2023-24 Playoff Series #2 | Game #2 | Cavs @ Celtics | May 9, 2024

[Popper]

Bickerstaff over switched in the first game as he always does. It's the main reason for the White outburst and giving up easy layups. He'll adjust eventually into more base man.

it just doesn't feel like the Cavs year. Allen is down, Garland never has recovered his shooting and Bickerstaff's offensive system is drab. Sucks for Mitchell, but those are the breaks. Next year is a new year. With the parity of the NBA today, things can change fast.

 

[Pierre Pan]

Thanks for transcribing this. I hope I'm not reading into Fedor's tone too much here since he is the Cavs mouthpiece in a sense. But I get the feeling based on how he is talking about JBB, he expects JBB to be back for 2024-25 which ...just no

You’re welcome and I think that he feels there’s an ambivalence about the future of JBB. I felt that Fedor kind of stepped out and actually provided a bunch of inside information for one of the first times all season.

 

[foucault87]

Y

I agree with you to a point...but it also speaks to a weakness in these players games. Even if we had an offensive system that resulted in better shots, there will still inevitably be times where a shooter gets the ball in less than ideal circumstances. Good defenses will force this. Open is open, and when you're wide open you need to convert.

The very best shooters in the league are so good because they can routinely hit open 3s that are not in rhythm or off balance or with 2 seconds on the shot clock. These are all things you can rep and practice in non-game settings.

If all of our 3pt shooters need perfect circumstances in order to make shots, they shouldn't be the kind of shooting specialists Koby targeted. Guys like Sam Merrill are so one-dimensional as it is, if he is going to stay in the league he needs to develop these little wrinkles and learn tricks the best shooters use to make off-rhythm shots at a higher clip.

Yeah this is a good point. To me, the issue is our offense doesn't really generate ideal looks without defensive pressure and has no counter moves. You can tactically do things in response to a good defense, but not with this coach.

I agree tho that I don't think our shooters are really in that top tier. Strus or DM are the most versatile but one is our primary creator and the other is streaky. Niang just kinda launches everything but we have seen how well that works.

Some is scheme, some is the shooters, but ultimately this team doesn't produce good enough looks and that's the critical issue even under ideal conditions

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

From Jason Lloyd on Merrill being much more effective with Mitchell than with Garland. He starts by saying the Cavs will need to hit a lot of 3's to compete with Boston:

The Cavs need Merrill, but it’s not that simple. The Cavs need Merrill on the floor alongside Mitchell.

Certain players command so much attention and gravitational pull on a court that it makes things easier for those around them. That’s exactly what Mitchell does for Merrill. The numbers prove it.

The Cavs had a net rating of 9.4 when Merrill and Mitchell shared the floor during the regular season. When Merrill was paired with Darius Garland, that net rating fell to minus-2.3. (Those statistics included 17 minutes in which the trio played together.) That’s nearly a 12-point swing per 100 possessions. Those trends have remained steady in the small sample size of the playoffs, with the Cavs’ offense, in particular, benefiting from the Mitchell-Merill pairing compared to the Mitchell-Garland pairing...

The Cavs are reticent to play Merrill, Mitchell and Garland together because it leaves the Cavs too small and vulnerable defensively. With J.B. Bickerstaff trying to play Garland and Mitchell together more during the postseason, it has crimped Merrill’s availability...

It leaves Bickerstaff and the Cavs in the difficult position of seeking ways to get Merrill more involved. His two 3-pointers in the second quarter of Game 7 against Orlando very well may have saved their season...

In fairness, Merrill went 0-for-4 from 3 in Game 1 at Boston, and all of those shots came while playing alongside Mitchell. The Merrill-Mitchell pairing lasted six minutes, with a neutral plus-minus. Merrill played nine minutes alongside Garland in Game 1 and generated a minus-15. They shot 1 of 11 together.

We could see more Mitchell/Merrill and Garland/LeVert. Have LeVert do his herky-jerky penetration thing and kick it out to Garland for open 3's. I want Mitchell and LeVert taking it to the rim while Merrill and Garland shoot 3's.

 

[Peacedog]

The story of the post season so far for the Cavs has been the COMPLETE COLLAPSE of their 3 point shooting stroke. They made 36.7% of their three pointers in the regular season, but have failed to reach that sum in EVERY SINGLE PLAYOFF GAME. And I ain't buying the "strong defense" jive. They've had TONS of open looks bricked.

They've left 63 points on the table during the 8 playoff games because of this. So, about 8 points per game per game, which is A LOT.

This shit's gotta stop, starting TONIGHT.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

But when I saw him push, the elevator button with the shoe in his hand so that he could use the size 16 to extend the reach. Yeah, that was pretty telling to me.

If it hurts him to push an elevator button then he's weeks from playing contact basketball. That asshole Franz Wagner ended his season with a deliberate elbow to the ribs.

And I do believe that JB Bickerstaff deserves credit for getting the Cavs out of the darkest stages of this rebuild

True, but the best coach to rebuild the culture and develop young talent might not be the best coach to run the anchor lap.

And I do think that JB deserves a little bit of blame for that (the offense not being dynamic enough)

Maybe they should bring in an offensive coordinator like they have in football and let JB focus on defense, culture, and player motivation.

