Young ends Cavaliers season in Play-In Comeback

    One period into the game, the Cleveland Cavaliers appeared to have everything going their way in their play-in game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Scoring thirty-eight points and holding a thirteen-point lead can give teams and fans a large amount of confidence.

And when Atlanta only cut the lead to ten at the half,  it seemed that while the lead wasn't large enough to book your flight to Miami for the playoff yet, everything did point in that direction.

And then Trae Young woke up.

Young tossed 32 of his game-high 38 points in the second half and led Atlanta to a 107-101 comeback win that will see the Hawks in the playoffs against the Miami Heat and Cleveland at home for the postseason.

Lauri Markkanen led the Cavaliers with 27 points, Darius Garland added 21 with Evan Mobley assisting with 18 points.

Swashbucklings

1) Even after the first quarter and the thirteen point lead, you didn't think the game was over and it was for one reason- The Cavaliers spent much of the second quarter firing up off-balance shots (oftentimes on the drive)  that made you think of a talented youth league team that thought once they had the lead that they could goof off and blew chances to truly put the game out of reach.

2) Then there was Trae Young, who scored only six points in the first half and then a whopping thirty-two in the second.

Young started hitting contested shots from well beyond the three-point line, beating defenders off the dribbles, and was even scoring on baseline layups.

In other words, Cleveland couldn't stop Young, and the only way Atlanta could win happened.

3) Darius Garland finished with 21 points but did it on nine for twenty-seven shooting and kept driving to the hoop, getting caught in traffic against Hawks defenders, and forced off-balance shots.

I've complimented Garland over the last month for developing an alpha dog mentality and I stand by that but if you are going to be the player that is going to carry the load, you need to develop some more moves to the basket- And if you are going to shoot twenty-seven times, you better hit more than nine of them.

4) Lauri Markkanen didn't play well against Brooklyn but he led the team in scoring with 27 points and hit six of ten three-point attempts.

Markkanen can be streaky and I still think his long-term best role will be what Kevin Love is doing now but when he is feeling it, it can be an awesome thing to see.

5) J.B. Bickerstaff played only eight players, and Kevin Love played only ten minutes.

I can understand why Love was idle with Lauri Markkanen playing so well but Isaac Okoro played twenty-two after an awful game against Brooklyn and Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens didn't play at all.

Osman appears to be an especially puzzling decision not to play as maybe his defense could have helped against Bogdan Bogdanovic.

6) Bogdanovic scored nineteen points off Atlanta's bench, which was ten more than Cleveland's bench (Love, Okoro, and Rajon Rondo).

I would like to know what either or both of Osman and Stevens would have added to this game as both are the type of players that can give a team and a crowd an emotional lift with one or two energetic plays- especially in the second half.

7) Cleveland did welcome Jarrett Allen back and Allen played hard, scored eleven points but pulled down just three rebounds.

You could tell the finger affected Allen defensively as he was trying to rebound almost one-handed to avoid contact with his broken finger, and a few times tapped the ball in the direction of a Cavalier rather than grab the ball.

8) The Cavaliers also struggled in moving the ball in the second half and that resulted in not only the desperate drives of Darius Garland but a few shot clock violations as well.

Cleveland is talented but they aren't yet to the point that they can run isolation so often and allow the ball to become stagnant-which is exactly what happened in the second half.

9) You could tell the playoff pressure was hitting a young team in the fourth quarter and while it's not always fair to play that they played scared, it certainly looked like a team that hadn't been in this situation before.

That is why I wanted them to win this game so badly- Even if the Cavaliers dropped four in a row to Miami, the experience gained would have been priceless.

10) Trae Young slammed the ball to the floor and waved goodbye to the crowd as he walked off the floor.

Young had been heckled all game (some of which were less than clean and could be heard on the ESPN broadcast) and I really can't blame him for ribbing the crowd back- especially after the second half that he played.

Sometimes it's best to wait until the game is over or as Kenny Rogers sang in "The Gambler"- "There will be time enough for counting when the dealings done".

11) Awkward stat of the year.

Friday's loss was the eighteenth of the season that Cleveland led by ten points or more at one point in the game.

That is something that will have to be figured out before next season.

12) Trading for Caris LeVert didn't pay the dividends that the Cavaliers and Koby Altman intended for this season but there is always hope for next season and because Altman had the foresight to cover his baselines at a time when the Cavaliers not making the playoffs seemed extremely remote.

Altman added a clause to the trade that didn't seem important at the time but is very important now as if the Cavaliers didn't make the playoffs, Cleveland would retain the first-rounder that seemed destined to move to the Pacers in Indianapolis.

