CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; The Cleveland Cavaliers opened NBA free agency by agreeing with forward Caris LeVert on a two-year, $32 million contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday.
LeVert bounced between starter and reserve last season for the Cavs, who won 51 games in the regular season and ended their postseason drought before losing to the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because league rules prohibit teams from announcing deals until next week.
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; The Cleveland Cavaliers opened NBA free agency by agreeing with forward Caris LeVert on a two-year, $32 million contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday.
LeVert bounced between starter and reserve last season for the Cavs, who won 51 games in the regular season and ended their postseason drought before losing to the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because league rules prohibit teams from announcing deals until next week.
LeVert averaged 12.1 points, 3.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds last season. He was expected to have a larger role before the Cavs acquired All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in a blockbuster trade last summer.
Still, the 28-year-old LeVert, who came to Cleveland midway through the 2022 season, found his niche and was also one of the team&rsquo;s best on-ball defenders.
Cleveland has been desperate to find a two-way wing to go along with its young core &mdash; Mitchell, guard Darius Garland, forward Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen.
The Cavs are expected to be active in free agency and have targeted several players, including Miami shooting guard Max Strus and Philadelphia forward Georges Niang.

The Cleveland Cavaliers opened NBA free agency by agreeing with forward Caris LeVert on a two-year, $32 million contract.

Cavaliers agree with forward Caris LeVert on 2-year, $32 million deal

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jalen Brunson scored 23 points, RJ Barrett added 21 and the New York Knicks downed the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2013.
The Knicks easily controlled a series that was more one-sided than expected, even after Julius Randle aggravated his left ankle injury and missed the second half.
New York won the opener at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, overpowered the Cavs twice at noisy Madison Square Garden and then returned to Cleveland to finish the job. The fifth-seeded Knicks will meet the Miami-Milwaukee winner next.
Brunson was the consistent ingredient throughout the series for the Knicks, who signed the stocky guard as a free agent last summer before their attempt to acquire Donovan Mitchell in a trade from Utah fell apart and he landed in Cleveland.
Brunson averaged 24 points in the series and led New York in scoring all four wins while outplaying Mitchell for the second straight postseason. Last year, Brunson was with Dallas when he got the best of Mitchell.
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jalen Brunson scored 23 points, RJ Barrett added 21 and the New York Knicks downed the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2013.
The Knicks easily controlled a series that was more one-sided than expected, even after Julius Randle aggravated his left ankle injury and missed the second half.
New York won the opener at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, overpowered the Cavs twice at noisy Madison Square Garden and then returned to Cleveland to finish the job. The fifth-seeded Knicks will meet the Miami-Milwaukee winner next.
Brunson was the consistent ingredient throughout the series for the Knicks, who signed the stocky guard as a free agent last summer before their attempt to acquire Donovan Mitchell in a trade from Utah fell apart and he landed in Cleveland.
Brunson averaged 24 points in the series and led New York in scoring all four wins while outplaying Mitchell for the second straight postseason. Last year, Brunson was with Dallas when he got the best of Mitchell.
Mitchell scored 28 and Darius Garland 21 for the Cavs, who won 51 games during the regular season but whose inexperience showed throughout their first playoff series in five years. The Cavs weren&rsquo;t ready.
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jalen Brunson scored 23 points, RJ Barrett added 21 and the New York Knicks downed the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2013.
The Knicks easily controlled a series that was more one-sided than expected, even after Julius Randle aggravated his left ankle injury and missed the second half.
New York won the opener at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, overpowered the Cavs twice at noisy Madison Square Garden and then returned to Cleveland to finish the job. The fifth-seeded Knicks will meet the Miami-Milwaukee winner next.
Brunson was the consistent ingredient throughout the series for the Knicks, who signed the stocky guard as a free agent last summer before their attempt to acquire Donovan Mitchell in a trade from Utah fell apart and he landed in Cleveland.
Brunson averaged 24 points in the series and led New York in scoring all four wins while outplaying Mitchell for the second straight postseason. Last year, Brunson was with Dallas when he got the best of Mitchell.
Mitchell scored 28 and Darius Garland 21 for the Cavs, who won 51 games during the regular season but whose inexperience showed throughout their first playoff series in five years. The Cavs weren&rsquo;t ready.
A bigger issue, though, seemed to be Cleveland&rsquo;s toughness. The Cavs got pushed around and outrebounded in all four losses, including 48-30 in the clincher.
New York center Mitchell Robinson finished with`18 rebounds &mdash; 11 offensive &mdash; in Game 5 and the 7-footer didn&rsquo;t shy away from calling out the Cavs for being soft after Game 3, saying they appeared to be shaken.
Cleveland hoped to recapture some of its 2016 magic and overcome a 3-1 deficit like LeBron James and the Cavs did in the NBA Finals to shock Golden State. But Brunson, Barrett and the rest of the Knicks had other plans.
They closed out the Cavs in the second half without Randle.
The All-Star forward left late in the second quarter after aggravating a sprained left ankle and didn&rsquo;t return. Obi Toppin started in his place and scored 12 points in the third quarter as the Knicks opened an 18-point lead.
New York never let Cleveland get closer than six in the fourth, much to the delight of several hundred Knicks fans who celebrated behind their bench.
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jalen Brunson scored 23 points, RJ Barrett added 21 and the New York Knicks downed the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2013.
The Knicks easily controlled a series that was more one-sided than expected, even after Julius Randle aggravated his left ankle injury and missed the second half.
New York won the opener at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, overpowered the Cavs twice at noisy Madison Square Garden and then returned to Cleveland to finish the job. The fifth-seeded Knicks will meet the Miami-Milwaukee winner next.
Brunson was the consistent ingredient throughout the series for the Knicks, who signed the stocky guard as a free agent last summer before their attempt to acquire Donovan Mitchell in a trade from Utah fell apart and he landed in Cleveland.
Brunson averaged 24 points in the series and led New York in scoring all four wins while outplaying Mitchell for the second straight postseason. Last year, Brunson was with Dallas when he got the best of Mitchell.
Mitchell scored 28 and Darius Garland 21 for the Cavs, who won 51 games during the regular season but whose inexperience showed throughout their first playoff series in five years. The Cavs weren&rsquo;t ready.
A bigger issue, though, seemed to be Cleveland&rsquo;s toughness. The Cavs got pushed around and outrebounded in all four losses, including 48-30 in the clincher.
New York center Mitchell Robinson finished with`18 rebounds &mdash; 11 offensive &mdash; in Game 5 and the 7-footer didn&rsquo;t shy away from calling out the Cavs for being soft after Game 3, saying they appeared to be shaken.
Cleveland hoped to recapture some of its 2016 magic and overcome a 3-1 deficit like LeBron James and the Cavs did in the NBA Finals to shock Golden State. But Brunson, Barrett and the rest of the Knicks had other plans.
They closed out the Cavs in the second half without Randle.
The All-Star forward left late in the second quarter after aggravating a sprained left ankle and didn&rsquo;t return. Obi Toppin started in his place and scored 12 points in the third quarter as the Knicks opened an 18-point lead.
New York never let Cleveland get closer than six in the fourth, much to the delight of several hundred Knicks fans who celebrated behind their bench.
Randle was moving as well as he had in the series before going down.
After trying to block Caris LeVert&rsquo;s jumper, he landed awkwardly and stayed on the floor for a few minutes while being checked. Randle was helped to his feet but defiantly walked off the floor and to the locker room for treatment.
Turns out, the Knicks didn&rsquo;t need him.
New York&rsquo;s depth was also a huge factor in the series. Every time coach Tom Thibodeau turned to a reserve, they responded.
That wasn&rsquo;t the case for the Cavs and coach J.B. Bickerstaff, whose bench was a problem all season and was further exposed when the games were more meaningful.
One sequence in the first half underscored Cleveland&rsquo;s frustration.
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jalen Brunson scored 23 points, RJ Barrett added 21 and the New York Knicks downed the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2013.
The Knicks easily controlled a series that was more one-sided than expected, even after Julius Randle aggravated his left ankle injury and missed the second half.
New York won the opener at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, overpowered the Cavs twice at noisy Madison Square Garden and then returned to Cleveland to finish the job. The fifth-seeded Knicks will meet the Miami-Milwaukee winner next.
Brunson was the consistent ingredient throughout the series for the Knicks, who signed the stocky guard as a free agent last summer before their attempt to acquire Donovan Mitchell in a trade from Utah fell apart and he landed in Cleveland.
Brunson averaged 24 points in the series and led New York in scoring all four wins while outplaying Mitchell for the second straight postseason. Last year, Brunson was with Dallas when he got the best of Mitchell.
Mitchell scored 28 and Darius Garland 21 for the Cavs, who won 51 games during the regular season but whose inexperience showed throughout their first playoff series in five years. The Cavs weren&rsquo;t ready.
A bigger issue, though, seemed to be Cleveland&rsquo;s toughness. The Cavs got pushed around and outrebounded in all four losses, including 48-30 in the clincher.
New York center Mitchell Robinson finished with`18 rebounds &mdash; 11 offensive &mdash; in Game 5 and the 7-footer didn&rsquo;t shy away from calling out the Cavs for being soft after Game 3, saying they appeared to be shaken.
Cleveland hoped to recapture some of its 2016 magic and overcome a 3-1 deficit like LeBron James and the Cavs did in the NBA Finals to shock Golden State. But Brunson, Barrett and the rest of the Knicks had other plans.
They closed out the Cavs in the second half without Randle.
The All-Star forward left late in the second quarter after aggravating a sprained left ankle and didn&rsquo;t return. Obi Toppin started in his place and scored 12 points in the third quarter as the Knicks opened an 18-point lead.
New York never let Cleveland get closer than six in the fourth, much to the delight of several hundred Knicks fans who celebrated behind their bench.
Randle was moving as well as he had in the series before going down.
After trying to block Caris LeVert&rsquo;s jumper, he landed awkwardly and stayed on the floor for a few minutes while being checked. Randle was helped to his feet but defiantly walked off the floor and to the locker room for treatment.
Turns out, the Knicks didn&rsquo;t need him.
New York&rsquo;s depth was also a huge factor in the series. Every time coach Tom Thibodeau turned to a reserve, they responded.
That wasn&rsquo;t the case for the Cavs and coach J.B. Bickerstaff, whose bench was a problem all season and was further exposed when the games were more meaningful.
One sequence in the first half underscored Cleveland&rsquo;s frustration.
Isolated on the wing against Brunson, Isaac Okoro refused to bite on a move and kept New York&rsquo;s guard in front of him and nearly came up with a steal before fumbling it out of bounds with two seconds left on the 24-second shot clock.
New York inbounded and Immanuel Quickley hit a 3-pointer to put the Knicks ahead by 12.
TIP-INS
Knicks: G Quentin Grimes missed his second straight game with a bruised right shoulder. He&rsquo;s been out since absorbing a hit in the first half of Game 3. ... New York improved to 13-2 in the postseason against Cleveland, winning all four series (1978, 1995, 1996 and 2023).
Cavaliers: With 23 points adn 10 assists in Game 4 , Garland became the second Cleveland player to 23 or younger to post those totals in a playoff game. James did it eight times with the Cavs. ... Cleveland is 46-15 at home in the playoffs since 2008, losing elimination games in the arena in 2015, 2018 and 2023.

The Cavaliers beat the Knicks 106-95 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to advance to the second round for the first time since 2013.

Knicks advance to second round, down Cavs 106-95 in Game 5

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland couldn&rsquo;t change what happened in a disappointing playoff debut.
On Tuesday night, Garland made sure he didn&rsquo;t repeat it.
Setting the tone with his aggressiveness from the start, Garland scored 26 of his 32 points in the first half and the Cavaliers evened their Eastern Conference playoff series against New York at one game apiece with a 107-90 victory.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the All-Star we know, and it was good to see,&rdquo; said Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell, one of many who urged Garland to be more assertive. &ldquo;He came out with a purpose. There was just a different look in his eye.&rdquo;
Garland scored 15 points in the second quarter, when Cleveland tightened down defensively and dominated New York, forcing nine turnovers on the way to opening a 20-point halftime lead. The Cavs pushed their lead to 29 in the fourth.
For two days, Garland had beaten himself up for his performance in Game 1, when he didn&rsquo;t attempt a shot in the fourth quarter and finished with one assist in 43 minutes. During film sessions, his teammates pointed out moments when he needed to shoot. Everywhere he went, he heard the same message.
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland couldn&rsquo;t change what happened in a disappointing playoff debut.
On Tuesday night, Garland made sure he didn&rsquo;t repeat it.
Setting the tone with his aggressiveness from the start, Garland scored 26 of his 32 points in the first half and the Cavaliers evened their Eastern Conference playoff series against New York at one game apiece with a 107-90 victory.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the All-Star we know, and it was good to see,&rdquo; said Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell, one of many who urged Garland to be more assertive. &ldquo;He came out with a purpose. There was just a different look in his eye.&rdquo;
Garland scored 15 points in the second quarter, when Cleveland tightened down defensively and dominated New York, forcing nine turnovers on the way to opening a 20-point halftime lead. The Cavs pushed their lead to 29 in the fourth.
For two days, Garland had beaten himself up for his performance in Game 1, when he didn&rsquo;t attempt a shot in the fourth quarter and finished with one assist in 43 minutes. During film sessions, his teammates pointed out moments when he needed to shoot. Everywhere he went, he heard the same message.
&ldquo;Everybody in the building told me to go be aggressive, go shoot the ball,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I watched the film from the first game and seeing some opportunities where I can go get mine and go be aggressive and that&rsquo;s what I just tried to do today.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland couldn&rsquo;t change what happened in a disappointing playoff debut.
On Tuesday night, Garland made sure he didn&rsquo;t repeat it.
Setting the tone with his aggressiveness from the start, Garland scored 26 of his 32 points in the first half and the Cavaliers evened their Eastern Conference playoff series against New York at one game apiece with a 107-90 victory.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the All-Star we know, and it was good to see,&rdquo; said Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell, one of many who urged Garland to be more assertive. &ldquo;He came out with a purpose. There was just a different look in his eye.&rdquo;
Garland scored 15 points in the second quarter, when Cleveland tightened down defensively and dominated New York, forcing nine turnovers on the way to opening a 20-point halftime lead. The Cavs pushed their lead to 29 in the fourth.
For two days, Garland had beaten himself up for his performance in Game 1, when he didn&rsquo;t attempt a shot in the fourth quarter and finished with one assist in 43 minutes. During film sessions, his teammates pointed out moments when he needed to shoot. Everywhere he went, he heard the same message.
&ldquo;Everybody in the building told me to go be aggressive, go shoot the ball,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I watched the film from the first game and seeing some opportunities where I can go get mine and go be aggressive and that&rsquo;s what I just tried to do today.&rdquo;
Cleveland&rsquo;s blowout ended with a hard foul and some questions about why New York&rsquo;s starters were still on the floor.
With the Knicks down by 23, Julius Randle went in for a breakaway dunk and was hit by Cavs center Jarrett Allen and New York&rsquo;s All-Star forward fell awkwardly out of bounds. Randle was upset by the contact and exchanged words with several Cavs players and coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
&ldquo;I thought it was a little unnecessary,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;I understand that in the playoffs, you don&rsquo;t give up on plays. But typically, you run across the body. Not like that.&rdquo;
Allen was called for flagrant foul, which Bickerstaff felt was undeserved.
&ldquo;They kept playing hard. They kept running through passing lanes. Why would one team play hard and not the other,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There was nothing dirty about the play. It wasn&rsquo;t a flagrant foul. He contested a shot at the rim. It&rsquo;s that simple.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland couldn&rsquo;t change what happened in a disappointing playoff debut.
On Tuesday night, Garland made sure he didn&rsquo;t repeat it.
Setting the tone with his aggressiveness from the start, Garland scored 26 of his 32 points in the first half and the Cavaliers evened their Eastern Conference playoff series against New York at one game apiece with a 107-90 victory.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the All-Star we know, and it was good to see,&rdquo; said Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell, one of many who urged Garland to be more assertive. &ldquo;He came out with a purpose. There was just a different look in his eye.&rdquo;
Garland scored 15 points in the second quarter, when Cleveland tightened down defensively and dominated New York, forcing nine turnovers on the way to opening a 20-point halftime lead. The Cavs pushed their lead to 29 in the fourth.
For two days, Garland had beaten himself up for his performance in Game 1, when he didn&rsquo;t attempt a shot in the fourth quarter and finished with one assist in 43 minutes. During film sessions, his teammates pointed out moments when he needed to shoot. Everywhere he went, he heard the same message.
&ldquo;Everybody in the building told me to go be aggressive, go shoot the ball,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I watched the film from the first game and seeing some opportunities where I can go get mine and go be aggressive and that&rsquo;s what I just tried to do today.&rdquo;
Cleveland&rsquo;s blowout ended with a hard foul and some questions about why New York&rsquo;s starters were still on the floor.
With the Knicks down by 23, Julius Randle went in for a breakaway dunk and was hit by Cavs center Jarrett Allen and New York&rsquo;s All-Star forward fell awkwardly out of bounds. Randle was upset by the contact and exchanged words with several Cavs players and coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
&ldquo;I thought it was a little unnecessary,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;I understand that in the playoffs, you don&rsquo;t give up on plays. But typically, you run across the body. Not like that.&rdquo;
Allen was called for flagrant foul, which Bickerstaff felt was undeserved.
&ldquo;They kept playing hard. They kept running through passing lanes. Why would one team play hard and not the other,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There was nothing dirty about the play. It wasn&rsquo;t a flagrant foul. He contested a shot at the rim. It&rsquo;s that simple.&rdquo;
Caris LeVert scored 24 points off the bench and Mitchell added 17 and a career playoff-high 13 assists for the Cavs, who were much more physical than in Game 1 and went toe to toe with the Knicks.
Randle scored 22 points and Jalen Brunson added 20 for New York, which got the split it needed in rowdy Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to head home for Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
&ldquo;You know what to expect,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the Garden. It&rsquo;s the Garden.&rdquo;
The Cavs matched the Knicks&rsquo; physicality from the outset, winning the 50/50 balls that went to New York in the opener. And if handling Cleveland&rsquo;s new-found toughness wasn&rsquo;t enough of a challenge, the Knicks bashed each other.
During one sequence in the second quarter as the Cavs were beginning to pull away, Randle turned to run up the floor and accidentally smacked Brunson in the face, causing his teammate to recoil in pain.

