Max Strus Gave The Cavaliers What They Paid For In Game 5 Win Over Magic

Strus' 16-point night and three-point barrage could prove to be the key in closing out the series.

Apr 30, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) drives to the basket / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Four years. $62 million. That's the deal the Cleveland Cavaliers handed Max Strus last offseason to fill an important void this time of year.

Cleveland was in desperate need of a wing scoring threat after being embarrassed by the Knicks last postseason. In steps Strus, the streaky but scrappy product of "Heat Culture."

Throughout the first four games of the Cavs first-round series with the Magic, Strus' impact was there. He was grabbing boards, playing tough defense, even dishing out the occasional assist. The offensive impact just was there though with Strus shooting only 38-percent from the floor and an abysmal 17% from three.

It was hardly what Cleveland had in mind when they signed him last summer. Then Game 5 happened.

"It was a fun win," Strus said of a high-anxiety 104-103 victory over the Magic on Tuesday night. "We had a lot of ups and downs, we had to battle adversity. We had guys step up that hadn't been playing. Everybody just did a good job and we made plays when it mattered."

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Strus personally experienced the ups and downs of the game. The first half was another rough shooting night that saw him go into the break just 1-of-5 from the floor and 0-3 from deep. It was looking like more of the same from the 28-year-old in the series.

Then the third quarter happened. Strus came alive from deep, knocking down three threes on way to an 11-point quarter. On a night where Donovan Mitchell battled foul trouble (so did Strus for what it's worth), the Wine and Gold needed other players to keep them in the game offensively. He finished the game with 16, to go along with six boards and five assists. Their $62-million man came through.

"I'll be ready for the next one," said Strus. "I love these moments. It feels like our backs against the wall. Whatever it takes to get one, and I think we all did a good job of that and understanding the importance of this game. It was fun to do that with these guys."

Performances like Tuesday are what the Cavaliers paid him for. The streaky shooting is part of the Max Strus experience. But as his former head coach Eric Spoelstra described him during Miami's run to the NBA Finals last spring, Strus is "ignitable." And when he catches fire, it can

Consider that flame lit. But now the key for Strus becomes finding a way to replicate that performance on the road. Easier said than done, considering the Cavs were outscored 233-272 in the Magic's home barn for Game's 3 and 4. True to the old saying "role players are better at home," Cleveland's bench combined for a meager 18 points in Orlando over the two games as well.

Apr 30, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) defends Orlando Magic / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

"Look we had a pretty bad Game 3 and 4," said Strus. "We didn't hang our heads, we took it on the chin and answered tonight. Proud of the way we responded. Proud of the resilience we showed to come back and get this one. But now, the toughest one, we gotta get the next one on the road."

Strus could really be a tone setter in Game 6 if he can pick up where he left off Tuesday night. His ability to knock down threes gives the Cavaliers an element they've been missing throughout the series. It may be just the thing they need to potentially put the Magic away as soon as Friday, and advance on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.