When you're missing Moz, Kyrie, Shump, and Delly, there's only so much you can do. Blatt tried to minimize the damage by trying to get defense out there, but there just wasn't enough plus defenders available.
1. It's games like these in which everyone should realize how important Delly is to this team. Does Lowry get to the basket at will with Delly or Shump out there? In addition, how many open shots did we give up without many close outs? We are 20th in 3 point % defense. Last year we were 10th and top 3 after the trades. The reason for this drop has a lot to do with no Shump out there (more on that below), and Mo getting significant minutes. This is why I cannot see the sieve that is Mo get meaningful playoff rotation minutes. As of right now, of those players who have played 30 such possessions, he allows 1.43 PPP on spot up shots, second worst in the entire NBA next to Beal. This is of course in addition to allowing any and every player to drive by him for lay ups. Now look what Delly gives us:
When Delly is on court, opponents shoot 28.7% from three. When he's off court, they shoot 44% which is atrocious defense.
There's a reason why the Cavs are 23.7 points per 100 possession better with Delly on court.
In the modern NBA, you have to make threes and stop other teams from making them. That's what the Warriors do so well and that's what this team did so well last year. Look at our best overall lineup (also the best defensive lineup in the NBA last year) in terms of NET points last year (Delly/Shump/LBJ/TT/Moz).
In that lineup, we made 11 more threes per 100 possessions and took 16 more threes per 100 possessions than the opposition. LOOK AT THAT LINEUP. There are no knockdown shooters there YET we destroyed teams with the three and by defending the three as the Cavs' three point % was +26% compared to the opposition. When you can make open shots created by LBJ and shut down open looks for others, you dominate. In addition, there doesn't seem to be ANY spacing in that lineup, but as I mentioned before, TT's crazy offensive rebounding provides spacing since his defender must remain in contact or wind up giving up an OReb.
In our most successful lineup (Delly/Shump/JR/LBJ/TT) per NET Rating (+60 per 100 possessions), the Cavs made 14 more threes than the opponent and attempted 20 more per 100 possessions and shot 25% better than the opposition. It is very difficult to defeat a team with these numbers. To play a successful modern day defense, you must stop threes and Delly does that. He allowed 29.5% on threes last year (7th best out of 113 players who defended 2.8 3PFA per game--better than Rondo, Draymond, Middleton, Beverley, Shump, Matthews, MCW, Wall, Conley, Bledsoe, Ariza, etc., etc.).
The Shump/Delly pairing was extremely successful. In 466 minutes, they were +14.4 per 100 possessions. They made 7.8 more threes per 100 possessions than the opposition and they took 10.9 more threes per 100 than the opposition. Those are incredible numbers. Two players who most don't think of as shooters dominate on the perimeter by shutting down the three and making open looks. None of this is an accident or fluke. This is how you consistently win in today's game.
2. That Mo/Jefferson/JJ lineup is asking for it every time, but what can he put out there this short-handed? Jefferson has been a defensive sieve more so than usual lately. He was a -21 in 16 minutes today. But what to do with all the injuries?
3. I loved Blatt's adjustment at the half. He played Momwith LBJ and TT and JR to try and minimize his defensive shortcomings and had Cunningham come off the bench which worked in large part. The Cavs got the lead back, but every time James went to the bench, the Raptors scored at will. At the end of the first and beginning of the second, at the end of the third...those lapses cost the Cavs the game because there are only so many comebacks you can make.
Also, I loved how he took out Love and James a little early in the third knowing full well that the bench would hemmorage points and give up the lead but the starters would come back and get the lead which they did, but two missed KLove FTs were momentum killers.
4. I wish we had kept trying to free up KLove for threes inside of going inside to him where he wasn't having any luck with Bismack or others. At 5-6 threes, he had made 11 of 15.
5. Speaking of threes, we were 11-20 at one point and couldn't get a big lead which speaks volumes about out defense with JJ/Mo/Jeff. We finished 14-29 (48%) from three and yet only scored 99 points.
Only 22 times in NBA history has a team made 14 threes on 48% shooting and scored 99 points or fewer.
Only 82 times has a team made 14+ threes at a 48%+ clip and lost the game (out of 530 such games by teams)
but I think there were some questionable calls against us because some folks blame Blatt for not taking a tech.