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland couldn&rsquo;t change what happened in a disappointing playoff debut.
On Tuesday night, Garland made sure he didn&rsquo;t repeat it.
Setting the tone with his aggressiveness from the start, Garland scored 26 of his 32 points in the first half and the Cavaliers evened their Eastern Conference playoff series against New York at one game apiece with a 107-90 victory.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the All-Star we know, and it was good to see,&rdquo; said Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell, one of many who urged Garland to be more assertive. &ldquo;He came out with a purpose. There was just a different look in his eye.&rdquo;
Garland scored 15 points in the second quarter, when Cleveland tightened down defensively and dominated New York, forcing nine turnovers on the way to opening a 20-point halftime lead. The Cavs pushed their lead to 29 in the fourth.
For two days, Garland had beaten himself up for his performance in Game 1, when he didn&rsquo;t attempt a shot in the fourth quarter and finished with one assist in 43 minutes. During film sessions, his teammates pointed out moments when he needed to shoot. Everywhere he went, he heard the same message.
&ldquo;Everybody in the building told me to go be aggressive, go shoot the ball,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I watched the film from the first game and seeing some opportunities where I can go get mine and go be aggressive and that&rsquo;s what I just tried to do today.&rdquo;
Cleveland&rsquo;s blowout ended with a hard foul and some questions about why New York&rsquo;s starters were still on the floor.
With the Knicks down by 23, Julius Randle went in for a breakaway dunk and was hit by Cavs center Jarrett Allen and New York&rsquo;s All-Star forward fell awkwardly out of bounds. Randle was upset by the contact and exchanged words with several Cavs players and coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
&ldquo;I thought it was a little unnecessary,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;I understand that in the playoffs, you don&rsquo;t give up on plays. But typically, you run across the body. Not like that.&rdquo;
Allen was called for flagrant foul, which Bickerstaff felt was undeserved.
&ldquo;They kept playing hard. They kept running through passing lanes. Why would one team play hard and not the other,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There was nothing dirty about the play. It wasn&rsquo;t a flagrant foul. He contested a shot at the rim. It&rsquo;s that simple.&rdquo;
Caris LeVert scored 24 points off the bench and Mitchell added 17 and a career playoff-high 13 assists for the Cavs, who were much more physical than in Game 1 and went toe to toe with the Knicks.
Randle scored 22 points and Jalen Brunson added 20 for New York, which got the split it needed in rowdy Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to head home for Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
&ldquo;You know what to expect,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the Garden. It&rsquo;s the Garden.&rdquo;
The Cavs matched the Knicks&rsquo; physicality from the outset, winning the 50/50 balls that went to New York in the opener. And if handling Cleveland&rsquo;s new-found toughness wasn&rsquo;t enough of a challenge, the Knicks bashed each other.
During one sequence in the second quarter as the Cavs were beginning to pull away, Randle turned to run up the floor and accidentally smacked Brunson in the face, causing his teammate to recoil in pain.
Garland inflicted his own damage.
The 23-year-old was uncharacteristically timid in Game 1 and heard about it from fans and teammates. Following practice Monday, he had a deep conversation with Mitchell, who urged him to be let loose.
Garland got the message.
He drained a pair of 3-pointers during a 13-4 run in the second quarter and then showed no fear when he drove to the basket and tried to dunk over 7-foot Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein, who got away with goaltending while fouling Cleveland&rsquo;s guard.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen him try to dunk on anyone, let alone a seven-footer,&rdquo; Mitchell said.
The Cavs bench erupted at seeing Garland&rsquo;s bravado, and Mitchell slapped his hands before urging the sellout crowd to recognize him. The moment seemed to rattle the Knicks as New York&rsquo;s Josh Hart was called for a technical foul.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Didn&rsquo;t score a field goal in the first 5:13 of the second quarter. ... Randle had two extended conversations in the second with referee Tony Brothers. ... Hart was ineffective on the balky ankle. He scored just 5 points after getting 17 in Game 1.
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland couldn&rsquo;t change what happened in a disappointing playoff debut.
On Tuesday night, Garland made sure he didn&rsquo;t repeat it.
Setting the tone with his aggressiveness from the start, Garland scored 26 of his 32 points in the first half and the Cavaliers evened their Eastern Conference playoff series against New York at one game apiece with a 107-90 victory.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the All-Star we know, and it was good to see,&rdquo; said Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell, one of many who urged Garland to be more assertive. &ldquo;He came out with a purpose. There was just a different look in his eye.&rdquo;
Garland scored 15 points in the second quarter, when Cleveland tightened down defensively and dominated New York, forcing nine turnovers on the way to opening a 20-point halftime lead. The Cavs pushed their lead to 29 in the fourth.
For two days, Garland had beaten himself up for his performance in Game 1, when he didn&rsquo;t attempt a shot in the fourth quarter and finished with one assist in 43 minutes. During film sessions, his teammates pointed out moments when he needed to shoot. Everywhere he went, he heard the same message.
&ldquo;Everybody in the building told me to go be aggressive, go shoot the ball,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I watched the film from the first game and seeing some opportunities where I can go get mine and go be aggressive and that&rsquo;s what I just tried to do today.&rdquo;
Cleveland&rsquo;s blowout ended with a hard foul and some questions about why New York&rsquo;s starters were still on the floor.
With the Knicks down by 23, Julius Randle went in for a breakaway dunk and was hit by Cavs center Jarrett Allen and New York&rsquo;s All-Star forward fell awkwardly out of bounds. Randle was upset by the contact and exchanged words with several Cavs players and coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
&ldquo;I thought it was a little unnecessary,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;I understand that in the playoffs, you don&rsquo;t give up on plays. But typically, you run across the body. Not like that.&rdquo;
Allen was called for flagrant foul, which Bickerstaff felt was undeserved.
&ldquo;They kept playing hard. They kept running through passing lanes. Why would one team play hard and not the other,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There was nothing dirty about the play. It wasn&rsquo;t a flagrant foul. He contested a shot at the rim. It&rsquo;s that simple.&rdquo;
Caris LeVert scored 24 points off the bench and Mitchell added 17 and a career playoff-high 13 assists for the Cavs, who were much more physical than in Game 1 and went toe to toe with the Knicks.
Randle scored 22 points and Jalen Brunson added 20 for New York, which got the split it needed in rowdy Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to head home for Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
&ldquo;You know what to expect,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the Garden. It&rsquo;s the Garden.&rdquo;
The Cavs matched the Knicks&rsquo; physicality from the outset, winning the 50/50 balls that went to New York in the opener. And if handling Cleveland&rsquo;s new-found toughness wasn&rsquo;t enough of a challenge, the Knicks bashed each other.
During one sequence in the second quarter as the Cavs were beginning to pull away, Randle turned to run up the floor and accidentally smacked Brunson in the face, causing his teammate to recoil in pain.
Garland inflicted his own damage.
The 23-year-old was uncharacteristically timid in Game 1 and heard about it from fans and teammates. Following practice Monday, he had a deep conversation with Mitchell, who urged him to be let loose.
Garland got the message.
He drained a pair of 3-pointers during a 13-4 run in the second quarter and then showed no fear when he drove to the basket and tried to dunk over 7-foot Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein, who got away with goaltending while fouling Cleveland&rsquo;s guard.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen him try to dunk on anyone, let alone a seven-footer,&rdquo; Mitchell said.
The Cavs bench erupted at seeing Garland&rsquo;s bravado, and Mitchell slapped his hands before urging the sellout crowd to recognize him. The moment seemed to rattle the Knicks as New York&rsquo;s Josh Hart was called for a technical foul.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Didn&rsquo;t score a field goal in the first 5:13 of the second quarter. ... Randle had two extended conversations in the second with referee Tony Brothers. ... Hart was ineffective on the balky ankle. He scored just 5 points after getting 17 in Game 1.
Cavaliers: Scored 19 points off turnovers in the second quarter, and 27 in the first half. Cleveland is the first team to do that since Denver in 2009. ... F Danny Green made his first appearance in the series, scoring 3 points in 20 minutes. His 315 career playoff 3-pointers are ninth most in NBA history. ... F Isaac Okoro picked up two early fouls and played just three minutes. ... Garland&rsquo;s 26 points in the first half were three shy of the club playoff record for a half held by LeBron James (2018). ... Cleveland snapped a five-game playoff losing streak.
UP NEXT
The Knicks host their first playoff game since June 2, 2021, on Friday. New York is 3-1 at home in the playoffs against Cleveland.

The Cavaliers evened their Eastern Conference playoff series against New York at one game apiece with a 107-90 victory.

Garland scores 32, Cavs beat Knicks 107-90 to even series

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle joked about being out of shape and Josh Hart walked into the postgame news conference wearing&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/KnicksMSGN/status/1647411361801027584?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a T-shirt with a photo of teammate Jalen Brunson</a>&nbsp;on the front.
The Knicks could finally relax.
Finally at full strength, and following a worrisome few weeks, New York&rsquo;s season looks much brighter.
Brunson shook off foul trouble and scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half, Randle returned from an ankle injury to add 19 &mdash; and a critical final rebound &mdash; and the Knicks welcomed Cleveland back to the NBA playoffs by holding off the Cavaliers 101-97 on Saturday night in Game 1.
Brunson was limited to nine minutes in the first half, but hit several big shots down the stretch as the Knicks turned back Cleveland&rsquo;s late rally led by All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 38 points.
With the Knicks clinging to a 99-97 lead, Brunson missed a pullup with nine seconds left and Randle bailed out New York with his 10th rebound &mdash; and the team&rsquo;s 17th offensive board &mdash; that led to Quentin Grimes making two free throws to seal the win.
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle joked about being out of shape and Josh Hart walked into the postgame news conference wearing&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/KnicksMSGN/status/1647411361801027584?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a T-shirt with a photo of teammate Jalen Brunson</a>&nbsp;on the front.
The Knicks could finally relax.
Finally at full strength, and following a worrisome few weeks, New York&rsquo;s season looks much brighter.
Brunson shook off foul trouble and scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half, Randle returned from an ankle injury to add 19 &mdash; and a critical final rebound &mdash; and the Knicks welcomed Cleveland back to the NBA playoffs by holding off the Cavaliers 101-97 on Saturday night in Game 1.
Brunson was limited to nine minutes in the first half, but hit several big shots down the stretch as the Knicks turned back Cleveland&rsquo;s late rally led by All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 38 points.
With the Knicks clinging to a 99-97 lead, Brunson missed a pullup with nine seconds left and Randle bailed out New York with his 10th rebound &mdash; and the team&rsquo;s 17th offensive board &mdash; that led to Quentin Grimes making two free throws to seal the win.
"You can&rsquo;t say enough about the monster rebound Julius made at the end,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;That rebound was huge. Huge.&rdquo;
Randle hadn&rsquo;t played since March 29 because of a sprained left ankle, and said he was thankful he had enough energy for one last jump.
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle joked about being out of shape and Josh Hart walked into the postgame news conference wearing&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/KnicksMSGN/status/1647411361801027584?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a T-shirt with a photo of teammate Jalen Brunson</a>&nbsp;on the front.
The Knicks could finally relax.
Finally at full strength, and following a worrisome few weeks, New York&rsquo;s season looks much brighter.
Brunson shook off foul trouble and scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half, Randle returned from an ankle injury to add 19 &mdash; and a critical final rebound &mdash; and the Knicks welcomed Cleveland back to the NBA playoffs by holding off the Cavaliers 101-97 on Saturday night in Game 1.
Brunson was limited to nine minutes in the first half, but hit several big shots down the stretch as the Knicks turned back Cleveland&rsquo;s late rally led by All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 38 points.
With the Knicks clinging to a 99-97 lead, Brunson missed a pullup with nine seconds left and Randle bailed out New York with his 10th rebound &mdash; and the team&rsquo;s 17th offensive board &mdash; that led to Quentin Grimes making two free throws to seal the win.
"You can&rsquo;t say enough about the monster rebound Julius made at the end,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;That rebound was huge. Huge.&rdquo;
Randle hadn&rsquo;t played since March 29 because of a sprained left ankle, and said he was thankful he had enough energy for one last jump.
&ldquo;You see me breathing out there today?&rdquo; said Randle, who played 34 minutes. &ldquo;I was tired as hell. But it was just about winning at that point.&rdquo;
Randle was reminded that the Knicks had a similar play in Game 1 against Atlanta in 2021 but didn&rsquo;t come up with the ball.
&ldquo;Funny how things turn, right,&rdquo; he said.
Game 2 is Tuesday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Mitchell scored 14 points in the fourth, but it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the young Cavs, who disappointed a raucous, towel-waving Cleveland crowd that hadn&rsquo;t seen a playoff game since the 2018 NBA Finals.
It&rsquo;s been a long road back for Cleveland, which wasn&rsquo;t as hurt by its inexperience as lack of production from the bench.
&ldquo;First off, this isn&rsquo;t the end of the world. We got to go get one right back,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no room to sit here and feel sorry or feel upset and get down. It&rsquo;s one game. We will respond.&rdquo;
Hart added 17 points &mdash; and hit a big 3-pointer down the stretch &mdash; and 10 rebounds in his playoff debut for New York, whose reserves outscored the Cavs 37-14.
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle joked about being out of shape and Josh Hart walked into the postgame news conference wearing&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/KnicksMSGN/status/1647411361801027584?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a T-shirt with a photo of teammate Jalen Brunson</a>&nbsp;on the front.
The Knicks could finally relax.
Finally at full strength, and following a worrisome few weeks, New York&rsquo;s season looks much brighter.
Brunson shook off foul trouble and scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half, Randle returned from an ankle injury to add 19 &mdash; and a critical final rebound &mdash; and the Knicks welcomed Cleveland back to the NBA playoffs by holding off the Cavaliers 101-97 on Saturday night in Game 1.
Brunson was limited to nine minutes in the first half, but hit several big shots down the stretch as the Knicks turned back Cleveland&rsquo;s late rally led by All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 38 points.
With the Knicks clinging to a 99-97 lead, Brunson missed a pullup with nine seconds left and Randle bailed out New York with his 10th rebound &mdash; and the team&rsquo;s 17th offensive board &mdash; that led to Quentin Grimes making two free throws to seal the win.
"You can&rsquo;t say enough about the monster rebound Julius made at the end,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;That rebound was huge. Huge.&rdquo;
Randle hadn&rsquo;t played since March 29 because of a sprained left ankle, and said he was thankful he had enough energy for one last jump.
&ldquo;You see me breathing out there today?&rdquo; said Randle, who played 34 minutes. &ldquo;I was tired as hell. But it was just about winning at that point.&rdquo;
Randle was reminded that the Knicks had a similar play in Game 1 against Atlanta in 2021 but didn&rsquo;t come up with the ball.
&ldquo;Funny how things turn, right,&rdquo; he said.
Game 2 is Tuesday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Mitchell scored 14 points in the fourth, but it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the young Cavs, who disappointed a raucous, towel-waving Cleveland crowd that hadn&rsquo;t seen a playoff game since the 2018 NBA Finals.
It&rsquo;s been a long road back for Cleveland, which wasn&rsquo;t as hurt by its inexperience as lack of production from the bench.
&ldquo;First off, this isn&rsquo;t the end of the world. We got to go get one right back,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no room to sit here and feel sorry or feel upset and get down. It&rsquo;s one game. We will respond.&rdquo;
Hart added 17 points &mdash; and hit a big 3-pointer down the stretch &mdash; and 10 rebounds in his playoff debut for New York, whose reserves outscored the Cavs 37-14.
Darius Garland scored 17 points and Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland. Evan Mobley had eight points of 4-of-13 shooting.
Randle missed New York&rsquo;s final five games after rolling his ankle on March 29, and the injury threatened to thwart New York&rsquo;s playoff hopes. However, he improved this week despite not taking much contact in practice and looked like himself from the outset.
His presence lifted the Knicks.
&ldquo;Seeing No. 30 out there was just a great sight,&rdquo; said Obi Toppin, who scored nine points in the third quarter.
Brunson picked up his second foul with 7:52 left in the first quarter, and Thibodeau had no choice but to replace the guard, who scored a career-high 48 points against the Cavs on March 31 &mdash; the first game Randle missed.
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle joked about being out of shape and Josh Hart walked into the postgame news conference wearing&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/KnicksMSGN/status/1647411361801027584?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a T-shirt with a photo of teammate Jalen Brunson</a>&nbsp;on the front.
The Knicks could finally relax.
Finally at full strength, and following a worrisome few weeks, New York&rsquo;s season looks much brighter.
Brunson shook off foul trouble and scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half, Randle returned from an ankle injury to add 19 &mdash; and a critical final rebound &mdash; and the Knicks welcomed Cleveland back to the NBA playoffs by holding off the Cavaliers 101-97 on Saturday night in Game 1.
Brunson was limited to nine minutes in the first half, but hit several big shots down the stretch as the Knicks turned back Cleveland&rsquo;s late rally led by All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 38 points.
With the Knicks clinging to a 99-97 lead, Brunson missed a pullup with nine seconds left and Randle bailed out New York with his 10th rebound &mdash; and the team&rsquo;s 17th offensive board &mdash; that led to Quentin Grimes making two free throws to seal the win.
"You can&rsquo;t say enough about the monster rebound Julius made at the end,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;That rebound was huge. Huge.&rdquo;
Randle hadn&rsquo;t played since March 29 because of a sprained left ankle, and said he was thankful he had enough energy for one last jump.
&ldquo;You see me breathing out there today?&rdquo; said Randle, who played 34 minutes. &ldquo;I was tired as hell. But it was just about winning at that point.&rdquo;
Randle was reminded that the Knicks had a similar play in Game 1 against Atlanta in 2021 but didn&rsquo;t come up with the ball.
&ldquo;Funny how things turn, right,&rdquo; he said.
Game 2 is Tuesday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Mitchell scored 14 points in the fourth, but it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the young Cavs, who disappointed a raucous, towel-waving Cleveland crowd that hadn&rsquo;t seen a playoff game since the 2018 NBA Finals.
It&rsquo;s been a long road back for Cleveland, which wasn&rsquo;t as hurt by its inexperience as lack of production from the bench.
&ldquo;First off, this isn&rsquo;t the end of the world. We got to go get one right back,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no room to sit here and feel sorry or feel upset and get down. It&rsquo;s one game. We will respond.&rdquo;
Hart added 17 points &mdash; and hit a big 3-pointer down the stretch &mdash; and 10 rebounds in his playoff debut for New York, whose reserves outscored the Cavs 37-14.
Darius Garland scored 17 points and Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland. Evan Mobley had eight points of 4-of-13 shooting.
Randle missed New York&rsquo;s final five games after rolling his ankle on March 29, and the injury threatened to thwart New York&rsquo;s playoff hopes. However, he improved this week despite not taking much contact in practice and looked like himself from the outset.
His presence lifted the Knicks.
&ldquo;Seeing No. 30 out there was just a great sight,&rdquo; said Obi Toppin, who scored nine points in the third quarter.
Brunson picked up his second foul with 7:52 left in the first quarter, and Thibodeau had no choice but to replace the guard, who scored a career-high 48 points against the Cavs on March 31 &mdash; the first game Randle missed.
Brunson&rsquo;s foul trouble had Hart concerned he made a poor fashion choice.
&ldquo;I told him I was going to wear it at some point,&rdquo; Hart said. &ldquo;Then he gets into foul trouble the day I wear it, so I&rsquo;m going to go burn it and never wear it again.&rdquo;
The Cavs didn&rsquo;t take advantage with Brunson out as New York reeled off 10 straight points and led 30-24 after one.
Brunson was back on the bench with his third foul midway through the second. Again, Cleveland failed to capitalize and the Knicks led 50-45 at half.
SCARY MOMENT
Mitchell landed hard on his lower back after vaulting off a courtside table and landing several rows into the stands while saving a loose ball in the second quarter.
He winced in pain while behind helped up and returning to the floor. Mitchell then thanked fans who cushioned his fall during a subsequent timeout.
&ldquo;I jumped at them intentionally, but they moved,&rdquo; said Mitchell, who sustained a small cut on his arm. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t blame them. I probably would have done the same thing. It&rsquo;s all love.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle joked about being out of shape and Josh Hart walked into the postgame news conference wearing&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/KnicksMSGN/status/1647411361801027584?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a T-shirt with a photo of teammate Jalen Brunson</a>&nbsp;on the front.
The Knicks could finally relax.
Finally at full strength, and following a worrisome few weeks, New York&rsquo;s season looks much brighter.
Brunson shook off foul trouble and scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half, Randle returned from an ankle injury to add 19 &mdash; and a critical final rebound &mdash; and the Knicks welcomed Cleveland back to the NBA playoffs by holding off the Cavaliers 101-97 on Saturday night in Game 1.
Brunson was limited to nine minutes in the first half, but hit several big shots down the stretch as the Knicks turned back Cleveland&rsquo;s late rally led by All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 38 points.
With the Knicks clinging to a 99-97 lead, Brunson missed a pullup with nine seconds left and Randle bailed out New York with his 10th rebound &mdash; and the team&rsquo;s 17th offensive board &mdash; that led to Quentin Grimes making two free throws to seal the win.
"You can&rsquo;t say enough about the monster rebound Julius made at the end,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;That rebound was huge. Huge.&rdquo;
Randle hadn&rsquo;t played since March 29 because of a sprained left ankle, and said he was thankful he had enough energy for one last jump.
&ldquo;You see me breathing out there today?&rdquo; said Randle, who played 34 minutes. &ldquo;I was tired as hell. But it was just about winning at that point.&rdquo;
Randle was reminded that the Knicks had a similar play in Game 1 against Atlanta in 2021 but didn&rsquo;t come up with the ball.
&ldquo;Funny how things turn, right,&rdquo; he said.
Game 2 is Tuesday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
Mitchell scored 14 points in the fourth, but it wasn&rsquo;t enough for the young Cavs, who disappointed a raucous, towel-waving Cleveland crowd that hadn&rsquo;t seen a playoff game since the 2018 NBA Finals.
It&rsquo;s been a long road back for Cleveland, which wasn&rsquo;t as hurt by its inexperience as lack of production from the bench.
&ldquo;First off, this isn&rsquo;t the end of the world. We got to go get one right back,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no room to sit here and feel sorry or feel upset and get down. It&rsquo;s one game. We will respond.&rdquo;
Hart added 17 points &mdash; and hit a big 3-pointer down the stretch &mdash; and 10 rebounds in his playoff debut for New York, whose reserves outscored the Cavs 37-14.
Darius Garland scored 17 points and Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland. Evan Mobley had eight points of 4-of-13 shooting.
Randle missed New York&rsquo;s final five games after rolling his ankle on March 29, and the injury threatened to thwart New York&rsquo;s playoff hopes. However, he improved this week despite not taking much contact in practice and looked like himself from the outset.
His presence lifted the Knicks.
&ldquo;Seeing No. 30 out there was just a great sight,&rdquo; said Obi Toppin, who scored nine points in the third quarter.
Brunson picked up his second foul with 7:52 left in the first quarter, and Thibodeau had no choice but to replace the guard, who scored a career-high 48 points against the Cavs on March 31 &mdash; the first game Randle missed.
Brunson&rsquo;s foul trouble had Hart concerned he made a poor fashion choice.
&ldquo;I told him I was going to wear it at some point,&rdquo; Hart said. &ldquo;Then he gets into foul trouble the day I wear it, so I&rsquo;m going to go burn it and never wear it again.&rdquo;
The Cavs didn&rsquo;t take advantage with Brunson out as New York reeled off 10 straight points and led 30-24 after one.
Brunson was back on the bench with his third foul midway through the second. Again, Cleveland failed to capitalize and the Knicks led 50-45 at half.
SCARY MOMENT
Mitchell landed hard on his lower back after vaulting off a courtside table and landing several rows into the stands while saving a loose ball in the second quarter.
He winced in pain while behind helped up and returning to the floor. Mitchell then thanked fans who cushioned his fall during a subsequent timeout.
&ldquo;I jumped at them intentionally, but they moved,&rdquo; said Mitchell, who sustained a small cut on his arm. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t blame them. I probably would have done the same thing. It&rsquo;s all love.&rdquo;
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
The Knicks have dominated the Cavs in the postseason, winning all three previous playoff series.
New York swept a three-game series in 1978 at the Coliseum in Richfield, won 3-1 in 1995 at Gund Arena and swept a best-of-5 series in 1996.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Impossible to miss while wearing New York&rsquo;s bright orange, super fan Spike Lee sat courtside. ... Recorded seven offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter.
Cavaliers: Mitchell is the fourth Cleveland to score at least 38 in a playoff game, joining LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Brad Daugherty. ... Cleveland hosted its 81st playoff game in the building, which was previously known as Gund Arena and Quicken Loans Arena. ... Four teams have winning postseason records in the arena &mdash; the Knicks (5-0), the Spurs (2-0), the Warriors (6-4) and Cavs (57-24). ... Browns star Myles Garrett and coach Kevin Stefanski sat near Cleveland&rsquo;s bench along with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.