Because of that, the Cavaliers will be in the lottery and while the odds are against them getting higher than fourteenth (Cleveland will either be in the top three or fourteenth as the team with the best record in the lottery), that pick would not be owned by Cleveland at all without some forethought about the worst-case scenario.

13) I am planning to do a season review next week but despite a disappointing ending to the season and final month, you cannot help but be pleased overall.

Entering the season, Cleveland's ceiling appeared to challenge to just slide into the play-in series as the tenth seed, and instead, they won forty-four games to double their win total from the previous season.

The Cavaliers were a fun team for most of the season, outperformed any expectations, and dealt with plenty of adversity.

Evan Mobley has an excellent chance of winning Rookie of the Year and Darius Garland took another step towards stardom in a season to be remembered perhaps as the start of a successful period of future playoff runs.

They aren't perfect and I'll try to write what they need in the season review but this season was a success, even as they fell short of what seemed to be certain to be even more.

Cavaliers vs Hawks-Winner take all.

    It's winner take-all from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland as one team will face the Miami Heat and the other will have their season ended as the ninth-seeded Atlanta Hawks will visit the eighth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Hawks are playing the better basketball at the time and thumped the Charlotte Hornets in Atlanta 132-103 to advance to the final game.

The Cavaliers fell behind the Brooklyn Nets by twenty points at the end of the first quarter and despite playing competitively in the final three periods were unable to catch up to Brooklyn in a 115-108 defeat.

Cleveland had the better record in the regular season by one game (44-38 to 43-39) over Atlanta but it was the Hawks that won the season series between the teams, winning three of the four games with the two games in Cleveland being split between the two.

Cleveland is hoping to return Jarrett Allen for the contest and the team announced that Allen will be taking place in warmups in an attempt to see if the center will attempt to play.

This game is pretty simple to project.

The guard that plays better between Atlanta's Trae Young and Cleveland's Darius Garland will be more likely to win.

Young averaged thirty-one points in his four games against Cleveland this season and the Atlanta offense runs through the former Oklahoma star.

Garland has been the dominant focus of the Cleveland offense over the last month as the team limped into April with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley out of the lineup.

Jarrett Allen's possible return would be a major help for Cleveland and I would think it would be as a defender that would see his largest impact.

Cleveland has had major problems protecting the basket in Allen's absence and the Cavaliers could use Allen in the paint to allow Evan Mobley to defend away from the basket and give a boost to a team that moved from a top ten team defensively to one in the bottom third since Allen's injury.

Atlanta only won sixteen road games this season and the homecourt could be huge for Cleveland.

Atlanta crushed Cleveland in their last meeting last month 131-107 and I can see either team winning this one.

The winner will not have long to celebrate as the victor will travel to Miami for game one of a seven-game series against the top-seeded Miami Heat.

Cleaning out the Inbox-Passings

        The passings have come quickly in recent days 
 with many players from my childhood days having sadly passed away.

Goodbye to John Ellis at the age of 73.

Ellis played for three teams from 1969 to 81 with most of his playing time coming with the Indians and Rangers. 

Ellis's best seasons were as an Indian in 1973 and 74 with career highs in homers and RBI with both seasons playing in over one hundred games, which Ellis would do only one other time in his career (1979 Texas).

Ellis was the Indians clubhouse enforcer for Gaylord Perry during Perry's standout years in Cleveland and is remembered for his two-punch knockout of Texas's Lenny Randle as Randle attempted to charge Perry on the mound after getting plunked by Perry.

Goodbye to Joel Horlen at the age of 84.

Horlen was an excellent pitcher that was stuck on weak-hitting White Sox teams that resulted in a career losing record (116-117) despite a career ERA of 3.11.

Horlen spent eleven of his twelve-year career with the White Sox and his numbers from 1964-68 were excellent as he never posted an ERA higher than 2.88, posted a 1.88 in 1964, and led the American League in 1967 with an ERA of 2.08, yet in those five seasons, only in two would Horlen finish with more wins than losses.

Horlen's 1967 season may have been good enough to win the Cy Young had Chicago slipped past Boston for the American League pennant but finished second to Boston's Jim Lonborg with a record of 19-7, the league-leading ERA, and thirteen complete games.

Horlen is the only player in baseball history to win a Pony League world title, a College World Series championship and a World Series.

Goodbye to Rayfield Wright at the age of  76.

The Hall of Fame offensive tackle spent his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys, winning two Super Bowls and making the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams on six occasions.

Wright was an athletic tackle on the right side during an era where the right tackle was more important than left ( as is currently considered more important) as the running game was used much more often and the right tackle was usually the lead blocker on sweeps and runs off tackle.

Goodbye to John Drew at the age of 67.

