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After a big home win over the 5-1 (now 6-2) Warriors the Cavs hit the road for a rematch against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder rallied for a late win over the Cavs in Cleveland in Game 2 by a 108-105 score in a game where the Cavs were missing Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland. The Cavs had a 10-point lead with 2:25 to go but defensive breakdowns led to four consecutive 3-pointers by the Thunder.
The Thunder are 4-3 (2-3 at home) with their wins coming against Detroit (2-6), Chicago (3-5), Cleveland (3-4), and Atlanta (4-3). Their losses were against Denver (7-1, by 33 points), New Orleans (4-3), and Golden State (6-2). So with the exception of the Atlanta game the Thunder have beaten the losing teams and lost to the winners. After seven games they appear to be a little above average.
The Warriors beat them in OKC 141-139. Two days later the Warriors scored 104 against the Cavs, which tells me that either the Cavs’ defense is really good or the Thunder defense is really bad.
The Thunder are an odd team offensively; they play slow, ranking 29th in field goals attempted per game, but they are 9th in points per game. The obvious conclusion is they are great shooters in the half court offense and in fact, they rank 4th in effective field goal percentage in non-garbage time. They’re like Golden State - they take their time, get into their half court offense, and make their shots. The Thunder are more balanced, however, with an almost equal percentage of their points coming on 2’s and 3’s, as opposed to the Warriors, who are unbalanced in favor of 3’s.
The Thunder are 14th in points in the paint and 21st in fast break points. They don’t pass as much as the W’s, ranking 24th in assists per possession. They’re more likely to let Shai Gilgeous Alexander (SGA) or Chet Holmgren go one-on-one.
The Thunder are 24th in 3-point attempts per game but 8th in 3-point percentage. They take fewer 3’s than average but knock them down. The one area where the Thunder are deficient is offensive rebounding, where they rank last. It seems their philosophy is to drop back and prevent easy transition points rather than go for the offensive rebound and give the opponent numbers in transition.
SGA is their 1st Team All-NBA star, averaging 24.8 points on 46.6% from the field. He’s still not a 3-point threat (26.3%) so the key is to stay in front of him. SGA excels at the short mid-range shot (79th percentile). He chips in 6.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, so he does it all.
I’ve often thought Caris LeVert could be another SGA if only he could hit that short mid-range jumper in the paint. He has the quickness and handles to get into the paint anytime he wants and the length and jumping ability to get the shot off unblocked every time from 8-12 feet. Caris just can’t make that shot while SGA (and DeMar DeRozan) can.
Rookie center Chet Holmgren is off to a great start at 17.2 points and 7.3 rebounds in 30 minutes per game. He’s shooting an amazing 62.5% overall and an even more astonishing 56.5% on 3’s. Considering he’s 7’1” (and 195 pounds!) he’s more like a guard in a center’s body. He nailed a 3-pointer with a hand in his face to tie the game in Cleveland with a minute to go, so he’s not afraid to take the big shot. He also blocked seven shots against the Cavs. This time I think they won’t underestimate his length and agility in the paint.
SF Jalen Williams is averaging 16.3 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. He’s like a mini SGA in that he’s shooting 49.3% overall but only 29.4% on 3’s while providing solid rebound and assist numbers.
Luguentz Dort, their physical 6’4”, 22o pound shooting guard, is averaging 14.7 points on 55.6% overall and 53.5% on 3’s. Dort, in his fourth season, came into this year with a 33.2% shooting percentage on 3’s, so what he’s doing at 53.5% I have no idea. Maybe Isaac Okoro should ask him about his training methods. His field goal percentage was just over 39% coming in but is over 55% now. I’ suspect opponents are leaving Dort alone to double Holmgren or SGA (like they do with Okoro) and he’s now getting wide open shots.
Dort killed the Cavs in Cleveland, going 9-for-13 for 25 points, including 3-for-4 from deep. With Jarrett Allen playing this time the Cavs should let Allen take Holmgren and make sure somebody is checking Dort. The Cavs left Dort alone in Cleveland and he made them regret it.