The Knicks welcomed Cleveland back to the NBA playoffs by holding off the Cavaliers 101-97 on Saturday night in Game 1.

Brunson, Randle push Knicks past Cavaliers 101-97 in Game 1

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jarrett Allen scored 20 points, Evan Mobley added 19 and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their fourth straight game, 113-85 over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night despite resting their starting backcourt.
All-Star starter Donovan Mitchell (groin) and Darius Garland (thumb) got the night off to heal some nagging injuries and the Cavs barely missed their top guards, who average a combined 48.8 points.
With Allen and Mobley doing inside damage and combining for 21 points, Cleveland built an 18-point lead after one quarter.
The Pistons hung around and got within two in the third before the Cavs opened the fourth by outscoring Detroit 26-4 over the first seven minutes to put it away.
&ldquo;Jarrett did a great job of setting the tone,&rdquo; Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;There was a bunch of extra-effort plays that he made where he was just outworking the guy in front of him. He was able to get offensive rebounds, his teammates were finding him in the paint.
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jarrett Allen scored 20 points, Evan Mobley added 19 and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their fourth straight game, 113-85 over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night despite resting their starting backcourt.
All-Star starter Donovan Mitchell (groin) and Darius Garland (thumb) got the night off to heal some nagging injuries and the Cavs barely missed their top guards, who average a combined 48.8 points.
With Allen and Mobley doing inside damage and combining for 21 points, Cleveland built an 18-point lead after one quarter.
The Pistons hung around and got within two in the third before the Cavs opened the fourth by outscoring Detroit 26-4 over the first seven minutes to put it away.
&ldquo;Jarrett did a great job of setting the tone,&rdquo; Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;There was a bunch of extra-effort plays that he made where he was just outworking the guy in front of him. He was able to get offensive rebounds, his teammates were finding him in the paint.
&ldquo;And the same thing with Evan. They had opportunities to attack and were extremely aggressive.&rdquo;
Allen added 14 rebounds as the Cavs outrebounded the Pistons 48-32 and held them to their lowest point total this season.
&ldquo;These type of games are butt-kicking contests because they play physical offense,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;It was a great game for us to feel, to taste, to go up against a hard-nosed, physical playoff team.&rdquo;
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jarrett Allen scored 20 points, Evan Mobley added 19 and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their fourth straight game, 113-85 over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night despite resting their starting backcourt.
All-Star starter Donovan Mitchell (groin) and Darius Garland (thumb) got the night off to heal some nagging injuries and the Cavs barely missed their top guards, who average a combined 48.8 points.
With Allen and Mobley doing inside damage and combining for 21 points, Cleveland built an 18-point lead after one quarter.
The Pistons hung around and got within two in the third before the Cavs opened the fourth by outscoring Detroit 26-4 over the first seven minutes to put it away.
&ldquo;Jarrett did a great job of setting the tone,&rdquo; Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;There was a bunch of extra-effort plays that he made where he was just outworking the guy in front of him. He was able to get offensive rebounds, his teammates were finding him in the paint.
&ldquo;And the same thing with Evan. They had opportunities to attack and were extremely aggressive.&rdquo;
Allen added 14 rebounds as the Cavs outrebounded the Pistons 48-32 and held them to their lowest point total this season.
&ldquo;These type of games are butt-kicking contests because they play physical offense,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;It was a great game for us to feel, to taste, to go up against a hard-nosed, physical playoff team.&rdquo;
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 15 and rookie Jalen Duren 14 for Detroit. The Pistons have dropped nine of 11 and have the worst record (14-42) in the Eastern Conference.
Cavaliers swingman Caris LeVert, who has been mentioned in rumors leading into Thursday&rsquo;s NBA trade deadline, struggled for much of the game. He finished with 15 points &mdash; 10 in the fourth &mdash; on 5-of-16 shooting.
&ldquo;He knows we need him,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said, &ldquo;and he knows how to get to his spots and what he&rsquo;s capable of, so it&rsquo;s not one of those things where he&rsquo;s having a bad night and you just sit him down.&rdquo;
The Cavs are unlikely to make a significant move, but LeVert&rsquo;s expiring $18 million contract does make him attractive for a team looking to clear salary space in the offseason.
Cleveland hasn&rsquo;t lost since a tough three-point defeat at home against Miami.
&nbsp;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jarrett Allen scored 20 points, Evan Mobley added 19 and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their fourth straight game, 113-85 over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night despite resting their starting backcourt.
All-Star starter Donovan Mitchell (groin) and Darius Garland (thumb) got the night off to heal some nagging injuries and the Cavs barely missed their top guards, who average a combined 48.8 points.
With Allen and Mobley doing inside damage and combining for 21 points, Cleveland built an 18-point lead after one quarter.
The Pistons hung around and got within two in the third before the Cavs opened the fourth by outscoring Detroit 26-4 over the first seven minutes to put it away.
&ldquo;Jarrett did a great job of setting the tone,&rdquo; Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;There was a bunch of extra-effort plays that he made where he was just outworking the guy in front of him. He was able to get offensive rebounds, his teammates were finding him in the paint.
&ldquo;And the same thing with Evan. They had opportunities to attack and were extremely aggressive.&rdquo;
Allen added 14 rebounds as the Cavs outrebounded the Pistons 48-32 and held them to their lowest point total this season.
&ldquo;These type of games are butt-kicking contests because they play physical offense,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;It was a great game for us to feel, to taste, to go up against a hard-nosed, physical playoff team.&rdquo;
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 15 and rookie Jalen Duren 14 for Detroit. The Pistons have dropped nine of 11 and have the worst record (14-42) in the Eastern Conference.
Cavaliers swingman Caris LeVert, who has been mentioned in rumors leading into Thursday&rsquo;s NBA trade deadline, struggled for much of the game. He finished with 15 points &mdash; 10 in the fourth &mdash; on 5-of-16 shooting.
&ldquo;He knows we need him,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said, &ldquo;and he knows how to get to his spots and what he&rsquo;s capable of, so it&rsquo;s not one of those things where he&rsquo;s having a bad night and you just sit him down.&rdquo;
The Cavs are unlikely to make a significant move, but LeVert&rsquo;s expiring $18 million contract does make him attractive for a team looking to clear salary space in the offseason.
Cleveland hasn&rsquo;t lost since a tough three-point defeat at home against Miami.
&ldquo;I feel like everyone is just clicking right now,&rdquo; Mobley said. &ldquo;Everyone is in attack mode.&rdquo;
THE GREAT DEBATE
Now that he&rsquo;s the NBA&rsquo;s career scoring leader, LeBron James has checked a box on his resume that can&rsquo;t be equaled.
And while there will continue to be discussion over whether James or Michael Jordan is the greatest player in league history, Bickerstaff believes one argument has been settled.
&ldquo;I no longer think there is a debate over who had the greatest NBA career,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said, referring to James, who spent 11 seasons with Cleveland.
For Bickerstaff, James&rsquo; best attribute is his well-roundedness &mdash; as a player and person.
&ldquo;The way he has gone about his business,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a pros pro. He&rsquo;s about his teammates. He made everybody he plays with better. You can be a great player and be selfless. &rdquo;He&rsquo;s a hell of a role model for younger players.&rdquo;
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_3" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">&nbsp;</div>

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jarrett Allen scored 20 points, Evan Mobley added 19 and the Cleveland Cavaliers won their fourth straight game, 113-85 over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night despite resting their starting backcourt.
All-Star starter Donovan Mitchell (groin) and Darius Garland (thumb) got the night off to heal some nagging injuries and the Cavs barely missed their top guards, who average a combined 48.8 points.
With Allen and Mobley doing inside damage and combining for 21 points, Cleveland built an 18-point lead after one quarter.
The Pistons hung around and got within two in the third before the Cavs opened the fourth by outscoring Detroit 26-4 over the first seven minutes to put it away.
&ldquo;Jarrett did a great job of setting the tone,&rdquo; Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;There was a bunch of extra-effort plays that he made where he was just outworking the guy in front of him. He was able to get offensive rebounds, his teammates were finding him in the paint.
&ldquo;And the same thing with Evan. They had opportunities to attack and were extremely aggressive.&rdquo;
Allen added 14 rebounds as the Cavs outrebounded the Pistons 48-32 and held them to their lowest point total this season.
&ldquo;These type of games are butt-kicking contests because they play physical offense,&rdquo; Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. &ldquo;It was a great game for us to feel, to taste, to go up against a hard-nosed, physical playoff team.&rdquo;
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 15 and rookie Jalen Duren 14 for Detroit. The Pistons have dropped nine of 11 and have the worst record (14-42) in the Eastern Conference.
Cavaliers swingman Caris LeVert, who has been mentioned in rumors leading into Thursday&rsquo;s NBA trade deadline, struggled for much of the game. He finished with 15 points &mdash; 10 in the fourth &mdash; on 5-of-16 shooting.
&ldquo;He knows we need him,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said, &ldquo;and he knows how to get to his spots and what he&rsquo;s capable of, so it&rsquo;s not one of those things where he&rsquo;s having a bad night and you just sit him down.&rdquo;
The Cavs are unlikely to make a significant move, but LeVert&rsquo;s expiring $18 million contract does make him attractive for a team looking to clear salary space in the offseason.
Cleveland hasn&rsquo;t lost since a tough three-point defeat at home against Miami.
&ldquo;I feel like everyone is just clicking right now,&rdquo; Mobley said. &ldquo;Everyone is in attack mode.&rdquo;
THE GREAT DEBATE
Now that he&rsquo;s the NBA&rsquo;s career scoring leader, LeBron James has checked a box on his resume that can&rsquo;t be equaled.
And while there will continue to be discussion over whether James or Michael Jordan is the greatest player in league history, Bickerstaff believes one argument has been settled.
&ldquo;I no longer think there is a debate over who had the greatest NBA career,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said, referring to James, who spent 11 seasons with Cleveland.
For Bickerstaff, James&rsquo; best attribute is his well-roundedness &mdash; as a player and person.
&ldquo;The way he has gone about his business,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a pros pro. He&rsquo;s about his teammates. He made everybody he plays with better. You can be a great player and be selfless. &rdquo;He&rsquo;s a hell of a role model for younger players.&rdquo;
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-62 apnews_article_midarticle_3" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
TIP-INS
Pistons: Surprisingly, Detroit came in leading the league in free throws attempted (27) and made (20.8). ... The Pistons went 17 of 18 from the line. ... Rookie Jaden Ivey has scored in double figures in 17 straight games.
Cavaliers: LeVert and Raul Neto started in place of Mitchell and Garland. Neto had 14 points eight assists and four steals. ... Recorded their league-leading 25th win by double digits. ... Ricky Rubio played 16 minutes as the Cavs continue to monitor him following knee surgery. ... F Kevin Love was active, but didn&rsquo;t play for the fifth straight game. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just trying to give this rotation and opportunity and see what we got with it,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said.
</div>

Jarrett Allen scored 20 points, Evan Mobley added 19 and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 113-85.

