<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/rumors/cavs-rumors-how-cleveland-expected-replace-darius-garland-max-strus-starting-lineup');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cavs rumors: How Cleveland is expected to replace Darius Garland, Max Strus in starting lineup');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.cavsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Max-Strus.jpg"><figcaption>David Butler II-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cavs rumors: How Cleveland is expected to replace Darius Garland, Max Strus in starting lineup</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-27T09:05:53-07:00">August 27th, 9:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-27T09:05:53-07:00">August 27th, 9:05am</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson joined ClutchPoints and Cavs Nation in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Rumors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Tuesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers got some tough news when they learned <a href="https://cavsnation.com/news/cavs-news-cleveland-has-fixed-issue-that-stunned-max-strus-when-he-first-signed">that Max Strus</a> will miss the beginning portion of the upcoming 2025-26 season after having surgery on his foot,<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46081809/cavaliers-max-strus-foot-surgery-3-4-months" rel="noopener"> per Shams Charania</a> of ESPN. Strus is expected to take three to four months in his recovery process and joins fellow Cavs guard <a href="https://cavsnation.com/news/cavs-kenny-atkinson-makes-unfortunate-darius-garland-injury-admission">Darius Garland as Cleveland players</a> who will begin the upcoming season on the bench.</p><p>This being the case, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson will have some interesting decisions to make as it pertains to his lineup rotations in the upcoming season.</p><p>Recently, ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett Siegel reported on what the Cavs will do to try to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/jonathan-kuminga-josh-giddey-intel-entering-september-siegels-scoop">fill the void</a> that Strus and Garland will leave as they recover from their injuries.</p><p>“Without Max Strus and Darius Garland to begin the 2025-26 season, the Cavs will turn to Dean Wade, De’Andre Hunter, and Sam Merrill as key contributors alongside Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen,” reported Siegel.</p><p>Siegel also noted that “Wade will likely start alongside Merrill in place of Strus and Garland. Head coach Kenny Atkinson is very high on Merrill’s abilities to step into a larger role this year, sources said.”</p><p>Wade and Merrill would certainly give the Cavs a lot of shot creation in their starting lineup, but if this is indeed the case, the perimeter playmaking might fall almost exclusively on the shoulders of Donovan Mitchell, which could become an issue later on in the season when wear and tear start to factor into the equation.</p><h2>An interesting spot for the Cavs</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.cavsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Cleveland-Cavaliers-head-coach-Kenny-Atkinson-2.jpg"><figcaption>Ken Blaze-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Cavs are widely expected to win a lot of games once again this season, with some even projecting them to make their first NBA Finals since LeBron James skipped town in 2018.</p><p>The Cavs flamed out in the second round vs the Indiana Pacers this past season, although the front office evidently sees that as more of an injury-based loss than anything else, as they opted to bring back the same core as a year ago as opposed to switching things up.</p><p>The Cavs will kick off their 2025 season on the road against the New York Knicks on October 22.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cavs rumors: How Cleveland is expected to replace Darius Garland, Max Strus in starting lineup

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/cavs-news-max-strus-foot-surgery');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cavs’ Max Strus to miss start of season after foot surgery');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Cavs-Max-Strus-dribbling.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Kinser-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cavs’ Max Strus to miss start of season after foot surgery</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-26T13:02:43-07:00">August 26th, 1:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-26T13:22:03-07:00">August 26th, 1:22pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Cavaliers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Cleveland Cavaliers forward Max Strus <a href="https://x.com/cavs/status/1960429967311036919" rel="noopener">underwent successful surgery</a> on Tuesday to repair a Jones Fracture in his left foot, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.</p><p>Strus suffered this injury during offseason training, and the surgery was performed in Indianapolis.</p><p>The good news for Cavs fans is that Strus won’t miss the whole year and should be able to resume basketball activities in approximately three to four months.</p><p>However, the bad news is that Cleveland is that they made major roster changes this offseason and will now be without their starting sharpshooter on the wing to begin the 2025-26 season.</p><p>Last season, Strus started in 37 of the 50 games he played, averaging 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. His 3-and-D abilities on the wing helped elevate the Cavaliers to the best record in the Eastern Conference during the 2024-25 season with a 64-18 record.</p><p>This was Cleveland’s best regular-season record since winning 66 games during the 2008-09 season with LeBron James. That year, the Cavs made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.</p><p>Unfortunately for Strus and the Cavs, they were not as successful during the 2024-25 season, as they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/cavs-news-donovan-mitchell-bold-promise-next-season">fell in five games to the Indiana Pacers</a> in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.</p><p>Strus entering training camp and the regular season recovering from his left foot surgery is not ideal for the Cavaliers, especially after making significant roster changes in the offseason.</p><p>Ty Jerome, a finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year award last year, left in free agency for the Memphis Grizzlies, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/cavs-news-lonzo-ball-breaks-silence-trade-cavaliers">Isaac Okoro was traded to the Chicago Bulls for Lonzo Ball.</a></p><p>The Cavaliers are also entering the preseason without All-Star point guard Darius Garland, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/darius-garland-toe-surgery-announced-amid-cavs-trade-rumors">underwent left big toe surgery in June</a> and won’t be ready to resume basketball activities until October at the earliest.</p><p>Further updates on Strus’ health and recovery will be provided by the Cavs at some point during the regular season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cavs’ Max Strus to miss start of season after foot surgery