But if you look back at the numbers from game one, the Cavs got 42 threes, guys, 42 of them. 38 of those were classified by NBA .com tracking data as open or wide open.

That’s good offense. Those are good shots...There was space out there for Donovan Mitchell. There was space out there for Darius Garland. There were clean looks for all of those guys. You cannot shoot 26 to 28 % on open or wide open threes. Like that can’t happen. Max Strus gotta be better. Darius Garland gotta be better. Sam Merrill gotta be better. All these guys at some point, like these guys have to play to the level that they are capable of; before we really dig into the minutia of the X’s and O’s of JBB, the tactics of Bickerstaff, the in -game adjustments of JB, and his coaching overall. And they’re getting nothing from George Niang. Nothing.

Caris LeVert has given them one game, one game to this point out of eight, I think, where he actually played to the level that you feel like he’s an asset to the team. Darius Garland has been hit and miss. This is supposed to be the second most important player on this roster, or the second most important player to their offensive success on this roster, I should say.

And he hasn’t been good enough. And Max Strus, like, are you kidding me? This is a $63 million man who’s going two of eight from the field and one of five from three point range. So at some point it’s just on these dudes to make some shots. And you would think, you would think eventually variance swings in their favor. But every time you sit there and you say a shooting variance, shooting variance.
It’s been eight games of not being able to make open shots. Like, what is going on here?

Yes, "at some point it's just on these dudes to make some shots". If the offense has generated 38 open or wide open 3's in one game, how is that a problem with the coach? Do we need 60 wide open 3's or Bickerstaff is fired?

Nothing from Niang. One good game out of eight from LeVert. Garland hit and miss. Strus an occasional make. I agree, "What is going on here?"

If you’re not ready to give him a max contract extension and you’re not ready to fully commit to the Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley thing, then that and Darius is a pathway to rejigger the roster and maybe bring in a different running mate for Donovan Mitchell that you think would be a better fit. Again.

I’m not saying it’s going to happen. I’m not saying that that’s definitely the way that the Cavs are going to look at it this off season. I’m not saying that they’re definitely going to explore those options, but those are things that members of front offices across the NBA are going to think about on a daily basis. How can we improve? How can we take the next step? Maybe it’s organically. Maybe it’s a new coach. Maybe it’s changing up the roster dynamics.

Maybe it’s breaking up Darius and Donovan Mitchell. So many things, the Cavs owe it to themselves. The front office owes it to themselves to explore many different avenues within reason to improve this team. If they see in this particular series, it’s only game one in the series against Boston, but if they see in this particular series, Hey, we’re not on the same level with Boston.

It may very well be time to "rejigger" the roster by breaking up Darius and Donovan. It's tough because Darius had the broken jaw this year right when he was starting to play like himself after missing time with the hammy. He's a better player than we're seeing now.

What’s our path to trying to get on the same level with Boston? Because as of right now, guys, it looks like the Cavs are the fourth best team in the Eastern Conference. And they’re playing like the fourth -ish best team in the Eastern Conference. Like, are they going to be satisfied with that? Are they going to be cool with that? Or are they going to look at possibilities of taking another step next year?

They're playing Boston with no Jarrett Allen, no Dean Wade, a checked out Niang, and with LeVert and Strus barely functioning, while Garland is in and out. Okoro is Okoro and Mobley is limited by the lack of any kind of shooting touch in the 3-8 foot range. Mitchell has lost his 3-point shot.

JB has them battling. They all say they'll be better tonight. I think if they can at least be competitive and have a chance to win in the fourth quarters in Cleveland JB will be safe. The offense is dynamic enough to create tons of open 3's. The problem is that these guys are not good 3-point shooters; the Cavs finished 19th in the regular season. Now they're playing elite defenses with more pressure on each shot.

The Cavs know they have to play almost perfect basketball to beat the Celtics. I wonder if that pressure to make open shots is affecting them.

 

[daytripper]

Agreed @Wham but I'm feeling they could play a near perfect game and still not beat any of these remaining teams on the road. They couldn't even beat a very young Orlando team on the road. Unfortunately they have a flawed roster and a coach lacking the chops to make the adjustments necessary to win these type games.

My expectations are low. I think they can potentially sneak a win (or two?) at home if the roleplayers step up which is typically much easier at home. The mountain gets incredibly high if you expect them to win a game at TD Garden with this current roster and coaching staff.

 

[Pierre Pan]

How long is Jarrett Allen out? Rib injury timeline, return date, latest updates on Cavaliers center — Sporting News

Thu, 09 May 2024 Follow The Sporting News Jarrett Allen was a key reason for the Cavaliers securing the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, but Cleveland has recently been forced to navigate throughout the playoffs without its center. In the team's first-round series over the Magic, Allen...

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Latest and most informative news on JA:

Jarrett Allen was a key reason for the Cavaliers securing the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, but Cleveland has recently been forced to navigate throughout the playoffs without its center.

In the team's first-round series over the Magic, Allen suffered a rib injury that puts his availability for the rest of the postseason in question.

