How Cleveland's fans gave Jarrett Allen a moment he didn't expect to be his

The line came after Jarrett Allen's biggest game of the playoffs, in maybe the biggest game of his career. A reporter asked him the last time he had received MVP chants. He paused and went somewhere unexpected.

"Probably from the bench, jokingly. Got a little nervous out there, thought it was [Donovan Mitchell] receiving the MVP chants."

That explains how Allen sees his place in the Cleveland hierarchy. He just dropped 22 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks in a Game 7. He scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the third quarter alone, the run that flipped a 49-49 halftime tie into a Cavaliers blowout.

The home crowd at Rocket Arena absolutely chanted his name as he stood at the free-throw line with 8:43 left in the fourth.

Allen's reflex was still to assume the chants were for someone else

Kenny Atkinson, asked about Allen's performance, told reporters, "That's the best I've seen him."

According to the NBA, Allen became the first player since Nikola Jokic in 2020 to record 20 or more points, 15 or more rebounds and three or more blocks in a Game 7. That's company that includes a multiple-time MVP.

Allen has had loud moments this season and louder critics. He's been called soft, inconsistent, expendable in trade rumors more than once.

The crew on Inside the NBA that ripped Donovan Mitchell and James Harden a night earlier said none of Cleveland's four stars had a "signature game" yet.

Allen answered it on Sunday in the loudest possible way, and then walked into his postgame interview and gave the credit to a teammate who didn't have his best night.

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