Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Lessons From ECFs Game 1

3. Jeff Teague Is A Problem

On a night where everything seemed to go wrong for the Hawks and right for the Cavaliers, Jeff Teague was the lone exception. Even against a fully healthy Kyrie Irving, Teague was going to have a field day exploiting his one-on-one matchup because of Kyrie’s lackluster defense. But with Irving hobbled? Teague looked like a superstar.

Atlanta’s All-Star point guard finished Game 1 with 27 points and four assists on 11-of-24 shooting. The Cavs may have rope-a-doped him early on, resulting in some poor decision-making down the stretch once the Hawks cut back into the lead. But if Irving is going to continue to put forth that kind of defensive effort, Teague will continue to score at a high rate.

However, the Cavaliers might be willing to live with this strategy of letting Teague get whatever he wants because of how bad Dennis Schroder has been. Schroder’s 2-for-10 shooting and -13 plus/minus last night was just the tip of the iceberg as far as how ineffective he’s been as backup point guard in these playoffs.

In fact, “ineffective” is putting it lightly. Schroder has been a downright detriment to his team in the postseason, and for whatever reason, Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer continues to roll with him for extended stretches.

Jeff Teague may be an individual problem, but if the Cavs can limit Atlanta’s once-diverse offense to one or two players, they’ll live with Teague lighting up Kyrie Irving every night.

Next: No. 2