The Spin: Cavs Work Inside Out, Get Everyone Involved In OT Victory Vs. Rockets
The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Houston Rockets 135-130 on Monday night in overtime. Spencer Davies highlights five observations from the game.
Sam, He Is
There's no beating around the bush: This night belonged to Sam Merrill. For the second straight game, the lethal movement shooter proved to be impactful as a constant threat on the perimeter.
He was snaking around the floor looking for dribble handoffs, keeping possessions alive, diving on the court for loose balls and, most importantly, hitting critical shots in what turned into a shootout with a game Rockets team.
"Guts, grit, professionalism," Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff proudly said of Merrill following the victory. "Just a guy who always puts himself in position that if his number's called, he's gonna be ready to go. And I think he showed that tonight, but I mean like you just never know. And for him to just be ready and stay ready just speaks a lot to his character and who he is.”
"Sam is Mr. Consistency," Max Strus added. "Sam comes in every day, shoots every day, does his job. Ultimate professional. One of the hardest-working guys I've been around. Just sticks to the script. When his number's called, he's gonna be ready. You've got to have guys like that on your bench, and Sam can help us win games at a very high level. I've been waiting for that 'cause I know he's capable of it. So hopefully we see more of Sam Merrill."
In 24 minutes, including a lot of action during overtime, Merrill knocked down five of his 10 triple tries. Even on a critical possession in the fourth quarter, he took a handoff, went to his left and finished a layup.
"A little of everything [got me going]," Merrill said. "Houston obviously plays very good defense and they switch everything so they can slow you down and get you to play a lot of one-on-one and get you stagnant. And we tried to, especially that second unit with Georges [Niang] and Caris [LeVert] and those guys, we try to keep the ball moving and keep our bodies moving and that was able to open up stuff for us."
Finding JA
Two games is a small sample size, but there is a theme that's becoming common with the Cavs' best shooting nights. When Jarrett Allen is engaged and establishes his presence as an interior scorer and a roll threat, teammates benefit on the perimeter.
"It's different. We have one big instead of two, so now the spacing's different," Donovan Mitchell said. "So if we're able to create in the paint, get in the paint, JA, getting down there... even though some of the shots didn't fall as they did the other night, just getting down there and establishing that, they have to collapse.
"Now guys are open for threes and being able to get better looks I think is the biggest thing. And that's how we started. That's how we started this game. Just trying to attack the paint and make the defense collapse and find the open man."
Strus concurs with Mitchell's assessment.
"He's one of the best bigs in the league," Strus said. "Just got to find ways to get him involved, find ways to get him touches and get him easy ones. And then, he's phenomenal on the defensive end. You can't ask for anything more for him to protect the rim and just hold down the paint. But he's our anchor. We go as JA goes."
Allen battled through foul trouble and ended up finishing the game with a huge rejection to boot. He had 10 points, six rebounds, a pair of assists and two blocks.
Dec 18, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) and guard Sam Merrill (5) celebrate in overtime against the Houston Rockets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Point Don
The Cavs need a collective effort to fill the void of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley from a playmaking standpoint. In two games without them, they're taking care of the basketball and sharing the rock. Mitchell has shown he's capable of it so far in particular.
Coming off a career night Saturday in the passing department, Spida dished out six assists, four of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime. That, of course, was in addition to an explosive second half as a scorer.
"it's going to be by committee and it isn’t just going to be myself," Mitchell said. "Last game, obviously I had 13, but tonight I have six. Isaac [Okoro] has six, Vert has five, Craig [Porter Jr.] has three, Sam has three. So it's just like it's going to be as a group, no one person can do what Darius Garland does. That's why he's special. So we all have to find ways to do it as a group. And I think that just creates a lot of unpredictability within the team.
"When you have your stars out, you don't really know where the ball may be going. And that's the case around the entire league. So just continue doing a great job as a group to make up for the guys that are out right now. And that's the biggest thing."
Strus has noticed that uptick as well.
"I mean he's been sharing the ball tremendously," Strus said of Mitchell. "We're playing at a higher pace. We're moving it. We're really pushing it off our stops and the other teams' turnovers and getting easy ones.
"I think just his ability to find guys in open spaces and his ability to just create a lot because guys will react to his penetration. His willingness to pass has been great these past couple games and it's been huge for our team."
Ice Does It All
Back in the Cavs lineup as a starter for the last couple of games, Okoro has been attack-minded and that isn't just necessarily as somebody that can finish drives. It's the way he's gone about putting the ball on the floor and making reads from wherever he's at on the floor.
"I think this is where Isaac will thrive," Mitchell said. "If they want to put a big on him, he's playing in the half roll now. He's able to create from the free-throw line, he's able to get to the basket, be able to find guys and create. Also on the flip side, able to get on the boards.
"He's strong, he's aggressive and obviously we know defensively what he brings. But to have six assists, seven rebounds, 11 points, that's huge. We're going to need that from him, especially with Ev out with only one big out there. So he's big for us, man, and it's great to see him back and starting getting back into his flow, but I think that's where he's at his best."
Perhaps the most impressive part of Okoro's night was taking it into the chest of Houston's size.
"What he's figuring out, which I think is great, is they're putting different matchups on him," Bickerstaff said. "And now they're putting big guys on him, and those big guys can't stay in front of him. So he's beating those guys off to bounce and then going to make the next right play.”
The Strength Of The Team Is The Team
The Cavs had eight players score in double figures: Mitchell, Merrill, LeVert, Strus, Okoro, Allen, Niang and Dean Wade.
Bickerstaff went 10 deep into the rotation, even playing strictly a bench five from the closing moments of the first quarter through the beginning of the second quarter. When you're missing two of your best, you've got to find ways to fill the gaps.
Cleveland did it on Monday, and that strategy should be the same moving forward. The proof is in the pudding.
