Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ miraculous 121-119 home win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
1. Max Strus let it fly from beyond halfcourt with the Cavs down by a point. Did you really think it had a chance?
2. I sure didn’t. I mean, how often do those types of shots go in? Like, once every six NCAA Tournaments?
3. But in it went and it was nothing but net. And man, you should’ve seen the looks on the Mavs’ faces.
4. This game did feel like something straight out of college basketball’s March Madness, yet it’s still only February and this is the NBA. Halfcourt buzzer-beaters almost never happen.
5. Donovan Mitchell said it all to the Cavs radio network. “Oh my gosh,” he said, and left it at that. He then admitted he didn’t know what else to say.
6. Can you blame the man? It truly was the type of win that leaves you speechless.
7. Strus was indeed huge, connecting on four 3-pointers in 67 quick seconds with the game in the balance. After the final one dropped — it’s officially listed as a 59-footer — he was tackled by his teammates.
8. The shot came after Dallas star Luka Doncic threw a bounce pass to P.J. Washington for a layup. That put the Mavs up 119-118 with 2.1 seconds left. The Cavs had no timeouts.
9. The Mavs were able to pull that off after an Evan Mobley inbounds pass went off the leg of Darius Garland. Seriously, so much happened in the final 10 seconds that it felt like an entire quarter.
10. What’s even more crazy is Mitchell and Garland weren’t in the game on the final play. Mobley caught the inbounds pass, flipped it back to Strus, and then … game over.
11. Strus to Bally Sports, laughing: “I’m just lucky (Mitchell) wasn’t in because he would’ve taken the shot.”
12. Mitchell did hit an unlikely banked-in three of his own earlier, so who knows, maybe this was just the Cavs’ night. He finished with 31 points, Strus scored 21 and Jarrett Allen added 19. The Cavs (38-19) are now 12-3 since Jan. 26.
13. Mitchell said he felt like Strus’ shot wasn’t that far off when it left his hands. “I’m not gonna be the guy who’s like, ‘Oh it’s cash,'” he told reporters. “I felt like it was going to be close. … You dream of a shot like that. So for him to hit that after what he did for us the whole fourth quarter, you know, it’s only fair.”
14. Mobley finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Allen also grabbed nine boards. Caris LeVert added 11 points off the bench and Georges Niang scored 10. Garland struggled with 2-of-10 shooting for eight points but passed for seven assists.
15. So it was a nice win against a quality opponent. Donic was again masterful for the Mavs (33-25) with 45 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds. The guy just basically does whatever he wants. Old friend Kyrie Irving scored 30 points and received a heartfelt standing ovation from Cleveland fans.
16. The Cavs still have 25 games left. It will be hard to top that one when it comes to wins. And for the sake of coach JB Bickerstaff‘s heart, I hope they can win fewer games via 60-footers at the buzzer. But one sure is fun and this will be one Strus, the Cavs and their fans remember for a long, long time.
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