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The Cleveland Cavaliers are closing out the season in style. After disappointing losses to the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks, the Cavs have responded with two-straight victories, including Tuesday’s win over the Orlando Magic.
The Magic may not be the Boston Celtics, but they have a collection of young studs, including Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
A year removed from losing 60 games and securing last summer’s top draft pick, the Magic have improved in 2022-23. With another lottery pick in tow next season, the Magic could be one of the league’s up-and-coming powers, not unlike the Cavaliers team from 2021-22 that took the league by surprise.
At the head of Orlando’s rebuild is second-year coach Jamahl Mosley. After the Cavs edged the Magic 117-113, Donovan Mitchell praised Mosley’s coaching.
“I think playing at home is great, it’s a lot of fun, you love when fans cheer. But what competitor doesn’t want to be booed, to be honest with you? Or doesn’t want that hostile environment. That’s what we play for. And sometimes you just gotta lead by example and I think has been my biggest thing is coming out, understanding what it takes on the road. Especially tonight, a team that are very well coached, Coach Mosely’s phenomenal, their guys are not gonna stop playing,” Mitchell explained, per the Cavaliers’ official YouTube channel.
Darius Garland Praises Donovan Mitchell After Defeating Magic
No one is playing better basketball than Mitchell lately. His 43-point performance against the Magic was his fourth-straight 40-point effort and his 13th on the season.
The game before, he broke LeBron James‘ record for the most 40-point games in a single season for Cleveland, something Darius Garland marveled at.
And after another sterling performance? Garland may well still be picking his jaw up off the floor.
“This s—‘s crazy. Excuse my language,” Garland said, per Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. “But, man, it’s tough to see. It’s really dope to see. A lot of buckets. I mean, I don’t know what to say. It’s a lot of buckets, though. It’s really cool to see just a guy get in the zone like that and then (for) him (to) be so playful after the game, so it’s cool to see.”
In his last eight games, Mitchell is shooting 43.1% from three and 52.5% from the field; his 34.1 points over that stretch leads the league. Moreover, the Cavs are 6-2 over that stretch; only the Los Angeles Lakers have a better record at 7-1.
JB Bickerstaff Sounds Off on Cavaliers Season
As a unit, the Cavaliers are one of six teams to reach 50 wins this season. It’s part of a 28-win turnaround since 2020-21 when the Cavaliers went 22-50 en route to Evan Mobley.
After officially clinching the 50-point mark, head coach JB Bickerstaff pointed to his team’s determination all season as a reason for reaching the milestone.
“It’s an accomplishment, for sure,” Bickerstaff said. “Winning 50 games in the NBA is not easy. The NBA season is long. It’s grueling, it’s difficult, it’s emotional. But being able to have a group of guys that commit themselves to the team, no matter the circumstances, the selflessness with all the other things that they have going on in the world, for them to sacrifice and move those things to the side and just continue to focus on the team and do whatever it takes to continue to build a team.”
While the rest of the NBA’s 50-win teams feature teams that have experienced the playoffs together, the same cannot be said of the Cavaliers.
“And for us, we were not a repeat project,” Bickerstaff continued. “This was a new group, different dynamics. And again, individuals who decided to just continue to sacrifice, buy in to what we do on both sides of the ball and care more about the team than themselves. And to get to 50 wins with a group like that, those guys are deserving of a round of applause and our respect and appreciation.”
The Cavaliers are back in action against the Magic Thursday.
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