The Cleveland Cavaliers’ 16-game win streak came to an abrupt end on Sunday, March 16. Kenny Atkinson’s team lost to a resilient and aggressive Orlando Magic roster 108-103.
When speaking at a postgame news conference, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley detailed how his team overcame Cleveland’s juggernaut of a roster.
“I think challenging them defensively,” Mosley said. “You gave them a 38-point first quarter, and I think us understanding exactly who we are and what we need to do. We made shots tonight, which is good, but we challenged them defensively to come out and play the certain style of Magic basketball that we know we can play, flying around. We still have to be better at cleaning up the offensive rebounding, but our job of getting guys off the line, flying around, covering for each other [and] playing with multiple effort all night long.”
Orlando held the Cavaliers to just 25% shooting on the perimeter, with Cleveland going 10-of-40 from deep. Mosley’s team also matched the Cavaliers’ ball-movement and playmaking with both teams dishing out 21 assists.
When healthy, the Magic are a difficult matchup for any team in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland will likely learn a lot from watching back the game tape.
Cavaliers Donovan Mitchell Addresses Loss
During his own postgame news conference, Donovan Mitchell accepted that the Cavaliers were far from their best during the final stretch of play. The All-Star guard also noted that the loss gives the roster an opportunity for growth, as they learn from their mistakes.
“It wasn’t our best executed fourth-quarter – turnovers,” Mitchell said. “Myself, DG, we have to be better. And then, on the other side, we missed some open looks,” said Mitchell following the game. You always want to learn through a win. I’m never going to say I’m glad we lost, but at the end of the day, too, this is something we’ve been really good at and we haven’t had much struggle with it, and now it’s something for us to work on.”
By his standards, Mitchell had a quiet night against the Magic. The Cavaliers star ended the contest with 23 points, 5 assists and 6 rebounds, yet it was his inefficient scoring that hindered the team. Mitchell shot 3-of-14 from deep (21.4%) and 9-of-28 overall (32.1%).
Cavaliers’ Atkinson Admits Team Didn’t Respond
The Magic play an intense, physical brand of basketball. When their roster is at full strength, they fly around the floor, embrace and create contact and capitalize on any mistake their opponents make. During his postgame news conference, Atkinson admitted the Cavaliers failed to match that level of intensity.
“You get turned over once, twice and it’s like blood in the water,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said postgame. “They were just all over us and they picked up their physicality. … Obviously, we didn’t respond.”
Despite their loss, the Cavaliers still hold the best record in the NBA. They will still finish the season as the first seed in the Eastern Conference. However, there is now a blueprint on how to rattle this team, which means Atkinson and his coaching staff must have a counter ready for the next time a team tries to exert some additional physicality and ball-pressure.
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