Coming into Tuesday night, the Brooklyn Nets’ starting five had played in a combined 284 playoff games, compiled a 171-113 record, and captured three NBA championships.
The Cavaliers’ lineup had — gulp — nine postseason games to its credit, all by Caris LeVert.
Their showdown for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference came in the NBA’s play-in tournament, not the playoffs. But not surprisingly for the inexperienced Cavs, there were lessons to be learned in the 115-108 loss to the Nets at Barclays Center.
If they aren’t grasped before Friday’s 7:30 pm game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse against the winner of Wednesday’s play-in between the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks, the Cavs’ surprising season will come to a disappointing halt.
Win, and the Cavs will earn the eighth seed and open a seven-game series against the top-seeded Miami Heat Sunday at 1 pm at FTX Arena.
Earn a victory and the fact that the Cavs are currently 7-12 since All-Star center Jarrett Allen fractured his left middle finger will be forgotten. That skid will be supplanted by the feat of making the franchise’s first playoff appearance without LeBron James since 1997-98.
Lose, and the Cavs will take solace in the fact that few outside their locker room expected them to get this far.
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The Cavs’ main takeaway from Tuesday was glaring as the Nets jumped out to a 40-20 first-quarter lead.
“We keep talking about this, having to learn and take that experience and take those hard lessons,” Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff said. “Brooklyn with their experience came out in the first quarter with that intensity and that ferocity that we talk about. It took us to get banged up a little bit before we flipped the switch. And against a team like this, you have to be perfect.
“You can’t start the game that way. You can’t give a team like Brooklyn that has championship aspirations and players who have won championships at 22-point [third-quarter] lead. Give our guys credit for getting back in it. But that’s damn near impossible to overcome.”
An example of the ferocity Bickerstaff mentioned came in the blocked shot totals. The Nets recorded nine (five by Nic Claxton, three by Kevin Durant, one by Patty Mills), while rookie center Evan Mobley notched the Cavs’ only two.
Cavs became more aggressive on defense in final three quarters
But as they have all season, the Cavs were determined not to quit. From the 8:43 mark to the 5:05 mark in the fourth quarter, they cut the deficit to six points three times. They trimmed it to five with 18.1 seconds remaining. They won each of the final three quarters.
“Those final three quarters defensively I thought we were more physical,” Bickerstaff said. “Offensively, I thought we executed better, took what the game gave to us. But we gave ourselves a chance. We’ll learn from this. Execution of game plan is key.
“We made some mistakes there, but [if] we play like we played in those final three quarters, we’re a pretty good basketball team. We just got to keep that in mind — how important our starts are and what’s on the line.”
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The Cavs did not appear to be awestruck against Kyrie Irving and Durant, who have 19 All-Star appearances and three titles between them. But that didn’t mean they could stop them. Bickerstaff called the pair “unguardable” at shootaround, and that scenario played out.
Fasting between dawn and sunset in observance of Ramadan, Irving poured in 34 points with 12 assists. He hit 12 of 15 shots and didn’t miss until 10:09 remained.
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“I always say about Kyrie in a March Madness, one-game type of situation he’s a tough guy to bet against,” said Cavs five-time All-Star forward Kevin Love, Irving’s teammate on the Cavs’ 2016 championship team. “Seen this movie before, but still, there’s just times where he comes out and plays out of his mind and that’s why he’s a future Hall of Famer. You just kind of have to tip your hat to him. He hit some really tough, contested shots.”
The stealthy Durant delivered back-to-back daggers that pushed the lead to 10 with 3:37 to go and finished with 25 points, five rebounds, and 11 assists.
“KD being 6-[10] and him shooting right over you is a different story,” Love said. “KD and Kyrie, they hit some shots where you just shake your head and say, ‘No matter what kind of defense you play, they make it work.’
“We were really putting pressure on them. Kyrie had five fouls for a good chunk of the second half. But he was able to stay on the floor and be incredibly effective. And KD kind of the same thing. We were trying to make the other guys beat us, get the ball out of their hands. But again, easier said than done against two guys who have put in 10-plus, 14-plus years of work.”
Friday’s opponent will be determined Wednesday night, but both the Hawks and Hornets offer similar challenges. Hawks’ two-time All-Star guard Trae Young averaged 32.5 points against the Cavs in four games this season. The Hornets’ offensive attack revolves around three players — Miles Bridges (20.2 points per game), LaMelo Ball (20.1, 6.7 assists), and Shaker Heights High School product Terry Rozier (19.3).
The Cavs’ performance against the Nets also reinforced the importance of being careful with the ball, as Brooklyn had a 24-10 edge in points off turnovers.
Cavs point guard Darius Garland said the atmosphere was much like that in Barclays Center on Friday, when the Cavs lost 118-107, giving the Nets’ the series tiebreaker.
Asked what insights he gained about postseason basketball, Garland said, “The intensity is a lot higher. Taking care of the ball, getting a good shot every possession. Just knowing time and score, trying to get stops. I learned a lot from this game.”
Cavs’ Rookie of the Year candidate Evan Mobley shows composure
But Bickerstaff and his players also found a few things to like.
Cavs’ Rookie of the Year candidate Mobley showed his composure, contributing 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and the two blocks.
“That’s him. We’re not surprised,” Bickerstaff said. “I thought he got better as the game went on… that aggression was more.”
Added Love, “Ev just has that quiet confidence about him, he lets everything come to him, he doesn’t force anything. I think it was a good experience for him and a big chance for him to get that experience and get better.”
Garland turned it on in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 of his 34 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
“I thought he was finding his way in the first quarter,” Bickerstaff said as Garland opened with seven points. “But as the game went on, he settled in and he was who we needed him to be. I think we cut it to five at one point and a lot of that was on his back from him, so he’s learning and I expect him to be better on Friday.
“It’s been a conversation up to this point, and he knows now when and he knows what we need and how to go and get it.”
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Bickerstaff’s voice was perhaps raspier than it’s ever been after a game this season. But Garland and Love showed no evidence of the pressure of the situation, kidding each other as they sat together fielding questions.
Love said the final three quarters gave the Cavs confidence, and their 25-16 record at home may add to that.
“We’re going to need that place buzzing,” Love said. “We’ve got to fill that place and we’ve got to have the fans having our back. And I know that they will.”
Marla Ridenour can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Cavs at www.beaconjournal.com/cavs. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism