offseason acquisition.

Strus is far from perfect. He's a streaky shooter and always has been. But as the Cavaliers scoured the free agent market for more shooting, they landed on Strus and paid him handsomely to deliver for them this time of year. It's been an objectively rough series for him overall, but when Cleveland needed him most he came through.

5) Take A Deep Breathe

Jarrett Allen's comments from a year ago – while embarrassing to admit – had some truth to them after being gentleman swept by the Knicks. There aren't many stages with brighter lights than Madison Square Garden.

That experience was supposed to be a teachable moment for this young, up-and-coming team though and even though it took seven games to get there, Cleveland slayed the demons of last season. Winning a first-round series isn't something to pop champagne over, but it's progress and at the start of the season that was what everyone inside and outside the organization needed to see.

That doesn't bar them from making changes this offseason, but it does stave off any talk of a tearing it all down. And it may even help convince to stick around a little longer.