A two-time All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks, who averaged twenty-one points or more in five of his first seasons in the league, Drew is remembered more for his issues with drugs, which caused Drew to be the first player ever to be "banned for life" for multiple drug violations by then-commissioner David Stern.

It's too bad that's what is remembered about Drew, who was an excellent offensive player and was good enough to be traded for by the Utah Jazz for the third overall pick in the 1982 draft, which Atlanta would use on Dominque Wilkins.

Cavaliers lose in Brooklyn

   The Cleveland Cavaliers had to be perfect in their NBA play-in games against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

They weren't and Kyrie Irving was, at least for a while, as the Nets raced out to a twenty-point lead after the first quarter and held the Cavaliers at bay thereafter in a 115-108 Brooklyn victory.

Darius Garland led Cleveland with 34 points with Evan Mobley dropping in 19 as the top secondary scorer.

Cleveland will now watch tonight to see who wins the 9-10 game between Charlotte and Atlanta as they will welcome the winner to Cleveland Friday night.

Swashbucklings

1) Kyrie Irving was perfect in the first half as Irving hit all nine of his shots from the floor including a walk-off third pointer and would hit his first three shots in the third quarter on his way to a 34 point, 12 assist evening.

Cleveland simply couldn't stop Irving all evening.

2) Kevin Durant finished with 25 points but every time that the Cavaliers seemed to crawl within distance, Durant would make a huge shot to keep things in line for Brooklyn.

I wrote in the preview that Cleveland's chances to win were dependent on a few factors but one was don't allow Irving and Durant to score between seventy and eighty points.

They combined for sixty-nine.

3) Brooklyn outrebounded Cleveland by just three (43-40) and each team grabbed ten offensive rebounds but it seemed like the big rebounds that Cleveland needed to grab to turn the game just a little more all fell into the hands of the Nets.

4) Lauri Markkanen finished with thirteen points but only four rebounds and just as in the above note about rebounding, it seemed like every time that Markkanen touched a rebound that it deflected off his hands and usually to Brooklyn.

5) Caris LeVert just continues to struggle to fit in the offense.

LeVert finished with twelve points but did it in forty minutes and hit only four of twelve shots.

LeVert seems to struggle without the ball in his hands and yet he isn't a knockdown shooter that could benefit from Darius Garland (or anyone else) driving to the basket and dishing to the wide-open shooter.

Maybe a training camp with the team will help with the chemistry but right now (on the overall) I'm disappointed with what the Cavaliers received in the trade that brought LeVert to Cleveland.

6) Darius Garland is a lead dog and I say that with respect.

Garland knows what needs to happen in a game against a superior team and he isn't afraid to put the load on the back.

I worry that as time goes on Garland could fall into the clear the floor and let me handle it trap but for now, I love the attitude.

7) If the Cavaliers lose Friday night, they will go into the lottery and keep the first-round pick that would go to Indiana as part of the Caris LeVert trade.

If Cleveland wins, the pick will go to the Pacers. 

Cavaliers at Nets- Play-In Night.

  The Barclays Center in Brooklyn is the scene for the return of the Cleveland Cavaliers to postseason play, even if the play-in series is technically not postseason play by the official NBA guidelines.

The Cavaliers are heavy underdogs to win the "7-8" game against the Brooklyn Nets for a few reasons that range from little playoff experience except for Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo, the continued absence of Jarrett Allen in the middle, the injury problems, and the biggest- Cleveland doesn't have Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on their side.

In addition, despite both teams finishing with a 44-38 record, it is the Nets that are playing their best basketball and the Cavaliers are staggering down the stretch like a two-year-old colt that is running their first race at a mile.

The absence of Jarrett Allen forces Evan Mobley to battle down low against former Cavalier Andre Drummond, rather than use his unique physical dimensions to defend Kevin Durant and give Durant a different look defensively than he is used to seeing.

While Kyrie Irving brings his own skills, Cleveland is able to counter with Darius Garland at the point and the issues with guarding Durant in the void created by the unavailability of Jarrett Allen appeared in the Cavaliers' loss in Brooklyn last week where Cleveland held a five-point lead after three quarters, only to see Durant take command of the game and the Nets ran away to an eleven point win.

Cleveland should be hosting this game had they not played an awful game in losing to an Orlando team headed to the lottery and I'm not sure even home court would have been enough to have lifted the Cavaliers past a Brooklyn team that is better than their record.

Instead, Cleveland travels to Brooklyn and assuming they lose as an eight-point underdog will host the winner of the Hawks-Hornets game on Friday night that will decide the final team to reach the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

You would have to be a super homer to pick the Cavaliers in this one but if it happens this is how.

