CLEVELAND — It continues to be a successful All-Star Weekend for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The team comprised of Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley took first place in the NBA All-Star Skills Challenge Saturday night in front of their home fans at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. It marked the first time any Cleveland player has ever won the competition, and was also the inaugural year of a new rules format that featured three teams duking it out for the title.
Team Cavs took the early lead by winning the shooting portion. Garland, who along with Allen will represent the Cavaliers in the actual All-Star Game Sunday night, carried the load by hitting multiple baskets from long range.
The next two rounds were not as successful, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and his two brothers taking the passing portion and the rookie squad winning on the relay course (worth 200 points). The Cavs and the Antetokounmpos were both tied with 100 points, but Garland hit a 3 in a tiebreaker round to send his group on to the finals against The Rooks.
The championship round featured the Cavs and the Rooks shooting half-court shots, with the fastest team to make one being declared the winner. The Rooks went first and drained it in 9.9 seconds, but it only took Evan Mobley four seconds to swish it and clinch the title for the hometown favorites.
It was just the latest win for the Cavaliers on All-Star Weekend. On Friday night, Mobley and Isaac Okoro were on the team that emerged victorious in the Rising Stars Challenge, with the former in particular shining with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Although it was a banner moment for Cleveland, the new rules for the Skills Challenge also had many viewers scratching their heads. Here's what some were saying on social media.