The Cavs' Biggest Rival Is the Team Staring Back in the Mirror

Ken and Lima kick off with a genuinely fascinating hypothetical: what does Ryan Day do when his son, who just committed to Northwestern, potentially lines up against Ohio State as a starting quarterback, forcing Ryan Day to gameplan against his own kid? The real meat of the segment though is Ken's argument that this Cavs-Pistons series has not risen to the level of a true rivalry, and that the bigger story is how Cavs fans are more worried about Cleveland beating themselves than they are about anything Detroit can do. Ken makes a compelling case that tonight is as close to a legacy-defining moment as Donovan Mitchell has ever faced, pointing out that with Embiid done, Harden diminished, and OKC full of untouchable young stars, Mitchell is the one national media will zero in on if the Cavs flame out. The bottom line is simple: if the Cavs win tonight, Ken believes the series is over, and if they lose, the questions about blowing this whole thing up will only get louder.