Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 takeaways from loss to Spurs
By Ryan Piers
3. Cavs have speed to defend screens, lack size to defend post
Without Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs lack the kind of traditional, off-the-dribble threat present on most elite squads. Patty Mills is quick with the ball, but lacks the size and skill to maneuver in the paint.
San Antonio’s balance, however, poses a two-pronged challenge — they force opponents to switch on perimeter screens and defend the twin towers down low.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol pounded Cleveland in the paint, especially in the crucial third quarter. Spurred by the duo’s play, San Antonio outscored Cleveland by 19 points in the second half. Aldridge owned the paint, scoring 27 points. In limited time, Gasol scored 11 points with +16 plus/minus.
Aldridge’s highlights tell the story. He peppered his opponent with pop shots in the first half before abusing Cavs’ bigs in the second.
It reflects Cleveland’s inability to guard a talented big in the post; a reminder of Tristan Thompson‘s defensive softness. Thankfully for Cleveland, Aldridge is dying breed and few of their likely opponents en route to the Finals present that kind of threat. Potentially Joel Embiid, but that’s it.
On the bright side, Cleveland excelled at maneuvering off picks. The Spurs flashed a series of screens in the second quarter, settling for outside jumpers. Cleveland’s backcourt tightened on defense, holding the Spurs to 25 points in that stanza.
This observation is important because the non-Leonard Spurs run an offense most similar to one of the Cavaliers’ most serious Eastern Conference challengers, the Boston Celtics. Both teams run a series of criss-crosses and picks around the 3- point line. Twice Cleveland has shown it is up to the challenge.