CLEVELAND, Ohio – Collin Sexton is a marked man.
The top name in the scouting report for anyone playing against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sexton always draws the toughest defender. Jimmy Butler. Marcus Smart. Jaylen Brown. Dejounte Murray. Norman Powell. Fred VanVleet. This is just a sample from last week.
Opponents have also recently sent several defenders to Sexton, setting traps to get the ball out of his hands, believing he has no vision or passing acumen to make the proper move. They chased him with every touch, often picking him up on the backcourt, testing his control and decision making. Sometimes the strategy involves size and physicality. Other times, it is about speed, speed and lateral agility.
Sexton is the backbone of the Cavaliers. Winning them starts there.
In the closing seconds of the first half of Sunday night, Sexton was in Toronto’s sights. Only this time it had nothing to do with a specific defensive scheme.
After slapping an on-field pass in front of the Toronto bench and watching Chris Boucher jump at the last second, Sexton exchanged words with VanVleet. No player backed down. Then an angry Powell came, who ran into Sexton, hit him in the face and started to bark. Pascal Siakam and Boucher also came. Four Raptors surrounded Sexton before Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro and others intervened.
“It’s a competition,” said Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff, after a 116-105 victory over the Raptors. “Norman Powell is a great competitor, Collin is a great competitor, so they got involved, exchanged words and moved on.”
“Emotions are high,” said Dean Wade. “Some contact here and there. People didn’t like it. It is what it is. “
“Only basketball,” explained Sexton. “I think it was in the middle of the court and Norman Powell tried to define a screen or something. I got over. They were gaping before, when I was on the free-throw line, they said a few things back. I do not give up. “
According to a source, Powell and VanVleet took offense at some of Sexton’s word choices, while Sexton was irritated by what must have been an illegal Powell canvas that involved an extended elbow – a move that Sexton made while moving away from the turmoil. Powell even re-enacted the move with Larry Nance Jr. a few minutes before the start of the third quarter, trying to show that it was a typical choice designed to release his teammate to an audible alarm.
These details are not so important. Cavs’ response was.
The laughing stock of the NBA since 2018, in his fourth coach. A list of opposing executives delights with criticism, chosen to have the second lowest total of victories. Barb victims on the court or happy celebrations. Playoff aspirations overlooked by those who find them delusional. The easy win in the schedule.
The Cavs are no longer being pushed. Sunday night was his position.
The Raptors took aim at their best player – the emerging guard who received consideration from the All-Star and became the face of Cleveland’s potential turnaround.
The Cavs did not back down. They supported Sexton, literally and figuratively. They swayed in the third quarter, showing that they would not be intimidated. The scoreboard gave the last word on Sunday.
“It could have happened anyway. They could have come out and punched us. We could have gone out and punched them, ”said Allen, using the verb that has become Bickerstaff’s favorite throughout the season. “We don’t step back for a second. (Sexton) didn’t back off even for a second, especially. We were the aggressors in the second half.
“You know Collin. You see him on the court. He’s always stuck. But he saw a different fire in his eyes. A different fire to go to Norman Powell, go to VanVleet, go to all of them. Just prove that he is not someone to be upset about. “
Bickerstaff launched a locker room challenge. He warned that the battle-tested Raptors – number 2 in the Eastern Conference last year and NBA champion the previous season – would bring him in to open the second half. The third quarter was a problem that lasted for the entire season, but if there was any night to lessen the post-break lethargy, it was in the face of the Toronto test.
“When you have these incidents, you need to be prepared to support them,” said Bickerstaff. “I found it impressive how we responded in the third quarter. Collin’s game in the third quarter was huge, but he can’t do it alone, he has to have the support of his team. I thought all those guys gathered around him and then he led the way. “
The third quarter started with a petty defense – Allen forcing Siakam into a disputed fadeaway. Then came a 3-point Darius Garland followed by Nance blocking a tray. The Cavs scored the first 12 points, punctuating that initial wave with Sexton’s triple on Kyle Lowry’s face. Sexton raised his fist and celebrated briefly before crouching in his defensive posture.
“Coach JB came and said, ‘Okay, you woke them up, now what are you going to do?’ As a team, we responded very well and simply continued to fight, ”said Sexton. “We knew that they are a playoff team and we know what they are capable of, especially when one of the players is of high intensity at that moment. So, we knew they were going to go out and try to be physical and just try to punk the guys. “
Sexton didn’t allow it, scoring seven of the team’s 12 points in the first three minutes, bursting to 14 in the fourth. Cleveland overtook the Raptors 32-18 during that decisive 12 minutes.
“We knew Collin was motivated, to say the least,” said Dean Wade after scoring 16 points off the bench. “He left and was attacking from the beginning.
“There is always that aggression in Collin’s eyes. Ever. Every time he steps on the floor, he gets that pain in his shoulder. He’s at 100 miles an hour, he’s going to attack all possessions. … I think he left with an even heavier weight on his shoulder (after the break). But he didn’t get very far where he was being very aggressive and making mistakes. It was amazing. “
Sexton scored 23 of his 36 points, the best high in the game, in the second half. There is a reason why they call him “Taurus”.
While he was at the center of Sunday’s dispute, the victory over the Raptors was not a one-man effort. It was about the collective, the team getting together and responding to a verbal challenge.
This season is about growth, about a group learning to become a team. It’s about developing meaningful habits and figuring out how to win after consecutive lottery trips. There are steps that every reconstruction team must take. Everything is part of the process.
Even though Toronto is collapsing, having now lost eight in a row and plummeting towards the end of the conference, it is still a talented team. They had been designed in December as a playoff team. The Raptors forced 27 laps and closed to five points on VanVleet’s deep 3 points with about a minute left.
Cleveland’s response was remarkable. Another positive step forward.
“I think what it says about us is that we are a good team,” said Wade. “Sometimes we don’t put everything together and make a lot of mistakes here and there. But in general, when we play as we should – play together and just have fun – I mean, we are a good team. I think tonight showed that. “
“If you just take basketball out of the situation, I think it was a step towards maturity,” added Allen. “It was a step that we were going to hold our ground and go there to play basketball and show resistance. A step for us to grow as people and players. “
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