From The Athletic:
The Cavs are turning the ball over too much and shooting just 29 percent from 3-point range. Orlando has successfully goaded them into joining the rock-throwing contest.
The Magic have the right to adjust and play better in these next two games in Orlando, but there has been no convincing evidence to suggest they will come all the way back in this series. Since 1984, teams that go up 2-0 win 91.2 percent of the time, and the deficiencies the Magic have shown in the backcourt and on the 3-point line do nothing to make anyone think this series will end as an outlier.
Yeah, it's not like the Magic were a very good offensive team during the season and they are mysteriously missing a lot of shots. They had a losing record against the teams ranked in the top six defensively.
I expect they will shoot better at home. In the regular season they shot 55% at home and 52% away in terms of eFG. They should cut back on the 3-point shots and take more mid-range shots. Banchero has been deadly on those jumpers from the foul line and the elbows.
“I think there’s a level that we can continue to improve,” Mitchell said. “I think the fourth quarter, the last seven minutes or so, like, that can’t happen. You know what I mean? Like, we’re fortunate we got the win. We did a lot of good things. But the challenge is we got to fix that. You know what I mean? It starts with me.”
I'm seeing people say that the Cavs are "dominating" and they are "in command". I'm not buying it. Yes, they are turning it over too often and they are shooting well under 30% on 3's. Their interior defense and bad 3-point shooting by Orlando is the only thing saving them right now.
Too many turnovers and missed 3's will get you beat, even against these guys. Mitchell is right - they have things they need to fix.
