The Cleveland Cavaliers have extended their series lead to 2-0 with a 96-86 Game 2 victory against the Orlando Magic. Defensively, Cleveland has put forth back-to-back masterful performances, with a large part of the credit due to their defensive anchor, Jarrett Allen.
Allen has bounced back emphatically from his performance in the 2022-23 season. From being nearly unplayable throughout many moments of the Cavaliers’ first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets in 2023, Allen has asserted himself as one of the most dominant forces on the court.
Following the victory, Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff spoke with the media and shared how important Allen has been to the success of the team.
“On back-to-back nights, he’s taken it upon himself to make sure we win the [rebounding] battle. We’re not here without him.”- J.B. Bickerstaff
The Orlando Magic haven’t found an answer for Allen at both ends of the court. Coming into this series, the Magic were the second-best defensive team in the NBA and have maintained that identity by holding the Cavaliers to under 100 points in each game. However, Cleveland’s defense has been even better, holding Orlando to under 90 points in both games.
Allen has been essential in this series, with his impact finishing with a net rating of +10 in Game 1 and +12 in Game 2. In the process of playing the role needed for his team’s success, Allen cemented himself in Cavaliers franchise history.
Allen Joins Kevin Love in Historic Company
The 7-foot center etched himself among the greatest to ever put on a Cavalier jersey. Allen recorded 20 rebounds, which was the most in a postseason game in Cavaliers history since Kevin Love’s 21 rebounds in Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
Allen’s performance in the first two games of this series has been nothing short of remarkable.
Jarrett Allen Stats in Game 1 & 2 vs. Magic
PTS 33
REB 37
BLK 3
FG% 60
NET RATING +22
Allen became just the third player in franchise history to record 20+ rebounds in a single playoff game, joining Love and Brad Daughtery. Following the Cavaliers’ Game 1 victory, Allen revealed that Bickerstaff had been challenging him and Evan Mobley all week to set the tone for this series. The two pillars of Cleveland’s frontcourt have stepped up significantly.
This game slots Allen behind Love for second on that list, and he has no intention of slowing down. In five games against the Knicks in the 2023 Playoffs, Allen tallied 37 rebounds. In just two games against the Magic, Allen has recorded 37 rebounds.
Although Allen joined two Cavalier legends in the history books, he gave recognition to another Cavalier big man following the victory.
“The perfect guy I always look to is Anderson Varejao. He was an excellent rebounder all throughout his career. Hate to say, but was he the best overall? No, but every single time he went on the court, he wanted it, and I just look to that and try to replicate it.”- Jarrett Allen
Going into the series, Allen vocalized that it was important for the Cavaliers to “have the mentality to throw the first punch”, which they did. However, the accomplishment of protecting homecourt and gaining a 2-0 series lead is something that Allen and the rest of the Cavaliers understand is far from reaching their goal of winning this series. The real challenge is being able to continue the formula for success on the road in Orlando in a hostile environment.
Cleveland will look to improve to 3-0—which no team in NBA history has been able to come back from—on Thursday, April 25 at 7 PM ET.