Dort was undrafted in 2019 (after declaring for the draft after just one year in college) and signed with the Thunder as a 2-way player. He ended up guarding James Harden in the playoffs as a rookie. In 2022 he signed a 5-year, $87.5 million contract. Too bad we didn’t sign him; we may not have drafted Okoro the following year.
Josh Giddy, the 6th overall pick three years ago, is off to a slow start, shooting 41.7% and 26.7% on 3’s.
I think the Cavs should match up well against them with Allen and Mobley defending the paint. The 3-point shooters to be aware of are Holmgren and Dort, both over 50%, and SG Isaiah Joe, who is hitting 40.5% off the bench. The Thunder average 117 ppg and the Cavs held them to 108 with Allen out. They need a better plan against SGA who burned them for 34 points and 11 rebounds while also getting five steals.
Defensively the Thunder are below average, ranking 24th in points per game. They’re not that bad defending shots, ranking 17th in opponents’ effective FG percentage, but they don’t force turnovers (27th) and they allow tons of second chance shots (29th in opponents’ offensive rebound percentage). As a result they allow more shots per game than anybody.
They are generally tall and skinny (Holmgren, Giddy). Even their bench fits the description (Dieng, 6’9”, 185; Pokusevski, 7’0”, 210). The Cavs should dominate the glass. In the first game the Thunder had just six offensive rebounds despite Allen being out.
Donovan Mitchell scored 43 on them in Cleveland and added five assists. If not for Strus and Niang going 2-for-16 on 3’s the Cavs would have won easily even with Garland and Allen out. Obviously the Thunder will be tougher at home, but the Cavs have had two days off and should be ready to go.
The Cavs also allowed two uncontested layups on out-of-bounds plays when they got caught sleeping on back picks. They gave away four points in a three-point loss. Hopefully they will be ready for those plays this time.
In the first game the Cavs got almost no help from their bench as Jerome, Niang, and Jones combined for 5 points in 40 minutes. In addition, starters Wade and Strus combined for 8 points in 65 minutes. With Garland and Allen back the bench will be deeper this time. Also, the Cavs will be more aware of Holmgren’s shot blocking and they won’t leave Dort unguarded on the perimeter this time around (I trust).
The Thunder are 4-3 (2-3 at home) with their wins coming against Detroit (2-6), Chicago (3-5), Cleveland (3-4), and Atlanta (4-3). Their losses were against Denver (7-1, by 33 points), New Orleans (4-3), and Golden State (6-2). So with the exception of the Atlanta game the Thunder have beaten the losing teams and lost to the winners. After seven games they appear to be a little above average.
The Warriors beat them in OKC 141-139. Two days later the Warriors scored 104 against the Cavs, which tells me that either the Cavs’ defense is really good or the Thunder defense is really bad.
The Thunder are an odd team offensively; they play slow, ranking 29th in field goals attempted per game, but they are 9th in points per game. The obvious conclusion is they are great shooters in the half court offense and in fact, they rank 4th in effective field goal percentage in non-garbage time. They’re like Golden State - they take their time, get into their half court offense, and make their shots. The Thunder are more balanced, however, with an almost equal percentage of their points coming on 2’s and 3’s, as opposed to the Warriors, who are unbalanced in favor of 3’s.
The Thunder are 14th in points in the paint and 21st in fast break points. They don’t pass as much as the W’s, ranking 24th in assists per possession. They’re more likely to let Shai Gilgeous Alexander (SGA) or Chet Holmgren go one-on-one.
The Thunder are 24th in 3-point attempts per game but 8th in 3-point percentage. They take fewer 3’s than average but knock them down. The one area where the Thunder are deficient is offensive rebounding, where they rank last. It seems their philosophy is to drop back and prevent easy transition points rather than go for the offensive rebound and give the opponent numbers in transition.
SGA is their 1st Team All-NBA star, averaging 24.8 points on 46.6% from the field. He’s still not a 3-point threat (26.3%) so the key is to stay in front of him. SGA excels at the short mid-range shot (79th percentile). He chips in 6.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, so he does it all.
