Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro not about to let anyone push him or his teammates around

CLEVELAND — Cavaliers swingman Isaac Okoro is a quiet, even-tempered player. But when his teammates are disrespected, he'll be the first to stand up for them. With about nine minutes left in the first half Saturday's playoff opener against the Orlando Magic, Cleveland's Evan Mobley was tossed to the floor by the "lovable" Mo Wagner. That's when Okoro sprung into action. He shoved Wagner in the back, drawing a technical foul. The teams were chippy throughout the game, which the Cavs won 97-83. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is set for tonight at 7 o'clock at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. "I've never seen that from Isaac," Cavs guard Darius Garland said. "I think that was his first (technical) of his career. It was good to see that. He'll have to spend a little money (automatic $2,000 fine). "We need that from Isaac. He's like our rock. It was nice to see him be a little chippy and physical with somebody like that." The chippiness didn't end there. About a minute later, Magic guard Markelle Fultz threw a shoulder into Cleveland's Georges Niang and drew a flagrant-1 foul. Niang, not one to back down from anyone, got in Fultz's face and earned a technical foul for taunting. "Their intent was to disrupt the game," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Our guys didn't take the bait." He said adding a veteran influences to the team in the offseason have made the Cavs better prepared for such situations. "That's what this is about," Bickerstaff said. "That's the maturation of this basketball team. You go through experiences and you add experience like we did, it adds maturity. You understand what the moment is and you understand how to play forcefully, but play basketball and get the job done." Okoro, the team's top on-the-ball defender, said he wasn't about to back down. "When we need to get physical, we get physical," he said. "When things get chippy, we play better. Whatever happens, happens." Bickerstaff said he's not surprised by the Magic players. actions. "It's part of the game," he said. "It's the message that has been sent. There have been some back and forth throughout our games. They like to play physical and play chippy. Our guys did a great job of not backing down and playing through the mess." The Cavs' vets — Tristan Thompson, Markus Morris Sr., Niang and Max Strus — continued to monitor the situation and offered their advice. "They told us to keep our heads and not get caught up in all the stuff they were trying to do when they were getting physical with us," Garland said. "Take the physicality and run with it." Garland got in on the action, as well, when Orlando guard Jalen Suggs defended him tightly, knocking him down a few times. Garland played through some tightness in his back and that probably didn't help. "It was just a little nick," Garland said. "I had to fight through it. I was going to gut it out. Everyone has some bumps and bruises right now." He said he liked that the Cavs didn't panic when Orlando cut its deficit to four points in the third quarter. "Last year, we might have folded," Garland said. "It was good for us to respond like that." Part of winning the game was the physical battle. The Cavs outrebounded the Magic 54-40 with Jarrett Allen (18), Evan Mobley (11) and Strus (nine) all grabbing more than anyone on the Orlando team. "They were dominant from the start of the game," Okoro said. Bickerstaff said rebounding is crucial. "We have the ability to get stops but if you don't finish the possession, it's a wasted effort," he said. "We wanted our guys to be aggressive. They have a lot of guys who crash the boards. "It was extremely important to finish possessions. It gives us a chance to get out and run. They're a good half-court defensive team. If we allow them extra opportunities that's when they're at their best." Bickerstaff had Allen and Mobley on the floor together for the last five minutes of the game. "I think we're at our best when they're both on the floor," he said. "When you have to get stops to protect the lead and win the game, there's not two better guys to have on the floor. They're elite defensively and can guard multiple positions." Face plant Okoro was flattened late in the game when he and Magic forward Franz Wagner went after a loose ball. "I was just going for the ball and my face hit the ground," Okoro said. "I got called for the foul — somehow." He was bleeding and got treated by the trainer on the Cleveland bench. Born leader Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell is not just a natural scorer (he had a game-high 30 points in Game 1), he's also a team leader. "That's just who he is," Okoro said. "He's a leader on our team. He studied the film a thousand times and knows what they're doing. He's out there communicating and telling us where we need to be. He's a vocal leader for us." Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.