'My little man': Evan Mobley rebounds for Cavs and looks to maintain momentum vs. Knicks
CLEVELAND — Point guard Darius Garland isn't the only young Cavaliers player who proved All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell can be prophetic.
Garland stole the show Tuesday night by scoring 26 of his 32 points during the first half of a 107-90 blowout victory over the New York Knicks in Game 2 of a best-of-seven series between the two Eastern Conference teams.
Although Evan Mobley didn't dominate the headlines like Garland, Mobley's improvement from the Cavs' 101-97 loss in Game 1 to their triumphant Game 2 mirrored Garland's progression in several ways.
Mitchell envisioned the growth. After shootaround Tuesday morning, he insisted his teammates who had no NBA playoff experience until this past weekend could make a notable jump from one game to the next.
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How did Cavs forward Evan Mobley's stats in Game 1 vs. Knicks compare with Game 2 of the first-round NBA playoff series?
Mobley checked the box in Game 2, helping the Cavs tie the series 1-1.
He compiled 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, a game-high 13 rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals in 39 minutes. His stat line from Game 1: eight points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field, 11 rebounds, zero blocked shots and a steal in 38 minutes.
See the difference?
“[Game 1] was our first playoff game,” Garland said. “[Mobley] didn't really know what to expect, so he didn't know the physicality that it was going to have. Last game, we got punched in the mouth. [In Game 2], I think he punched first.
“He brought that aggressiveness to [Knicks All-Star forward] Julius [Randle]. He was more aggressive. He was attacking. He was rebounding. He was boxing out. He was throwing a couple [elbows], so it's good to see my little man out there just doing this thing.”
The 7-foot “little man” boosted Cleveland over a significant hump.
In their first five games this season against the Knicks, including four in the regular season, the Cavs were outrebounded. Finally, the Cavs gained an advantage in Game 2 with 43 rebounds compared with the Knicks' 36. Center Jarrett Allen was the Cavs' runner-up to Mobley with 10 rebounds.
In the postseason series opener, the Knicks controlled the glass and outrebounded the Cavs 51-38, including 17-11 on the offensive end.
Mobley, 21, said edging the Knicks in rebounding “changes the momentum of the series a little bit,” but the Cavs must maintain it in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Friday.
“Our big guys were in the right spot the majority of [Game 2],” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We have to continue to hammer this home — we got our ass kicked on the boards the other night, and [in Game 2], those guys took it personal and made a huge change.
“[Mobley] gets what we're trying to do, and that's been something that we've been talking about the past couple of days is we have to be better on the boards. He's one of those guys who can make an impact on call.”
What did Evan Mobley do in Game 2 vs. Knicks to earn a place in Cavs playoff history?
Drafted third overall in 2021, Mobley became just the second Cavs player 21 years old or younger to register a double-double in the postseason. LeBron James accomplished the feat six times.
“For him to come out and respond the way he did after the first game, which was, I don't want to say uncharacteristic, but just wasn't like Ev, and sometimes that just comes from not knowing the moment and not understanding different things, and he took that, watched it on film and came back and bounced back,” said Mitchell, who's been in the playoffs in each of his six NBA seasons, the first five with the Utah Jazz. “He even said there's more he can do, so that's something that you love to hear, especially from a young guy.”
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Mobley buys theories about even just one game of playoff experience being invaluable. The viewpoint seems to be reasonable on the heels of his bolstered production in Game 2.
“The more experience you have, the more of a feel you get for the atmosphere and everything,” he said. “I feel like I learn pretty quickly and adapt pretty quickly. I feel like as I play more and more, I just get more comfortable.”
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How has Cavs star Evan Mobley played in his second NBA season?
Bickerstaff called Mobley's growth as a player “exponential” during his second professional season. Mobley averaged 16.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocked shots in the 2022-23 regular season. He also finished third in voting for NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
“Whatever the moment is where there's a lesson for him to learn, he's not one of those guys who it takes a month to learn a lesson,” Bickerstaff said. “He has the ability to learn and grow quickly, and I think that's what makes him so unique.”
How unique? Garland called Mobley “a unicorn” because of what he brings to the game.
“He's different, so we need him out there,” Garland said. “We need him doing his thing every night.”
For now, an encore Friday night in New York would suffice.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs' Evan Mobley bounced back vs. Knicks in NBA playoffs Game 2
