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00:00You know, if the lawyers were a little more fun, we'd probably be playing a lot of End of the
00:06Road this morning.
00:08We would be playing some Taylor Swift in honor of her appearance.
00:14By the way, Taylor totally got baptized Saturday night.
00:17Welcome to Cleveland. Welcome to being a Cleveland sports fan.
00:21Yeah, when you mention her on the telecast, what happened with that?
00:24Just like they refused to acknowledge her.
00:26No, they did.
00:28Just the girlfriend, though.
00:29Yeah, they were trying to, I think, be cute and throw some shade.
00:32Okay, okay.
00:33Joining us now on the Wiseheart, right?
00:36We make it right.
00:36Call Kyle, right?
00:37Hotline would never get cute or take for granted or throw shade at this gentleman.
00:45Ethan Sands from cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer, kind enough to join us on a holiday
00:49and what's going to be a long night for us all.
00:52Ethan, you're the man.
00:53Good morning.
00:54How you doing, bud?
00:56Good morning, Daryl.
00:57Happy Memorial Day, and I hope you're having a great day, and I can't wait to talk to you
01:02about some hoops.
01:03Yeah, and we'll be watching whatever's going to happen tonight together at Rocket Arena
01:10just after 8 o'clock.
01:11Cavaliers trying to put the brooms in the closet and get themselves back to New York for a game
01:175, I guess, let's go back to Saturday night if we could, Ethan.
01:22I was at a wedding, so I wasn't in the building for the game, but I took a look at
01:28it.
01:30But why did Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, it feels like they could have done more in that game
01:40if given the opportunity.
01:43Evan shot six three-pointers.
01:45He would have been, if you take away the three-point shooting, and I know you can't, but you got
01:49it in this case,
01:49nine of 12 from the field.
01:52Like, it felt like he was cooking.
01:56And I just, I don't know, I feel like they haven't let Jarrett and Evan really cook in this series,
02:04and that might be a mistake.
02:05What's your thoughts on that?
02:07Yeah, Daryl, I'm in complete agreement with you, because I think coming into this series
02:12and actually throughout the entirety of the postseason run for the Cleveland Cavaliers,
02:15you understood that there was an advantage that the Cavs have had inside with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley,
02:21the skill of what they can do on the interior, but also understanding that the series can drag on.
02:29And as the series drags on, that's going to be more work, more tiresome from James Harden
02:35and for Donovan Mitchell.
02:36So allowing the Cavs to have more release valves potentially in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley
02:44is extremely important, and especially when Evan Mobley, and we've seen it already this series,
02:49where he'll get hot and then take two shots in the entirety of the second half.
02:54So I think the Cavs need to be more emphasized of having the bigs involved.
03:01And I know that Kenny Agenson and his staff have talked about rewarding the bigs,
03:06but even if the Cavs need to run simple plays, more pick-and-roll actions higher up
03:12to allow them to get downhill, to have more verticality, to have more force, more thrust towards the rim,
03:19I think there's an understanding of how the Cavs can utilize both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley
03:25to be more effective.
03:26And why they haven't, I think it's because of the three-point reliance that the Cavs have been on
03:32and also understanding that they've become even more so an isolation-heavy offense,
03:39which is where they become stagnant.
03:42And I think it's intriguing because we understand that the Cavs are at their best
03:47when they're playing with off-ball movement, cutting, ball, and body movement
03:51on the offensive end of the floor.
03:53But when the ball becomes more heliocentric,
03:56I think the Cavs understand that their offense shrinks the floor.
04:00And the Knicks or any other team are capable of defending them to a better capability.
04:07So I definitely think it'll be interesting to see how Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley
04:12are utilized in this game four, particularly when you look at Jarrett Allen
04:17because of what was said in that previous series against the Pistons
04:22when Ken Gilbert saying how important Jarrett Allen is to this team.
04:28Ethan, we're talking about the Cavs and how fatigued they've looked over it.
04:32Obviously, they've had two seven-game series that they've won.
04:36Do you think they're going to extend the bench a little bit more?
04:39Have you been shocked that they haven't extended the bench a little bit more?
04:42Or obviously, when you get to the playoff, the bench shrinks.
04:45But the success they had throughout the regular season with the rotation they had,
04:49have you been kind of shocked that they haven't done that?
04:52If they do that tonight, who's the guy that maybe comes in who hasn't played a lot
04:55that could give them some energy?
