The Cleveland Cavaliers have started the 2017 NBA Playoffs with two wins on their home court, but there are still some concerns that need to be addressed.
Despite absolutely blowing two straight substantial fourth-quarter leads, the Cleveland Cavaliers have managed to hold strong and will head to Indianapolis with a pretty 2-0 series lead.
The Cavaliers entered the playoffs receiving about as much criticism as they deserved for how they ended the 2016-17 regular season.
They haven’t completely rid themselves of their recent bad habits, however, they have shown signs of promise going up against an over-matched Indiana Pacers team, here are my five takeaways from the first two games.
1. Iman Shumpert replacing injured J.R. Smith
Perhaps the most important storyline going forward is the injury to J.R. Smith.
Related Story: Cleveland Cavaliers--25 Best Players
Smith spent the second half of Game 2 in his warmups as he was kept on the sideline, sitting silently and staring blankly with a visibly disgusted — and even more annoyed — look on his face.
If Smith is required to miss time, it will be up to Iman Shumpert to replace his production.
Shumpert did not play in the first half of Game 2 and did not play a single second in Game 1; however, he started the second half of Game 2 after Smith was sidelined with an apparent hamstring injury.
Smith hopes to play in Game 3; however, there is no timetable for his return.
In 20 minutes, Shumpert scored five points, shooting 2-of-3 from the field, with one steal.
If he wants to be more effective and worth the playing time he’ll be receiving in Smith’s absence, he will have to do much more than five points, but his defensive effort was exactly what the Cavs needed from him.
Shumpert is now responsible for guarding Paul George and he did a more than respectable job in the second half of Game 2.
@CavsFredMcLeod Fred do you know FG of PG13 when guarded by Shump in 2nd half?
— Teexohn (@Teexohn) April 18, 2017
He was 1-5 vs Shump https://t.co/ZPIdsN0j8I
— Fred McLeod (@CavsFredMcLeod) April 18, 2017
Known for his defense — although not so much the past two seasons — Shumpert will have to continue to lock down on defense in order to keep George from popping off at any given moment.
More moments such as this one from Shumpert will be key for not only his confidence, but also his team’s defense overall and how they go about guarding George in Games 3 and 4.
2. Defense still an alarming issue
The Cavaliers have allowed 108 and 111 points respectively in the first two games, as the Pacers have shot 50.3 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3.
The Cavs have allowed the Pacers to hover for the majority of both games instead of stepping on the gas and never looking back.
FanSided
Whenever the Pacers would go down by 10 or 12 points, Indiana would go on a series of five- to seven-point mini-runs to make things interesting.
It would take the air of the arena, but only for brief moments, before the Cavs would wake back up and extend the lead back out to 12, only to restart the process five minutes of game time later.
More specific than the team’s poor defense overall is their defense when the fourth quarter begins.
This is when those mini-runs turn into why-is-this-happening-again runs that makes watching Cavaliers basketball so entertaining yet so frustrating at the same time.
The Cavaliers started the fourth quarter of Game 1 with a 10-point lead. Slowly but consistently, the lead trimmed itself down until there was three minutes left in the game and the Cavs found themselves down two and searching for answers.
LeBron James and Kyrie Irving would find a way to win back that game for Cleveland and take a 1-0 series lead. Two days later, it would happen again.
This time was more intense than the first as the Cavs entered the fourth quarter of Game 2 with a healthy 17-point lead, only to see it deteriorate down to five with two-and-a-half minutes left in the game.
The Cavs’ Big 3 would finish the Pacers off after that, but not after every Cavs fan sighed and said, “So we’re doing this again, huh?”
The main issue is the effort and mindset from the players when they feel like they have comfortable leads, they become complacent with where they are, only to watch it quickly slip away and scramble to chase after it.
3. Unlike their defense, Cavs offense is clicking (except when it matters)
While the defense has been an issue the first two games (and most of the season), the offense has been a non-issue for the most part.
Averaging 113 points through the first two games, the Cavs — well, more so the Big 3 — have been on fire.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Kevin Love had a productive first quarter in Game 1 — as he always does — before he faded away as the game progressed and finished with 17 points, 10 of them coming in the first quarter. Game 2 is when Love was productive for the majority of the game.
Love finished Game 2 with 27 points on only seven shots while going a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line.
LeBron is averaging 28.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists through the first two games and Kyrie is averaging 30.0 points and 4.0 assists per game.
The team as a whole is shooting 54.5 percent from the field and a satisfying 40.6 percent from 3 and if it weren’t for the fourth quarter, those numbers would be higher.
The Cavs are averaging merely 19 points in the fourth quarter this series despite averaging 29.5 points a period in quarters one through three.
This goes back to the complacency mentioned earlier. The Cavs will accumulate large enough leads to coast to victory and then decide to ease off the gas entirely, which is simply unacceptable, especially during the playoffs.
4. Where is Myles Turner?
The Indiana Pacers second-best player all season has been a non-factor.
Myles Turner averaged 14.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game on 51.0 percent shooting during the regular season, but has been limited to 8.5 points and 6.5 rebounds shooting 36.4 percent from the field.
Why? He’s being guarded by Tristan Thompson.
Thompson has used this season to propel himself into a valuable defender in the NBA, becoming an intelligent shot blocker and a guy who can switch and guard smaller ball handlers.
Thompson has kept Turner away from ball, using his wide frame and his knack for being in the right place at the right time. Turner’s usage rate on the season is 19.6 percent; however, his usage rate in Game 2 was a mere 13.2 percent, which was his 11th-lowest all season.
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
Thompson is averaging 5.5 offensive rebounds in the series, overpowering Turner when fighting for rebounds and positioning as Turner finished Game 2 with a rebound percentage of 9.6, well below his season average.
Thompson is a guy who brings it every night and does everything in his power to out work his opponent and help his team to a victory.
A second-year player such as Turner must be more aggressive if he wants to make a bigger impact on the game, otherwise his poor play essentially negates Thompson’s offensive struggles.
One play towards the end of Game 2 stood out when watching Thompson.
With the Cavs barely holding onto their lead with one minute left and the Pacers rolling, Thompson secured a game-deciding offensive rebound over PG and Turner, killing the souls of the Pacers almost instantly.
5. Only one player outside the Big 3 has scored in double figures
Channing Frye scored 11 points in Game 1 and was the only player to do so, while none of the Cavaliers outside of the Big 3 scored more than 10 points in Game 2.
Deron Williams scored nine points in Game 2 on three 3s, all in the first half.
Against the Pacers, this is something that can be overcome without much resistance.
But if the Cavaliers continue to advance in the playoffs, the role players will have to produce more when the fatigue begins to set in for LeBron, Irving and Love; another reason the Cavs need J.R. Smith back as soon as possible.
Next: 50 Greatest Players of the 1970s
The Cavaliers will still enjoy a 2-0 series lead going on the road and hope to come back to Cleveland to begin preparation for the second round.