Evan Dammarell Articles - Page 2

The defining moment of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season arrived in Game 4, and the weight of it broke them. What was billed as a pivotal showdown in the Eastern Conference Semifinals turned into a devastating unraveling. The Indiana Pacers pummeled the Cavs 129-109 in Game 4, seizing a 3-1 series lead and leaving Cleveland on […]

For the Cleveland Cavaliers, there was no script for how this playoff series against the Indiana Pacers was supposed to go. Not after a 64-win season and blitzing the Miami Heat in the first round. Not with a roster full of talent, cohesion, and lofty expectations. But as the Cavs limped off the floor in […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers walked into Sunday’s Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers hoping to even the series and reclaim momentum. Instead, they limped out, both literally and figuratively, staring down a 3-1 series deficit and the very real possibility of life without Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell, who suffered a scary ankle injury during halftime. Mitchell, […]

For the first time in this playoff series, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have their full rotation intact as they face the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, a contest the Cavs are treating with the urgency and intensity of a Game 7. Following a convincing 126-104 win in Game 3, Cleveland […]

In Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers, the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t just win a playoff game. Instead, it saw Evan Mobley and the Cavs rediscover who they are. With their season hanging in the balance and a daunting 2-0 series hole to climb out of, it wasn’t a high-flying dunk or a buzzer-beating three that […]

With their season teetering on the edge, the Cleveland Cavaliers walked into Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 3 knowing only one outcome would do against the Indiana Pacers. Thanks to the determined leadership of Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus, the Cavs didn’t just survive their playoff battle. They dominated. Behind Mitchell’s 43 points and a gutsy […]

Down 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers, the Cleveland Cavaliers head into Game 3 in desperate need of a spark. That spark may come in the form of reinforcements returning from injury. In a welcome reprieve, Cleveland will have Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter all back in the lineup. […]

As the Cleveland Cavaliers prepare for a pivotal Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers, they’re doing so under a cloud of uncertainty. Three of the Cavs’ key contributors; Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter; remain injured, casting doubt on the team’s chances. Before heading to Indianapolis, Cleveland held what […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t just lose Game 2 of their Eastern Conference playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. They let it slip through their fingers. Leading by seven with 57 seconds remaining, the Cavs endured one of the most staggering collapses in franchise playoff history, ultimately falling 120-119. And yet, amid the wreckage of another […]

For 47 minutes, the Cleveland Cavaliers looked like a team on a mission. Battling without three of their top four scorers, the Cavs had controlled tempo, stifled the Indiana Pacers’ high-powered offense, and leaned on a masterful performance from Donovan Mitchell to build a cushion that felt like enough to tie this playoff series. Then, […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the Eastern Conference Semifinals with the momentum of a 64-win season and a clean sweep of the Miami Heat. But after a bruising 121-112 Game 1 loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Cavs now find themselves in unfamiliar and deeply concerning territory. The defeat stung. However, the injuries Cleveland has endured […]

Already without Darius Garland due to a nagging toe injury, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals delivered a gut punch to the Cleveland Cavaliers, both on the scoreboard and the injury report. Not only did the Cavs fall 121-112 to the Indiana Pacers, but they may have lost two of their key contributors in […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers built their identity this season around elite defense and high-octane perimeter shooting. It’s a blend that helped vault them to the top seed in the East and had fans dreaming of a deep NBA Playoff run. But in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers, both pillars cracked. […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers opened the Eastern Conference semifinals with aspirations of proving themselves as legitimate NBA title contenders. Instead, Game 1 served as a sobering reality check. In a 121-112 home loss to the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers, the Cavs not only dropped their first game of the 2025 NBA Playoffs but also lost the defensive […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers are staring down the start of the Eastern Conference Semifinals with more questions than answers, none more pressing than the status of All-Star point guard Darius Garland. Officially listed as questionable with a left great toe sprain, Garland’s absence looms large over Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers and potentially the rest […]

When the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers tip off the second round Eastern Conference Playoffs, it’ll mark their fifth meeting of the season, but it’s the first that truly matters. And for all the tactical intrigue that lies ahead, one thing has already been made crystal clear. Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson is putting Cleveland’s […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t just beat the Miami Heat in the first round, they buried them in a Cavalanche. A 4-0 sweep capped by a 138-83 blowout in Game 4 wasn’t just a statement; it was a transformation. Now, with the second-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers looming, the Cavs are shifting their focus from […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers are moving on emphatically. After steamrolling the Miami Heat in a historic first-round sweep, capped by a 55-point demolition in Game 4, the top-seeded Cavs now shift focus to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and a highly anticipated matchup against the Indiana Pacers. But a critical question still hangs over Cleveland like a […]

In the wake of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ historic first-round dismantling of the Miami Heat, a sweep punctuated by back-to-back blowouts totaling a 92-point margin, Heat forward Kyle Anderson was asked to pinpoint what changed for the Cavs in Games 3 and 4, and it wasn’t because of Darius Garland. “You want my honest answer? I […]

