CLEVELAND, Ohio – “Why are they running with these guys?”
That’s what I was yelling at my TV while watching the Cavs lose 130-116 Friday.
The Cavs gave up 130 points to the Knicks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse … 130 points to the Knicks without their star Julius Randle … 130 points at home in a big game that could have clinched home court advantage in the playoffs.
Part of me started thinking …
Wondering …
Worrying …
Are the Cavs in big trouble if they face these same Knicks in the first round of the playoffs?
Well … sort of.
WHAT’S THE STORY?
During the TV broadcast, Cavs emerging star Evan Mobley was “mic’d up.” A revealing comment came after he caught a lovely lob pass from Darius Garland that became a dunk.
“That lob is there any time,” Mobley said while running down the court.
I was thinking along the same lines. The 7-foot Mobley had a size/skill advantage over anyone wearing a Knick jersey Friday night. But he took only eight shots, making six?
Why?
Because the Cavs weren’t looking for him. They had been enticed into running up and down the court and jacking up lots of 3-pointers.
The good news was a lot of them went in.
The bad news is they scored 72 points in the first half, but gave up 79.
The Cavs scored 47 points in the first quarter, but coach J.B. Bickerstaff found it hard to believe his team was up by only five points after that offensive onslaught in the first 12 minutes.
He knew that was an eerie omen.
WHY THE CAVS NEED TO SLOW DOWN
You can point out how the Cavs were crushed, 48-33, on the boards.
Very true.
You can point out how the Cavs scored 116 points – and that should be enough to win.
Also true.
You can point out defense … the Cavs problem was defense.
No argument there.
Here’s the disclaimer: The Cavs have a pair of dynamic scoring guards in Garland and Donovan Mitchell. Against New York, Mitchell scored 42 points on only 23 shots. Garland was 8 of 19 for 20 points.
They took 42 shots vs. the Knicks. They heaved up 55 shots in the 120-118 loss to Atlanta on Tuesday. The Cavs need them to score, but also to be aware of the big men and yes — the pace of play.
But the pace of play can either help or hurt the defense.
LET’S BREAK IT DOWN
In the past, Bickerstaff has mentioned slowing down on offense is an asset to the defense. He didn’t break it down, but I will talk about a slower pace:
1. It helps the big men see the ball. Mobley had eight shots in that game. With fellow big man Jarrett Allen out (groin injury), that wasted a chance for the Cavs to score inside. New York was vulnerable there, especially with Randle injured.
2. If you let big men see the ball near the rim, they often draw fouls. Or when they miss those short shots, it can create stress on the defense – and offensive rebounds for other Cavs crashing the boards.
3. Slowing down the pace on offense also allows the defense more time to set up at the other end of the court.
4. Mobley was often running from foul line to foul line, trailing behind the action as both teams heaved up long range jumpers. Big men can feel lost and forgotten. Part of the Cavs’ strength is their size. They must never forget that.
5. The Knicks are an excellent rebounding team. Everyone pounds the boards. Missing those long jumpers created long rebounds. That led another discouraging topic – the Cavs were out-hustled.
STAYING AWAY FROM THE EXCUSES
After the game, I was wondering if Bickerstaff would bring up the lack of starters Isaac Okoro and Allen in the lineup. They are superb defenders.
The coach said those players were missed, but he didn’t allow that to exonorate the team from some basketball sins.
“They played with an intensity and an effort level that we didn’t match,” Bickerstaff said. “Defensively, we’re way better than that … There wasn’t enough second, third, fourth efforts. There wasn’t enough accepting challenges and defending the guy that’s in front of us.”
Backed to those “mic’d-up” comments from Mobley. Several times, he’d said “Turn it up … turn it up.”
He was talking about the defense.
JUST SHAPE UP, THEY CAN DO IT
Mobley could have done a better job on the boards. He had only seven rebounds. But he also was switching on defense, ending up 20 feet from the hoop to defend Jalen Brunson.
I never thought the Cavs would allow any one player to score 48 points on them this season. But they did with Brunson. No disrespect to a man averaging 21 points, but the Cavs are the highest rated defensive team in the NBA.
“One guy (New York’s Mitchell Robinson) got nine offensive rebounds,” said Bickerstaff. “We didn’t muster up physically.”
Panic? No.
But a commitment to going back to what makes the Cavs special? Yes.
SLOW …
IT …
DOWN…
Have Mitchell and Garland keep the big men in mind, and also help with the defensive rebounding.
Just doing those things will make a major difference come playoff time.
– For more Terry Pluto columns click here.
