Must-Watch Hilarity With Isaac Okoro, Jarrett Allen Conveys Cavs' Closeness
Following the Cleveland Cavaliers' second consecutive blowout win and mini-series sweep of the Washington Wizards at home, the wine-and-gold's locker room was in a jovial mood.
A Cavs player was shouting through the door, joking about getting his money from a teammate for something that happened during the game, and guys were talking loudly in the background of postgame interviews.
But there were two exchanges that stood out in particular.
Isaac Okoro wanted to talk up Jarrett Allen the entire time.
"It starts with Jarrett Allen," Okoro said with Allen, his locker neighbor, looking on. "Once he has that high energy, these past two weeks, he's came out like a different beast, different animal. His energy's just been at the top. It starts with him.
"Jarrett off the court is a quiet person. But when he's on the court, he's more loud, he's more ferocious. You can see the energy. It's two different players."
Allen reciprocated in his interview.
"We had a great defensive effort, but really led by Isaac Okoro out there," Allen said. "I mean, he's a quiet guy off the court, a very unique personality, but on the court he's just a different animal.
"At the beginning of the game, [he] really set the tone and this game was run by defense. In the second quarter, they only scored 14 points. Some say it's a team effort, but others say it’s Isaac Okoro."
Allen had another dominant night, posting 12 points and 12 rebounds with a couple steals and a block. He also outmuscled Wizards big man Daniel Gafford on a beeline to the rim and thumped a right-hand slam that sent him into the stanchion.
Okoro was asked about the team throwing down collectively.
"Forget everybody else's dunk. What about Jarrett Allen's dunk? His dunk was amazing," Okoro said. "What about his dunk? Forget everybody else's dunk. That man right there, he had the best dunk of the night."
In the background, Tristan Thompson can be heard saying, "You baptized the sh** out of that motherf***r. This motherf***er is playing like Wilt. All-Star. Indianapolis."
"You know that Key and Peele skit with Obama and the translator, that’s what I got to say," Allen added.
How does All-Star JA sound to you, Isaac?
"Rings to my ears. That sounds lovely to me," Okoro said. "I want to see him in Indiana. If he makes the All-Star team, I'll personally fly out there and sit courtside... eh, don't hold me to that one. I might go back to Atlanta (laughs). I lie.”
Okoro wasn't done there. He was then posed a question about what makes Allen as unique as he is. Citing that he's a man of many talents, Isaac chose Jarrett's skills in the kitchen to highlight.
"He's a very good cook," Okoro said, adding that Allen never cooked for him.
Allen disputed that remark, saying that he offered to have him over for Thanksgiving and made rolls. Okoro disagreed with Allen as they continued along and the subject changed to Sam Merrill's defensive performance.
"They think shooters can't defend," Allen said in the background.
"Thank you Jarrett. You put the words right in my mouth," Okoro added. "They think shooters can't defend. But Sam's on his own level. He's riding his own wave. He's changing the dynamic of shooters. He's a 2-and-D guy. Plays defense. He doesn't just shoot. He's a defender too, and we want to put that on his resume."
Feb 23, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) and guard Isaac Okoro (35) celebrate after the Cavs beat the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Overall, it was a hilarious eight minutes of interview time. Was it the best of the year?
"I'm not here to see most of 'em, so I don't know who really has a personality like me. But I think this is so far the best one," Okoro said.
The Cavs are 7-3 in their last 10 games despite being down Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, and the vibes in the locker room indicate the team has banded together even more as a result.