The Cavaliers don't stop Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving but they don't allow them to score seventy to eight points between the two of them, they do a better job on the boards than in last week's game, and someone steps up with a game well beyond their usual output such as Lauri Markkannen or Kevin Love and then Cleveland could surprise the Nets.

Still, the Cavaliers need to play well, even with a loss.

There is something to be said for momentum Friday for a home game after a good effort on the road against a strong team and conversely, a blowout loss could place the brakes on momentum going into a game against the winner of the other game.

I'm interested to see what happens in Brooklyn.

Boxing Challenge: Fundora stops Lubin

   Showtime's Saturday card may have lacked fights of impact on the undercard but the Las Vegas main event not only produced a challenger at 154 pounds for the winner of Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano, but it was also a tremendous and physical battle that made you wonder how much was taken out of the victor and the defeated for their future fights.

Fundora controlled the fight on the inside against the heavy-hitting Lubin, which would be a surprise if you looked at Fundora and never watched a fight of his previously, and knocked Lubin down in the second round.

Fundora throws tons of punches, isn't afraid to brawl, and with arguably the best nickname in boxing (The Towering Inferno) is just vulnerable enough to make his fights must-watch events.

And it was the vulnerability of Fundora's chin that came into play in the seventh round when Lubin, behind on the scorecards, knocked Fundora down and looked like he had a chance to make a miracle win occur.

Instead, it was Fundora that dominated the eighth and ninth, and with Lubin's face a lumpy mess that looked more like an old-school hockey goalie than a junior middleweight contender, trainer Kevin Cunningham stopped the fight before the start of the tenth round.

I had Fundora leading 86-83 after the entertaining pairing and as noted above, it was the type of fight that may have changed the career of Lubin, who may never be the same fighter again after the pasting that he received, and Fundora didn't escape unscathed despite the victory either.

Fundora should face the Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano winner sometime over the next year or so and will be a difficult opponent for either fighter.

Former WBC junior middleweight champion Tony Harrison looked as good as he had in years in outboxing Sergio Garcia, who fought time to fight and play in the Masters on the same weekend (just kidding) and won an easy unanimous decision.

Garcia tried to attack and slow Harrison down but was never able to achieve consistent success against the slick counterpunches from Harrison, who won for the first time since winning his title over Jermell Charlo (Harrison lost the rematch and drew with Bryant Perrella) and said he was willing to travel to Australia to face Tim Tszyu in his next fight.

I thought Harrison won 98-92 and hopefully will face a tougher foe than Garcia, who lost for the second fight in row after losing to Sebastian Fundora and appears to be a cut below top ten caliber.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 52 Pts (3)

Vince Samano: 46 Pts (0)

Ramon Malpica: 42 Pts (1)

Boxing Challenge: Garcia wins return

     Saturday night's card from DAZN and Golden Boy from San Antonio, Texas may have gotten the desired result in the win column but it didn't answer any of the questions surrounding lightweight star Ryan Garcia, who dominated but didn't dazzle in a unanimous decision victory over Emmanuel Tagoe.

Garcia scored a second-round knockdown that might have been more of a push and hurt Tagoe badly with a right hand in the tenth that saw the Ghanian lucky to survive the round.

Garcia was aggressive and he tried for the knockout throughout the fight but Tagoe moved for most of the fight and Garcia did appear to have some issues in cutting off the ring as well as winging some punches that a better contender than Tagoe might take advantage with counters against an open Garcia.

I scored Garcia an easy victor at 119-108

For his first fight in fifteen months, it was a solid effort against a veteran that wasn't interested in exchanging punches with Garcia and was very mobile but it did make you wonder how Garcia will do against an elite boxer with better skills than Tagoe.

The co-feature was a dull fight as Shane Mosley Jr. scored a surprising majority decision upset over veteran Gabriel Rosado over ten rounds

Mosley dominated with the jab, never allowed Rosado to rough him up on the inside, and outworked the aging veteran, who lost his third in his last four bouts and is 1-4-1 in his last six with the only win his miracle third-round knockout over Beketmir Melikuziev, which he was knocked down and getting pounded before the stunning one-punch ending.

For Mosley, even considering the sliding of form for Rosado, this is the biggest win of his career and I'm sure this will get him more fights in the future against name fighters.

However, I don't think he can hold off stronger fighters or pressure boxers and he seems to be caught in the role of a fringe contender with a memorable moniker.

The other surprise was the scoring with judge Mendez Ramos with an odoriferous card of 95-95.

I had Mosely well ahead at 98-92.

I'll be writing on the Showtime card later today when I have a chance to watch the broadcast.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 49 Pts (1)

Vince Samano: 46 Pts (2)

Ramon Malpica: 41 Pts (1)