CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For 25 years, the Cavs have been haunted by non-LeBron James ghosts of the past.
Andre Miller. Chris Mihm. Trajan Langdon. Anthony Bennett. Luke Harangody. Collin Sexton. Kevin Porter Jr. John Lucas. Randy Wittman. Byron Scott. John Beilein. So many others came and went, tried and failed. On Sunday night, the Cavs grabbed the proverbial sage and set it ablaze, waving it around Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Those ghosts vanished.
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Cleveland crushed Houston, 108-91, ending a five-year playoff drought and clinching a berth without LeBron for the first time since 1998 -- a year that has become rooted in Cavs history, an inescapable smudge that no one could erase. James was the multi-time franchise savior whose presence single-handedly controlled the team’s destiny.
With him, Cleveland was a pillar of stability and prosperity. Without him, rubble.
Until Sunday night.
It’s the Cavs’ fourth straight win and sixth in the last seven games. The victory also pulls them closer to third-seeded Philadelphia, which had an abundance of breathing room a few days ago.
“You want to appreciate every step along the way and it’s definitely a blessing,” Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said. “I don’t want to downplay the moment. But in the same token, and I told the guys in there, this is what you come to expect. You made your first one, appreciate it, enjoy it, celebrate it for the city, for the organization, for your individual guys who have made it, but at the same token, three seed is in play. That’s the goal. That’s the focus.
“We should come to a point now where that’s what is expected of us -- making the playoffs and continuously pushing forward.”
Currently the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed, Cleveland could’ve solidified a playoff spot with a Brooklyn Nets loss against Orlando -- a game that tipped off at the same time. But the Cavs weren’t going to put their fate in anyone else’s hands.
They did it on their own. With acclimation.
“I think organizationally this is a big deal to come from where we came from and every year continue to take steps in the right direction,” said Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “All the hard work that people in this organization have put in to help get us here should be acknowledged. This is top down. This is something that has been done as a collective. We told the guys to enjoy this, but we ain’t done yet.”
After James left five years ago, the organization went through a grueling -- and at-times depressing -- rebuild while enduring coaching changes, a pair of 19-win seasons, lottery trips, in-house bickering and finger-pointing, roster turnover and last year’s second-half collapse that sent them to the play-in tournament, losing both games and falling short of their playoff goal.
“It was a winding road to get here,” Bickerstaff said.
The Cavs, who made it to four straight NBA Finals with James from 2015-18, have emerged from the darkness and returned to prominence with a young, talented and connected roster that continues to evolve. Sunday helped capture that transformation.
In a game that featured just two early lead changes and a pair of ties, the Cavs quickly built a double-digit cushion, going ahead by 11 points after one quarter. That lead eventually increased to a game-high 20 near the start of the second half. Even though Houston cut that advantage to five with about a minute remaining in the third thanks to an off-putting quarter on the defensive end, the Rockets couldn’t get any closer.
Cleveland picked up the intensity once again and smothered Houston’s offense in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Rockets 23-11 over the final 12 minutes. In all, the Cavs trailed for just 57 seconds on Sunday night, giving the amped sellout crowd plenty of chances to salute the playoff-bound home team.
“It feels good,” franchise center Jarrett Allen said. “All of our hard work over these past couple years finally paying off.”
In 1998, three members of Cleveland’s prolific starting lineup -- Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley -- weren’t even born yet.
Mitchell was 2 years old. Allen was a newborn baby. Bickerstaff was a sophomore at Oregon State University.
“I was having a hell of a time in college,” Bickerstaff said when asked what he was doing two decades ago.
Now Bickerstaff can celebrate in a different way.
The 24-year-old Allen -- considered by many to be the linchpin of the turnaround -- led the charge with his career-high-tying 32nd double-double, tallying 24 points and 14 rebounds, including six on the offensive end, in 36 dominant minutes.
Mitchell -- one of the few playoff-tested guys sprinkled throughout the inexperienced roster and whose acquisition in September launched the franchise back into contention -- added 22 points, pouring in eight of those during a tone-setting first quarter. Mitchell finished 8 of 16 from the field and 4 of 9 from 3-point range. With him on the court, the Cavs outscored the Rockets by a game-high 24 points.
Mobley, just 21 years old and in his second NBA season, stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks. During one astonishing first-half sequence, Mobley snatched a pair of offensive boards to prolong Cleveland’s possession before grabbing a third in the air and forcefully dunking over two Rockets.
Garland, the 22-year-old offensive maestro, chipped in with 17 points and eight assists. Caris LeVert also reached double figures, scoring 10 points.
Houston got a game-high 30 from second-year guard Jalen Green. Draft classmate Alperen Sengun added 14 points and eight boards.
The stingy, top-ranked Cavs defense held the Rockets to 5 of 15 shooting and 0 of 6 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter, showing why their season won’t end with game No. 82 this year.
“It feels good,” Mobley said. “Not everyone gets that shot. Not everyone gets on teams and have camaraderie like we do, how we play together, everything. Just got to keep that going.”
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As the clock ticked down and the buzzer sounded, the Cleveland faithful rose to their feet and roared. One overjoyed fan in section M104 loudly shouted, “Playoffs baby!”
The Cavs are officially back. Sunday night was a ringing declaration of this resurrection.
Early exit
Starting small forward Okoro did not play in the second half because of left knee soreness. Considered Cleveland’s best on-ball perimeter defender, Okoro finished with just four points in nine minutes. LeVert started in Okoro’s place to begin the second half.
Up next
The Cavs will head to Atlanta for a matchup against the Hawks on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
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