Game 4 precursor? LeBron James to do more when Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving struggle
May 23, 2016At least LeBron will stay if the Cavaliers lose, right? While We’re Waiting…
May 24, 2016Cleveland Cavaliers – 99
Toronto Raptors – 105
Box Score
Series tied 2-2
Incomplete narratives are almost always funny in hindsight. Had you walked out of Major League halfway through, you would have been upset you wasted another forty-five minutes of your life watching a bad Indians team. After improving to 10-0 in the playoffs two days ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers were a super-duper team ready to take on the 2001 Lakers if they had procreated with the Harlem Globetrotters and 1986 Celtics (it was a complicated, messy procreation). Most TV or internet folks had either pronounced the Cavaliers as a juggernaut or complained that their schedule was so easy it couldn’t be taken with anything but a loud chortle (ignoring that the Eastern Conference had a better record than the Western Conference this season), a slight to which the Toronto Raptors — who escaped two Game 7s on their route to the Eastern Conference Finals and had just dropped the first two games of the series to the Cavaliers — took exception.
After Game 2 of the series, with the Cavaliers undefeated in the playoffs, I wrote the following.
It’s nice to be 10-0 so far, but I have a feeling the Raptors have a loss or two for the Cavs before they have a chance to wrap this series up.
Gutless equivocation prevails once again! But it won’t get you a job on television like wild, wrong, and loud overreactions! The Cavaliers lost a heart (and spine and soul) breaker in Toronto in Game 4, but let’s loiter in the back of the box score and see how. If you want to be spared the more boring niceties of pick-and-roll defense, skip ahead until you see dunking.
67 – Raptors guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined for 67 points in Game 4. The rest of the Toronto Raptors combined for 38 stinkin’ points. My sense of foreboding started to gather dark clouds in the first two games when Lowry was so disastrous (18 points total, 28.6 percent shooting, 1-of-15 on threes) that I knew it wouldn’t persist. Lowry’s too good to make barely a quarter of his shots, and so he bounced back with 20 points in Game 3 and 35 points in Game 4.
What I didn’t expect was for DeMar DeRozan to continue playing this well throughout the series. DeRozan scored 32 points on 14-of-23 shooting (60.9 percent) in Game 4, and did whatever he wanted with the ball, making some incredibly difficult shots. According to NBA.com’s player tracking data, DeRozan is shooting 52.5 percent (31-of-59) on contested shots in the series, including 13-of-19 (68.4 percent) in Game 4. There has some been some bad defense (more on that in a moment), but DeRozan has made some incredibly challenging shots — even the ones when Cavalier defenders were directly in his airspace. Pull-up midrange jumpers, driving shots in the middle of traffic — it hasn’t mattered. DeRozan is scoring 26.0 points per game in the conference finals (trailing only Kevin Durant) on 52.4 percent shooting (after only shooting 44.6 percent in the regular season). Double-D (pretty sure not an actual nickname) has been sensational in the series, so you have to doff your cap.
Lowry and DeRozan are 1st pair of teammates with 30 pts and a 60% field goal percentage in Conference Finals since Barkley/Majerle '93 Suns
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 24, 2016
But here’s the dramatic turn — the Cavaliers haven’t been doing enough to slow down either Lowry or DeRozan. Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith, for whatever decent defense they’ve played in the playoffs, were shelled in Games 3 and 4. Most of the Cavaliers have not played great individual defense over the past two games — but especially Smith and Irving.1 Coach Tyronn Lue tried to put LeBron James on DeRozan as much as possible in Game 4. But the Raptors threw as many screens as they could at James to force switches and create advantageous situations for DeRozan, negating times when DeRozan was less successful with James as the primary defender.
The primary reason the Cavs lost Game 4 was because of how they defended the pick-and-roll in the first three quarters. Too often, the Cavs either switched the pick-and-roll (putting a less capable defender on the Raptor guard), allowed the big man to hang back (giving an open shot or allowing Lowry/DeRozan to attack the big), or going under the screen (forfeiting an open shot, such as Lowry’s pull-up below), instead of trapping with the big man and forcing the ball out of the guard’s hands.
https://vine.co/v/i9B1pp25Vgw
And Lowry and DeRozan absolutely TORCHED the Cavs for three quarters. The Cavs found some success trapping the pick-and-roll early in the fourth quarter, then stopped doing it in the second half of the quarter when the two combined for 14 points. Jeff Van Gundy pointed out how much success the Cavs were having trapping during the broadcast, and Lue was imploring the Cavalier bigs to attack toward the end. But on the possession that sealed the game, the Cavs did a lazy, simple switch in stead of trapping, leaving J.R. Smith alone on Kyle Lowry. Spoiler alert: It didn’t end well.
