Evan Mobley has had his ups and downs in this year’s playoffs, but even amid all his inconsistencies on the offensive end, he has continued to be the Cleveland Cavaliers’ defensive anchor. On Monday night, in the Cavs’ 112-103 win over the Detroit Pistons in Game 4 of their semifinal series to even things up 2-2, Mobley had himself an incredible defensive night, flustering Jalen Duren all night long while protecting the rim at an elite level.
Mobley swatted five shots in Game 4 and he also recorded three thefts to go along with all those rejections. But it wasn’t as if he was completely absent from the offensive end. Donovan Mitchell was the star of the show after tallying 39 points in the second half (43 total in the game), but Mobley played his role well, scoring 17 points on 6-11 shooting from the field while dishing out five assists as well.
In so doing, the Cavs’ star big man became the first Eastern Conference player to record at least five assists, three steals, and five blocks in a single playoff game since Michael Jordan did so in 1991, as per StatMuse on X (formerly Twitter).
Jordan, interestingly enough, also recorded that feat against the Pistons. In Game 3 of the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, the Chicago Bulls legend recorded 33 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and five rebounds to power his team to a 113-107 victory on the road to take a 3-0 series lead.
Mobley, of course, is not even close to the caliber of player Jordan was back in his heyday. But all this shows is that Mobley, when he’s not entrusted to lead the offense, is an elite player who does all the little things defensively for the Cavs.
The Cavs will need another herculean defensive performance from Mobley if they were to finally steal a game on the road in this year’s playoffs.