Schwab Says: Saturday was not a must-win, but Cleveland still needed it

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Had the Cavaliers lost game Game 1 to Orlando the world would not have ended. The series would not have been over. They could have easily won Game 2 and got the series even. Still, had they lost to the Magic the Cavalier zeitgeist would have said “here we go again.”

The players needed that win. The city needed that win. Everyone needed to see them walk the walk after talking the talk. The team spent the whole week in practice saying they were prepared for the physicality of the postseason, that they were ready to play at a level they did not play at last year. Darius Garland said the Cavs tried to simulate the physical nature of the playoffs in practice. So far anyway, it seems to have helped.The Cavaliers 2023 playoff experience lasted only five games, a quick 4-1 ousting at the hands of New York. At no point in that series did it feel like the Cavs were driving that train. It was more like they were hanging off the back of the caboose with one hand. They were pushed around, even in their own building, and were drummed in the series.

Cavs fans and media spent the whole regular season, no matter how well the team played, wondering what would happen come playoff time. Would they wilt under the bright lights of the second season? If Game 1 was any indication, the answer is no. For one game anyway, the tables were turned. The Cavaliers looked like the team welcoming the first-timers to the postseason. They were tough, they were pushy and they did not back down when the Magic tried to flex their muscles. Isaac Okoro even picked up a technical foul for giving a shove to Mo Wagner, who was clearly trying to annoy the Cavaliers with some chippy play of his own. It worked, but not to the point where it took them out of their game.

Source: Entertainment Trends (entertainmenttrends.net)

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