The Cavs are in a second-round battle with the Celtics, who boasted the best record in the NBA this season. After getting past the Magic in the first round, Donovan Mitchell and Co. are going against a powerhouse team with the hopes of reaching the Eastern Conference Final.

Without Allen, the Cavs are relying more on Evan Mobley and Tristan Thompson.

Here's what you need to know about Allen's injury and his status for the 2024 NBA Playoffs

What is Jarrett Allen's injury?

Allen is currently dealing with a right rib contusion.

The Cavaliers center reportedly took an elbow to the rib in Game 1 of the team's first-round series against the Magic, according to Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor. It was considered "minor" at first and he was able to play through it, but that changed later in the series.

Allen aggravated the injury in Game 4 against the Magic. It appears as though he took an elbow from Orlando forward Franz Wagner, worsening the ailment.


Allen played 29 minutes in the losing effort, but he has not returned to the court since.

How long is Jarrett Allen out?

It remains unclear when Allen will return to action. He missed the final three games of the first-round series against the Magic, including the winner-take-all Game 7. He was absent from Game 1 against the Celtics as well.

The latest update from The Athletic's Shams Charania was not a positive one. Charania reported on May 8 that Allen continues to deal with major discomfort in the midsection.

"He hasn't been feeling comfortable at all with that rib contusion and that's an injury where anything you do on the basketball court. ... You feel it all the time," Charania said. "The words I keep hearing are really uncomfortable “

“There hasn’t beven much optimism that he was going to play in Game 1. We’ll see in games to come if there’s optimism.”

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

I really wanted to see a best-of-seven series between the Cavs and Celtics with all the Cavaliers' key players healthy. That series would have been invaluable for the front office to assess the current roster and determine if this setup of two bigs and two point guards can work or if fundamental changes need to be made.

With Allen and Wade out I don't know if there will be a clear answer. Allen is incredibly important and the Cavs are not the same team without him.

Since trading for Allen three seasons ago, the Cavs are 111-73 (60% win percentage) with him in the lineup and 26-45 (37%) without him. That is essentially the difference between a 50-win team and a 31-win team.- Jimmy Watkins, 1/5/24

The Cavaliers are so much better with Allen on the floor that it's hard to assess where they stand when he's not playing.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Here are the on/off differentials for the Cavs after eight playoff games (garbage time excluded):

Mitchell +18.3 points per 100 possessions
Strus +13.2
Mobley +8.0
Allen +7.7
Okoro +4.7
LeVert -5.4
Garland -14.1

Morris, Niang, TT, and Merrill are all in the negative in limited minutes. Morris -3.3, Niang -8.3, Thompson -16.2, Merrill -17.2.

Mobley was a -2.6 during the regular season so seeing him at +8.0 is a significant step up. Okoro was -1.9 so he has moved up dramatically. The bench, however, has been awful and Garland's performance has cratered from +0.9 to -14.1. Nobody has performed worse compared to his regular season than Darius.

To be fair, Orlando and Boston have some big, physical, defensive oriented guards like Suggs, Fultz, and Holiday that have been pressuring him relentlessly. Darius has to start consistently making his floaters, pull-up jumpers from the elbows, and open 3's while still penetrating and dishing to bigs in position to score or open shooters on the perimeter.

 

[Don-no-vann!]

Yahoo is saying Allen is a "game-time decision" as to whether he is playing tonight.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Mobley had two very long stretches of the regular season where injuries kept him off the court. He put the work in last off-season, he even worked on his three point range while rehabbing the first injury. The work ethic is there, he just didn't get the repetitions during the season to use his full bag now. Of all the players to have their regular season trashed, Garland and Mobley could afford it the least.

 

[bushwick_bill]

This is what I kind of assumed...

 

[Popper]

Here are the on/off differentials for the Cavs after eight playoff games (garbage time excluded):

Mitchell +18.3 points per 100 possessions
Strus +13.2
Mobley +8.0
Allen +7.7
Okoro +4.7
LeVert -5.4
Garland -14.1

Morris, Niang, TT, and Merrill are all in the negative in limited minutes. Morris -3.3, Niang -8.3, Thompson -16.2, Merrill -17.2.

Mobley was a -2.6 during the regular season so seeing him at +8.0 is a significant step up. Okoro was -1.9 so he has moved up dramatically. The bench, however, has been awful and Garland's performance has cratered from +0.9 to -14.1. Nobody has performed worse compared to his regular season than Darius.

To be fair, Orlando and Boston have some big, physical, defensive oriented guards like Suggs, Fultz, and Holiday that have been pressuring him relentlessly. Darius has to start consistently making his floaters, pull-up jumpers from the elbows, and open 3's while still penetrating and dishing to bigs in position to score or open shooters on the perimeter.

Stop using differentials would be a good start. Most of Garland's come from the 2 blowout losses in Orlando. Most of Mitchell's positives the last 2 games.

 

[Futuredome]

Stop using differentials would be a good start. Most of Garland's come from the 2 blowout losses in Orlando. Most of Mitchell's positives the last 2 games.

I agree. Any stat that would put Max Strus up that much is flawed. BPM nor ws/48 support it. Strus is quite negative. Garland flat.