04:57Shocked wouldn't be the right word for me just because I've been covering this team
05:02for a little bit now and I understand who Kenny Atkinson is
05:06and how he relies on his guys to a certain extent when it comes to a playoff scenario.
05:11But I do think that the Cavs could and maybe should extend their bench,
05:17especially knowing that they are playing with a little bit less of a rest factor
05:22and the Knicks have more legs underneath them.
05:25And if I were to put somebody into this category,
05:29and obviously he hasn't played necessarily well throughout the entirety of the postseason run thus far,
05:35but you don't know in a particular series, I would lean into Keyon Ellis
05:39and see what he can give you defensively, particularly against Jalen Brunson,
05:44where you're trying to give and show him multiple bodies
05:48and continue to change the look that he has to go up against.
05:52And maybe that gives Max Schuess or Sam Merrill more of a breather on the defensive end
05:57and gives them more legs to be able to knock down some three-point shots.
06:01Because we understand the most important thing for this Cleveland Cavaliers team
06:05is execution on the offensive end,
06:07which is largely with how they're going to shoot the basketball from deep in this next game.
06:15So Keyon Ellis would be a guy, I think it is perplexing to see how hard the Cavs have been
06:21working.
06:21And although they have been showcasing some heart, some grit in some capabilities or in some capacity,
06:28I think there are definitely more opportunities that could have been going to guys like Jalen Tyson
06:34and Keyon Ellis, who have simply played with a different level of vigor on that defensive end of the floor.
06:42And you need that against this New York Knicks team.
06:45So if I were to give some more minutes across the lineup,
06:49those are the two guys that I would want to see get more burn in this Game 4 matchup.
06:54Of their 84 shots from the field Saturday night, Ethan, 41 from three,
07:02another sub-35% shooting night from beyond the arc.
07:06In fact, they were 29% Saturday night.
07:11Are they too reliant on the three?
07:13And ultimately, is that what's going to sink this team,
07:16the fact that all of a sudden they can't shoot three-pointers?
07:20I don't know if it's even all of a sudden, right?
07:23There were multiple games, I think it was around 30-plus this year,
07:26where the Cavs shot 34% or worse from beyond the arc.
07:32And in those contests there, they didn't have the best record, obviously,
07:35because of how reliant they had been on that three-point shot.
07:39So, yes, I do think their over-reliance on the three-pointer is not only viable
07:45and or visible in the amount that they're taking, but the open looks are there.
07:50And if they're not going in, how are you attacking the basket?
07:53How are you attacking closeouts?
07:55How are you alleviating pressure by giving the ball to Jared Allen
07:59and Evan Mobley on rolls and Jalen Tyson in the short roll and the half roll
08:04that we've seen him create chemistry with Donovan Mitchell on?
08:07And I think that's the biggest issue for me is we have seen the Cavs kind of go away
08:13from the actions that have made them so great, right?
08:16And whether that's because James Harden's dribbling out the clock
08:19and instead of movement basketball, we're trying to see what we're seeing
08:24is the Cavs kind of just looking around and waiting for the shot clock to dwindle
08:29and getting off a grenade.
08:31I think it's important that the Cavs continue to find the best option
08:36or the best look on each possession.
08:38And sure, they are a good three-point shooting team, but if the shots aren't falling,
08:45you obviously have to change course and find answers that are going to make you
08:50the most dangerous in a seven-game series.
08:54And in this seven-game series, the three-point shot has not been there for them.
08:58Ethan, obviously coming back from a 3-0 has never happened in NBA history,
09:04and obviously it's a tough road for the Cavs moving forward.
09:09That being said, how much does the effort and what they put forth here,
09:13going forth however many games they can extend this,
09:16how important is that to the offseason and what they do with this roster?
09:20Are they going to blow it up or do they tweak it?
09:23What happens in these next couple games?
09:26How important is it, and does it have any effect on what they're going to do?
09:29I think that's a really good question because everybody had Eastern Conference
09:33finals on bust on their ledger, right?
09:36We all understood that they needed to get to this point.
09:38But I also think it's important to notice that the Cavs, if they were to get swept,
09:43that there still would be an understanding that they are not competitive
09:47at the top of the Eastern Conference,
09:49even though they came into the season with those expectations.
09:52So I think being competitive in this seven-game series against the New York Knicks,
09:57which is the largest measuring stick that they could have,
09:59because obviously they came into this season as co-favorites to get out
10:04of the Eastern Conference, you notice the difference of what is necessary.
10:08The wing defenders, the two-way players, the size that they have,
10:13the length that they have, the physicality that they've been able to play with.
