CLEVELAND, Ohio — How about that for a statement?
Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said before the game that he wasn’t concerned with sending a message to the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks — or the rest of the NBA. It was about the Cavaliers believing it for themselves.
That won’t be a problem. The Cavs crushed the Bucks, 115-99, inside a packed and lively Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
This wasn’t the star-studded Brooklyn Nets missing Kevin Durant. It wasn’t the Miami Heat without Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo. It wasn’t the Utah Jazz forced to play at home without any centers. It wasn’t the COVID-wrecked Milwaukee B-Team in mid-December. This was a true measuring stick — a fully-loaded, streaking Bucks squad that entered the night 18-3 with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton all in the lineup at the same time.
In terms of January games, this is as big as it gets. It was a Cavalanche.
“This isn’t a commentary on opponents, right? It’s a commentary on our group of guys and the ability they have when they’re together,” Bickerstaff said. “That’s the statement we’re making. This is about us as a group and what we can do when we play the right way, play together. I think we did that tonight against a very good team. Don’t short the Bucks at all, they’re a really good team, but tonight I thought we outplayed them.”
Cleveland, down 12 early in the game, steadied itself with a brilliant second quarter. The Cavs outscored the Bucks 39-22 over those 12 minutes, snagging permanent control. They never allowed Milwaukee to mount one of those customary championship-caliber runs.
The Cavs pushed their lead to 21 at one point. For the final 22-plus minutes, Milwaukee wasn’t within single digits.
This young group wasn’t starstruck by the champs. They aren’t in awe of the league’s best. They believe they can compete with them. All of them.
“We take challenges. We don’t run from anybody. We don’t back down. And we give everybody our best shot,” Bickerstaff said. “The most impressive piece of it is that it seems to be somebody different all the time. Cedi (Osman) and Kevin (Love) come off the bench tonight with their shot-making and had that offensive barrage. Then we settled in defensively and kind of figured out what we were trying to do. Team effort is what it’s about.”
Love, one of the veteran leaders who has accepted a reserve role, led the way with 25 points on 9-of-16 from the field and 5-of-9 from 3-point range. Osman chipped in with 23 off the bench. All-Star hopeful Darius Garland, who tweaked his back in the third quarter but returned at the start of the fourth, finished with 19 points and eight assists in 26 minutes.
Rookie Evan Mobley (16 points), Dean Wade (10) and Jarrett Allen (10) — returning from a one-game absence because of an illness — also scored in double figures.
Milwaukee’s MVP candidate, Antetokounmpo, had a game-high 26 points. But it sure didn’t come easy. The Cavs swarmed the Greek Freak all night, used their unique size to deter him from repeated paint drives and sent multiple bodies in his direction.
Bobby Portis added 22 points. Middleton had 21.
The result may surprise some. Just no one in the confident Cavaliers locker room. The bench outscored Milwaukee’s, 57-15, showing improved depth. They won the battle at the 3-point line, 19-9 — a key to the game according to Bickerstaff because of how Milwaukee’s defense is designed. They forced 19 Milwaukee turnovers and turned those into 31 points. They held the Bucks, who average 111.8 points, below the 100-point mark — an example of the stingy defense that has become Cleveland’s identity.
On this night, only one team looked the part of title contender.
“We knew the importance of this game,” Osman said. “Obviously they’re world champions, they have a great team. We knew this was going to be a very tough game for us, but I think that we showed we’re a great team today.”
Bickerstaff spent the afternoon thinking about his older brother. At one point, big bro, who is about four years older, kept laying down butt whoopings. He was bigger, faster and stronger. But then the Cavs coach grew up. Those matchups flipped. He was no longer the little brother.
Could that be the same for the Cavs? In order for them to get where they want to go, they’re going to have beat the top teams. Milwaukee is one.
Wednesday night reaffirmed it: Little brother is growing up.
Up next
The Cavs will have a few days off before heading to Detroit for a matchup against the Pistons on Sunday evening. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
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