Postgame Pindowns: Cavs’ lack of continuity and physicality cost them game against Knicks

Another season, another slow start for the Cleveland Cavaliers and another series of losses that mean nothing but make nobody feel good. Now, after two straight losses to teams they expect to defeat (Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans), the Cavs continue to embrace in search of chemistry. Perhaps they’ll find some against the weakest team in the Eastern Conference tonight. Here are some pindowns for the Cavs vs Knicks matchup, thoughts for your thoughts.

1. The presence of a point guard was obvious immediately. Derrick Rose’s return to the starting lineup enabled LeBron James to pick and choose his moments to push as opposed to pushing the pace every possession.
2. Rose had a slow shooting start, but the rotation of ball handlers that starts with James, continues with Rose and finishes with Dwyane Wade in the first quarter looks to give the Cavs consistency in the pace of the offense despite mediocre shooting.
3. New York introduced several small lineups throughout the first half, many of which involved three guards on the court at once. The Cavs took advantage of the team’s lack of size and chemistry with a LeBron classic: setting a number of off ball screens off of James, who posts up guards and finds open shooters on the weak side. Kevin Love was the biggest beneficiary of this as he led the Cavs in scoring in the first quarter with eight points.
4. A lot of the points Cleveland surrenders are the result of poor positioning. With seven new players, the Cavaliers clearly aren’t familiarized with the timing of everyone. Many times, players don’t know who is going to shoot or when they’re are, leaving them in disadvantaged positions when a defense pushes the pace after rebounds. As the season goes, games will become more physical and the Cavaliers will learn each other’s timing to better position themselves on defense. This, plus a unicorn named Kristaps Porzingis who hits threes in transition, put the Cavs down by 10 after the first quarter.
5. What is legitimately concerning about the Cavaliers is their defensive awareness. While they didn’t matchup well without a point guard, they also are showing lapses in focus in anticipating passing lanes, i.e. when a shooter spaces and creates a vacuum, the Cavs tend to fall asleep while a cutter fills that space. What seems to regain Cleveland’s focus is physicality; two blocks in the second quarter allowed the Cavaliers to recover and tie the game at one point in the second quarter. Still, five forced turnovers in a half is underwhelming for a team with championship aspirations.
6. The Cavaliers went from not putting the Knicks on the line once in the first quarter, to giving up eight free throws in the second to finding themselves in the bonus halfway through the third. This is a good thing! This is representative of the increasing physicality of the Cavs through the game. However, being in foul trouble should clean up defensive mistakes, but the Cavaliers continued to send the Knicks to the line in the third. The deficit grew to 17 heading into the fourth quarter.
7. Having shooters and space isn’t always the answer for the Cavaliers. Sometimes finding spots and point of attack just come naturally in the flow of a game, as the Cavs tend to force things. Their fourth quarter rally began with set plays to give the Cavs some continuity in order to find a flow and create organically. Korver hit back to back triples to breathe some life into the Cavs, and after consecutive stops, the Cavs went on a run to shrink the 17-point difference to six points in under four minutes.
8. Can’t help but think that better individual defense along the perimeter could stop a lot of open looks for the Cavs’ opponents. Surprised Iman Shumpert’s minutes were particularly low today; not surprised also considering it’s Rose’s return.
9. After coming within six of the Knicks, Cleveland’s offense unravelled as the Cavs took uncomfortable shots in unfamiliar situations. There was a lack of trust once shots didn’t fall, and some careless turnovers. There is a clear lack of execution as the lack of continuity isn’t helping with the urgency.

The Cavaliers will continue to search for answers this week in practice. More pindowns coming your way on Wednesday as the Cavaliers host the Indiana Pacers.