10:17And I think this Cavs roster, this Cavs team, obviously, as currently constructed,
10:23they have a lot of belief.
10:24But how far is belief going to take you when execution continues to fall short?
10:29And I think it's important that this Cleveland Cavaliers team kind of look at
10:35what happens in this run of the seven-game series against the Knicks
10:41and whether or not they are actually competitive.
10:44And if they're not, that will be in large part to what the roster was
10:49or wasn't able to do.
10:51And I think that also forces you to make different decisions
10:55than you might have wanted to, even though you got to the conference finals.
11:00So whether or not they look to make moves around the margins
11:04or whether or not they choose to make a bigger splash,
11:08I think it's still to be seen in the final couple games of this
11:12if they're able to push it thus far.
11:14But if they get swept, I do think that there is a conversation to be had
11:19internally inside the front office about what this roster was actually capable of,
11:25how Kenny Atkinson was able to push this team further,
11:28and what is needed to get back to contention on a regular basis
11:34to the conference finals and potentially getting back to the NBA finals.
11:38And I don't know if this roster in itself is capable of doing that.
11:42Ethan Sands, Cleveland.com, The Plain Dealer, joining us on the Wise Heart Right.
11:46We make it right. Call Kyle Right. Hotline.
11:48Ethan, I was going to go there with the, I guess, the ceiling, right?
11:55This is now the fourth playoff run for this group.
12:00Yes, I know James Harden was infused this year, but just the core of the team has been steady here.
12:08And so the ceiling of this group, do you feel it's been maxed out?
12:16Or do you feel like, I do, I just don't think that they've lived up to their potential.
12:23I do think that there's more to be gotten out of them.
12:26I just don't know how they can go about doing that.
12:30Where are you at when you talk about the ceiling of the Mobley, Allen, Mitchell,
12:36and now obviously Harden mix?
12:40Yeah, and I think it's important to remember that these guys, to your point, Darrell,
12:45have not been tapped into to their fullest potential.
12:48We talked about Jared Allen and how great he's been throughout this postseason run.
12:51He took nine field goal attempts in that game three, right?
12:55And I would have wanted to see more from your most efficient player on the floor.
13:00And I think it's important that we continue to remember that Evan Mobley is growing.
13:05And sure, six three-point attempts might seem like a lot,
13:08but that is him showcasing that he's confident in that shot more than he has been to any point of
13:14his career.
13:15And I think as much as Evan Mobley needs to get downhill, needs to be in motion,
13:21it's also how he's being utilized, how he's being deployed when it comes to the actions that the Cavs are
13:26using or lack thereof, right?
13:30So when it comes to maxing out this roster, I think there's still potential here.
13:36And I think the Cavs need to find a way to get them more involved, especially when it comes to
13:42their base,
13:42as we were talking about earlier.
13:44But I do think that if you're talking about how this team is being constructed and used to this point,
13:51I definitely think you have to look around the Eastern Conference and not necessarily what is happening now,
13:56but what is to come, right?
13:58The Boston Celtics are going to be stronger next year.
14:01Jason Tatum is going to be back and better than he has been, right?
14:06Tyrese Halliburton is likely going to be back at some point next year from the Indiana Pacers.
14:12They now have a true center to run pick and roll with, right?
14:16The Toronto Raptors, we saw that they're just a growing group.
14:20The Detroit Pistons, Kate Cunningham dealing with the collapsed lung
14:24and potentially fractured ribs throughout the postseason run.
14:27The Cavs have to be wary of what they think this roster is capable of in the future
14:35against teams that are not only capable of taking them to seven games,
14:38but are also going to just keep getting better.
14:42And I think that's the major portion that the Cavs and the front officers have to take into this offseason,
14:47is where can we improve around the margins,
14:50or is Donovan Mitchell truly capable of maintaining 1A star play in the postseason,
14:59or do we have to go get a better option or better twos and threes to help him along the
15:05way?
15:05He is Ethan Sands.
15:07Read him at Cleveland.com and, of course, in the Plain Dealer as well.
15:11Ethan, thanks so much for the time.
15:13Outstanding stuff as always.
15:15And I will see you later tonight over at Rocket Arena,
15:18and I don't know, I guess we'll find out what we're doing tomorrow.
15:23That's a great point.
15:24I can't wait.
15:25Game 4 is going to be a lot of fun.
15:27Daryl, thank you so much for having me on.
15:29It's always a pleasure.
15:30You betcha.
15:30There he is, Ethan Sands, Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer.
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