Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen admitted that he felt nervous when he heard the fans chanting “MVP” when he was at the free-throw line in Game 7 against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. He said he thought it was for Donovan Mitchell.
Allen may have been modest, but he indeed played like an MVP, leading the Cavaliers to victory, 114-102, at Rocket Arena to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
He delivered an all-around performance with 22 points, 19 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and three blocks. He was a force on both ends, as he repeatedly kept the Cavaliers afloat before they finally took control of the game in the third quarter.
In the postgame conference, James Harden underscored the value of Allen.
“We hadn’t seen that, really, all series. His activity, his offensive rebounding, finishing,” said Harden. “Come on, 22 and 19, that’s a game-changer right there.”
Allen, who revealed an eye-opening message from Sam Merrill, had 10 offensive rebounds. The Cavaliers badly outperformed the Raptors on the glass, 60-33.
Harden, for his part, had 18 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals, surpassing Larry Bird on an all-time list in the process.
The former MVP reiterated that Allen is key to sustaining their success in the playoffs.
“We’ve seen it throughout the course of the history of the playoffs. Obviously, the stars play well, as much as they want to go out there and score 30 points a game, role players and other guys are gonna have to step up and win games. We’ve seen that in these playoffs, and we saw it tonight,” added Harden.
The 28-year-old Allen was having a subpar series before Game 7, averaging just 9.7 rebounds and 6.5 rebounds, with Cleveland mostly banking on Harden and Donovan Mitchell.
But he showed that he can be more than just a role player or a lob threat. After all, he is a former All-Star. More importantly, he proved that he can step up when the stakes are high.