There was plenty to complain about (still to come!) in the game besides the technicalities of pick-and-roll defense, but I cannot emphasize this enough: If the Cavaliers do not trap every single pick-and-roll involving Lowry or DeRozan for the rest of the series, they deserve to lose. I’ll take my chances on the offensive skill and quick decision-making of Bismack Biyombo, DeMarre Carroll, Patrick Patterson, and James Johnson before I do Lowry or DeRozan. If the Cavs hold Lowry and DeRozan below 60 points on Monday, they’re returning home on Wednesday with a chance to close out the series. And if I see Lowry or DeRozan fly off an easy screen uncontested again, a TV remote is going through my television.
3-of-22 – Much fuss will be made by the Cavs’ 22 three-point attempts in the first half, of which they made a measly three. Everyone complains when they don’t go in — forgetting the team made nearly half of their threes attempting 36.3 of them per game over the first eight games of the playoffs. I disagree with the three-fixation when they’re bad shots — but the Cavs were creating the looks they wanted through much of the first half. They didn’t make them. LeBron James (0-of-2), Kevin Love (1-of-6), J.R. Smith (1-of-6), and Kyrie Irving (0-of-3) all poured gasoline on the fire. The Cavs made half of their 20 threes in the second half, but it was too late to overcome the 18-point high hole they dug in the first half. J.R. Smith and Kevin Love are in deep need of redemption games after their long weekend in Toronto.
Minus-14 – Tristan Thompson finished with a plus/minus of -14 on Monday, the lowest on the Cavalier team. Thompson has met his energetic, maniacal rebounding superior in Bismack Biyombo in this series. Thompson was out-rebounded by Biyombo 40 to 17 in Games 3-4. If Thompson isn’t winning the rebounding battle, then he really has no reason to be on the floor — because there’s no possibility of him doing anything on offense. Thompson had fewer points (2) than Mo Williams (3) in Toronto this weekend.
Plus-6 – If you’re looking for Tyronn Lue to make a wild adjustment to shake up the series, here it is: starting Channing Frye over either Kevin Love or Tristan Thompson (I’m leaning toward Thompson). Frye finished with a team-high +6 on Monday, making four of his eight three-pointers and continuing an astounding offensive pace in the playoffs. More on Frye in a moment.
29, 9, 6 – LeBron James scored 29 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and created six assists (and what probably should have been 10). He was awesome. What else is new?
https://vine.co/v/iElluZmUedA
26 & 6 – Kyrie Irving scored on 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting. He also added six assists, including this nifty dime to James. He was awesome (but mostly in the second half).
https://vine.co/v/iElEMDelX6t
11-of-11 – The Cavaliers began the fourth quarter 11-of-11 and still somehow failed to emerge with a win, thanks to the Raptors’ equally admirable shot-making (8-of-11 during the same span). Wins and losses aside, it was a phenomenal offensive display by both teams. It was exquisite basketball, some of the best fans have been treated to in the playoffs. During the 11-of-11 start to the quarter, the Cavs found success using a lineup with Matthew Dellavedova, Channing Frye, LeBron James, Richard Jefferson, and either Iman Shumpert or Kyrie Irving. The James-Delly handoff-and-roll with Frye lurking with his sniper rifle in the corner is a masterful set the Cavs will rely on heavily through the rest of the playoffs (for however long that may be). Let us not forget how great Game 4 was, especially during the first stretch of the fourth quarter.
19-to-2 – This is what you came here for, right!? Griping about the officiating? The Cavaliers attempted a peasant’s fare of two free throws in the second half, while the Raptors attempted a gluttonous 19 freebies. The officiating in the series has not been awful, and it certainly hasn’t been uneven (the Cavs have attempted over six more free throws per game in the series, and went over half the game without a defensive personal foul).
But it was inevitable that the Raptors would play their “even the calls” card at the most inopportune time for the Cavaliers. It was destiny for it to happen in this series; and it happened in Game 4. With the Raptors trailing 92-89 with 6:04 remaining in the game, Lowry got an and-one after creating contact with Kyrie Irving, DeMar DeRozan flailed his way to two free throws (he wasn’t fouled), Carroll was gifted two free throws after James yanked him down in response to Carroll plowing into James like a fullback, Lowry received two free throws after Lowry clearly raked James’ arm to force a turnover, and Lowry earned the decisive basket when the Cavs received a no-call as Biyombo pulled Thompson’s arm like a drowning man reaching for a life preserver, preventing Thompson from helping a thoroughly fried J.R. Smith (see the clip above). Love also rolled his ankle on the foot of a ref on the court (I don’t remember which official).