Allen, Mobley power Cavaliers to 113-85 win over Pistons

CLEVELAND (AP) — Many of them NBA big-game beginners, the young Cavaliers took their lumps in Brooklyn the other night and missed their first chance of making the playoffs.
Fortunately, they've got another shot.
Trouble is, Trae Young does, too.
Atlanta's high-scoring All-Star guard will be THE defensive focal point for Cleveland on Friday night as the Cavs host the Hawks in a win-or-start-vacation game. The winner advances to play No. 1 seed Miami in the Eastern Conference's first round.
Young averaged 32.5 points in four games — his high was 41 — against the Cavs this season, and Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn't waste a breath in bringing him up when asked about the challenges the Hawks present offensively.
“Obviously, it starts with Trae Young,” he said. “What he does impacts everybody else and his ability to one, make all the shots from all over the floor, two, to make all the plays with the ball in his hand, the passes and then that pick-and-roll game that they run."
Young started slowly but scored 24 points in Atlanta's 132-103 rout of Charlotte on Wednesday night, a game the Cavs watched live and scouted together.
“They played well and they moved the ball well as a team,” Cavs guard Rajon Rondo said. “Trae accepted the double teams that Charlotte threw at him at the start of the game. He got off the ball extremely well, he shared the ball with his teammates and they made plays for each other.”
The Cavs didn't handle Brooklyn's two-headed, Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving monster early in Tuesday night's 115-108 loss, the first taste of playoff-like intensity and physicality for most of Cleveland's players.
The Nets led by 20 points after the first quarter, and although the Cavs fought back and were within six late, the initial onslaught was too much to overcome.
There is no teacher like experience, and Bickerstaff believes his team will grow from the play-in opener.
“We’ve been tested and I feel like our guys have done a really good job of responding,” he said. And when they’ve been in a certain situation, they don’t make the same mistake twice. They come out and they learn from it and they improve on in the next time out."
Atlanta won three of the four matchups this season with Cleveland, blowing the Cavs out 131-107 in the most recent matchup on March 31. But the Cavs were short-handed in every game and could get back All-Star center Jarrett Allen, who has been sidelined since March 6 with a broken finger.
The team officially listed Allen as questionable on the injury report, a positive step after he missed the past 19 games.
Allen in the middle of Cleveland's defense would be another obstacle for Young, who is not only dangerous as a shooter but in finding Clint Capela and Atlanta's other big mans on lobs at the rim.
PLAYOFF RONDO
With 134 games of postseason experience, Rondo gives the Cavs someone who has seen it all this time of year.
He's been a sounding board for teammates and coaches. Bickerstaff called him a basketball “savant” before Rondo got nine assists in 26 productive minutes against the Nets.
A two-time champion, the 36-year-old Rondo struggled to describe his postseason metamorphosis.
“I can’t really put it into words,” he said. “I get a little more time to rest my body. I usually play a lot more minutes. The coaches usually allow me to do what I do best — manipulate the game and try to do what’s best for the team and stay on the same page with my teammates, along with getting W’s.”
HURTING HAWKS
Atlanta forward John Collins, who hasn't played since March 11 with a sprained finger and foot, won't play along with guard Lou Williams (back).
Also, guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is questionable with a left ankle sprain. 
DRE STEPS UP
Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter scored 22 points in the play-in victory over the Hornets, with 16 coming during a third-quarter barrage that turned the game into a blowout.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter has battled health issues and struggled to develop into a consistent performer over his three-year NBA career. The Hawks hope his performance was a sign that he’s ready to step up in the postseason.
“He was playing aggressive,” Young said. “That’s what we need from Dre. He was making plays, getting to the basket, and the way he was guarding got Miles (Bridges) frustrated. It was a great all-around game for Dre.”
THE BIG MAN 
Cleveland’s advantage in the post -- especially if Allen goes — puts a big responsibility on Capela.
Outside of him, the Hawks don’t really have anyone who can match up with Cleveland’s front line, which can include three 7-footers at once.
“They pose a challenge because of their size,” McMillan said. “They do a good job of taking advantage of their size with their ability to pound you in the paint. They’ve got a of lot of length.”
Capela had a big game against Charlotte with 15 points and 17 rebounds, but the Hornets went went with a small lineup most of the game. That won’t be the case against the Cavaliers, but the Hawks are confident in their man in the middle.
“He was everywhere,” Danilo Gallinari said. “We know he can do that every single night. He’s got our back and can dominate the paint.”
___
AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Many of them NBA big-game beginners, the young Cavaliers took their lumps in Brooklyn the other night and missed their first chance of making the playoffs.
Fortunately, they've got another shot.
Trouble is, Trae Young does, too.
Atlanta's high-scoring All-Star guard will be THE defensive focal point for Cleveland on Friday night as the Cavs host the Hawks in a win-or-start-vacation game. The winner advances to play No. 1 seed Miami in the Eastern Conference's first round.
Young averaged 32.5 points in four games &mdash; his high was 41 &mdash; against the Cavs this season, and Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn't waste a breath in bringing him up when asked about the challenges the Hawks present offensively.
&ldquo;Obviously, it starts with Trae Young,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;What he does impacts everybody else and his ability to one, make all the shots from all over the floor, two, to make all the plays with the ball in his hand, the passes and then that pick-and-roll game that they run."
Young started slowly but scored 24 points in Atlanta's 132-103 rout of Charlotte on Wednesday night, a game the Cavs watched live and scouted together.
&ldquo;They played well and they moved the ball well as a team,&rdquo; Cavs guard Rajon Rondo said. &ldquo;Trae accepted the double teams that Charlotte threw at him at the start of the game. He got off the ball extremely well, he shared the ball with his teammates and they made plays for each other.&rdquo;
The Cavs didn't handle Brooklyn's two-headed, Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving monster early in Tuesday night's 115-108 loss, the first taste of playoff-like intensity and physicality for most of Cleveland's players.
The Nets led by 20 points after the first quarter, and although the Cavs fought back and were within six late, the initial onslaught was too much to overcome.
There is no teacher like experience, and Bickerstaff believes his team will grow from the play-in opener.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been tested and I feel like our guys have done a really good job of responding,&rdquo; he said. And when they&rsquo;ve been in a certain situation, they don&rsquo;t make the same mistake twice. They come out and they learn from it and they improve on in the next time out."
Atlanta won three of the four matchups this season with Cleveland, blowing the Cavs out 131-107 in the most recent matchup on March 31. But the Cavs were short-handed in every game and could get back All-Star center Jarrett Allen, who has been sidelined since March 6 with a broken finger.
The team officially listed Allen as questionable on the injury report, a positive step after he missed the past 19 games.
Allen in the middle of Cleveland's defense would be another obstacle for Young, who is not only dangerous as a shooter but in finding Clint Capela and Atlanta's other big mans on lobs at the rim.
PLAYOFF RONDO
With 134 games of postseason experience, Rondo gives the Cavs someone who has seen it all this time of year.
He's been a sounding board for teammates and coaches. Bickerstaff called him a basketball &ldquo;savant&rdquo; before Rondo got nine assists in 26 productive minutes against the Nets.
A two-time champion, the 36-year-old Rondo struggled to describe his postseason metamorphosis.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t really put it into words,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I get a little more time to rest my body. I usually play a lot more minutes. The coaches usually allow me to do what I do best &mdash; manipulate the game and try to do what&rsquo;s best for the team and stay on the same page with my teammates, along with getting W&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
HURTING HAWKS
Atlanta forward John Collins, who hasn't played since March 11 with a sprained finger and foot, won't play along with guard Lou Williams (back).
Also, guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is questionable with a left ankle sprain.
DRE STEPS UP
Hawks forward De&rsquo;Andre Hunter scored 22 points in the play-in victory over the Hornets, with 16 coming during a third-quarter barrage that turned the game into a blowout.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter has battled health issues and struggled to develop into a consistent performer over his three-year NBA career. The Hawks hope his performance was a sign that he&rsquo;s ready to step up in the postseason.
&ldquo;He was playing aggressive,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we need from Dre. He was making plays, getting to the basket, and the way he was guarding got Miles (Bridges) frustrated. It was a great all-around game for Dre.&rdquo;
THE BIG MAN
Cleveland&rsquo;s advantage in the post -- especially if Allen goes &mdash; puts a big responsibility on Capela.
Outside of him, the Hawks don&rsquo;t really have anyone who can match up with Cleveland&rsquo;s front line, which can include three 7-footers at once.
&ldquo;They pose a challenge because of their size,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;They do a good job of taking advantage of their size with their ability to pound you in the paint. They&rsquo;ve got a of lot of length.&rdquo;
Capela had a big game against Charlotte with 15 points and 17 rebounds, but the Hornets went went with a small lineup most of the game. That won&rsquo;t be the case against the Cavaliers, but the Hawks are confident in their man in the middle.
&ldquo;He was everywhere,&rdquo; Danilo Gallinari said. &ldquo;We know he can do that every single night. He&rsquo;s got our back and can dominate the paint.&rdquo;
___
AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Many of them NBA big-game beginners, the young Cavaliers took their lumps in Brooklyn the other night and missed their first chance of making the playoffs.
Fortunately, they've got another shot.
Trouble is, Trae Young does, too.
Atlanta's high-scoring All-Star guard will be THE defensive focal point for Cleveland on Friday night as the Cavs host the Hawks in a win-or-start-vacation game. The winner advances to play No. 1 seed Miami in the Eastern Conference's first round.
Young averaged 32.5 points in four games &mdash; his high was 41 &mdash; against the Cavs this season, and Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn't waste a breath in bringing him up when asked about the challenges the Hawks present offensively.
&ldquo;Obviously, it starts with Trae Young,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;What he does impacts everybody else and his ability to one, make all the shots from all over the floor, two, to make all the plays with the ball in his hand, the passes and then that pick-and-roll game that they run."
Young started slowly but scored 24 points in Atlanta's 132-103 rout of Charlotte on Wednesday night, a game the Cavs watched live and scouted together.
&ldquo;They played well and they moved the ball well as a team,&rdquo; Cavs guard Rajon Rondo said. &ldquo;Trae accepted the double teams that Charlotte threw at him at the start of the game. He got off the ball extremely well, he shared the ball with his teammates and they made plays for each other.&rdquo;
The Cavs didn't handle Brooklyn's two-headed, Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving monster early in Tuesday night's 115-108 loss, the first taste of playoff-like intensity and physicality for most of Cleveland's players.
The Nets led by 20 points after the first quarter, and although the Cavs fought back and were within six late, the initial onslaught was too much to overcome.
There is no teacher like experience, and Bickerstaff believes his team will grow from the play-in opener.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been tested and I feel like our guys have done a really good job of responding,&rdquo; he said. And when they&rsquo;ve been in a certain situation, they don&rsquo;t make the same mistake twice. They come out and they learn from it and they improve on in the next time out."
Atlanta won three of the four matchups this season with Cleveland, blowing the Cavs out 131-107 in the most recent matchup on March 31. But the Cavs were short-handed in every game and could get back All-Star center Jarrett Allen, who has been sidelined since March 6 with a broken finger.
The team officially listed Allen as questionable on the injury report, a positive step after he missed the past 19 games.
Allen in the middle of Cleveland's defense would be another obstacle for Young, who is not only dangerous as a shooter but in finding Clint Capela and Atlanta's other big mans on lobs at the rim.
PLAYOFF RONDO
With 134 games of postseason experience, Rondo gives the Cavs someone who has seen it all this time of year.
He's been a sounding board for teammates and coaches. Bickerstaff called him a basketball &ldquo;savant&rdquo; before Rondo got nine assists in 26 productive minutes against the Nets.
A two-time champion, the 36-year-old Rondo struggled to describe his postseason metamorphosis.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t really put it into words,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I get a little more time to rest my body. I usually play a lot more minutes. The coaches usually allow me to do what I do best &mdash; manipulate the game and try to do what&rsquo;s best for the team and stay on the same page with my teammates, along with getting W&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
HURTING HAWKS
Atlanta forward John Collins, who hasn't played since March 11 with a sprained finger and foot, won't play along with guard Lou Williams (back).
Also, guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is questionable with a left ankle sprain.
DRE STEPS UP
Hawks forward De&rsquo;Andre Hunter scored 22 points in the play-in victory over the Hornets, with 16 coming during a third-quarter barrage that turned the game into a blowout.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter has battled health issues and struggled to develop into a consistent performer over his three-year NBA career. The Hawks hope his performance was a sign that he&rsquo;s ready to step up in the postseason.
&ldquo;He was playing aggressive,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we need from Dre. He was making plays, getting to the basket, and the way he was guarding got Miles (Bridges) frustrated. It was a great all-around game for Dre.&rdquo;
THE BIG MAN
Cleveland&rsquo;s advantage in the post -- especially if Allen goes &mdash; puts a big responsibility on Capela.
Outside of him, the Hawks don&rsquo;t really have anyone who can match up with Cleveland&rsquo;s front line, which can include three 7-footers at once.
&ldquo;They pose a challenge because of their size,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;They do a good job of taking advantage of their size with their ability to pound you in the paint. They&rsquo;ve got a of lot of length.&rdquo;
Capela had a big game against Charlotte with 15 points and 17 rebounds, but the Hornets went went with a small lineup most of the game. That won&rsquo;t be the case against the Cavaliers, but the Hawks are confident in their man in the middle.
&ldquo;He was everywhere,&rdquo; Danilo Gallinari said. &ldquo;We know he can do that every single night. He&rsquo;s got our back and can dominate the paint.&rdquo;
___
AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Many of them NBA big-game beginners, the young Cavaliers took their lumps in Brooklyn the other night and missed their first chance of making the playoffs.
Fortunately, they've got another shot.
Trouble is, Trae Young does, too.
Atlanta's high-scoring All-Star guard will be THE defensive focal point for Cleveland on Friday night as the Cavs host the Hawks in a win-or-start-vacation game. The winner advances to play No. 1 seed Miami in the Eastern Conference's first round.
Young averaged 32.5 points in four games &mdash; his high was 41 &mdash; against the Cavs this season, and Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn't waste a breath in bringing him up when asked about the challenges the Hawks present offensively.
&ldquo;Obviously, it starts with Trae Young,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;What he does impacts everybody else and his ability to one, make all the shots from all over the floor, two, to make all the plays with the ball in his hand, the passes and then that pick-and-roll game that they run."
Young started slowly but scored 24 points in Atlanta's 132-103 rout of Charlotte on Wednesday night, a game the Cavs watched live and scouted together.
&ldquo;They played well and they moved the ball well as a team,&rdquo; Cavs guard Rajon Rondo said. &ldquo;Trae accepted the double teams that Charlotte threw at him at the start of the game. He got off the ball extremely well, he shared the ball with his teammates and they made plays for each other.&rdquo;
The Cavs didn't handle Brooklyn's two-headed, Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving monster early in Tuesday night's 115-108 loss, the first taste of playoff-like intensity and physicality for most of Cleveland's players.
The Nets led by 20 points after the first quarter, and although the Cavs fought back and were within six late, the initial onslaught was too much to overcome.
There is no teacher like experience, and Bickerstaff believes his team will grow from the play-in opener.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been tested and I feel like our guys have done a really good job of responding,&rdquo; he said. And when they&rsquo;ve been in a certain situation, they don&rsquo;t make the same mistake twice. They come out and they learn from it and they improve on in the next time out."
Atlanta won three of the four matchups this season with Cleveland, blowing the Cavs out 131-107 in the most recent matchup on March 31. But the Cavs were short-handed in every game and could get back All-Star center Jarrett Allen, who has been sidelined since March 6 with a broken finger.
The team officially listed Allen as questionable on the injury report, a positive step after he missed the past 19 games.
Allen in the middle of Cleveland's defense would be another obstacle for Young, who is not only dangerous as a shooter but in finding Clint Capela and Atlanta's other big mans on lobs at the rim.
PLAYOFF RONDO
With 134 games of postseason experience, Rondo gives the Cavs someone who has seen it all this time of year.
He's been a sounding board for teammates and coaches. Bickerstaff called him a basketball &ldquo;savant&rdquo; before Rondo got nine assists in 26 productive minutes against the Nets.
A two-time champion, the 36-year-old Rondo struggled to describe his postseason metamorphosis.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t really put it into words,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I get a little more time to rest my body. I usually play a lot more minutes. The coaches usually allow me to do what I do best &mdash; manipulate the game and try to do what&rsquo;s best for the team and stay on the same page with my teammates, along with getting W&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
HURTING HAWKS
Atlanta forward John Collins, who hasn't played since March 11 with a sprained finger and foot, won't play along with guard Lou Williams (back).
Also, guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is questionable with a left ankle sprain.
DRE STEPS UP
Hawks forward De&rsquo;Andre Hunter scored 22 points in the play-in victory over the Hornets, with 16 coming during a third-quarter barrage that turned the game into a blowout.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter has battled health issues and struggled to develop into a consistent performer over his three-year NBA career. The Hawks hope his performance was a sign that he&rsquo;s ready to step up in the postseason.
&ldquo;He was playing aggressive,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we need from Dre. He was making plays, getting to the basket, and the way he was guarding got Miles (Bridges) frustrated. It was a great all-around game for Dre.&rdquo;
THE BIG MAN
Cleveland&rsquo;s advantage in the post -- especially if Allen goes &mdash; puts a big responsibility on Capela.
Outside of him, the Hawks don&rsquo;t really have anyone who can match up with Cleveland&rsquo;s front line, which can include three 7-footers at once.
&ldquo;They pose a challenge because of their size,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;They do a good job of taking advantage of their size with their ability to pound you in the paint. They&rsquo;ve got a of lot of length.&rdquo;
Capela had a big game against Charlotte with 15 points and 17 rebounds, but the Hornets went went with a small lineup most of the game. That won&rsquo;t be the case against the Cavaliers, but the Hawks are confident in their man in the middle.
&ldquo;He was everywhere,&rdquo; Danilo Gallinari said. &ldquo;We know he can do that every single night. He&rsquo;s got our back and can dominate the paint.&rdquo;
___
AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Many of them NBA big-game beginners, the young Cavaliers took their lumps in Brooklyn the other night and missed their first chance of making the playoffs.
Fortunately, they've got another shot.
Trouble is, Trae Young does, too.
Atlanta's high-scoring All-Star guard will be THE defensive focal point for Cleveland on Friday night as the Cavs host the Hawks in a win-or-start-vacation game. The winner advances to play No. 1 seed Miami in the Eastern Conference's first round.
Young averaged 32.5 points in four games &mdash; his high was 41 &mdash; against the Cavs this season, and Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn't waste a breath in bringing him up when asked about the challenges the Hawks present offensively.
&ldquo;Obviously, it starts with Trae Young,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;What he does impacts everybody else and his ability to one, make all the shots from all over the floor, two, to make all the plays with the ball in his hand, the passes and then that pick-and-roll game that they run."
Young started slowly but scored 24 points in Atlanta's 132-103 rout of Charlotte on Wednesday night, a game the Cavs watched live and scouted together.
&ldquo;They played well and they moved the ball well as a team,&rdquo; Cavs guard Rajon Rondo said. &ldquo;Trae accepted the double teams that Charlotte threw at him at the start of the game. He got off the ball extremely well, he shared the ball with his teammates and they made plays for each other.&rdquo;
The Cavs didn't handle Brooklyn's two-headed, Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving monster early in Tuesday night's 115-108 loss, the first taste of playoff-like intensity and physicality for most of Cleveland's players.
The Nets led by 20 points after the first quarter, and although the Cavs fought back and were within six late, the initial onslaught was too much to overcome.
There is no teacher like experience, and Bickerstaff believes his team will grow from the play-in opener.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been tested and I feel like our guys have done a really good job of responding,&rdquo; he said. And when they&rsquo;ve been in a certain situation, they don&rsquo;t make the same mistake twice. They come out and they learn from it and they improve on in the next time out."
Atlanta won three of the four matchups this season with Cleveland, blowing the Cavs out 131-107 in the most recent matchup on March 31. But the Cavs were short-handed in every game and could get back All-Star center Jarrett Allen, who has been sidelined since March 6 with a broken finger.
The team officially listed Allen as questionable on the injury report, a positive step after he missed the past 19 games.
Allen in the middle of Cleveland's defense would be another obstacle for Young, who is not only dangerous as a shooter but in finding Clint Capela and Atlanta's other big mans on lobs at the rim.
PLAYOFF RONDO
With 134 games of postseason experience, Rondo gives the Cavs someone who has seen it all this time of year.
He's been a sounding board for teammates and coaches. Bickerstaff called him a basketball &ldquo;savant&rdquo; before Rondo got nine assists in 26 productive minutes against the Nets.
A two-time champion, the 36-year-old Rondo struggled to describe his postseason metamorphosis.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t really put it into words,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I get a little more time to rest my body. I usually play a lot more minutes. The coaches usually allow me to do what I do best &mdash; manipulate the game and try to do what&rsquo;s best for the team and stay on the same page with my teammates, along with getting W&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
HURTING HAWKS
Atlanta forward John Collins, who hasn't played since March 11 with a sprained finger and foot, won't play along with guard Lou Williams (back).
Also, guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is questionable with a left ankle sprain.
DRE STEPS UP
Hawks forward De&rsquo;Andre Hunter scored 22 points in the play-in victory over the Hornets, with 16 coming during a third-quarter barrage that turned the game into a blowout.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter has battled health issues and struggled to develop into a consistent performer over his three-year NBA career. The Hawks hope his performance was a sign that he&rsquo;s ready to step up in the postseason.
&ldquo;He was playing aggressive,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we need from Dre. He was making plays, getting to the basket, and the way he was guarding got Miles (Bridges) frustrated. It was a great all-around game for Dre.&rdquo;
THE BIG MAN
Cleveland&rsquo;s advantage in the post -- especially if Allen goes &mdash; puts a big responsibility on Capela.
Outside of him, the Hawks don&rsquo;t really have anyone who can match up with Cleveland&rsquo;s front line, which can include three 7-footers at once.
&ldquo;They pose a challenge because of their size,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;They do a good job of taking advantage of their size with their ability to pound you in the paint. They&rsquo;ve got a of lot of length.&rdquo;
Capela had a big game against Charlotte with 15 points and 17 rebounds, but the Hornets went went with a small lineup most of the game. That won&rsquo;t be the case against the Cavaliers, but the Hawks are confident in their man in the middle.
&ldquo;He was everywhere,&rdquo; Danilo Gallinari said. &ldquo;We know he can do that every single night. He&rsquo;s got our back and can dominate the paint.&rdquo;
___
AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Many of them NBA big-game beginners, the young Cavaliers took their lumps in Brooklyn the other night and missed their first chance of making the playoffs.
Fortunately, they've got another shot.
Trouble is, Trae Young does, too.
Atlanta's high-scoring All-Star guard will be THE defensive focal point for Cleveland on Friday night as the Cavs host the Hawks in a win-or-start-vacation game. The winner advances to play No. 1 seed Miami in the Eastern Conference's first round.
Young averaged 32.5 points in four games &mdash; his high was 41 &mdash; against the Cavs this season, and Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn't waste a breath in bringing him up when asked about the challenges the Hawks present offensively.
&ldquo;Obviously, it starts with Trae Young,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;What he does impacts everybody else and his ability to one, make all the shots from all over the floor, two, to make all the plays with the ball in his hand, the passes and then that pick-and-roll game that they run."
Young started slowly but scored 24 points in Atlanta's 132-103 rout of Charlotte on Wednesday night, a game the Cavs watched live and scouted together.
&ldquo;They played well and they moved the ball well as a team,&rdquo; Cavs guard Rajon Rondo said. &ldquo;Trae accepted the double teams that Charlotte threw at him at the start of the game. He got off the ball extremely well, he shared the ball with his teammates and they made plays for each other.&rdquo;
The Cavs didn't handle Brooklyn's two-headed, Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving monster early in Tuesday night's 115-108 loss, the first taste of playoff-like intensity and physicality for most of Cleveland's players.
The Nets led by 20 points after the first quarter, and although the Cavs fought back and were within six late, the initial onslaught was too much to overcome.
There is no teacher like experience, and Bickerstaff believes his team will grow from the play-in opener.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been tested and I feel like our guys have done a really good job of responding,&rdquo; he said. And when they&rsquo;ve been in a certain situation, they don&rsquo;t make the same mistake twice. They come out and they learn from it and they improve on in the next time out."
Atlanta won three of the four matchups this season with Cleveland, blowing the Cavs out 131-107 in the most recent matchup on March 31. But the Cavs were short-handed in every game and could get back All-Star center Jarrett Allen, who has been sidelined since March 6 with a broken finger.
The team officially listed Allen as questionable on the injury report, a positive step after he missed the past 19 games.
Allen in the middle of Cleveland's defense would be another obstacle for Young, who is not only dangerous as a shooter but in finding Clint Capela and Atlanta's other big mans on lobs at the rim.
PLAYOFF RONDO
With 134 games of postseason experience, Rondo gives the Cavs someone who has seen it all this time of year.
He's been a sounding board for teammates and coaches. Bickerstaff called him a basketball &ldquo;savant&rdquo; before Rondo got nine assists in 26 productive minutes against the Nets.
A two-time champion, the 36-year-old Rondo struggled to describe his postseason metamorphosis.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t really put it into words,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I get a little more time to rest my body. I usually play a lot more minutes. The coaches usually allow me to do what I do best &mdash; manipulate the game and try to do what&rsquo;s best for the team and stay on the same page with my teammates, along with getting W&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
HURTING HAWKS
Atlanta forward John Collins, who hasn't played since March 11 with a sprained finger and foot, won't play along with guard Lou Williams (back).
Also, guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is questionable with a left ankle sprain.
DRE STEPS UP
Hawks forward De&rsquo;Andre Hunter scored 22 points in the play-in victory over the Hornets, with 16 coming during a third-quarter barrage that turned the game into a blowout.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter has battled health issues and struggled to develop into a consistent performer over his three-year NBA career. The Hawks hope his performance was a sign that he&rsquo;s ready to step up in the postseason.
&ldquo;He was playing aggressive,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we need from Dre. He was making plays, getting to the basket, and the way he was guarding got Miles (Bridges) frustrated. It was a great all-around game for Dre.&rdquo;
THE BIG MAN
Cleveland&rsquo;s advantage in the post -- especially if Allen goes &mdash; puts a big responsibility on Capela.
Outside of him, the Hawks don&rsquo;t really have anyone who can match up with Cleveland&rsquo;s front line, which can include three 7-footers at once.
&ldquo;They pose a challenge because of their size,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;They do a good job of taking advantage of their size with their ability to pound you in the paint. They&rsquo;ve got a of lot of length.&rdquo;
Capela had a big game against Charlotte with 15 points and 17 rebounds, but the Hornets went went with a small lineup most of the game. That won&rsquo;t be the case against the Cavaliers, but the Hawks are confident in their man in the middle.
&ldquo;He was everywhere,&rdquo; Danilo Gallinari said. &ldquo;We know he can do that every single night. He&rsquo;s got our back and can dominate the paint.&rdquo;
___
AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Many of them NBA big-game beginners, the young Cavaliers took their lumps in Brooklyn the other night and missed their first chance of making the playoffs.
Fortunately, they've got another shot.
Trouble is, Trae Young does, too.
Atlanta's high-scoring All-Star guard will be THE defensive focal point for Cleveland on Friday night as the Cavs host the Hawks in a win-or-start-vacation game. The winner advances to play No. 1 seed Miami in the Eastern Conference's first round.
Young averaged 32.5 points in four games &mdash; his high was 41 &mdash; against the Cavs this season, and Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn't waste a breath in bringing him up when asked about the challenges the Hawks present offensively.
&ldquo;Obviously, it starts with Trae Young,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;What he does impacts everybody else and his ability to one, make all the shots from all over the floor, two, to make all the plays with the ball in his hand, the passes and then that pick-and-roll game that they run."
Young started slowly but scored 24 points in Atlanta's 132-103 rout of Charlotte on Wednesday night, a game the Cavs watched live and scouted together.
&ldquo;They played well and they moved the ball well as a team,&rdquo; Cavs guard Rajon Rondo said. &ldquo;Trae accepted the double teams that Charlotte threw at him at the start of the game. He got off the ball extremely well, he shared the ball with his teammates and they made plays for each other.&rdquo;
The Cavs didn't handle Brooklyn's two-headed, Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving monster early in Tuesday night's 115-108 loss, the first taste of playoff-like intensity and physicality for most of Cleveland's players.
The Nets led by 20 points after the first quarter, and although the Cavs fought back and were within six late, the initial onslaught was too much to overcome.
There is no teacher like experience, and Bickerstaff believes his team will grow from the play-in opener.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been tested and I feel like our guys have done a really good job of responding,&rdquo; he said. And when they&rsquo;ve been in a certain situation, they don&rsquo;t make the same mistake twice. They come out and they learn from it and they improve on in the next time out."
Atlanta won three of the four matchups this season with Cleveland, blowing the Cavs out 131-107 in the most recent matchup on March 31. But the Cavs were short-handed in every game and could get back All-Star center Jarrett Allen, who has been sidelined since March 6 with a broken finger.
The team officially listed Allen as questionable on the injury report, a positive step after he missed the past 19 games.
Allen in the middle of Cleveland's defense would be another obstacle for Young, who is not only dangerous as a shooter but in finding Clint Capela and Atlanta's other big mans on lobs at the rim.
PLAYOFF RONDO
With 134 games of postseason experience, Rondo gives the Cavs someone who has seen it all this time of year.
He's been a sounding board for teammates and coaches. Bickerstaff called him a basketball &ldquo;savant&rdquo; before Rondo got nine assists in 26 productive minutes against the Nets.
A two-time champion, the 36-year-old Rondo struggled to describe his postseason metamorphosis.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t really put it into words,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I get a little more time to rest my body. I usually play a lot more minutes. The coaches usually allow me to do what I do best &mdash; manipulate the game and try to do what&rsquo;s best for the team and stay on the same page with my teammates, along with getting W&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
HURTING HAWKS
Atlanta forward John Collins, who hasn't played since March 11 with a sprained finger and foot, won't play along with guard Lou Williams (back).
Also, guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is questionable with a left ankle sprain.
DRE STEPS UP
Hawks forward De&rsquo;Andre Hunter scored 22 points in the play-in victory over the Hornets, with 16 coming during a third-quarter barrage that turned the game into a blowout.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter has battled health issues and struggled to develop into a consistent performer over his three-year NBA career. The Hawks hope his performance was a sign that he&rsquo;s ready to step up in the postseason.
&ldquo;He was playing aggressive,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we need from Dre. He was making plays, getting to the basket, and the way he was guarding got Miles (Bridges) frustrated. It was a great all-around game for Dre.&rdquo;
THE BIG MAN
Cleveland&rsquo;s advantage in the post -- especially if Allen goes &mdash; puts a big responsibility on Capela.
Outside of him, the Hawks don&rsquo;t really have anyone who can match up with Cleveland&rsquo;s front line, which can include three 7-footers at once.
&ldquo;They pose a challenge because of their size,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;They do a good job of taking advantage of their size with their ability to pound you in the paint. They&rsquo;ve got a of lot of length.&rdquo;
Capela had a big game against Charlotte with 15 points and 17 rebounds, but the Hornets went went with a small lineup most of the game. That won&rsquo;t be the case against the Cavaliers, but the Hawks are confident in their man in the middle.
&ldquo;He was everywhere,&rdquo; Danilo Gallinari said. &ldquo;We know he can do that every single night. He&rsquo;s got our back and can dominate the paint.&rdquo;
___
AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Trae Young averaged 32.5 points in four games — his high was 41 — against the Cavs this season. The Hawks went 3-1 vs. Cleveland.

