Evan Mobley proves that the Cavs can win now

DETROIT — Trading Darius Garland for James Harden was as much a bet on this current group as it was on Harden. Specifically, it was a gamble on Evan Mobley being good enough to handle postseason pressure right now, not in three or four years.

In Game 5, he showed that he was ready for the challenge.

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Mobley dominated the paint in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Game 5 victory over the Detroit Pistons, but they made him earn it. The new cut he sported near his left eye afterward was proof of that.

Defense has been Mobley’s calling card since he came into the league. That proved accurate again as he continually deterred shots at the rim down the stretch and overtime, while also outplaying opposing All-Star center Jalen Duren to the point that Pistons’ head coach J.B. Bickerstaff decided to close with Paul Reed instead.

Offensively, Mobley’s seven points to close the fourth quarter will get the headlines. He hit a clutch triple and two free throws to tie the game in regulation. Both are areas he’s struggled with throughout the regular season.

More than that, his decision-making was what kept the Cavs’ offense afloat on a night Detroit was selling out to stop Donovan Mitchell and Harden.

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Bickerstaff has had an up-close look at the best and worst versions of Cleveland’s core group. He knows from first-hand experience how the Cavs’ offense can bog down when you trap the guards and force the bigs to beat you in the short roll. After all, that’s the strategy the New York Knicks used against him back in 2023.

Back then, Mobley wasn’t ready for the moment. He was simultaneously sped up to the point he wasn’t making the right decisions, but also wasn’t moving quickly enough to capitalize on the mismatch blitzing the ball handler brings. This led to an underwhelming playoff debut.

Three playoff runs later has proven to be a different story.

Bickerstaff deployed the same strategy that Tom Thibodeau used against his group three years earlier, but it didn’t work this time.

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In Game 5, Mobley continually made the right play whenever he was asked to create in the short roll by…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/evan-mobley-proves-cavs-win-213000922.html

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Publish date : 2026-05-14 21:30:00

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