CLEVELAND — When Kevin Love missed time in November while in the league’s health and safety protocols, he had time to sit at home and watch all of the Cavs’ games. Start to finish. And he picked apart each game.
In that stretch, the Cavs went 6-2. Lauri Markkanen was also in protocols, but the Cavs still had Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio. Love watched how hard the Cavs competed and how solid they were defensively. That’s when Love said he fully believed in what they were building this season.
“We’ve kind of gone against the grain with matching up with teams playing big style of basketball away from small ball,” Love said. “We’re still doing the pace in space, but I still think we’re taking advantage of teams playing big, and I think we all know how good Evan (Mobley) is going to be. He hasn’t even scratched the surface. J.A. is starting to arrive, and I think D.G. is taking that next step. So between those three guys leading us every single night and everybody playing together, I think that was really when I got to sit back and say, ‘OK we can really do something special here. We can grow something special.’”
The Cavs have built that something special here in Cleveland this season. The success of their big lineup. Darius Garland’s leap as their point guard. Mobley’s impactful rookie season.