Cavs get second shot at playoffs, must slow Hawks' Young

CLEVELAND (AP) — Darius Garland's nagging, delicate back injury is threatening to sabotage Cleveland's season.
So is some rotten luck.
The All-Star point guard missed his third straight game — and eighth overall — on Monday with a bone bruise that needs rest in order to heal, and time isn't an ally of the Cavs, who are trying to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference while missing their top five guards.
“This is unreal,” general manager Mike Gansey said of the team's wave of backcourt injuries. “We didn’t envision doomsday, so to speak.”
On Monday against Minnesota, the Cavs started a guard who began the season in the G League, and played another who signed a 10-day contract last week.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Garland, who has blossomed into one of the NBA's best guards in his third season, took part in the Cavs' light practice on Tuesday. He played some one-on-one and got in some extra shooting following the workout.
The team listed Garland as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Cavs, who are 36-25 and fifth in the East, have been tight-lipped about specifics on Garland's injury, which initially happened against Golden State on Jan. 9. The 22-year-old missed five games before the break, then returned for two. He has been kept out of three since the season resumed.
His participation in All-Star Weekend activities came with the team's blessing, but has raised questions about why the Cavs would risk letting their best player worsen an injury if they knew he needed rest.
Gansey said the team didn't discuss keeping Garland out of the All-Star festivities — he teamed with rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen in the Skills Challenge before playing in his first All-Star Game — because he played twice without any issues and “was feeling good.”
“The skills competition is more like playing H-O-R-S-E and the shooting was fun,” said Gansey, recently promoted to GM. “They (the All-Star team) had a practice which wasn’t a practice, and I don’t even know if he tried to defend or touch someone.
"You watch him run around and he’s fine. It’s a bone bruise where it’s just like a day-to-day thing. It’s nothing long-term. He needs rest, and obviously rest is not on our side right now.”
Garland's injury would be tough under normal circumstances, and then there's what the Cavs are dealing with.
They lost leading scorer Collin Sexton and veteran guard Ricky Rubio to season-ending injuries. Rajon Rondo, acquired to offset Rubio's loss, is out with a sprained toe and Caris LeVert, added at the trade deadline for extra scoring punch, sprained his foot last week.
Rondo and LeVert may still be a week or more from returning. In the meantime, the Cavs, who only won 22 games last season, are fighting to stay among the East's top six teams — No. 7 and 8 will make the play-in.
“Let’s just hope that we can somehow stay relevant in the East,” Gansey said.
The injuries seem to be re-shifting expectations and maybe priorities for the young Cavs, who a few weeks ago were No. 2 in the East.
Now, they're sliding, and with a daunting schedule ahead (the Cavs will face Philadelphia, Toronto, Miami and Chicago by March 12), there's no telling when they'll regain traction.
A few weeks ago, goals of reaching the postseason and advancing seemed attainable.
At this point, simply making the playoffs might be enough.
"By this time last year, we were all ready to go home,” Allen said. "It was just a rough end of the season. Now the expectation wasn’t to go win the championship, we can all be honest on that.
"It was to go out there, play our basketball and see where it takes us, and it’s taken us far so far, so I think we can count this as a success.”
Gansey said the mentality for players and coaches during this season's ascent has been that “we want more.” He's also realistic about what the Cavs can accomplish going forward, especially with a short-handed roster.
“We just want to be a part of that conversation and if we get there (to the playoffs), great, and if we can get involved in the play-in game and somehow advance, that would be great too,” he said. "I don’t think it's like top 6 or bust or if we get in the play-in and lose.
“For us now, we got 22 games left and it’s one at a time, and hopefully we’ll get our guards back and whatever happens, happens.”
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland's nagging, delicate back injury is threatening to sabotage Cleveland's season.
So is some rotten luck.
The All-Star point guard missed his third straight game &mdash; and eighth overall &mdash; on Monday with a bone bruise that needs rest in order to heal, and time isn't an ally of the Cavs, who are trying to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference while missing their top five guards.
&ldquo;This is unreal,&rdquo; general manager Mike Gansey said of the team's wave of backcourt injuries. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t envision doomsday, so to speak.&rdquo;
On Monday against Minnesota, the Cavs started a guard who began the season in the G League, and played another who signed a 10-day contract last week.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Garland, who has blossomed into one of the NBA's best guards in his third season, took part in the Cavs' light practice on Tuesday. He played some one-on-one and got in some extra shooting following the workout.
The team listed Garland as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Cavs, who are 36-25 and fifth in the East, have been tight-lipped about specifics on Garland's injury, which initially happened against Golden State on Jan. 9. The 22-year-old missed five games before the break, then returned for two. He has been kept out of three since the season resumed.
His participation in All-Star Weekend activities came with the team's blessing, but has raised questions about why the Cavs would risk letting their best player worsen an injury if they knew he needed rest.
Gansey said the team didn't discuss keeping Garland out of the All-Star festivities &mdash; he teamed with rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen in the Skills Challenge before playing in his first All-Star Game &mdash; because he played twice without any issues and &ldquo;was feeling good.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The skills competition is more like playing H-O-R-S-E and the shooting was fun,&rdquo; said Gansey, recently promoted to GM. &ldquo;They (the All-Star team) had a practice which wasn&rsquo;t a practice, and I don&rsquo;t even know if he tried to defend or touch someone.
"You watch him run around and he&rsquo;s fine. It&rsquo;s a bone bruise where it&rsquo;s just like a day-to-day thing. It&rsquo;s nothing long-term. He needs rest, and obviously rest is not on our side right now.&rdquo;
Garland's injury would be tough under normal circumstances, and then there's what the Cavs are dealing with.
They lost leading scorer Collin Sexton and veteran guard Ricky Rubio to season-ending injuries. Rajon Rondo, acquired to offset Rubio's loss, is out with a sprained toe and Caris LeVert, added at the trade deadline for extra scoring punch, sprained his foot last week.
Rondo and LeVert may still be a week or more from returning. In the meantime, the Cavs, who only won 22 games last season, are fighting to stay among the East's top six teams &mdash; No. 7 and 8 will make the play-in.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s just hope that we can somehow stay relevant in the East,&rdquo; Gansey said.
The injuries seem to be re-shifting expectations and maybe priorities for the young Cavs, who a few weeks ago were No. 2 in the East.
Now, they're sliding, and with a daunting schedule ahead (the Cavs will face Philadelphia, Toronto, Miami and Chicago by March 12), there's no telling when they'll regain traction.
A few weeks ago, goals of reaching the postseason and advancing seemed attainable.
At this point, simply making the playoffs might be enough.
"By this time last year, we were all ready to go home,&rdquo; Allen said. "It was just a rough end of the season. Now the expectation wasn&rsquo;t to go win the championship, we can all be honest on that.
"It was to go out there, play our basketball and see where it takes us, and it&rsquo;s taken us far so far, so I think we can count this as a success.&rdquo;
Gansey said the mentality for players and coaches during this season's ascent has been that &ldquo;we want more.&rdquo; He's also realistic about what the Cavs can accomplish going forward, especially with a short-handed roster.
&ldquo;We just want to be a part of that conversation and if we get there (to the playoffs), great, and if we can get involved in the play-in game and somehow advance, that would be great too,&rdquo; he said. "I don&rsquo;t think it's like top 6 or bust or if we get in the play-in and lose.
&ldquo;For us now, we got 22 games left and it&rsquo;s one at a time, and hopefully we&rsquo;ll get our guards back and whatever happens, happens.&rdquo;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland's nagging, delicate back injury is threatening to sabotage Cleveland's season.
So is some rotten luck.
The All-Star point guard missed his third straight game &mdash; and eighth overall &mdash; on Monday with a bone bruise that needs rest in order to heal, and time isn't an ally of the Cavs, who are trying to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference while missing their top five guards.
&ldquo;This is unreal,&rdquo; general manager Mike Gansey said of the team's wave of backcourt injuries. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t envision doomsday, so to speak.&rdquo;
On Monday against Minnesota, the Cavs started a guard who began the season in the G League, and played another who signed a 10-day contract last week.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Garland, who has blossomed into one of the NBA's best guards in his third season, took part in the Cavs' light practice on Tuesday. He played some one-on-one and got in some extra shooting following the workout.
The team listed Garland as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Cavs, who are 36-25 and fifth in the East, have been tight-lipped about specifics on Garland's injury, which initially happened against Golden State on Jan. 9. The 22-year-old missed five games before the break, then returned for two. He has been kept out of three since the season resumed.
His participation in All-Star Weekend activities came with the team's blessing, but has raised questions about why the Cavs would risk letting their best player worsen an injury if they knew he needed rest.
Gansey said the team didn't discuss keeping Garland out of the All-Star festivities &mdash; he teamed up with rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen in the Skills Challenge before playing in his first All-Star Game &mdash; because he played twice without any issues and &ldquo;was feeling good.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The skills competition is more like playing H-O-R-S-E and the shooting was fun,&rdquo; said Gansey, recently promoted to GM. &ldquo;They (the All-Star team) had a practice which wasn&rsquo;t a practice, and I don&rsquo;t even know if he tried to defend or touch someone.
"You watch him run around and he&rsquo;s fine. It&rsquo;s a bone bruise where it&rsquo;s just like a day-to-day thing. It&rsquo;s nothing long-term. He needs rest, and obviously rest is not on our side right now.&rdquo;
Garland's injury would be tough under normal circumstances, and then there's what the Cavs are dealing with.
They lost leading scorer Collin Sexton and veteran guard Ricky Rubio to season-ending injuries. Rajon Rondo, acquired to offset Rubio's loss, is out with a sprained toe and Caris LeVert, added at the trade deadline for extra scoring punch, sprained his foot last week.
Rondo and LeVert may still be a week or more from returning. In the meantime, the Cavs, who only won 22 games last season, are fighting to stay among the East's top six teams &mdash; No. 7 and 8 will make the play-in.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s just hope that we can somehow stay relevant in the East,&rdquo; Gansey said.
The injuries seem to be re-shifting expectations and maybe priorities for the young Cavs, who a few weeks ago were No. 2 in the East.
Now, they're sliding, and with a daunting schedule ahead (the Cavs will face Philadelphia, Toronto, Miami and Chicago by March 12), there's no telling when they'll regain traction.
A few weeks ago, goals of reaching the postseason and advancing seemed attainable.
At this point, simply making the playoffs might be enough.
"By this time last year, we were all ready to go home,&rdquo; Allen said. "It was just a rough end of the season. Now the expectation wasn&rsquo;t to go win the championship, we can all be honest on that.
"It was to go out there, play our basketball and see where it takes us, and it&rsquo;s taken us far so far, so I think we can count this as a success.&rdquo;
Gansey said the mentality for players and coaches during this season's ascent has been that &ldquo;we want more.&rdquo; He's also realistic about what the Cavs can accomplish going forward, especially with a short-handed roster.
&ldquo;We just want to be a part of that conversation and if we get there (to the playoffs), great, and if we can get involved in the play-in game and somehow advance, that would be great too,&rdquo; he said. "I don&rsquo;t think it's like top 6 or bust or if we get in the play-in and lose.
&ldquo;For us now, we got 22 games left and it&rsquo;s one at a time, and hopefully we&rsquo;ll get our guards back and whatever happens, happens.&rdquo;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland's nagging, delicate back injury is threatening to sabotage Cleveland's season.
So is some rotten luck.
The All-Star point guard missed his third straight game &mdash; and eighth overall &mdash; on Monday with a bone bruise that needs rest in order to heal, and time isn't an ally of the Cavs, who are trying to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference while missing their top five guards.
&ldquo;This is unreal,&rdquo; general manager Mike Gansey said of the team's wave of backcourt injuries. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t envision doomsday, so to speak.&rdquo;
On Monday against Minnesota, the Cavs started a guard who began the season in the G League, and played another who signed a 10-day contract last week.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Garland, who has blossomed into one of the NBA's best guards in his third season, took part in the Cavs' light practice on Tuesday. He played some one-on-one and got in some extra shooting following the workout.
The team listed Garland as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Cavs, who are 36-25 and fifth in the East, have been tight-lipped about specifics on Garland's injury, which initially happened against Golden State on Jan. 9. The 22-year-old missed five games before the break, then returned for two. He has been kept out of three since the season resumed.
His participation in All-Star Weekend activities came with the team's blessing, but has raised questions about why the Cavs would risk letting their best player worsen an injury if they knew he needed rest.
Gansey said the team didn't discuss keeping Garland out of the All-Star festivities &mdash; he teamed up with rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen in the Skills Challenge before playing in his first All-Star Game &mdash; because he played twice without any issues and &ldquo;was feeling good.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The skills competition is more like playing H-O-R-S-E and the shooting was fun,&rdquo; said Gansey, who was recently promoted to GM. &ldquo;They (the All-Star team) had a practice which wasn&rsquo;t a practice, and I don&rsquo;t even know if he tried to defend or touch someone.
"You watch him run around and he&rsquo;s fine. It&rsquo;s a bone bruise where it&rsquo;s just like a day-to-day thing. It&rsquo;s nothing long-term. He needs rest, and obviously rest is not on our side right now.&rdquo;
Garland's injury would be tough under normal circumstances, and then there's what the Cavs are dealing with.
They lost leading scorer Collin Sexton and veteran guard Ricky Rubio to season-ending injuries. Rajon Rondo, acquired to offset Rubio's loss, is out with a sprained toe and Caris LeVert, added at the trade deadline for extra scoring punch, sprained his foot last week.
Rondo and LeVert may still be a week or more from returning. In the meantime, the Cavs, who only won 22 games last season, are fighting to stay among the East's top six teams &mdash; No. 7 and 8 will make the play-in.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s just hope that we can somehow stay relevant in the East,&rdquo; Gansey said.
The injuries seem to be re-shifting expectations and maybe priorities for the young Cavs, who a few weeks ago were No. 2 in the East.
Now, they're sliding, and with a daunting schedule ahead (the Cavs will face Philadelphia, Toronto, Miami and Chicago by March 12), there's no telling when they'll regain traction.
A few weeks ago, goals of reaching the postseason and advancing seemed attainable.
At this point, simply making the playoffs might be enough.
"By this time last year, we were all ready to go home,&rdquo; Allen said. "It was just a rough end of the season. Now the expectation wasn&rsquo;t to go win the championship, we can all be honest on that.
"It was to go out there, play our basketball and see where it takes us, and it&rsquo;s taken us far so far, so I think we can count this as a success.&rdquo;
Gansey said the mentality for players and coaches during this season's ascent has been that &ldquo;we want more.&rdquo; He's also realistic about what the Cavs can accomplish going forward, especially with a short-handed roster.
&ldquo;We just want to be a part of that conversation and if we get there (to the playoffs), great, and if we can get involved in the play-in game and somehow advance, that would be great too,&rdquo; he said. "I don&rsquo;t think it's like top 6 or bust or if we get in the play-in and lose.
&ldquo;For us now, we got 22 games left and it&rsquo;s one at a time, and hopefully we&rsquo;ll get our guards back and whatever happens, happens.&rdquo;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland's nagging, delicate back injury is threatening to sabotage Cleveland's season.
So is some rotten luck.
The All-Star point guard missed his third straight game &mdash; and eighth overall &mdash; on Monday with a bone bruise that needs rest in order to heal, and time isn't an ally of the Cavs, who are trying to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference while missing their top five guards.
&ldquo;This is unreal,&rdquo; general manager Mike Gansey said of the team's wave of backcourt injuries. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t envision doomsday, so to speak.&rdquo;
On Monday against Minnesota, the Cavs started a guard who began the season in the G League, and played another who signed a 10-day contract last week.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Garland, who has blossomed into one of the NBA's best guards in his third season, took part in the Cavs' light practice on Tuesday. He played some one-on-one and got in some extra shooting following the workout.
The team listed Garland as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Cavs, who are 36-25 and fifth in the East, have been tight-lipped about specifics on Garland's injury, which initially happened against Golden State on Jan. 9. The 22-year-old missed five games before the break, then returned for two. He has been kept out of three since the season resumed.
His participation in All-Star Weekend activities came with the team's blessing, but has raised questions about why the Cavs would risk letting their best player worsen an injury if they knew he needed rest.
Gansey said the team didn't discuss keeping Garland out of the All-Star festivities &mdash; he teamed up with rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen in the Skills Challenge before playing in his first All-Star Game &mdash; because he played twice without any issues and &ldquo;was feeling good.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The skills competition is more like playing H-O-R-S-E and the shooting was fun,&rdquo; said Gansey, who was recently promoted to GM. &ldquo;They (the All-Star team) had a practice which wasn&rsquo;t a practice, and I don&rsquo;t even know if he tried to defend or touch someone.
"You watch him run around and he&rsquo;s fine. It&rsquo;s a bone bruise where it&rsquo;s just like a day-to-day thing. It&rsquo;s nothing long-term. He needs rest, and obviously rest is not on our side right now.&rdquo;
Garland's injury would be tough under normal circumstances, and then there's what the Cavs are dealing with.
They lost leading scorer Collin Sexton and veteran guard Ricky Rubio to season-ending injuries. Rajon Rondo, acquired to offset Rubio's loss, is out with a sprained toe and Caris LeVert, added at the trade deadline for extra scoring punch, sprained his foot last week.
Rondo and LeVert may still be a week or more from returning. In the meantime, the Cavs, who only won 22 games last season, are fighting to stay among the East's top six teams &mdash; No. 7 and 8 will make the play-in.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s just hope that we can somehow stay relevant in the East,&rdquo; Gansey said.
The injuries seem to be re-shifting expectations and maybe priorities for the young Cavs, who a few weeks ago were No. 2 in the East.
Now, they're sliding, and with a daunting schedule ahead (the Cavs will face Philadelphia, Toronto, Miami and Chicago by March 12), there's no telling when they'll regain traction.
A few weeks ago, goals of reaching the postseason and advancing seemed attainable.
At this point, simply making the playoffs might be enough.
"By this time last year, we were all ready to go home,&rdquo; Allen said. "It was just a rough end of the season. Now the expectation wasn&rsquo;t to go win the championship, we can all be honest on that.
"It was to go out there, play our basketball and see where it takes us, and it&rsquo;s taken us far so far, so I think we can count this as a success.&rdquo;
Gansey said the mentality for players and coaches during this season's ascent has been that &ldquo;we want more.&rdquo; He's also realistic about what the Cavs can accomplish going forward, especially with a short-handed roster.
&ldquo;We just want to be a part of that conversation and if we get there (to the playoffs), great, and if we can get involved in the play-in game and somehow advance, that would be great too,&rdquo; he said. "I don&rsquo;t think it's like top-six or bust or if we get in the play-in and lose.
&ldquo;For us now, we got 22 games left and it&rsquo;s one at a time, and hopefully we&rsquo;ll get our guards back and whatever happens, happens.&rdquo;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland's nagging, delicate back injury is threatening to sabotage Cleveland's season.
So is some rotten luck.
The All-Star point guard missed his third straight game &mdash; and eighth overall &mdash; on Monday with a bone bruise that needs rest in order to heal, and time isn't an ally of the Cavs, who are trying to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference while missing their top five guards.
&ldquo;This is unreal,&rdquo; general manager Mike Gansey said of the team's wave of backcourt injuries. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t envision doomsday, so to speak.&rdquo;
On Monday against Minnesota, the Cavs started a guard who began the season in the G League, and played another who signed a 10-day contract last week.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Garland, who has blossomed into one of the NBA's best guards in his third season, took part in the Cavs' light practice on Tuesday. He played some one-on-one and got in some extra shooting following the workout.
The team listed Garland as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Cavs, who are 36-25 and fifth in the East, have been tight-lipped about specifics on Garland's injury, which initially happened against Golden State on Jan. 9. The 22-year-old missed five games before the break, then returned for two. He has been kept out of three since the season resumed.
His participation in All-Star Weekend activities came with the team's blessing, but has raised questions about why the Cavs would risk letting their best player worsen an injury if they knew he needed rest.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Gansey said the team didn't discuss keeping Garland out of the All-Star festivities &mdash; he teamed up with rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen in the Skills Challenge before playing in his first All-Star Game &mdash; because he played twice without any issues and &ldquo;was feeling good.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The skills competition is more like playing H-O-R-S-E and the shooting was fun,&rdquo; said Gansey, who was recently promoted to GM. &ldquo;They (the All-Star team) had a practice which wasn&rsquo;t a practice, and I don&rsquo;t even know if he tried to defend or touch someone.
"You watch him run around and he&rsquo;s fine. It&rsquo;s a bone bruise where it&rsquo;s just like a day-to-day thing. It&rsquo;s nothing long-term. He needs rest, and obviously rest is not on our side right now.&rdquo;
Garland's injury would be tough under normal circumstances, and then there's what the Cavs are dealing with.
They lost leading scorer Collin Sexton and veteran guard Ricky Rubio to season-ending injuries. Rajon Rondo, acquired to offset Rubio's loss, is out with a sprained toe and Caris LeVert, added at the trade deadline for extra scoring punch, sprained his foot last week.
Rondo and LeVert may still be a week or more from returning. In the meantime, the Cavs, who only won 22 games last season, are fighting to stay among the East's top six teams &mdash; No. 7 and 8 will make the play-in.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s just hope that we can somehow stay relevant in the East,&rdquo; Gansey said.
The injuries seem to be re-shifting expectations and maybe priorities for the young Cavs, who a few weeks ago were No. 2 in the East.
Now, they're sliding, and with a daunting schedule ahead (the Cavs will face Philadelphia, Toronto, Miami and Chicago by March 12), there's no telling when they'll regain traction.
A few weeks ago, goals of reaching the postseason and advancing seemed attainable.
At this point, simply making the playoffs might be enough.
"By this time last year, we were all ready to go home,&rdquo; Allen said. "It was just a rough end of the season. Now the expectation wasn&rsquo;t to go win the championship, we can all be honest on that.
"It was to go out there, play our basketball and see where it takes us, and it&rsquo;s taken us far so far, so I think we can count this as a success.&rdquo;
Gansey said the mentality for players and coaches during this season's ascent has been that &ldquo;we want more.&rdquo; He's also realistic about what the Cavs can accomplish going forward, especially with a short-handed roster.
&ldquo;We just want to be a part of that conversation and if we get there (to the playoffs), great, and if we can get involved in the play-in game and somehow advance, that would be great too,&rdquo; he said. "I don&rsquo;t think it's like top-six or bust or if we get in the play-in and lose.
&ldquo;For us now, we got 22 games left and it&rsquo;s one at a time, and hopefully we&rsquo;ll get our guards back and whatever happens, happens.&rdquo;