For the Cleveland Cavaliers, fresh off an emphatic first-round sweep of the Miami Heat, Round 2 isn’t just a continuation, it’s a collision. And as the Indiana Pacers prepare to bring their relentless pace and perimeter firepower to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Cavs may be forced to do something unthinkable: limit Jarrett Allen’s time […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t have asked for a more emphatic start to the 2025 NBA Playoffs, steamrolling the Miami Heat in a sweep so dominant it made history. With a +122 scoring differential, the largest ever in a postseason series, Cleveland looked every bit the Eastern Conference’s top seed. But the second round brings a […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t just win Game 4 against the Miami Heat. The Cavs detonated a basketball bomb on the Heat’s season, scattering the remnants of a once-respected team across the hardwood of Kaseya Center. It was a beatdown, a 55-point obliteration that sent a thunderous, unambiguous message to the rest of the NBA: the […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the brink of their first playoff sweep since 2018, but they may need to complete the job without one of their stars. Darius Garland, who missed Game 3 with a left great toe sprain, is officially listed as questionable for Game 4 against the Miami Heat. The injury also kept […]

The Miami Heat threw their best early punch in Game 3, but the Cleveland Cavaliers barely flinched. What started as a promising burst from Miami quickly dissolved into another nightmare at Kaseya Center. The Cavs, unfazed by a slow start, unleashed a tidal wave of scoring and smothering defense, rolling to a 124-87 dismantling that […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers are rolling into Game 3 of their first-round series against the Miami Heat with a commanding 2-0 lead and a red-hot offense. But just as the fire intensifies, there’s a chance one of the Cavs’ biggest stars might not be able to walk into the flames with them. Darius Garland, Cleveland’s All-Star […]

Throughout his NBA career, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley has been considered one of the league’s greatest defenders. Well, after winning Defensive Player of the Year for the 2024-25 season, the first in Cavs franchise history, and earning All-Defensive honors in 2023, the first in Mobley’s career, there’s no more doubt about it. Mobley […]

After a Game 1 performance that barely left a fingerprint on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ playoff win over the Miami Heat, Evan Mobley could’ve shrugged, chalked it up to circumstance, and faded into the background. But for Mobley, greatness isn’t the hope, it’s the expectation. Heading into Game 2, Mobley grabbed his narrative, rewrote the next […]

Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat was supposed to be a showcase of Cleveland’s depth. It should’ve been a culmination of a regular season that saw the Cavs’ bench emerge as one of the most reliable and productive in the Eastern Conference. Instead, it echoed ghosts of […]

Before opening the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Miami Heat, you might’ve had to scroll far down the Cleveland Cavaliers’ depth chart to find Sam Merrill’s name. He’s not one of the Cavs’ headliners. He doesn’t generate flashy highlight reels or make postgame headlines. But in Game 1 of the Cavs’ playoff opener against the […]

The NBA’s announcement for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year was made with fanfare, with Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard winning the award. There were cheers in Boston and respectful nods from the Detroit Pistons, where Malik Beasley finished second. But then there was Ty Jerome and the Cleveland Cavaliers, where the reaction was […]

Firsts are funny. You only get one. And when it’s over, it’s over. There are no do-overs, no rewrites. For Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome, no do-overs or rewrites were needed. That’s because Jerome didn’t just seize his first playoff game for the Cavs. He mugged it, stripped it down, and made it his own. […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t sneaking up on anyone anymore. They’re not chasing expectations in the playoffs, they’re carrying them. If the Cavs are serious about crashing the NBA’s championship party, there’s one truth they can’t avoid: Darius Garland has to grow up, and during the Cavs’ playoff media availability, head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t sugarcoat […]

Since the moment Evan Mobley entered the NBA as the third overall pick in 2021, he has been the Cleveland Cavaliers’ great hope. Defensively, he wasted no time establishing himself among the league’s elite, anchoring the Cavs’ identity with his defense, length, instincts, and versatility. But the offensive side of his game has been more […]

For months, the Cleveland Cavaliers had one singular mission: get to the playoffs healthy. It wasn’t just a hope. Instead, it was an organizational mandate. And as the postseason looms, that mission is accomplished. As the Cavs wrapped their first full playoff practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts, head coach Kenny Atkinson’s voice rang with a […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers wrapped up their regular season with a 126-118 double-overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers. At first glance, it might seem like a game that would look like a stumble. But don’t let the box score fool you. This matchup at Rocket Arena wasn’t about wins or losses. It was a glimpse into […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers have earned the right to rest. With a dominant 64-17 record and the top seed in the Eastern Conference already locked in, they’ve done everything a team could ask for in the regular season. But as the curtain drops on the 2024-25 regular season campaign against the Indiana Pacers, the Cavs are […]

YorkThe Cleveland Cavaliers walked into Madison Square Garden with nothing to prove and everything stacked against them. They were down four rotation players, including All-Star Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs also played just the night before. They arrived in Manhattan late, with sore legs, tired eyes, and a No. 1 seed in the East already secured. […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers arrived in Indianapolis down four starters, resting and nursing injuries in preparation for the playoffs. However, what they lacked in star power, the Cavs made up for in grit, resilience, and the kind of next-man-up mentality that championship contenders are built on. Without Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Max Strus—and […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached the mountaintop of the Eastern Conference, clinching the playoffs’ number one seed with time to spare. But with the Cavs’ triumph comes a new challenge: how do you finish the regular season strong when there’s seemingly nothing left to play for? The answer, it appears, is rest. As the Cavs […]