Cavaliers notes: Isaac Okoro makes Orlando's Paolo Banchero work hard in Game 7

CLEVELAND — It was almost an impossible ask. Cavaliers swingman Isaac Okoro's lone assignment Sunday was to slow down Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero — a tall task since the latter is quick, skilled and very long. Banchero scored a team-high 38 points in Cleveland's 106-94 victory in Game 7, but he shot 10-of-28 from the field. "I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about what Isaac Okoro did on the defensive end of the floor," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "He was unbelievable on the defensive end of the floor, something that I think a lot of times gets overlooked. He's one of the most elite defensive players in our league and doesn't get enough credit for it." Okoro is 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, and was asked to defend the 6-10, 250-pound Banchero. "Looking back to Isaac's rookie year, we put him on everybody, from point guards to power forwards to everybody, and he got indoctrinated the tough way," Bickerstaff said. "He took some blows, but he never backed down. We've got a level of trust in Isaac that he's going to compete his tail off and you're going to have to beat him. He's not going to allow you to beat him. You're going to have to go out and you're going to have to go and take it from him. There are not many guys that can do that." Banchero, an All-Star this year, was fantastic in the series and averaged 32.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists. "We knew we had to make an adjustment from the last game and try to just wear down Paolo," Cavs guard Darius Garland said. "Isaac accepted the challenge. I mean, he's always going to be like that on a defensive end. That's what he does. It's nothing that we haven't seen. We've seen him for three, four years now and we really needed it in Game 7. He really pulled up his shorts and took a challenge tonight." Human flyswatter Cavs power forward Evan Mobley in Game 6 became the first Cavs player to have five blocks since Timofey Mozgov on April 21, 2015. He followed that with five more in Game 7. Mobley averaged 3.0 blocks in the series, first in the NBA. Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren is second at 2.75. Mobley's five blocks made him the youngest player in franchise history to accomplish the feat and just the seventh player in Cleveland history to do it. "He's elite on that end of the floor," Bickerstaff said. "It's not just the blocked shots. They don't track how many times people didn't go in there because they see him standing there. "But one of the things that's unique about Evan is the Bill Russell effect. When he blocks shots, he doesn't just block 'em out of bounds. He blocks 'em and a lot of times we get possession. That's special and it's understanding how important possessions are and how those blocks can start (fast) breaks for us." All alone Guard Donovan Mitchell scored all 18 points for the Cavs in the fourth quarter of Game 6. None of the Cavs other than Mitchell scored in the last 14 minutes of the game. "We have to diversify our attack," Bickerstaff said. "We have guys who are stars in their own right." The coach said the Cavs need more ball movement and need to get all five players involved in the offense. Mitchell had a layup roll off the rim in the waning seconds that would have given him 52 points. He finished with 50, one shy of LeBron James' team postseason record. He set a franchise record for field goals made (22) and points in a half (31). Mitchell scored 36 of his 50 points in the paint. JA is MIA Center Jarrett Allen was held out of Sunday's game with bruised ribs. He missed the last three games of the series after getting elbowed in the ribs in Orlando in Game 4. In the first four games of the series, he averaged 17 points, 13.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks. There's a decent chance Allen will be in the starting lineup for Game 1 of the Boston series Tuesday. Game 7s The Cavs have won the last four Game 7s since 2018 and are 6-2 lifetime in Game 7 matchups. It was Bickerstaff's first Game 7 as a head coach. He said he enjoys the "chess match." "I love the competition of it," Bickerstaff said. "I love being in the locker room with the guys brainstorming and trying to figure things out. It's the playoff experience you cherish the most." No more Bally's Bally Sports' broadcast of Game 6 was its last of the season. The rest of the games will be nationally televised. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.