The Point Four-ward: Searching for Answers

Four points I’m thinking about the Cleveland Cavaliers…

1.) If you’re looking to make a list of what’s been plaguing the Cavs, LeBron James probably wouldn’t make your top ten. But for all of the greatness he’s displayed in getting this batch of wine and gold to the championship round, he hasn’t been wart-free over these first two game of the Finals either.

Don’t believe me? Check out this excellent breakdown of James’s defensive problems (especially in Game 2) by Coach Nick of BBall Breakdown:

James made some stellar defensive plays early in Game 2. As the game wore on, though, he was too often a full step slow in reacting to what the Warriors were running. He was slow in giving help and then even slower recovering, as Draymond Green was only too pleased to illustrate.

James is, by no means, the Cavs’ biggest defensive problem going forward, but there are times when James exacerbated his own mistakes on defense by signaling the wrong guy to help or chirping at a teammate after James was actually the one at fault. If James is going to be the quarterback of this team’s defense, as well as its offense, he has to be held accountable on that end of the floor too. Shooting Tristan Thompson a typical LeBron “you have displeased me” look only serves to undermine the confidence of his teammates, all of whom already have their hands full trying to keep up with the basketball equivalent of a speeding bullet.

In fact, the Cavs best chance for success in Game 3 probably comes from James focusing the majority of his energy on the defensive end — playing more consistently engaged than he did after Game 2 started getting away from the Cavs — and hoping Kyrie Irving will wake up and take over a huge load on offense.

2.) I’m going to do a double dose of Coach Nick because the man’s been putting out essential content for Cavs fans this week.

In this video, he talks about the difference between how the Oklahoma City Thunder defended common plays run by the Golden State Warriors and how the Cavs have been struggling to defend those same plays.

Before you spend the ten minutes watching the video (which you should!), let me say this: I understand that the Cavs are not the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are different teams made up of different players all of whom have different strengths, weaknesses and skill sets — and one of them is playing in the NBA Finals, while the other has already been sent home by the Warriors.

The Thunder are a longer team with, overall, a better collection of defenders than the Cavs. The important take-away from the comparision, though, is not that the Cavs are incapable of stopping the Warriors (even if they’re not particularly well suited for it). It’s that they aren’t playing smart enough or even remotely physical enough. Guys are making mental errors out there and compounding them with an effort level of diminishing returns.

Rather than worrying about living to fight another day — as they were when Tyronn Lue waved the white flag with a whole quarter to go in Game 2 — this Cavs team has to show that it’s capable of shaking off a shot to the jaw and still keep playing hard. 

Right now, they’re not doing that. Through the first two games, when the Cavs face adversity, they seem to shrink, they play smaller, praying that someone — be it James, or Irving or Channing Frye (but definitely not Iman Shumpert‘s dribbling) — come along and save them.

3.) If the Cavs needed any more of a sign that their run of charmed play had come to a halt, they got it in the second quarter when a Harrison Barnes elbow leveled Kevin Love. Not only did the Cavs allow the ensuing play to go for an easy score by Green, who used Love, still lying prone under the hoop, to give him a clear look at the basket, but they later lost Love when the Cavs starting power forward called for a sub after playing a few minutes into the second half and did not return.

Love has entered the league’s concussion protocol leaving his availability to suit up for Game 3 in doubt. [Update: Chris Haynes reported Tuesday afternoon that Love could “very possibly” be cleared to play in Game 3.]

For a team so preoccupied with health this season as the Cavaliers, having an important player like Love go down would be like a shot below their collective belt.

The Cavs spent the entire season trying to get and stay healthy for this playoffs — even sacrificing wins and consistent effort to get there. Now, they may have suffered the first significant injury of the Finals.

Of course, they have…

4.) Regardless of whether the Cavs win or lose Wednesday, this injury (which did not even elicit a call by the officials) is a huge blow to Love, who was already struggling through a rocky start to his first NBA Finals appearance. Already some have suggested that the loss of Love could help the Cavs by improving the team’s overall defense. SB Nation’s Tom Ziller writes:

Love’s lack of defensive chops is putting extra pressure on the other Cavaliers (especially LeBron) and plays a major role in how effortless so many possessions have been for the Warriors.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has said for much of the season that the Cavs would not be able to get away playing Irving and Love together against the Warriors, unless those two players were able to make the Warriors pay on the offensive end. So far, Irving and Love have combined to shoot just 35% from the floor (21-60) over the first two games and are even worse (25%) from three.

So, if the Cavs are able to succeed with a Love-less defense, the rumors that Love is a poor fit for these Cavaliers returns at full volume. If the Cavs lose, it will likely be with Love watching the team from the sidelines for the second year in a row.

Either way, Kevin Love’s future on this team just got a whole lot cloudier.