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Darius Garland's nagging, delicate back injury is threatening to sabotage Cleveland's season.
So is some rotten luck.
The All-Star point guard missed his third straight game &mdash; and eighth overall &mdash; on Monday with a bone bruise that needs rest in order to heal, and time isn't an ally of the Cavs, who are trying to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference while missing their top five guards.
&ldquo;This is unreal,&rdquo; general manager Mike Gansey said of the team's wave of backcourt injuries. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t envision doomsday, so to speak.&rdquo;
On Monday against Minnesota, the Cavs started a guard who began the season in the G League, and played another who signed a 10-day contract last week.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Garland, who has blossomed into one of the NBA's best guards in his third season, took part in the Cavs' light practice on Tuesday. He played some one-on-one and got in some extra shooting following the workout.
The team listed Garland as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Cavs, who are 36-25 and fifth in the East, have been tight-lipped about specifics on Garland's injury, which initially happened against Golden State on Jan. 9. The 22-year-old missed five games before the break, then returned for two. He has been kept out of three since the season resumed.
His participation in All-Star Weekend activities came with the team's blessing, but has raised questions about why the Cavs would risk letting their best player worsen an injury if they knew he needed rest.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Gansey said the team didn't discuss keeping Garland out of the All-Star festivities &mdash; he teamed up with rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen in the Skills Challenge before playing in his first All-Star Game &mdash; because he played twice without any issues and &ldquo;was feeling good.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The skills competition is more like playing H-O-R-S-E and the shooting was fun,&rdquo; said Gansey, who was recently promoted to GM. &ldquo;They (the All-Star team) had a practice which wasn&rsquo;t a practice, and I don&rsquo;t even know if he tried to defend or touch someone.
"You watch him run around and he&rsquo;s fine. It&rsquo;s a bone bruise where it&rsquo;s just like a day-to-day thing. It&rsquo;s nothing long-term. He needs rest, and obviously rest is not on our side right now.&rdquo;
Garland's injury would be tough under normal circumstances, and then there's what the Cavs are dealing with.
They lost leading scorer Collin Sexton and veteran guard Ricky Rubio to season-ending injuries. Rajon Rondo, acquired to offset Rubio's loss, is out with a sprained toe and Caris LeVert, added at the trade deadline for extra scoring punch, sprained his foot last week.
Rondo and LeVert may still be a week or more from returning. In the meantime, the Cavs, who only won 22 games last season, are fighting to stay among the East's top six teams &mdash; No. 7 and 8 will make the play-in.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s just hope that we can somehow stay relevant in the East,&rdquo; Gansey said.
The injuries seem to be re-shifting expectations and maybe priorities for the young Cavs, who a few weeks ago were No. 2 in the East.
Now, they're sliding, and with a daunting schedule ahead (the Cavs will face Philadelphia, Toronto, Miami and Chicago by March 12), there's no telling when they'll regain traction.
A few weeks ago, goals of reaching the postseason and advancing seemed attainable.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
At this point, simply making the playoffs might be enough.
"By this time last year, we were all ready to go home,&rdquo; Allen said. "It was just a rough end of the season. Now the expectation wasn&rsquo;t to go win the championship, we can all be honest on that.
"It was to go out there, play our basketball and see where it takes us, and it&rsquo;s taken us far so far, so I think we can count this as a success.&rdquo;
Gansey said the mentality for players and coaches during this season's ascent has been that &ldquo;we want more.&rdquo; He's also realistic about what the Cavs can accomplish going forward, especially with a short-handed roster.
&ldquo;We just want to be a part of that conversation and if we get there (to the playoffs), great, and if we can get involved in the play-in game and somehow advance, that would be great too,&rdquo; he said. "I don&rsquo;t think it's like top-six or bust or if we get in the play-in and lose.
&ldquo;For us now, we got 22 games left and it&rsquo;s one at a time, and hopefully we&rsquo;ll get our guards back and whatever happens, happens.&rdquo;

“This is unreal,” GM Mike Gansey said of the Cavaliers' wave of backcourt injuries. “We didn’t envision doomsday, so to speak.”

Injuries to Darius Garland, guards threaten to wreck Cavs' season

CLEVELAND (AP) — Darius Garland's nagging, delicate back injury is threatening to sabotage Cleveland's season.
So is some rotten luck.
The All-Star point guard missed his third straight game — and eighth overall — on Monday with a bone bruise that needs rest in order to heal, and time isn't an ally of the Cavs, who are trying to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference while missing their top five guards.
“This is unreal,” general manager Mike Gansey said of the team's wave of backcourt injuries. “We didn’t envision doomsday, so to speak.”
On Monday against Minnesota, the Cavs started a guard who began the season in the G League, and played another who signed a 10-day contract last week.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Garland, who has blossomed into one of the NBA's best guards in his third season, took part in the Cavs' light practice on Tuesday. It's still not known if he'll play Wednesday against Charlotte.
The Cavs, who are 36-25 and fifth in the East, have been tight-lipped about specifics on Garland's injury, which initially happened against Golden State on Jan. 9. The 22-year-old missed five games before the break, then returned for two. He has been kept out of three since the season resumed.
His participation in All-Star Weekend activities came with the team's blessing, but has raised questions about why the Cavs would risk letting their best player worsen an injury if they knew he needed rest.
Gansey said the team didn't discuss keeping Garland out of the All-Star festivities — he teamed with rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen in the Skills Challenge before playing in his first All-Star Game — because he played twice without any issues and “was feeling good.”
“The skills competition is more like playing H-O-R-S-E and the shooting was fun,” said Gansey, recently promoted to GM. “They (the All-Star team) had a practice which wasn’t a practice, and I don’t even know if he tried to defend or touch someone.
"You watch him run around and he’s fine. It’s a bone bruise where it’s just like a day-to-day thing. It’s nothing long-term. He needs rest, and obviously rest is not on our side right now.”
Garland's injury would be tough under normal circumstances, and then there's what the Cavs are dealing with.
They lost leading scorer Collin Sexton and veteran guard Ricky Rubio to season-ending injuries. Rajon Rondo, acquired to offset Rubio's loss, is out with a sprained toe and Caris LeVert, added at the trade deadline for extra scoring punch, sprained his foot last week.
Rondo and LeVert may still be a week or more from returning. In the meantime, the Cavs, who only won 22 games last season, are fighting to stay among the East's top six teams — No. 7 and 8 will make the play-in.
“Let’s just hope that we can somehow stay relevant in the East,” Gansey said.
The injuries seem to be re-shifting expectations and maybe priorities for the young Cavs, who a few weeks ago were No. 2 in the East.
Now, they're sliding, and with a daunting schedule ahead (the Cavs will face Philadelphia, Toronto, Miami and Chicago by March 12), there's no telling when they'll regain traction.
A few weeks ago, goals of reaching the postseason and advancing seemed attainable.
At this point, simply making the playoffs might be enough.
"By this time last year, we were all ready to go home,” Allen said. "It was just a rough end of the season. Now the expectation wasn’t to go win the championship, we can all be honest on that.
"It was to go out there, play our basketball and see where it takes us, and it’s taken us far so far, so I think we can count this as a success.”
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Darius Garland's nagging, delicate back injury is threatening to sabotage Cleveland's season.
So is some rotten luck.
The All-Star point guard missed his third straight game &mdash; and eighth overall &mdash; on Monday with a bone bruise that needs rest in order to heal, and time isn't an ally of the Cavs, who are trying to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference while missing their top five guards.
&ldquo;This is unreal,&rdquo; general manager Mike Gansey said of the team's wave of backcourt injuries. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t envision doomsday, so to speak.&rdquo;
On Monday against Minnesota, the Cavs started a guard who began the season in the G League, and played another who signed a 10-day contract last week.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Garland, who has blossomed into one of the NBA's best guards in his third season, took part in the Cavs' light practice on Tuesday. It's still not known if he'll play Wednesday against Charlotte.
The Cavs, who are 36-25 and fifth in the East, have been tight-lipped about specifics on Garland's injury, which initially happened against Golden State on Jan. 9. The 22-year-old missed five games before the break, then returned for two. He has been kept out of three since the season resumed.
His participation in All-Star Weekend activities came with the team's blessing, but has raised questions about why the Cavs would risk letting their best player worsen an injury if they knew he needed rest.
Gansey said the team didn't discuss keeping Garland out of the All-Star festivities &mdash; he teamed with rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen in the Skills Challenge before playing in his first All-Star Game &mdash; because he played twice without any issues and &ldquo;was feeling good.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The skills competition is more like playing H-O-R-S-E and the shooting was fun,&rdquo; said Gansey, recently promoted to GM. &ldquo;They (the All-Star team) had a practice which wasn&rsquo;t a practice, and I don&rsquo;t even know if he tried to defend or touch someone.
"You watch him run around and he&rsquo;s fine. It&rsquo;s a bone bruise where it&rsquo;s just like a day-to-day thing. It&rsquo;s nothing long-term. He needs rest, and obviously rest is not on our side right now.&rdquo;
Garland's injury would be tough under normal circumstances, and then there's what the Cavs are dealing with.
They lost leading scorer Collin Sexton and veteran guard Ricky Rubio to season-ending injuries. Rajon Rondo, acquired to offset Rubio's loss, is out with a sprained toe and Caris LeVert, added at the trade deadline for extra scoring punch, sprained his foot last week.
Rondo and LeVert may still be a week or more from returning. In the meantime, the Cavs, who only won 22 games last season, are fighting to stay among the East's top six teams &mdash; No. 7 and 8 will make the play-in.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s just hope that we can somehow stay relevant in the East,&rdquo; Gansey said.
The injuries seem to be re-shifting expectations and maybe priorities for the young Cavs, who a few weeks ago were No. 2 in the East.
Now, they're sliding, and with a daunting schedule ahead (the Cavs will face Philadelphia, Toronto, Miami and Chicago by March 12), there's no telling when they'll regain traction.
A few weeks ago, goals of reaching the postseason and advancing seemed attainable.
At this point, simply making the playoffs might be enough.
"By this time last year, we were all ready to go home,&rdquo; Allen said. "It was just a rough end of the season. Now the expectation wasn&rsquo;t to go win the championship, we can all be honest on that.
"It was to go out there, play our basketball and see where it takes us, and it&rsquo;s taken us far so far, so I think we can count this as a success.&rdquo;
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Darius Garland's nagging, delicate back injury is threatening to sabotage Cleveland's season.
So is some rotten luck.
The All-Star point guard missed his third straight game &mdash; and eighth overall &mdash; on Monday with a bone bruise that needs rest in order to heal, and time isn't an ally of the Cavs, who are trying to hold onto a playoff spot in the tight Eastern Conference while missing their top five guards.
&ldquo;This is unreal,&rdquo; general manager Mike Gansey said of the team's wave of backcourt injuries. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t envision doomsday, so to speak.&rdquo;
On Monday against Minnesota, the Cavs started a guard who began the season in the G League, and played another who signed a 10-day contract last week.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Garland, who has blossomed into one of the NBA's best guards in his third season, took part in the Cavs' light practice on Tuesday. It's still not known if he'll play Wednesday against Charlotte.
The Cavs, who are 36-25 and fifth in the East, have been tight-lipped about specifics on Garland's injury, which initially happened against Golden State on Jan. 9. The 22-year-old missed five games before the break, then returned for two. He has been kept out of three since the season resumed.
His participation in All-Star Weekend activities came with the team's blessing, but has raised questions about why the Cavs would risk letting their best player worsen an injury if they knew he needed rest.
Gansey said the team didn't discuss keeping Garland out of the All-Star festivities &mdash; he teamed with rookie Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen in the Skills Challenge before playing in his first All-Star Game &mdash; because he played twice without any issues and &ldquo;was feeling good.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The skills competition is more like playing H-O-R-S-E and the shooting was fun,&rdquo; said Gansey, recently promoted to GM. &ldquo;They (the All-Star team) had a practice which wasn&rsquo;t a practice, and I don&rsquo;t even know if he tried to defend or touch someone.
"You watch him run around and he&rsquo;s fine. It&rsquo;s a bone bruise where it&rsquo;s just like a day-to-day thing. It&rsquo;s nothing long-term. He needs rest, and obviously rest is not on our side right now.&rdquo;
Garland's injury would be tough under normal circumstances, and then there's what the Cavs are dealing with.
They lost leading scorer Collin Sexton and veteran guard Ricky Rubio to season-ending injuries. Rajon Rondo, acquired to offset Rubio's loss, is out with a sprained toe and Caris LeVert, added at the trade deadline for extra scoring punch, sprained his foot last week.
Rondo and LeVert may still be a week or more from returning. In the meantime, the Cavs, who only won 22 games last season, are fighting to stay among the East's top six teams &mdash; No. 7 and 8 will make the play-in.
&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s just hope that we can somehow stay relevant in the East,&rdquo; Gansey said.
The injuries seem to be re-shifting expectations and maybe priorities for the young Cavs, who a few weeks ago were No. 2 in the East.
Now, they're sliding, and with a daunting schedule ahead (the Cavs will face Philadelphia, Toronto, Miami and Chicago by March 12), there's no telling when they'll regain traction.
A few weeks ago, goals of reaching the postseason and advancing seemed attainable.
At this point, simply making the playoffs might be enough.
"By this time last year, we were all ready to go home,&rdquo; Allen said. "It was just a rough end of the season. Now the expectation wasn&rsquo;t to go win the championship, we can all be honest on that.
"It was to go out there, play our basketball and see where it takes us, and it&rsquo;s taken us far so far, so I think we can count this as a success.&rdquo;

Darius Garland's nagging, delicate back injury is threatening to sabotage Cleveland's season.