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/news/cavs-news-fans-clown-max-strus-for-brutal-goose-egg-in-game-5-vs-pacers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cavs fans clown Max Strus for brutal goose egg in Game 5 vs. Pacers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.cavsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Cavs-guard-Max-Strus-1-shoots.jpg"><figcaption>© Ken Blaze-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cavs fans clown Max Strus for brutal goose egg in Game 5 vs. Pacers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-13T21:46:48-07:00">May 13th, 9:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-13T21:46:48-07:00">May 13th, 9:46pm</time><address><a>Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cavs News</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://cavsnation.com/news/cavs-news-kenny-atkinson-plants-his-flag-for-max-strus-as-clevelands-forceful-leader" rel="noopener">Max Strus has been taking the initiative</a> in the Cleveland Cavaliers locker room to be the team’s vocal leader; after all, Strus was the only one on the roster who’s made it all the way to the NBA Finals in the past, so he knows what it takes to be there for his team right in the trenches. In fact, prior to the Cavs’ season-ending 114-105 Game 5 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Strus <a href="https://twitter.com/grant_puskar_/status/1922425778488185255" rel="noopener">reportedly sent a text</a> to the team group chat, saying that “if you don’t believe, then don’t show up for work.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Max Strus: “If you don’t believe, don’t show up to work.” </p><p>Oh. My. God.  <a href="https://t.co/QY9Z2nN6Mg">pic.twitter.com/QY9Z2nN6Mg</a></p><p>— Grant Puskar (@grant_puskar_) <a href="https://twitter.com/grant_puskar_/status/1922425778488185255?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>While Strus meant well with that text as he was simply rallying his team with the hope of igniting a spark that could lead to a 3-1 comeback, this text backfired rather quickly for the Cavs veteran. The 29-year-old wing may as well not have shown up during his team’s Game 5 loss, as he proceeded to go scoreless while missing all nine of his attempts from the field.</p><p>This is a rather embarrassing way to go out for Strus, who’s actually been one of the Cavs’ most consistent performers during their five-game series loss to the Pacers. It’s all the more embarrassing for him when it’s supposed to be him who should show up for his team and yet he vanished completely and was a complete black hole on offense in their season-ending loss.</p><p>“Max Strus shouldnt dribble another basketball in cleveland,” X user @Mike_Coop20 <a href="https://x.com/Mike_Coop20/status/1922511438569976000" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.</p><p>“Max Strus sent the Cavaliers group chat a text that read “If you don’t believe, then don’t show up for work” and proceeds to have this performance 😂,” @hennyruggsiii <a href="https://x.com/hennyruggsiii/status/1922509682838511873" rel="noopener">added</a>.</p><p>“LMAO strus should be the last brother texting anybody about anything,” @BreezeFMB <a href="https://x.com/BreezeFMB/status/1922509147276243162" rel="noopener">furthered</a>.</p><p>“max strus was a great example all series that talk is f**kin cheap,” @Israfil_Twitch <a href="https://x.com/Israfil_Twitch/status/1922508243374338148" rel="noopener">exclaimed</a>.</p><h2><b>Cavs collapse in the playoffs yet again</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.cavsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Cleveland-Cavaliers-guard-Donovan-Mitchell.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Cavs’ playoff exits over the past three years have grown progressively more heartbreaking. In 2023, they lost because the lights became too bright. In 2024, they faced a deluge of injury problems that gave them zero chance against the eventual champion Boston Celtics. And then this year, the <a href="https://cavsnation.com/news/cavs-news-kenny-atkinson-breaks-silence-on-saddening-end-of-clevelands-season" rel="noopener">Cavs saw their dream 64-win season come to a premature end</a> after wilting under the pressure against the Pacers.</p><p>The Cavs looked like a shell of their dominant regular-season selves; after posting the best offensive rating in the NBA this past season, they couldn’t buy a field goal in Game 5, with Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Max Strus combining to go 12-40 from the field.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cavs fans clown Max Strus for brutal goose egg in Game 5 vs. Pacers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/cavs-news-donovan-mitchell-max-strus-power-dominant-game-3-win-over-pacers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus power dominant Game 3 win over Pacers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Donovan-Mitchell-drives-Cavs-Pacers_f0a1e6.