Cleveland, OH
Lesson learned? Who’s to blame? Being real about the Cavs’ loss to Orlando – Terry Pluto
CLEVELAND, Ohio – “It’s one game, lesson learned.”
That’s what coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the Cavs lost 121-83 in Orlando on Thursday.
It was the most lopsided playoff loss in franchise history. It came after the Cavs won the opening two games in Cleveland, as the best-of-seven series is still 2-1 in their favor.
But I have a question: Why did the Cavs have to “learn” any lesson about Game 3?
It was a surprise a young Orlando team would be inspired on its home court? It was a surprise the crowd was loud? It was a surprise …
I’ll stop right there.
No surprise, period.
Not for the Cavs, who have far more playoff experience than the Magic. I’m not simply criticizing Bickerstaff. The coach said Orlando would be a different team at home and stressed that to his players.
Veterans such as Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Georges Niang, Caris LeVert and others know that. Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro had their first painful playoff experience last season when the Cavs were overwhelmed by New York in five games.
As bad as that team was in Madison Square Garden in 2023, this performance was worse.
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff had no answers for the Orlando in Game 3. AP
IT WAS MORE THAN THE FIRST QUARTER
“It was the first quarter,” said Bickerstaff. “They set the tone. They came out and played with a sense of urgency … They set the tone, and we were chasing them.”
This was true, but only to an extent.
A nervous and hyped-up Orlando team missed its first nine shots. That’s right NINE misses to open the game. The Cavs had a 10-3 lead in the middle of the first quarter.
Then … nothing.
At the end of the first quarter, Orlando had a 31-21 lead.
I repeat, the score was 31-21 … not 131 to 21. There are lots of 10-point swings in most NBA games.
That is not game over. It’s more like “game on,” as in Orlando was not about to fall behind and stay behind as it did in the first two games in Cleveland.
PLAYOFF PSYCHOLOGY
What often happens on the road is something like this: The home team trailing in a series comes out strong. It grabs an early lead as it is fueled by the crowd and a sense of desperation.
The Magic knew that if they lost, the series was over. The record of teams down 3-0 in a series and then winning it … 0-191.
For Orlando, it was now or never.
For the Cavs, it was almost like, “Hey, we’ll get them next game.”
That was the wrong attitude.
There often is an emotional drop when the home team takes an early big lead – especially a team with so little playoff experience. Then they become vulnerable.
That’s also a lesson most of the Cavs should have already known. If they did, they refused to act on it.
Donovan Mitchell played like his knee or something was bothering him. He had only 13 points. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
WHO IS TO BLAME?
I fault the players as much as Bickerstaff.
In the first two games, Mitchell led the first-quarter charge. He did bang his cranky knee early in the game. Perhaps that was behind his generally passive play.
Orlando also put premier defender Jalen Suggs on Mitchell, and often double-teamed the Cavs star. That should not be a shock. In fact, Orlando should have tried that earlier in the series.
So Mitchell was struggling. Where was everyone else?
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Darius Garland shot 2 of 10 for five points. Evan Mobley had only two more rebounds than you did last night. That’s right, the 7-footer had a pair of rebounds in 22 minutes.
By the middle of the first quarter, it was obvious Orlando was sending everyone to the boards for rebounds. The Cavs owned this area in the first two games.
Cleveland’s response?
Jarrett Allen had eight rebounds. Mitchell had five. No one else had more than three as the Cavs were embarrassed 51-32 on the boards.
The Cavs were a soft team, especially from a mental standpoint.
At least one team was inspired, as Orlando took control of the game early and the Cavs folded. AP
IT IS ONE GAME
The Cavs are back on that same court Saturday at 1 p.m.
A concern is Mitchell’s physical condition. Other than a few drives to the rim late in the first half, he displayed little quickness and leaping ability. He finished with 13 points.
Mobley needs to get back on the boards. Orlando kept putting bodies on Allen, who had 38 rebounds in the first two games. He needs help.
Anytime Strus and Niang can make a few 3-point shots would be helpful. They are a combined 3 of 24 from behind the arc.
Mitchell is only 6 of 24 on 3-pointers.
Sam Merrill played in the second half and was 3 of 4 for nine points in 22 minutes.
Hint … hint. Maybe he needs more than the four total minutes he played in the first two games.
But for the Cavs, the real story is their mental toughness. I’m stressing that part of the story. Physically, the Cavs showed they can compete on the boards and defensively with the athletic Magic.
The Cavs also are more equipped in terms of experience and emotional maturity to win this series. That needs to be on display Saturday. There are no secrets in terms of effort required to at least be competitive.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Make that a trio of commitment in the Class of 2027 this week for the Louisville football program.
Cleveland (Oh.) Brush defensive end Munir Lewis announced Wednesday that he has committed to the Cardinals. He’s the third commit in the last four days for UofL, Bradenton (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney defensive lineman Kaleb Exume committing on Sunday and Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day two-way athlete Brooklyn Maxey doing so on Monday.
