Kyle Korver and Deron Williams were worried about the team’s play by the end of the season
Kyle Korver and Deron Williams were worried about the Cleveland Cavaliers by the end of the regular season.
It seems like it wasn’t just fans and media who were worried about the Cleveland Cavaliers when the regular season ended. According to Bleacher Report, Kyle Korver and Deron Williams were concerned about the way the team was playing heading into the playoffs.
It wasn’t the offense that worried them. After all, the Cavs have been an offensive juggernaut all season, averaging 110.3 points per game (4th in the NBA) and boasting an offensive rating of 113.6 points per 100 possessions (3rd in the NBA).
Like everybody else, they were worried about the defense. The Cavs were giving up 107.2 points per game in the playoffs (20th in the NBA). Their defensive rating was 110.3 points per 100 possessions (21st in the NBA).
That’s quite the juxtaposition.
Per Bleacher Report’s Yaron Weitzman, this is what Korver was thinking about the team during that time:
"“I was really concerned,” – Korver“Really, I think, it’s all on the defensive end, I think our offense, really all season was great; just defensively we weren’t very sharp, we weren’t where we needed to be,” – Korver"
Williams, who was recruited by Korver after being bought out from his contract with the Dallas Mavericks, shared his concern. Williams pointed out the inconsistent intensity as the main culprit.
"“We didn’t end the season well. It wasn’t looking good for us,” – Williams“I mean these guys have been playing into the playoffs deep into June for three years now. It’s easy to get bored in the regular season .. The intensity isn’t there game in and game out.” – WilliamsI was nervous because I haven’t been a part of a team like this. I was like, ‘I hope we can do it, I know we can lock in, I’ve seen it for games.’ But it just wasn’t consistent.” – Williams"
Korver offered up a similar sentiment about the Cavs’ inability to play defense at a high level on a consistent basis.
"“The coverages that this team is best at…they take a lot of energy, they take a lot of showing and blitzing and trapping, guys who play so long into the summer every year; it’s easy to lose focus on that, to play with that intensity.” – Korver"
Korver also went onto note that the Cavs are able to perform at that level now because there aren’t any back-to-backs. For one, they’ll be playing the same team for at least four games. They also get to rest and have more time to work on a specific and detailed gameplan.
For those really looking, it was always apparent when looking at the Cavs’ season splits that they played better with more time to rest.
On back-to-backs, the Cavs had a 7-11 record, meaning they only won 38.9 percent of their games on back-to-backs. The Sacramento Kings finished with a 32-50 record in 2016-2017, that would be 39.0 percent of their games. The fact that the Cavs’ winning percentage on back-to-backs is similar to the Kings’ winning percentage for the season is all the evidence you need to know the Cavs struggled without rest.
With one day of rest, the Cavs had a record of 30-15. With two days of rest the Cavs went 11-5.
With three or more days of rest, the Cavs were 2-0.
There’s not really a switch that the Cavs turned on, outside of LeBron James perhaps, who seems to be playing with a relentless energy that maybe only Russell Westbrook could keep up for 82 games.
(Editor’s note: Keep in mind that James is 32-years-old, while Westbrook is 28-years-old.)
The defensive switch is just one that they were able to keep on though. If the Cavs had to play their aggressive trapping defense in a format close to how the regular season is played, with multiple back-to-backs and less time to rest between the playoff series, the defense might not be what it is now.
Their defensive turnaround is a product of having so much time off, which allows them to come into games fully charged. Having a stable of veterans and athletes who aren’t injured and can execute well doesn’t hurt either.
With the shortened rotation, which has changed from series to series but always been a nine-man rotation to this point, players know their roles, who will be on the court with them and what everyone’s responsibilities are and that helps them execute.
Add in the fact that the Cleveland Cavaliers are improving their conditioning with the help of seven Versaclimbers and it’s, perhaps, easy to see why the Cavs look like they’ve been able to fly around the court every game of these playoffs.
One last note:
From March 14th to March 30th, the Cleveland Cavaliers went 4-5. It’s taken them twice as long to play nine games in the playoffs, which started on April 15th. The Cavs are 9-0.
It would seem like rest, rehabilitation and more time to work on their mental preparation has done wonders for the Cavs. Not to mention those darn Versaclimbers.
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What do you think of Kyle Korver and Deron Williams’ comments? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.
*All stats courtesy of www.basketball-reference.com