Following Wednesday morning’s shootaround at Cleveland Clinic Courts, LeBron James spoke to members of the media about the Cavs’ deficiencies on the low block. Like many other teams around the NBA, the Cavs have went to a “stretch” style of offense (for the most part), which is great for three-point shooting — if the shots are falling. However, going small can leave teams weak on the interior.
James, now 33 years of age and in his 15th season of NBA service, knows the Cavs rely heavily on the three-ball.
“I know everything that’s going on throughout the course of the game,” James said after Wednesday’s practice session. “I know if (the shots) are going, I know if they’re not going. But it’s such a huge part of our team. We don’t have many guys that can break down a defense and get to the lane and play in the paint.
“A lot of our offense is predicated on the three-point shot,” James continued. “We have a lot of guys who can shoot that three-point shot, and it creates a lot of space for our team. That’s what we’ve created over the last couple of years.
“Me — my job, personally — I never fall in love with the three-point shot — no matter if it’s going (in) or not,” James said in closing. “I’ve always kinda lived in the paint in my career, you know, putting pressure on the defense. That’s always been my mindset, whether it’s going in or not.”
James makes a solid point, as the Cavs are indeed a bit reliant on their three-point shooting. Cleveland will need to be better from beyond the arc if they plan on advancing. In Game 1 of their series against the Pacers, the Cavs went 8-34 from downtown as a team (23.5%). Game 2 was a better showing (11-28 from beyond the arc; 39.3%). In Game 3, Cleveland posted a 10-32 mark from deep (31.3%). And in Game 4, the Cavs went 12-of-34 from three-point land (35.3%).
Though the Cavs are a smaller team, they are still competing on the glass. In fact, Cleveland (157 TRB) is just seven rebounds behind Indiana (164) through the first four games of their series. And when it comes to blocks and steals, that race is close as well (CLE: 30 steals and 16 blocks; IND: 35 steals and 15 blocks).
Wednesday night’s Game 5 matchup is scheduled to tip inside Quicken Loans Arena at 7:00 p.m. EST with TNT, FOX Sports Ohio and FOX Sports Indiana having live broadcast coverage. With the series tied at two games apiece, both teams will be looking for a solid performance.