Lewis chose Louisville out of a top seven that also consisted of Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Purdue. He also held offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, Wisconsin plus several others, and made multiple visits to UofL’s campus – including this past Friday for the spring game. He’s set to return for an official visit this May.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound defensive end is regarded as the 23rd-ranked prospect in the state of Ohio, the No. 50 edge rusher in the Class of 2027, and the No. 592 recruit in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite.
Lewis was an explosive force for Brush as a junior this past season. He collected 55 total tackles, 13.5 for loss, nine sacks, four pass breakup, a forced fumbles and over 20 quarterback pressures. He helped Brush finish the 2025 season with a 6-4 record.
Lewis is the 12th commitment in Louisville’s 2027 recruiting class, which is on pace to be the best in school history. he joins a class that not only ranks as the best class in the ACC, but the No. 8 class in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite. Four of their commitments are regarded as four-star prospects by the composite.
He’s also the latest in a budding pipeline to the state of Ohio, which has been championed by Executive Director of Football Personnel and Recruiting Vince Marrow. Five of Louisville’s 12 commitments in the 2027 cycle are from the Buckeye State, with three hailing from the Cincinnati area and the other two coming from Cleveland.
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American Cornhole League Cleveland Signature Open | April 24, 2026 | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission
American Cornhole League is bringing the heat to the boards in Cleveland with $150,000 on the line. Join us on April 24-26, 2026, for elite competition where amateurs and pros collide. Whether you’re a backyard ringer or a seasoned veteran, this is your chance to…
Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians.
Few teams needed a win last night more than the Astros.
Houston came into Monday’s action having lost 12 of its past 14 games, while also having lost nearly as many pitchers — at least it feels that way. Just take a quick glance at this club’s IL. Hunter Brown (shoulder), Tatsuya Imai (fatigue), Cristian Javier (shoulder). Those aren’t losses that are easy to survive, and the Astros have understandably been struggling. However, after a dominating 9-2 victory, Houston can at least take a small breath.
Can the Astros make it two in a row this evening? Or will the Guardians bounce back? Let’s preview this AL clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Astros vs. Guardians prediction, preview
So, remember that list of injured Astros pitchers I just recited? The consequence of the length of that list, is that you have to start people like Ryan Weiss. That’s not to suggest that Weiss is completely without promise — he was a stud in the KBO in 2024 and 2025 — it’s just that the right-hander’s MLB career has gotten off to a slightly rocky start, and it’s clear that Houston currently prefers the 29-year-old as a reliever. In 14.2 innings of work, Weiss has racked up 18 strikeouts, but he’s also surrendered four home runs, 11 earned runs, and a sixth percentile opponent hard hit rate (54.5%). Weiss isn’t quite built up to be a starter, either. Well, at least not fully, as he threw a season-high 76 pitches in his last outing. That means we’re probably going to have to see a lot of the Astros’ bullpen on Tuesday, which is not a good thing. Houston’s RPs rank 29th in ERA (5.66) and they’ve served up a league-high 1.89 opponent home runs per nine. Yikes.
On the other side of this pitching matchup, we find another starter with little major league experience. That said, Parker Messick already looks like another developmental success story of the Guardians’ pitcher factory. The former second-round pick debuted in 2025, maintaining a 2.72 ERA and a 2.98 FIP across seven starts. If possible, Messick’s looked even better so far in 2026, allowing a mere three earned runs over 25.2 innings. Now, a .200 BABIP isn’t going to sustain. Neither is a 91.4% strand rate. However, when you’re limiting opponents to a 3.3% barrel rate and a 29.5% hard hit rate, you might just get a little “lucky” from time to time. It’s not like the southpaw has been skating by on a soft schedule, either. Messick has faced the Dodgers, the Braves, the Cubs and the Orioles. There isn’t a single cakewalk in there.
That pattern of difficult matchups will continue on Tuesday, as well. For as underwhelming as the Astros’ record is, it’s mostly a byproduct of poor pitching. The offense has actually been one of the best in all of baseball. Houston actually leads all American League teams in wOBA (.350) and wRC+ (124), with Yordan Alvarez leading the charge. He’s been fantastic in left-on-left scenarios, too. In his 36 plate appearances within the split, Alvarez is slashing .448/.528/1.034 with a 315 wRC+. I don’t want to discount Jose Ramirez, who has six homers and 10 stolen bases for the Guardians, yet a healthy Alvarez is easily the best bat in this series. He’s that good.
Astros vs. Guardians pick, best bet
Best Bet: Jose Ramirez 2+ Total Bases (+107)
Weiss has a 6.27 FIP. The Astros’ bullpen has given up the most opponent home runs per nine (1.89). Ramirez probably won’t be in a single bad matchup this evening, and that’s before you factor in that the All-Star is a switch-hitter.
Strong Lean: Ryan Weiss 4+ Strikeouts (+123)
While Weiss’ surface numbers aren’t great, he has managed four strikeouts in two of his three outings where he’s thrown 60+ pitches. He’s struck out 18 in 14.2 innings and I expect he’ll flirt with the 90-pitch plateau on Tuesday.
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