The calls hurt the Cavs at the most inopportune time — but the Cavs can’t afford to put themselves behind by 18 points by playing sloppy and poorly designed defense. Time to fix the pick-and-roll defense (TRAP), make some lineup adjustments (Frye early and often), and rectify this series at home on Wednesday.
- Iman Shumpert didn’t impress on Monday night, either. [↩]
18 Comments
A halfway decent K Love would have turned this narrative on its head. But K love goes cold for several game stretches, so not sure what the Cavs can do here.
I know one of the WFNY guys can locate the Raptors Ortg when Kyrie is the primary defender. The reason TOR is scorching is because Kyrie and JR are being decimated 1-1 at the point of attack. JR is flat out of gas. Kyrie is back to his awful defense with too much cushion, too wide hips where he can’t stop a crossover and then has no ability to force the guard to help.
Until that gets fixed, TOR will be scoring a lot of points.
That non call on Lowry was atrocious. Ref was maybe 10 feet away with nothing else going on in that play worth paying any attention to. I’m not sure if Lowry hit closer to the ball or LeBron’s elbow.
Balancing out bad calls does not make good officiating. It makes it arbitrary.
Soooo, Toronto is coming off two 7-game series, and the Cavs are coming off two 4-game series.
Why is it we’re the ones out of gas?
Incredible hang and finish by James after he let Biyombo fly past. And Mo Williams does the Draymond celebration in the background.
I am not in love with this. Please fix it.
Totally agree on the P & R defense, Kyle. Almost like Lue was waiting for DeRozan’s shooting to regress to the mean. But he’s a streak shooter who can scorch for 2 or 3 games at a time. For all of last night’s issues, in front of a hostile crowd, the Cavs still win if the two Toronto guards don’t get off for 60+. In a 7 game series talent should win out unless trumped for 14 days by nerves and stupidity. My 2 cents:
– Love killed the Cavs last night. The first half offense was humming and he drove it into the ditch with non-stop bricks, but he killed the game with his passivity in other areas. No scrumming for loose balls and rebounds, zero defensive intensity, just the return of the Poor Eeyore look of an introvert who thinks the ball is his kryptonite. Snap out of it, Kev. It’s the conference finals, and no one has time or energy to hold your hand and buck you up.
– Love Biyombo, but c’mon, if this guy takes the Cavs to a game 7 down it’s on them. He’s a freaking cliche: the contract year one-dimensional guy who stumbles into a playoff run parallel universe where he’s so hot he can’t even hear you, it’s just the ball, the breathe of the guy he’s boxing out and the crowd roar. He’s Hedo in ’09, Delly in ’15. It’s really simple: if TT and Love let Biyombo get deep in their heads at this crucial moment they aren’t mentally tough enough to win a ring. Don’t worry that he isn’t scared of you, guys – just do YOUR thing.
Thursday is do or die. If they lose, hard to imagine the depth and scope of the fall out.
What happened to the offense when they put Love at the elbow and ran things through him?
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6c3d783f98515f89dc4e6b0dd064b2815541511b09085cd1b5f3e762286bbfbc.gif
Every other day now. Wed is the game. Agree though, lose tomorrow and we lose in 6
Love did not post up at all. No bank shots from the side. The team is back to the ‘watch me’ instead of being aggressive. Don’t get it.
Thanks, meant Wednesday.
Didn’t want you to miss it
Don’t lose tomorrow. That simple.
The way shots were clanging out had me wondering if their rim was metric or something…
Agree with the switch to Frye in the starting lineup. If TT is not rebounding nor defending and blocking shots, he has no reason to be on the floor as you mentioned. With Frye, it makes Bismack come out of the paint which allows our guys to attack the rim, or if he stays back, he can shoot the 3. Also, Shumpert and/or Jefferson should get more time in place of JR. No time for hand holding, Lue must put his best players out there as much as possible. Also, we got absolutely no stops down the stretch. We need to emphasize D over O at that time. Austin Carr has preached this for years and he is correct. If we just got a few at the end we win.,
I noticed that as well. And what’s shameful is Kyrie is getting burned on drives to the hoop in spite of that huge cushion he’s giving. His defense got better in the second half when the Cavs started getting some stops and made their run, but it needs to be there for the whole game. It was flat-out embarrassing watching Lowry burn him for walk-in layups.
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