The Spin: Cavs Stack Back-To-Back Wins, Defeat Banged Up Pistons

Spencer Davies highlights five observations from the Cleveland Cavaliers' 108-100 NBA In-Season Tournament win over the Detroit Pistons.

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons 108-100 on Friday night to even their NBA In-Season Tournament record to 1-1. Spencer Davies highlights five observations from the game.

Mad Max

So much for just being a shooter. The Cavs tried to tell us all during training camp what Max Strus is capable of as a basketball player. He’s making plays off the dribble, he’s pressuring the ball on defense and he’s doing so many things to keep Cleveland from staying stagnant offensively. 

Strus finished a couple of reverse layups in transition and had a thunderous dunk over Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson, his second hammer in as many games.

“I can't say what I really want to say, but Max is a dawg. Max is nasty,” Darius Garland said after the win. “We really need that. He does all the little dirty stuff for us. He gets us amped up when we see the sneaky athleticism. He's moving around a lot, making a lot of trey balls right now, getting a lot of people involved. Him being out there just makes a total big difference for us.”

“I think as we learn Max and we're around Max, he has an infectious energy because of how hard he plays the game,” Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff added. “And he has a way of making momentum shifting plays, whether it's a big 3 or a big finish at the rim, his teammates love to see it. And I think it's something that our fans are falling in love with also. And we know the energy that this building can create. So to have a guy who can make momentum shifting plays here in this building is going to be big for us.”

Strus finished with 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and a career-high four steals. He nailed four threes of the eight he took and scored 13 points in the first quarter.

Outside of Caris LeVert, I’d argue he’s been the wine-and-gold’s most consistent player all season. Even on nights where he’s not hitting all of his threes, teams are paying attention and that is a big deal.

“I get excited when I see Max because he brings a piece of grit and toughness,” Bickerstaff said pregame. “I’m trying to find the politically correct word to use, but it's a refusal to bend. There's a stubbornness to him.

“There's a hate–to-lose type of mentality and you can feel it as the ups and downs have happened. You can feel it, his presence and the guys feel it and his want to go out the next day and be better and be better as a team. It's a drive that he has that the longer he's around the group, the more they'll absorb it and develop that same type of attitude.”

Nov 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) reacts after a dunk by guard Max Strus (not pictured) during the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Engine Revs Up

With Donovan Mitchell nursing a hamstring injury he sustained at the end of the road trip, the Cavs leaned on Garland in the scoring department. He dropped a season-high 28 points on 10-for-19 from the field. Most of his damage was done attacking defenders up top and getting to his mid-range and floater. He had Detroit leaning and on its toes pretty much the whole game.

“I just go in with the mindset that nobody can really guard me,” Garland said. “And that's been my mindset for a couple years now. I think I'm one of the best guards in this league, so you just have to come in with that confidence and the positivity that nobody can stay in front of you out there.”

“DG just does DG,” Evan Mobley added. “He just does him. He gets in the paint, finds his spots and knocks his shots down. Any night could be his night.”

Asked if there are certain times when he can tell that Garland will have an advantage and exploit it, Bickerstaff responded that most nights he will.

“When you're as shifty and skilled as he is, the way the rules are set up, when guys can't touch you, there's not many guys who can stop, start as quickly as he can going forward and they're going backwards,” Bickerstaff said. “ Sometimes he likes to play with his food a little bit, but he can beat just about anybody in the league when he's going downhill.

“We know how important Darius is to us, you know what I mean? He is the leader of this team. The ball is in his hands and he's got the keys. Not only does he have the ability to create for himself, but there's so much pressure that he puts on the defense. He can find his teammates as well. But we need Darius to keep growing. We need him to keep being aggressive, keep leading his team because we don't go where we want to go without him being at his best.”

We Sure This Guy’s A Rookie?

Every time Craig Porter Jr. has gotten a chance to step on the court, he’s made the most of it. He’s got an unorthodox way of slowing things down then suddenly losing his defenders after an array of dribble moves. He can go behind the back, make a tight crossover and navigate set defenses in a more advanced manner than opponents tend to think. There were short-range float shots and finishes among the trees underneath against Detroit that impressed.

“Craig was great tonight. He brought a boost for us,” Garland said. “He's gonna be that for us. When he comes off the bench, he's just a spark. People don't really think that he can go out there and play, but every time he goes in, he's always doing something different and adding some more confidence to his game when he goes out there. He was really good tonight for us for sure.”

Porter also has a great feel of when and when not to go when screens are set, something he found success with alongside Jarrett Allen in the middle of the floor.

“Playing five years of college basketball kinda gives you an experience of almost everything you could expect at the pro level," Porter said. "Really, me and JA haven't had too much to practice on our pick-and-roll, but just him being able to be the smart big he is, he knows how to pick his spots and I'm great at finding guys like that. 

"So we complement each other really well. Putting that pick-and-roll in play, it's kinda hard, almost impossible, to stop if you really look at it.”

In 16 critical minutes, Porter produced 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal.

“What you've seen from him is a large amount of confidence no matter who he's playing against and he has the ability to get into the paint and create shots,” Bickerstaff said, acknowledging how crucial Porter's role was in Cleveland’s 19-4 run to close the first quarter.

“And he's got great touch from the mid-range and painted area, but he's deceptive. He's really strategic and is attacking, but I thought he did a wonderful job tonight and then we were able to put him in Darius together some, which gets Darius off the ball and then you can make some plays, some screening actions to get him involved.”

Making Yourself Available

While Mobley has been aggressive with the ball on his own this season, his teammates were looking for him all evening long. He’s been great in the dunker spot, on the block and in the pocket for quick shots. Those immediate-result plays will work to his advantage and the Cavs’ benefit the more they do it.

Of course, Mobley has made himself even more available with Allen back in the fold. It’s helping everybody out.

“[Me] playing the 4 spot, he puts a lot of pressure on the rim and then I just follow up right behind him, find my gaps and just try to get my shots up from there,” Mobley said. “I feel like his gravity on the floor definitely helps me get open and it helps everyone else get open as well.”

Garland goes to bat for Mobley even in the case when Allen isn’t on the floor, saying it’s on Cleveland to help him out.

“Detroit was playing two bigs tonight as well. So when JA goes out and Evan goes to the 5, he usually just gets swarmed in the paint because they know that we're looking for him,” Garland said.

“We have to really start looking for the kick-out so we can open him up a little bit; that's when Georges [Niang] is at the 4 too, so it's a lot of floor spacing. When we start hitting a couple threes and everything's opened up in the paint, we can hit him a little easier. But he's growing into it. He hasn't played a lot of 5. He's getting better. He's learning.”

Another double-double for Mobley tonight, with 18 points and 10 rebounds on an efficient 8-for-12 from the field. He had a team-high-tying five dimes too.

Cleanly Defended

The Cavs had a season-low nine personal fouls called against them on Friday night. That is by far the least amount, with 16-foul games being the next closest. That happened Wednesday against the Portland Trail Blazers and in the home opener vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder.