2023-24 Season | Game #72 | Hornets @ Cavs | March 25, 2023 | 7:00 p.m.

[CleveRocks]

• The NBA is a copycat league, and the Cavs are only going to see more pressure and more zone until they can beat it. Sure enough, the Hornets were periodically blitzing high pick-and-rolls and threw out some half court zone. After how well Miami’s pressure and zone worked, teams are going to use it until the Cavs prove they can beat it.
• And right now, I’m not so sure they can. Especially the high pressure, and especially with Garland. The way you beat that high pressure is quick passes out of it. It allows you to play 4 on 3 more efficiently, so long as your roll man can make the right decision. Too often Garland tries to beat the pressure with the dribble which only plays into the defense and mitigates the Cavs advantage. It also allows the back line defense more time to rotate over to cover for the high pressure. If you pass out of the pressure quick enough, you can catch the defense in a bad spot rotating.
• The Cavs are going to see plenty of this in the playoffs until they show they can beat it. Mobley and Allen are equally adept at being a roll-man playmaker. The question is can Garland get rid of it quick enough and can the Cavs shooters in the corners do enough damage to cause a change in defensive strategy. Thibs has historically dared those Cleveland role players to beat him, and Thibs has typically won.

RCF RECAP
View attachment 19456​

I felt like Garland did a better job of making quick decisions. He is able to dribble out of the high pressure, but instead of stepping back and recalculation he immediately attacked again, and often found an open man or that floater afterwards.. He had some nice zippy assists and fewer wild throw turnovers.. He still slow walks, especially when we have a big lead, which may be why CPJ got 14 minutes..

 

[PIP]

Mobley probably pissed his shorts watching Morris lay dude out

 

[guitarguy]

JA, Niang and Merrill won this game for us. If not for those guys getting a win would have been in doubt.

And Mobley...he pretty much single handily kept us in the game in the 3rd.

 

[guitarguy]

We were at the game, a couple times my daughter was like "did you see how hard Garland threw that?" he really did have some fast zippy passes that I'm not sure how well it translates on the TV.

Also, pretty fun to watch how fast Mobley makes reads, constantly a fascinating potential you wonder if he'll figure it all out. Defensively there were a couple times he was literally everywhere. When he gets aggressive I'm not sure there are many if any better?

Merrill needs a secondary play, he can get to 5/10 feet pretty easily but then has nothing in his bag (at least at an NBA level) but he could probably get about anything he wants from there.

LeVert missed some of those mid range shots, but thought they were good shots, I hope he takes more.

Allen can really electrify the team with those massive dunks.

 

[Prime 1978]

We were at the game, a couple times my daughter was like "did you see how hard Garland threw that?" he really did have some fast zippy passes that I'm not sure how well it translates on the TV.

Also, pretty fun to watch how fast Mobley makes reads, constantly a fascinating potential you wonder if he'll figure it all out. Defensively there were a couple times he was literally everywhere. When he gets aggressive I'm not sure there are many if any better?

Merrill needs a secondary play, he can get to 5/10 feet pretty easily but then has nothing in his bag (at least at an NBA level) but he could probably get about anything he wants from there.

LeVert missed some of those mid range shots, but thought they were good shots, I hope he takes more.

Allen can really electrify the team with those massive dunks.

I find myself yelling for Sam to pull up and shoot the midrange shot after he pumpfakes. He may have explicit instructions not to do so with analytics and all but it seems like that shot would be a layup for such a great shooter.

I wish Garland shot it more as well, when he takes it, it looks like a very easy shot for him, he like Merrill usually dribble out of it for some reason.

 

[Dr No]

• The NBA is a copycat league, and the Cavs are only going to see more pressure and more zone until they can beat it. Sure enough, the Hornets were periodically blitzing high pick-and-rolls and threw out some half court zone. After how well Miami’s pressure and zone worked, teams are going to use it until the Cavs prove they can beat it.
• And right now, I’m not so sure they can. Especially the high pressure, and especially with Garland. The way you beat that high pressure is quick passes out of it. It allows you to play 4 on 3 more efficiently, so long as your roll man can make the right decision. Too often Garland tries to beat the pressure with the dribble which only plays into the defense and mitigates the Cavs advantage. It also allows the back line defense more time to rotate over to cover for the high pressure. If you pass out of the pressure quick enough, you can catch the defense in a bad spot rotating.
• The Cavs are going to see plenty of this in the playoffs until they show they can beat it. Mobley and Allen are equally adept at being a roll-man playmaker. The question is can Garland get rid of it quick enough and can the Cavs shooters in the corners do enough damage to cause a change in defensive strategy. Thibs has historically dared those Cleveland role players to beat him, and Thibs has typically won.

RCF RECAP
View attachment 19456​

I think what you have identified here may be the single biggest thing to watch going forward. Garland has not been very good vs the high pressure traditionally, but last night was more encouraging. Maybe he’s figuring it out. When we are back at full strength (and only playing 1 of Allen & Mobley) we have the personnel to punish this defense. Put 4 shooters on the floor and a good decision maker in the middle and you can run them out of this defense. Obviously, you still have to make shots, but we are far better equipped for this now than last year. But the key is both DG & DM have to trust their teammates enough to make the first, right, pass. Even if we start slow from the 3, we have to stay with it and trust the shooters we have will eventually get hot. But over dribbling is death. All it does is take time off the shot clock and allow the defense to stay in position

 

[bushwick_bill]