After an offseason filled with changes and growth across the board, the Cleveland Cavaliers seemed poised to come out swinging to begin the 2026-27 NBA season.

However, through two games, things haven't looked the best for Cleveland.

On Saturday, Oct. 24, the Cavaliers nearly fell to the Brooklyn Nets after another fourth-quarter collapse, but snuck out a 125-121 victory in the home opener at Rocket Arena. The Cavaliers held strong to begin, but were outscored 41-29 in the final frame.

In total, across the first two games of the year, the Cavaliers have lost the fourth quarter by a combined total of 24 points.

With the Cavaliers looking to turn things around and become more well-rounded, here are the three most notable postgame quotes:

Donovan Mitchell Thinks It Is Just Basketball

While many have been concerned about the Cavaliers' inability to finish games on a high note, Mitchell doesn't think that it is a big unknown issue, but rather the opposing teams' ability to make defensive adjustments.

"There's an unpredictability to it," Mitchell said. "I think it's random. The NBA has turned into that as a whole. Indiana really did a great job of it two years ago, and I think everybody followed suit. It was just like, just cause chaos and figure it out....

"When you're picking up full court and randomly trapping, there's really no scheme for that. It's like AAU basketball."

Fortunately, the season is just starting, and there is plenty of time for the Cavaliers to make adjustments and find a way to turn around their fourth-quarter performances.

Mario Hezonja Takes a More Bold Approach

Hezonja joined the team this past offseason, and after his first two games as a member of the Cavaliers, he is rapidly growing on the fanbase.

He took a more direct approach to Cleveland's struggles late, saying that the team needs to be better.

“There’s no excuses, but we are working on it,” he said. “There are some new pieces that we added to the team, so this unfortunately takes a little bit of time, but we are working on it. Everything started to mesh better and better, and I hope [that] soon it’s going to look good.”

Mitchell may have been broader, giving credit to opposing teams, but Hezonja just wants to see the Cavaliers play better.

He is right; the Cavaliers did make some big changes to the roster in the offseason, so it will take a bit of time for the kinks to be ironed out. But that is still no excuse for the way the team has played down the stretch.

The Team Is Excited For Jarrett Allen

On a more positive note, Jarrett Allen is continuing to expand his abilities on the offensive end.

On Saturday night, Allen hit his first three-pointer since Dec. 23, 2025, to give the Cavaliers a four-point advantage with roughly five minutes to go in the second quarter. He eventually finished the night with 21 points, eight rebounds, one steal and two blocks.

He also knocked down 7-of-8 attempts from the field and made his lone three-point attempt.

For those who can’t watch the game- now Jarrett Allen is a three point sniper 😂 pic.twitter.com/fO70i9mSfm

— McNeil (@REFLOG18) October 25, 2026

"The team loves it," frontcourt counterpart Evan Mobley said. "Anytime he hits a three, gives us all energy. He's been working on that all summer, so whenever the time comes, he's not backing down from those shots... it just brings us all up and brings us energy and we just feed off that."

The Cavaliers can become a much more dynamic offense if Allen and Mobley can continue to expand their arsenal, especially with the game continuing to see more and more forwards knock down the long ball.

The Cavaliers return to the floor on Monday, Oct. 26, at 7:00 p.m. EST from Rocket Arena.