Injuries to Garland, guards threaten to wreck Cavs' season

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers are coming back from the All-Star break at less than full strength.
All-Star guard Darius Garland will miss Cleveland's game Thursday night at Detroit with a back issue that has slowed him for weeks while newly acquired guard Caris LeVert is sidelined with a sprained right foot.
Garland sat out five games with lower back soreness prior to last week's All-Star stoppage. The 22-year-old took part in All-Star Weekend activities, scoring 13 points in Team LeBron's win Sunday.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff did not mention anything about Garland or LeVert's status following Wednesday's practice.
The Cavs have had to overcome injuries all season — leading scorer Collin Sexton and guard Ricky Rubio were lost for the year with knee injuries — and are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference at 35-23.
LeVert has played in four games since the Cavs acquired him a trade with Indiana before the deadline, averaging 13.3 points and 3.8 assists.
He's made one start with Cleveland and Bickerstaff has been toying with the idea of having LeVert in his opening lineup. He's also figuring out how the 6-foot-6 scorer fits in best to Cleveland's offensive schemes.
“We sat down and had some conversations about where he’s comfortable, where he likes the ball, places where he’s had the most success in his past,” Bickerstaff said of LeVert. “I think we have a great understanding of how we can get it done. The next thing becomes actually going out and doing it."
It's not yet known when LeVert injured his foot.
While they'll be without Garland and LeVert, the Cavs could have forward Lauri Markkanen back against the Pistons after he missed 11 games with a severely sprained right ankle suffered on Jan. 22.
Markkanen, who is in his first season with Cleveland, practiced Wednesday and the Cavs will see how it responds before deciding if he'll play.
When Markkanen is available, Bickerstaff can play a “tall ball” lineup with rookie forward Evan Mobley (6-foot-11) and All-Star center Jarrett Allen (6-10). Markkanen's injury looked more serious when he went down and he's excited to get back on the floor.
“I’ve rolled my ankle before, I know how it feels,” he said. “But this felt different, so I was a little disappointed when it happened. I think it hurt more than my previous ankle sprains, so I thought it was going to be more significant. But when I did the imaging and found out what it was, it was a relief that I might not miss as much time as I thought.”
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Cavaliers are coming back from the All-Star break at less than full strength.
All-Star guard Darius Garland will miss Cleveland's game Thursday night at Detroit with a back issue that has slowed him for weeks while newly acquired guard Caris LeVert is sidelined with a sprained right foot.
Garland sat out five games with lower back soreness prior to last week's All-Star stoppage. The 22-year-old took part in All-Star Weekend activities, scoring 13 points in Team LeBron's win Sunday.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff did not mention anything about Garland or LeVert's status following Wednesday's practice.
The Cavs have had to overcome injuries all season &mdash; leading scorer Collin Sexton and guard Ricky Rubio were lost for the year with knee injuries &mdash; and are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference at 35-23.
LeVert has played in four games since the Cavs acquired him a trade with Indiana before the deadline, averaging 13.3 points and 3.8 assists.
He's made one start with Cleveland and Bickerstaff has been toying with the idea of having LeVert in his opening lineup. He's also figuring out how the 6-foot-6 scorer fits in best to Cleveland's offensive schemes.
&ldquo;We sat down and had some conversations about where he&rsquo;s comfortable, where he likes the ball, places where he&rsquo;s had the most success in his past,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said of LeVert. &ldquo;I think we have a great understanding of how we can get it done. The next thing becomes actually going out and doing it."
It's not yet known when LeVert injured his foot.
While they'll be without Garland and LeVert, the Cavs could have forward Lauri Markkanen back against the Pistons after he missed 11 games with a severely sprained right ankle suffered on Jan. 22.
Markkanen, who is in his first season with Cleveland, practiced Wednesday and the Cavs will see how it responds before deciding if he'll play.
When Markkanen is available, Bickerstaff can play a &ldquo;tall ball&rdquo; lineup with rookie forward Evan Mobley (6-foot-11) and All-Star center Jarrett Allen (6-10). Markkanen's injury looked more serious when he went down and he's excited to get back on the floor.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve rolled my ankle before, I know how it feels,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But this felt different, so I was a little disappointed when it happened. I think it hurt more than my previous ankle sprains, so I thought it was going to be more significant. But when I did the imaging and found out what it was, it was a relief that I might not miss as much time as I thought.&rdquo;
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Cavaliers are coming back from the All-Star break at less than full strength.
All-Star guard Darius Garland will miss Cleveland's game Thursday night at Detroit with a back issue that has slowed him for weeks while newly acquired guard Caris LeVert is sidelined with a sprained right foot.
Garland sat out five games with lower back soreness prior to last week's All-Star stoppage. The 22-year-old took part in All-Star Weekend activities, scoring 13 points in Team LeBron's win Sunday.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff did not mention anything about Garland or LeVert's status following Wednesday's practice.
The Cavs have had to overcome injuries all season &mdash; leading scorer Collin Sexton and guard Ricky Rubio were lost for the year with knee injuries &mdash; and are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference at 35-23.
LeVert has played in four games since the Cavs acquired him a trade with Indiana before the deadline, averaging 13.3 points and 3.8 assists.
He's made one start with Cleveland and Bickerstaff has been toying with the idea of having LeVert in his opening lineup. He's also figuring out how the 6-foot-6 scorer fits in best to Cleveland's offensive schemes.
&ldquo;We sat down and had some conversations about where he&rsquo;s comfortable, where he likes the ball, places where he&rsquo;s had the most success in his past,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said of LeVert. &ldquo;I think we have a great understanding of how we can get it done. The next thing becomes actually going out and doing it."
It's not yet known when LeVert injured his foot.
While they'll be without Garland and LeVert, the Cavs could have forward Lauri Markkanen back against the Pistons after he missed 11 games with a severely sprained right ankle suffered on Jan. 22.
Markkanen, who is in his first season with Cleveland, practiced Wednesday and the Cavs will see how it responds before deciding if he'll play.
When Markkanen is available, Bickerstaff can play a &ldquo;tall ball&rdquo; lineup with rookie forward Evan Mobley (6-foot-11) and All-Star center Jarrett Allen (6-10). Markkanen's injury looked more serious when he went down and he's excited to get back on the floor.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve rolled my ankle before, I know how it feels,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But this felt different, so I was a little disappointed when it happened. I think it hurt more than my previous ankle sprains, so I thought it was going to be more significant. But when I did the imaging and found out what it was, it was a relief that I might not miss as much time as I thought.&rdquo;

The Cavaliers are coming back from the All-Star break at less than full strength.

Garland, LeVert out with injuries as Cavs return from break

CLEVELAND (AP) — There were skeptics, and they included pretty much anyone who watched the Cavaliers struggle the past three years, who wondered about the team's “Let ’Em Know” theme heading into the 2021-22 season.
It hardly made sense.
After all, the Cavs had plummeted from elite status and back to irrelevancy after LeBron James left for the second time as a free agent following the 2018 season. With just 60 total wins since then, expectations were low.
Now, Cleveland's back in contention.
Thanks to a young nucleus led by All-Star guard Darius Garland and rookie sensation Evan Mobley, the acquisition of All-Star center Jarrett Allen and Kevin Love's rebirth as a reserve, the Cavaliers are among the Eastern Conference's elite teams.
Even long-time nemesis Draymond Green is impressed.
“The biggest surprise team to me is Cleveland, for sure,” the talkative Golden State forward said during All-Star weekend, when the entire league got a glimpse at the Cavs' talented core. "I don’t think anyone expected them to be this good, and they’re really putting it together.
“Obviously in finding a young star in Darius Garland, who is leading the charge. Evan Mobley. They have a great young group of guys. ... They’re going to be good for years to come.”
Yes, these Cavs appear to be built to last. They are young, hungry and determined to cut their own path. And they're certainly way ahead of schedule.
Cleveland hit the All-Star break at 35-23 and fourth in the East. However, the Cavs' record doesn't fully reflect what's been a challenging return to respectability.
Like every NBA team, they've dealt with their share of COVID-19 issues, injuries, scheduling quirks and the typical season grind.
However, the Cavs have persevered despite both leading scorer Collin Sexton and veteran guard Ricky Rubio suffering season-ending knee injuries — losses that threatened to derail this young team.
Instead, the adversity has only strengthened the Cavs. At the heart of their renaissance is a toughness and togetherness, values often preached and not always embraced.
They have played connected — on offense, defense, and in the locker room.
“I haven't been around a group who doesn’t want to disappoint each other the way this group doesn’t want to disappoint each other,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said following a comeback win last week. “I haven’t been around a group that one through as many guys we’ve had here this year, has celebrated one another the way that this group celebrates one another.
"So it's truly special. And we have to make sure that we keep fostering and helping it grow.”
More than any player, Garland's growth has driven the Cavs' stunning rise.
The baby-faced 22-year-old has developed into one of the league's best point guards, a combination scorer/playmaker capable of dissecting a defense with his dribble or spreading the floor by knocking down a 3-pointer.
One of just four players averaging at least 20 points and eight assists, Garland's game took off this summer when he played for the USA Select Team and against the U.S. Olympic squad as it prepared for the delayed Tokyo Games.
“When we scrimmaged against the main team, that’s where you saw a different Darius,” said Miami's Erik Spoelstra, who coached Garland. “He was playing extremely well, and everybody in the gym noticed it, to the point when they had injuries they selected him to continue on.”
With Garland leading the way, the Cavs have finally crawled from the rubble left by James' departure. Cleveland is again a basketball city, and not just because it has one of the best players on the planet.
The Cavs are poised to make their first playoff appearance without James since 1998.
“Our guys want to make our own legacy,” Garland said during All-Star Weekend. “I mean, just putting Cleveland on the map without LeBron would mean a lot to all of us. A rebuild, rebirth in Cleveland. It’s a new look, a new feel."
Growing pains are almost certainly ahead for a team lacking overall playoff experience.
The schedule appears favorable with 14 more regular-season games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where the roar is back to LeBron-era levels. And with their interior size and relentless defense, the Cavs could be a tough draw for any team in the East.
The Cavs showed during the All-Star weekend why they intend to do more than just make the postseason.
Mobley, the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, calmly sank a half-court shot to win the Skills Challenge on Friday. Afterward, he, Garland and Allen posed for photos while holding trophies over their heads.
Garland then scored 13 points in his All-Star Game debut, when he and Allen were on the floor during the crucial closing minutes of Team LeBron's win.
They've already pulled off one big surprise, and the Cavs believe they just might have a few more in them before it's all over.
"We have all the pieces and team chemistry that we need to go as far as we want,” Mobley said.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

There were skeptics, and they included pretty much anyone who watched the Cavaliers struggle the past three years, who wondered about the team's &ldquo;Let &rsquo;Em Know&rdquo; theme heading into the 2021-22 season.
It hardly made sense.
After all, the Cavs had plummeted from elite status and back to irrelevancy after LeBron James left for the second time as a free agent following the 2018 season. With just 60 total wins since then, expectations were low.
Now, Cleveland's back in contention.
Thanks to a young nucleus led by All-Star guard Darius Garland and rookie sensation Evan Mobley, the acquisition of All-Star center Jarrett Allen and Kevin Love's rebirth as a reserve, the Cavaliers are among the Eastern Conference's elite teams.
Even long-time nemesis Draymond Green is impressed.
&ldquo;The biggest surprise team to me is Cleveland, for sure,&rdquo; the talkative Golden State forward said during All-Star weekend, when the entire league got a glimpse at the Cavs' talented core. "I don&rsquo;t think anyone expected them to be this good, and they&rsquo;re really putting it together.
&ldquo;Obviously in finding a young star in Darius Garland, who is leading the charge. Evan Mobley. They have a great young group of guys. ... They&rsquo;re going to be good for years to come.&rdquo;
Yes, these Cavs appear to be built to last. They are young, hungry and determined to cut their own path. And they're certainly way ahead of schedule.
Cleveland hit the All-Star break at 35-23 and fourth in the East. However, the Cavs' record doesn't fully reflect what's been a challenging return to respectability.
Like every NBA team, they've dealt with their share of COVID-19 issues, injuries, scheduling quirks and the typical season grind.
However, the Cavs have persevered despite both leading scorer Collin Sexton and veteran guard Ricky Rubio suffering season-ending knee injuries &mdash; losses that threatened to derail this young team.
Instead, the adversity has only strengthened the Cavs. At the heart of their renaissance is a toughness and togetherness, values often preached and not always embraced.
They have played connected &mdash; on offense, defense, and in the locker room.
&ldquo;I haven't been around a group who doesn&rsquo;t want to disappoint each other the way this group doesn&rsquo;t want to disappoint each other,&rdquo; coach J.B. Bickerstaff said following a comeback win last week. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t been around a group that one through as many guys we&rsquo;ve had here this year, has celebrated one another the way that this group celebrates one another.
"So it's truly special. And we have to make sure that we keep fostering and helping it grow.&rdquo;
More than any player, Garland's growth has driven the Cavs' stunning rise.
The baby-faced 22-year-old has developed into one of the league's best point guards, a combination scorer/playmaker capable of dissecting a defense with his dribble or spreading the floor by knocking down a 3-pointer.
One of just four players averaging at least 20 points and eight assists, Garland's game took off this summer when he played for the USA Select Team and against the U.S. Olympic squad as it prepared for the delayed Tokyo Games.
&ldquo;When we scrimmaged against the main team, that&rsquo;s where you saw a different Darius,&rdquo; said Miami's Erik Spoelstra, who coached Garland. &ldquo;He was playing extremely well, and everybody in the gym noticed it, to the point when they had injuries they selected him to continue on.&rdquo;
With Garland leading the way, the Cavs have finally crawled from the rubble left by James' departure. Cleveland is again a basketball city, and not just because it has one of the best players on the planet.
The Cavs are poised to make their first playoff appearance without James since 1998.
&ldquo;Our guys want to make our own legacy,&rdquo; Garland said during All-Star Weekend. &ldquo;I mean, just putting Cleveland on the map without LeBron would mean a lot to all of us. A rebuild, rebirth in Cleveland. It&rsquo;s a new look, a new feel."
Growing pains are almost certainly ahead for a team lacking overall playoff experience.
The schedule appears favorable with 14 more regular-season games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where the roar is back to LeBron-era levels. And with their interior size and relentless defense, the Cavs could be a tough draw for any team in the East.
The Cavs showed during the All-Star weekend why they intend to do more than just make the postseason.
Mobley, the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, calmly sank a half-court shot to win the Skills Challenge on Friday. Afterward, he, Garland and Allen posed for photos while holding trophies over their heads.
Garland then scored 13 points in his All-Star Game debut, when he and Allen were on the floor during the crucial closing minutes of Team LeBron's win.
They've already pulled off one big surprise, and the Cavs believe they just might have a few more in them before it's all over.
"We have all the pieces and team chemistry that we need to go as far as we want,&rdquo; Mobley said.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

There were skeptics, and they included pretty much anyone who watched the Cavaliers struggle the past three years, who wondered about the team's &ldquo;Let &rsquo;Em Know&rdquo; theme heading into the 2021-22 season.
It hardly made sense.
After all, the Cavs had plummeted from elite status and back to irrelevancy after LeBron James left for the second time as a free agent following the 2018 season. With just 60 total wins since then, expectations were low.
Now, Cleveland's back in contention.
Thanks to a young nucleus led by All-Star guard Darius Garland and rookie sensation Evan Mobley, the acquisition of All-Star center Jarrett Allen and Kevin Love's rebirth as a reserve, the Cavaliers are among the Eastern Conference's elite teams.
Even long-time nemesis Draymond Green is impressed.
&ldquo;The biggest surprise team to me is Cleveland, for sure,&rdquo; the talkative Golden State forward said during All-Star weekend, when the entire league got a glimpse at the Cavs' talented core. "I don&rsquo;t think anyone expected them to be this good, and they&rsquo;re really putting it together.
&ldquo;Obviously in finding a young star in Darius Garland, who is leading the charge. Evan Mobley. They have a great young group of guys. ... They&rsquo;re going to be good for years to come.&rdquo;
Yes, these Cavs appear to be built to last. They are young, hungry and determined to cut their own path. And they're certainly way ahead of schedule.
Cleveland hit the All-Star break at 35-23 and fourth in the East. However, the Cavs' record doesn't fully reflect what's been a challenging return to respectability.
Like every NBA team, they've dealt with their share of COVID-19 issues, injuries, scheduling quirks and the typical season grind.
However, the Cavs have persevered despite both leading scorer Collin Sexton and veteran guard Ricky Rubio suffering season-ending knee injuries &mdash; losses that threatened to derail this young team.
Instead, the adversity has only strengthened the Cavs. At the heart of their renaissance is a toughness and togetherness, values often preached and not always embraced.
They have played connected &mdash; on offense, defense, and in the locker room.
&ldquo;I haven't been around a group who doesn&rsquo;t want to disappoint each other the way this group doesn&rsquo;t want to disappoint each other,&rdquo; coach J.B. Bickerstaff said following a comeback win last week. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t been around a group that one through as many guys we&rsquo;ve had here this year, has celebrated one another the way that this group celebrates one another.
"So it's truly special. And we have to make sure that we keep fostering and helping it grow.&rdquo;
More than any player, Garland's growth has driven the Cavs' stunning rise.
The baby-faced 22-year-old has developed into one of the league's best point guards, a combination scorer/playmaker capable of dissecting a defense with his dribble or spreading the floor by knocking down a 3-pointer.
One of just four players averaging at least 20 points and eight assists, Garland's game took off this summer when he played for the USA Select Team and against the U.S. Olympic squad as it prepared for the delayed Tokyo Games.
&ldquo;When we scrimmaged against the main team, that&rsquo;s where you saw a different Darius,&rdquo; said Miami's Erik Spoelstra, who coached Garland. &ldquo;He was playing extremely well, and everybody in the gym noticed it, to the point when they had injuries they selected him to continue on.&rdquo;
With Garland leading the way, the Cavs have finally crawled from the rubble left by James' departure. Cleveland is again a basketball city, and not just because it has one of the best players on the planet.
The Cavs are poised to make their first playoff appearance without James since 1998.
&ldquo;Our guys want to make our own legacy,&rdquo; Garland said during All-Star Weekend. &ldquo;I mean, just putting Cleveland on the map without LeBron would mean a lot to all of us. A rebuild, rebirth in Cleveland. It&rsquo;s a new look, a new feel."
Growing pains are almost certainly ahead for a team lacking overall playoff experience.
The schedule appears favorable with 14 more regular-season games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where the roar is back to LeBron-era levels. And with their interior size and relentless defense, the Cavs could be a tough draw for any team in the East.
The Cavs showed during the All-Star weekend why they intend to do more than just make the postseason.
Mobley, the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, calmly sank a half-court shot to win the Skills Challenge on Friday. Afterward, he, Garland and Allen posed for photos while holding trophies over their heads.
Garland then scored 13 points in his All-Star Game debut, when he and Allen were on the floor during the crucial closing minutes of Team LeBron's win.
They've already pulled off one big surprise, and the Cavs believe they just might have a few more in them before it's all over.
"We have all the pieces and team chemistry that we need to go as far as we want,&rdquo; Mobley said.