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus power dominant Game 3 win over Pacers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-10T06:46:44-07:00">May 10th, 6:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-10T06:46:44-07:00">May 10th, 6:46am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Cavaliers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With their season teetering on the edge, the Cleveland Cavaliers walked into Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 3 knowing only one outcome would do against the Indiana Pacers. Thanks to the determined leadership of Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/cavs-news-donovan-mitchell-had-feat-lebron-james-never-did-cleveland-history">the Cavs didn’t just survive</a> their playoff battle. <a href="https://www.nba.com/game/cle-vs-ind-0042400203/box-score" rel="noopener">They dominated</a>.</p><p>Behind Mitchell’s 43 points and a gutsy all-around performance from Strus, the Cavs throttled the Pacers 126-104 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The victory trimmed the Pacers’ series lead to 2-1 and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/cavs-news-donovan-mitchell-had-feat-lebron-james-never-did-cleveland-history">delivered Cleveland its first win of the second round emphatically</a>.</p><p>“We haven’t done anything,” Mitchell said. “We won one game [and] we got to do it again. … I told them, we’re not celebrating. We’re not smiling. We came here to take two games, and we did one.”</p><p>The urgency was unmistakable. Three days earlier, the Cavs had suffered a soul-crushing Game 2 collapse, blowing a 20-point lead and falling at home on a Tyrese Haliburton buzzer-beater. In Game 3, they responded with force, fueled by Mitchell’s relentless scoring and Strus’s poise under pressure.</p><p>Mitchell, nursing a strained calf, was masterful. He poured in 14 points in the fourth quarter alone. He added nine rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes, joining LeBron James as the only players in Cavs history with consecutive 40-point playoff games.</p><p>“I thought he was masterful,” Kenny Atkinson said of Mitchell. “I don’t use that word hardly ever. He was masterful in the way he controlled the game, passing, making the right decision, [and] defending.</p><p>“He’s orchestrating his game. But he’s orchestrating the pieces around him. And I thought tonight he was probably the best I’ve seen him all year, just especially with the pressure they were putting on him.”</p><h2><b>Max Strus was on the loose for the Cavs in Game 3</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Max-Strus-shoots-Cavs-Pacers.jpg"><figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Strus, meanwhile, turned in another quietly sensational outing. He scored 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including four three-pointers, and chipped in seven rebounds, seven assists, and a block. Just as crucially, Strus helped the Cavs smother Haliburton, who was limited to a playoff career-low four points.</p><p>In this win, the Cavs needed their leaders. They showed up when it mattered most. After Indiana cut an 18-point deficit down to 11 early in the fourth, Gainbridge Fieldhouse came alive. The momentum swung. T.J. McConnell and Pascal Siakam fueled a mini-rally. But Mitchell and Strus answered.</p><p>Out of a timeout, Mitchell corralled an offensive rebound, reset the offense, and buried a tough turnaround jumper over Siakam. After a layup from Bennedict Mathurin, Mitchell hit a step-back three over Aaron Nesmith. Then came the dagger. A routine drive-and-kick to Strus, who drilled a wing triple to push Cleveland’s lead to 112-95 with under seven minutes remaining.</p><p>“That’s why Donovan Mitchell is Donovan Mitchell,” said Strus. “The guy’s a superstar, and he showed you why. We’re always going to rely on Don to carry us and take us home. And he did just that.”</p><p>Strus, acquired in a sign-and-trade after a Finals run with the Miami Heat, has embraced a vocal leadership role, demanding accountability in film sessions and huddles. His battle-tested edge has been invaluable.</p><p>“He knows what it takes just to get to the next level, the next round,” Darius Garland said. “He puts his body and damn near life on the line for us. We really appreciate Max. [He’s] shooting the hell out [of] the ball right now, playing really good defense on any guard that we put him on [and] he’s playing his heart out.”</p><h2><b>It wasn’t just the Donovan Mitchell show in Game 3</b></h2><p>That steady resolve has defined Mitchell throughout this postseason. In Game 2, he was a one-man show. In Game 3, he remained dominant but was flanked by a fully engaged squad, including the long-awaited return of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter from injury.</p><p>Mobley tallied 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Garland added 10 points despite still not being at full strength. Jarrett Allen posted a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double. The Cavs were finally whole again, and it showed.