I’ve often thought Caris LeVert could be another SGA if only he could hit that short mid-range jumper in the paint. He has the quickness and handles to get into the paint anytime he wants and the length and jumping ability to get the shot off unblocked every time from 8-12 feet. Caris just can’t make that shot while SGA (and DeMar DeRozan) can.
Rookie center Chet Holmgren is off to a great start at 17.2 points and 7.3 rebounds in 30 minutes per game. He’s shooting an amazing 62.5% overall and an even more astonishing 56.5% on 3’s. Considering he’s 7’1” (and 195 pounds!) he’s more like a guard in a center’s body. He nailed a 3-pointer with a hand in his face to tie the game in Cleveland with a minute to go, so he’s not afraid to take the big shot. He also blocked seven shots against the Cavs. This time I think they won’t underestimate his length and agility in the paint.
SF Jalen Williams is averaging 16.3 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. He’s like a mini SGA in that he’s shooting 49.3% overall but only 29.4% on 3’s while providing solid rebound and assist numbers.
Luguentz Dort, their physical 6’4”, 22o pound shooting guard, is averaging 14.7 points on 55.6% overall and 53.5% on 3’s. Dort, in his fourth season, came into this year with a 33.2% shooting percentage on 3’s, so what he’s doing at 53.5% I have no idea. Maybe Isaac Okoro should ask him about his training methods. His field goal percentage was just over 39% coming in but is over 55% now. I’ suspect opponents are leaving Dort alone to double Holmgren or SGA (like they do with Okoro) and he’s now getting wide open shots.
Dort killed the Cavs in Cleveland, going 9-for-13 for 25 points, including 3-for-4 from deep. With Jarrett Allen playing this time the Cavs should let Allen take Holmgren and make sure somebody is checking Dort. The Cavs left Dort alone in Cleveland and he made them regret it.
Dort was undrafted in 2019 (after declaring for the draft after just one year in college) and signed with the Thunder as a 2-way player. He ended up guarding James Harden in the playoffs as a rookie. In 2022 he signed a 5-year, $87.5 million contract. Too bad we didn’t sign him; we may not have drafted Okoro the following year.
Josh Giddy, the 6th overall pick three years ago, is off to a slow start, shooting 41.7% and 26.7% on 3’s.
I think the Cavs should match up well against them with Allen and Mobley defending the paint. The 3-point shooters to be aware of are Holmgren and Dort, both over 50%, and SG Isaiah Joe, who is hitting 40.5% off the bench. The Thunder average 117 ppg and the Cavs held them to 108 with Allen out. They need a better plan against SGA who burned them for 34 points and 11 rebounds while also getting five steals.
Defensively the Thunder are below average, ranking 24th in points per game. They’re not that bad defending shots, ranking 17th in opponents’ effective FG percentage, but they don’t force turnovers (27th) and they allow tons of second chance shots (29th in opponents’ offensive rebound percentage). As a result they allow more shots per game than anybody.
They are generally tall and skinny (Holmgren, Giddy). Even their bench fits the description (Dieng, 6’9”, 185; Pokusevski, 7’0”, 210). The Cavs should dominate the glass. In the first game the Thunder had just six offensive rebounds despite Allen being out.
Donovan Mitchell scored 43 on them in Cleveland and added five assists. If not for Strus and Niang going 2-for-16 on 3’s the Cavs would have won easily even with Garland and Allen out. Obviously the Thunder will be tougher at home, but the Cavs have had two days off and should be ready to go.
The Cavs also allowed two uncontested layups on out-of-bounds plays when they got caught sleeping on back picks. They gave away four points in a three-point loss. Hopefully they will be ready for those plays this time.
In the first game the Cavs got almost no help from their bench as Jerome, Niang, and Jones combined for 5 points in 40 minutes. In addition, starters Wade and Strus combined for 8 points in 65 minutes. With Garland and Allen back the bench will be deeper this time. Also, the Cavs will be more aware of Holmgren’s shot blocking and they won’t leave Dort unguarded on the perimeter this time around (I trust).
