When last season wrapped for the Cleveland Cavaliers, All-Star big man Jarrett Allen was the butt of every joke and every meme on NBA social spheres. That's right. Memes. The DNA of the soul. They shape our will. They are the culture and they are everything we pass on. Expose someone to anger long enough and they will learn to hate. They become a carrier. Envy, greed and despair are all memes and all passed along.

Allen said that the lights against the New York Knicks might've been too bright for the Cavs, only to become an unfortunate staple of meme culture. It led to him deleting social media off his phone, but in the court of public opinion, unless he performed, the hate, envy, greed, anger and despair would only grow stronger. So, when Evan Mobley was sidelined against the Boston Celtics, Allen was set up for failure, having to deal with Kristaps Porzingis, a big man who could pull Allen away from the rim and force him to defend in space.

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Even though Porzingis finished the evening with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Boston's 120-113 win over Cleveland, Allen made him work for it. It took 16 attempts from the floor from Porzingis to get there, along with connecting on nine free throw attempts. More impressively, Porzingis only connected on two of his six perimeter attempts, with his only completions coming whenever Allen wasn't defending him.

That's not to say that Allen was only locking Porzingis up on the perimeter on defense. Instead, the All-Star big man soaked up the responsibilities of defending the interior. He had one of the biggest defensive plays of the night in an emphatic recovery block on superstar forward Jayson Tatum. Overall, Allen finished the game with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks in nearly 37 minutes of action. Considering that he just fouled out a game ago in Orlando, this performance was a massive bounce-back for Allen and the Cavs.

While it's hard to look with a glass half full in a loss, it's encouraging to see Jarrett Allen step up to the task, especially without Mobley beside him. Now, Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and the Cavs have to course correct before they face the Celtics again in a few days. There were small mistakes that Cleveland can correct, but, for now, there isn't much they have to do regarding Allen's impact on the floor.

Allen was one of the best players on the floor, bar none and the Cavs wouldn't have been in the game without his defensive efforts. With Mobley's status still in doubt heading into the next game, Cleveland will need Allen to step up again. Thankfully, the big man showed he's more than capable of handling the challenge and the memes don't crystalize everything he brings to the table.