</p><p>But despite the win, Cleveland still isn’t satisfied. Game 4 awaits Sunday night in Indianapolis, and the Cavs came to take two. They’ve taken one. But if Mitchell and Strus have anything to say about it, they’re not done.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus power dominant Game 3 win over Pacers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/news/cavs-news-kenny-atkinson-plants-his-flag-for-max-strus-as-clevelands-forceful-leader');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kenny Atkinson plants his flag for Max Strus as Cavs’ ‘forceful leader’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.cavsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Cavs-guard-Max-Strus-1-celebrates-a-made-basket.jpg"><figcaption>© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Kenny Atkinson plants his flag for Max Strus as Cavs’ ‘forceful leader’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-09T21:19:52-07:00">May 9th, 9:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-09T21:19:52-07:00">May 9th, 9:19pm</time><address><a>Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cavs News</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Max Strus is the guy on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster who’s made it the farthest in the playoffs, having made it to the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat in 2023. And Strus’ playoff experience is showing as the <a href="https://cavsnation.com/news/cavs-news-espn-insider-optimism-despite-pacers-2-0-lead">Cavs face a mountain of adversity</a> in their second-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers. Facing a must-win scenario in Game 3, Strus had himself another excellent game in support of the brilliant Donovan Mitchell, tallying 20 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in a 126-104 win.</p><p>When the Cavs signed Strus in the summer of 2023, they banked on him to provide a different dimension to their offense as a shooter who thrives off movement. But they have clearly gotten more than what they expected; Strus not only has been flashing a more well-rounded game as a passer and defender, he’s also been a very crucial part of the team’s locker room as a leader who <a href="https://x.com/NBA/status/1921046880651248048" rel="noopener">speaks up and leads by example</a>.</p><p>“He’s becoming our forceful leader. I haven’t seen him so aggressive, leadership-wise,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said in his postgame presser, via the official NBA account on X (formerly Twitter). “He’s really kinda taken hold of all the huddles, film sessions. His spirit’s phenomenal. And he’s on guys [when] you miss an assignment. He’s kind of our enforcer right now.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">🎙️ "He's becoming our forceful leader."</p><p>CLE's Kenny Atkinson after the Game 3 road win gives high praise to Max Strus who scored 20 points and drilled 4 threes! <a href="https://t.co/0jKofZBooN">pic.twitter.com/0jKofZBooN</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1921046880651248048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>This Cavs team is young; Darius Garland and Evan Mobley are 25 and 23 years of age, respectively, and they haven’t made it past the second round of the playoffs. Even Mitchell hasn’t made it yet to a Conference Finals. And from an experience and age standpoint, it’s not a surprise at all to see Strus take initiative and be the one to set the tone for his team, especially when they’re facing immense pressure to succeed in this year’s playoffs after the brilliant regular season that they had.</p><h2><b>Cavs’ Max Strus is a man of his word</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.cavsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Cavs-guard-Max-Strus-1-high-fives-with-head-coach-Kenny-Atkinson.jpg"><figcaption>© Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Max Strus was partially at fault for the Cavs’ collapse near the end of Game 2; he threw a wayward inbounds pass that set off the chain of events that ended with Tyrese Haliburton’s heartbreaking game-winning triple.</p><p>After that game, <a href="https://cavsnation.com/news/cavs-news-max-strus-drops-truth-bomb-after-painful-game-2-collapse-vs-pacers">Strus said that he and the Cavs must be better</a> in protecting leads, and they followed through on that on Friday night. The Pacers never give up, but the Cavs stopped every comeback attempt in the second half, and there’s no doubt that Strus’ leadership played a part in them keeping their poise on the road.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
9.4	4.3	3.2	0.2	0.5

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
9.4	4.3	3.2	0.2	0.5

Max Strus

Latest Max Strus News

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Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus power dominant Game 3 win over Pacers

Kenny Atkinson plants his flag for Max Strus as Cavs’ ‘forceful leader’

Max
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