Cleveland hit the All-Star break at 35-23 and fourth in the East ern Conference.

Cavaliers escape LeBron's shadow as NBA's biggest surprise

CLEVELAND (AP) — One by one the names of the NBA's greatest players were called, bridging basketball's past and present.
And as each walked onto the floor, LeBron James found himself in further disbelief.
The posters on his bedroom wall as a kid came to life.
“Allen Iverson and Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson,” James said, still trying to grasp the experience. “To see those guys today and then be on stage with those guys — it’s just crazy.”
On Sunday night, the league celebrated its diamond anniversary with a sparkling tribute to honor 75 years on the hardwood floor.
During a moving halftime tribute at Sunday's All-Star Game, 45 members of the 75th Anniversary Team — including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James — stood elbow to elbow on a giant circular stage in the middle of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
This was a chance for the game's greatest to take a bow and be saluted for cutting the path for today's players.
For James, who made a fadeaway jumper — the kind Jordan made famous -- to send Team LeBron to a 163-160 win over Team Durant, the chance to be around players he idolized, was overwhelming.
“Every time they would announce another name, I didn’t even get an opportunity to like rejoice in the player that they had named,” he said. “It was, like, Gary Payton. I was, like, wow.! Then J Kidd showed up, and then A.I. (Allen Iverson) showed up, and then it was D. Wade, C.P. (Chris Paul), and Steph (Curry). I was just tripped out.”
James wasn't the only one.
Each wearing blue blazers with a 75th logo on their chests, the best of the NBA's best were introduced to huge ovations, with the loudest cheers going to Jordan, the last player to walk onto the raised podium at center court.
The forwards were brought out first with Charles Barkley leading the way. Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of six current All-Stars on the 75th team, changed out of his Team LeBron uniform for the on-court tribute.
During the TV broadcast, Barkley said being amongst the NBA’s elite hit him harder than he expected. Antetokounmpo, one of the two Europeans on the squad, also was awed by being part of the ceremony.
“When you start playing basketball when you are young, you never imagine to be next to all these all-time greats,” said Milwaukee's star. "Your name being called, going out there to shake their hands and just stand next to them, interact with them, it was amazing.
“I kind of teared up on stage because I’m not supposed to be here, man. Being among those guys is — man, it’s crazy.”
Julius “Dr. J” Erving bowed to the sellout crowd, and the always entertaining Dennis Rodman strutted down the wine-colored carpet wearing a basketball cap and hooded sweatshirt under his jacket.
James was the last of the forward group to be welcomed, and the former Cleveland star spun in a circle to return the love coming from every corner of the arena. This was his homecoming weekend, and it coinciding with the 75th anniversary made it even more special.
Once James took his spot on the star-studded stage, he tried to soak in the moment.
“It would be like going to your favorite musician’s concert in the greatest stadium, and you are literally on stage with them while they’re performing, and the sense of “I can’t believe that I’m here,'” he said. That’s the best way that I can put it.”
"I can’t believe I’m sitting next to Bruce Springsteen while he is playing in a stadium in London with 160,000 people. Or I’m in the Garden with Jay-Z. I’m sitting here with Whitney Houston on stage in a coliseum with 90,000 people.
“That’s kind of what it felt like for me. I just couldn’t believe it.”
When it was the centers' turn to be welcomed, Shaquille O'Neal stuck out his tongue toward the camera and posed while Abdul-Jabbar, the league's career scoring leader, mimicked his signature “sky hook” before the 74-year-old took a seat at the stage's edge.
Iverson, who once scored 54 points in the building, led the guards out and was followed soon after by George “Iceman” Gervin, who made sure the crowd remembered his famed finger roll.
Before Jordan's entrance, Kobe Bryant's photo on the giant scoreboard touched off an emotional response and chants of “Ko-be, Ko-be” for the late Lakers superstar who died tragically in a 2020 helicopter crash with his young daughter, Gianna.
Even Curry, who got booed by Cleveland's crowd before scoring 50 points and winning MVP honors, got a nice hand.
Jordan's appearance was something of a surprise as the league kept a tight lid on any details of the celebration.
Following the game, James made sure to reconnect with Jordan, who inspired the young kid from Akron to chase greatness.
“The way he wore his shoes, the way he wore his uniform, I mean, all the way down to some of the cars that he drove,” James said.
The still living members of the 75th team who didn't attend were shown on video, with each saluting the fans with a wave.
This is the second time the league has honored its greats in Cleveland, after the 50th Anniversary Team was honored in 1997.
___
More on the NBA At 75: https://apnews.com/hub/nba-at-75 
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

One by one the names of the NBA's greatest players were called, bridging basketball's past and present.
And as each walked onto the floor, LeBron James found himself in further disbelief.
The posters on his bedroom wall as a kid came to life.
&ldquo;Allen Iverson and Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson,&rdquo; James said, still trying to grasp the experience. &ldquo;To see those guys today and then be on stage with those guys &mdash; it&rsquo;s just crazy.&rdquo;
On Sunday night, the league celebrated its diamond anniversary with a sparkling tribute to honor 75 years on the hardwood floor.
During a moving halftime tribute at Sunday's All-Star Game, 45 members of the 75th Anniversary Team &mdash; including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James &mdash; stood elbow to elbow on a giant circular stage in the middle of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
This was a chance for the game's greatest to take a bow and be saluted for cutting the path for today's players.
For James, who made a fadeaway jumper &mdash; the kind Jordan made famous -- to send Team LeBron to a 163-160 win over Team Durant, the chance to be around players he idolized, was overwhelming.
&ldquo;Every time they would announce another name, I didn&rsquo;t even get an opportunity to like rejoice in the player that they had named,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was, like, Gary Payton. I was, like, wow.! Then J Kidd showed up, and then A.I. (Allen Iverson) showed up, and then it was D. Wade, C.P. (Chris Paul), and Steph (Curry). I was just tripped out.&rdquo;
James wasn't the only one.
Each wearing blue blazers with a 75th logo on their chests, the best of the NBA's best were introduced to huge ovations, with the loudest cheers going to Jordan, the last player to walk onto the raised podium at center court.
The forwards were brought out first with Charles Barkley leading the way. Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of six current All-Stars on the 75th team, changed out of his Team LeBron uniform for the on-court tribute.
During the TV broadcast, Barkley said being amongst the NBA&rsquo;s elite hit him harder than he expected. Antetokounmpo, one of the two Europeans on the squad, also was awed by being part of the ceremony.
&ldquo;When you start playing basketball when you are young, you never imagine to be next to all these all-time greats,&rdquo; said Milwaukee's star. "Your name being called, going out there to shake their hands and just stand next to them, interact with them, it was amazing.
&ldquo;I kind of teared up on stage because I&rsquo;m not supposed to be here, man. Being among those guys is &mdash; man, it&rsquo;s crazy.&rdquo;
Julius &ldquo;Dr. J&rdquo; Erving bowed to the sellout crowd, and the always entertaining Dennis Rodman strutted down the wine-colored carpet wearing a basketball cap and hooded sweatshirt under his jacket.
James was the last of the forward group to be welcomed, and the former Cleveland star spun in a circle to return the love coming from every corner of the arena. This was his homecoming weekend, and it coinciding with the 75th anniversary made it even more special.
Once James took his spot on the star-studded stage, he tried to soak in the moment.
&ldquo;It would be like going to your favorite musician&rsquo;s concert in the greatest stadium, and you are literally on stage with them while they&rsquo;re performing, and the sense of &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe that I&rsquo;m here,'&rdquo; he said. That&rsquo;s the best way that I can put it.&rdquo;
"I can&rsquo;t believe I&rsquo;m sitting next to Bruce Springsteen while he is playing in a stadium in London with 160,000 people. Or I&rsquo;m in the Garden with Jay-Z. I&rsquo;m sitting here with Whitney Houston on stage in a coliseum with 90,000 people.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s kind of what it felt like for me. I just couldn&rsquo;t believe it.&rdquo;
When it was the centers' turn to be welcomed, Shaquille O'Neal stuck out his tongue toward the camera and posed while Abdul-Jabbar, the league's career scoring leader, mimicked his signature &ldquo;sky hook&rdquo; before the 74-year-old took a seat at the stage's edge.
Iverson, who once scored 54 points in the building, led the guards out and was followed soon after by George &ldquo;Iceman&rdquo; Gervin, who made sure the crowd remembered his famed finger roll.
Before Jordan's entrance, Kobe Bryant's photo on the giant scoreboard touched off an emotional response and chants of &ldquo;Ko-be, Ko-be&rdquo; for the late Lakers superstar who died tragically in a 2020 helicopter crash with his young daughter, Gianna.
Even Curry, who got booed by Cleveland's crowd before scoring 50 points and winning MVP honors, got a nice hand.
Jordan's appearance was something of a surprise as the league kept a tight lid on any details of the celebration.
Following the game, James made sure to reconnect with Jordan, who inspired the young kid from Akron to chase greatness.
&ldquo;The way he wore his shoes, the way he wore his uniform, I mean, all the way down to some of the cars that he drove,&rdquo; James said.
The still living members of the 75th team who didn't attend were shown on video, with each saluting the fans with a wave.
This is the second time the league has honored its greats in Cleveland, after the 50th Anniversary Team was honored in 1997.

On Sunday night, the league celebrated its diamond anniversary with a sparkling tribute to honor 75 years on the hardwood floor.

NBA honors past, present with 75th tribute at All-Star Game

CLEVELAND (AP) — Bill Fitch helped turn bad NBA teams into winners, and the Celtics back into champions.
A two-time coach of the year who guided Boston to one of its championships during a Hall of Fame coaching career spanning three decades, has died. He was 89.
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, said Fitch's daughter told him her father died Wednesday night in Lake Conroe, Texas, surrounded by family.
“Coach Fitch’s numerous accomplishments pale in comparison to the giant impact he had on countless members of the basketball world in a legendary career that spanned 40-plus years," said Carlisle, who broke in as an assistant under Fitch with New Jersey. ”His mark on the NBA game is indelible.”
Fitch coached for 25 seasons in the NBA, starting with the expansion Cleveland Cavaliers in 1970. He was Larry Bird's first pro coach in 1979, won a title with the Celtics in 1981 and spent time with Houston, New Jersey and the Los Angeles Clippers.
While he had his greatest success in Boston, Fitch may be best remembered for his early seasons with the Cavs.
He helped develop a young team that won just 15 games in its first season and improved steadily before making the playoffs in 1976 and shocking the Washington Bullets in what became known as the “Miracle of Richfield.”
Fitch was chosen coach of the year that season.
“Our franchise lost a great man and Rock that it was built on,” <a href="https://twitter.com/MrCavalier34/status/1489259466335809546">Cavs great Austin Carr wrote on Twitter.</a> “Coach Fitch, may he rest in peace, love u Coach.”
Fitch spent nine seasons in Cleveland, winning 304 games.
“Coach Fitch earned the love and respect of his Cavaliers players as he embedded a high standard of accountability and a belief system that he felt was a reflection of the team’s motto as a ‘group of daring, fearless men, whose life’s pact was never surrender, no matter what the odds,’ something that continues to be greatly valued by those he coached and worked with on and off the court,” the Cavs said in a statement.
“Coach Fitch was a great friend and trusted mentor and teacher to so many across the entire basketball community, while his impact on the game, and the lives of those he touched, spanned multiple generations. He became a life-long friend to many members of the Cavaliers organization.”
Fitch was hired by Red Auerbach and the Celtics in 1979, the same year Bird arrived in Boston, which was coming off the two worst seasons in the famed franchise's history. The Celtics went 61-21 in Fitch's first season and won the championship the following year by beating the Rockets in six games.
“Fitch’s deep knowledge of the game, toughness, and dry wit made him a perfect fit for Boston and the Celtics,” the team said in a statement. “Fitch had already built a reputation as a turnaround artist, and his ability to get the best out of his players paid immediate dividends as Fitch orchestrated what was at the time the best turnaround in NBA history, vaulting to a 61-21 record.”
Fitch went 242-86 in his four seasons in Boston.
He went from there to Houston for five seasons (1983-88), taking the Rockets to the Finals in 1986 with a team powered by Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson.
Fitch joined the Nets in 1989 and took a young team that won just 17 games in his first season to 40 victories and a playoff berth in his third year.
He wrapped up his coaching odyssey with the woebegone Clippers, leading them to the playoffs in his third season before retiring in 1998. 
Fitch, who had a 944-1106 record, was elected to the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
Born in Davenport, Iowa, Fitch coached at his alma mater, Coe College, before stops at Minnesota, Bowling Green and North Dakota, where he saw promise in a young forward named Phil Jackson, who went on to win 10 NBA titles as a coach.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Bill Fitch helped turn bad NBA teams into winners, and the Celtics back into champions.
A two-time coach of the year who guided Boston to one of its championships during a Hall of Fame coaching career spanning three decades, has died. He was 89.
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, said Fitch's daughter told him her father died Wednesday night in Lake Conroe, Texas, surrounded by family.
&ldquo;Coach Fitch&rsquo;s numerous accomplishments pale in comparison to the giant impact he had on countless members of the basketball world in a legendary career that spanned 40-plus years," said Carlisle, who broke in as an assistant under Fitch with New Jersey. &rdquo;His mark on the NBA game is indelible.&rdquo;
Fitch coached for 25 seasons in the NBA, starting with the expansion Cleveland Cavaliers in 1970. He was Larry Bird's first pro coach in 1979, won a title with the Celtics in 1981 and spent time with Houston, New Jersey and the Los Angeles Clippers.
While he had his greatest success in Boston, Fitch may be best remembered for his early seasons with the Cavs.
He helped develop a young team that won just 15 games in its first season and improved steadily before making the playoffs in 1976 and shocking the Washington Bullets in what became known as the &ldquo;Miracle of Richfield.&rdquo;
Fitch was chosen coach of the year that season.
&ldquo;Our franchise lost a great man and Rock that it was built on,&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/MrCavalier34/status/1489259466335809546">Cavs great Austin Carr wrote on Twitter.</a> &ldquo;Coach Fitch, may he rest in peace, love u Coach.&rdquo;
Fitch spent nine seasons in Cleveland, winning 304 games.
&ldquo;Coach Fitch earned the love and respect of his Cavaliers players as he embedded a high standard of accountability and a belief system that he felt was a reflection of the team&rsquo;s motto as a &lsquo;group of daring, fearless men, whose life&rsquo;s pact was never surrender, no matter what the odds,&rsquo; something that continues to be greatly valued by those he coached and worked with on and off the court,&rdquo; the Cavs said in a statement.
&ldquo;Coach Fitch was a great friend and trusted mentor and teacher to so many across the entire basketball community, while his impact on the game, and the lives of those he touched, spanned multiple generations. He became a life-long friend to many members of the Cavaliers organization.&rdquo;
Fitch was hired by Red Auerbach and the Celtics in 1979, the same year Bird arrived in Boston, which was coming off the two worst seasons in the famed franchise's history. The Celtics went 61-21 in Fitch's first season and won the championship the following year by beating the Rockets in six games.
&ldquo;Fitch&rsquo;s deep knowledge of the game, toughness, and dry wit made him a perfect fit for Boston and the Celtics,&rdquo; the team said in a statement. &ldquo;Fitch had already built a reputation as a turnaround artist, and his ability to get the best out of his players paid immediate dividends as Fitch orchestrated what was at the time the best turnaround in NBA history, vaulting to a 61-21 record.&rdquo;
Fitch went 242-86 in his four seasons in Boston.
He went from there to Houston for five seasons (1983-88), taking the Rockets to the Finals in 1986 with a team powered by Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson.
Fitch joined the Nets in 1989 and took a young team that won just 17 games in his first season to 40 victories and a playoff berth in his third year.
He wrapped up his coaching odyssey with the woebegone Clippers, leading them to the playoffs in his third season before retiring in 1998.
Fitch, who had a 944-1106 record, was elected to the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
Born in Davenport, Iowa, Fitch coached at his alma mater, Coe College, before stops at Minnesota, Bowling Green and North Dakota, where he saw promise in a young forward named Phil Jackson, who went on to win 10 NBA titles as a coach.
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Bill Fitch helped turn bad NBA teams into winners, and the Celtics back into champions.
A two-time coach of the year who guided Boston to one of its championships during a Hall of Fame coaching career spanning three decades, has died. He was 89.
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, said Fitch's daughter told him her father died Wednesday night in Lake Conroe, Texas, surrounded by family.
&ldquo;Coach Fitch&rsquo;s numerous accomplishments pale in comparison to the giant impact he had on countless members of the basketball world in a legendary career that spanned 40-plus years," said Carlisle, who broke in as an assistant under Fitch with New Jersey. &rdquo;His mark on the NBA game is indelible.&rdquo;
Fitch coached for 25 seasons in the NBA, starting with the expansion Cleveland Cavaliers in 1970. He was Larry Bird's first pro coach in 1979, won a title with the Celtics in 1981 and spent time with Houston, New Jersey and the Los Angeles Clippers.
While he had his greatest success in Boston, Fitch may be best remembered for his early seasons with the Cavs.
He helped develop a young team that won just 15 games in its first season and improved steadily before making the playoffs in 1976 and shocking the Washington Bullets in what became known as the &ldquo;Miracle of Richfield.&rdquo;
Fitch was chosen coach of the year that season.
&ldquo;Our franchise lost a great man and Rock that it was built on,&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/MrCavalier34/status/1489259466335809546">Cavs great Austin Carr wrote on Twitter.</a> &ldquo;Coach Fitch, may he rest in peace, love u Coach.&rdquo;
Fitch spent nine seasons in Cleveland, winning 304 games.
&ldquo;Coach Fitch earned the love and respect of his Cavaliers players as he embedded a high standard of accountability and a belief system that he felt was a reflection of the team&rsquo;s motto as a &lsquo;group of daring, fearless men, whose life&rsquo;s pact was never surrender, no matter what the odds,&rsquo; something that continues to be greatly valued by those he coached and worked with on and off the court,&rdquo; the Cavs said in a statement.
&ldquo;Coach Fitch was a great friend and trusted mentor and teacher to so many across the entire basketball community, while his impact on the game, and the lives of those he touched, spanned multiple generations. He became a life-long friend to many members of the Cavaliers organization.&rdquo;
Fitch was hired by Red Auerbach and the Celtics in 1979, the same year Bird arrived in Boston, which was coming off the two worst seasons in the famed franchise's history. The Celtics went 61-21 in Fitch's first season and won the championship the following year by beating the Rockets in six games.
&ldquo;Fitch&rsquo;s deep knowledge of the game, toughness, and dry wit made him a perfect fit for Boston and the Celtics,&rdquo; the team said in a statement. &ldquo;Fitch had already built a reputation as a turnaround artist, and his ability to get the best out of his players paid immediate dividends as Fitch orchestrated what was at the time the best turnaround in NBA history, vaulting to a 61-21 record.&rdquo;
Fitch went 242-86 in his four seasons in Boston.
He went from there to Houston for five seasons (1983-88), taking the Rockets to the Finals in 1986 with a team powered by Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson.
Fitch joined the Nets in 1989 and took a young team that won just 17 games in his first season to 40 victories and a playoff berth in his third year.
He wrapped up his coaching odyssey with the woebegone Clippers, leading them to the playoffs in his third season before retiring in 1998.
Fitch, who had a 944-1106 record, was elected to the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
Born in Davenport, Iowa, Fitch coached at his alma mater, Coe College, before stops at Minnesota, Bowling Green and North Dakota, where he saw promise in a young forward named Phil Jackson, who went on to win 10 NBA titles as a coach.

Bill Fitch's daughter told Rick Carlisle's her father died Wednesday night in Lake Conroe, Texas, surrounded by family.

Hall of Fame coach Bill Fitch dies, led Celtics to '81 title

Tom Withers is a writer for the Associated Press.