Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Game 3: What We Learned

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May 21, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) defends Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the first half in game three of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

1. The Cavaliers’ offense isn’t perfect.

The Cavs are an offensive juggernaut. They still have a league best offensive rating in the playoffs of 119.4. They also lead the league in effective field goal percentage (58.5%), true shooting percentage (62.3%), 3 pointers made per game (14.6), and three point percentage (43.0%).

The Cavs’ offense is still the best remaining in the playoffs, but they are still flawed. Game 3 showed us that.

Cleveland Cavaliers /

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland dominated the paint in Games 1 and 2 scoring an average of 46 points per game in the paint. However, the Cavs settled for just 24 points in the paint in Game 3. They also weren’t able to score in transition like they were in the first two games of the series. They were held to just 2 fast break points in Game 3 after averaging 16 per game in the first two contests.

The Cavs relied very heavily on the 3 point shot in Game 3. 39 of their 70 shots came from behind the arc. They shot a decent percentage and were particularly hot in the beginning of the game. The hot 3 point shooting of Love and Irving were the reason they were able to build a 21 point lead.

Relying on the three ball does have it’s downsides. It is a shot that has a high degree of variance. Just because it is working in the beginning of the game doesn’t mean that it will be sustainable for the entire game.

Going back to the stats I mentioned earlier, the Cavs weren’t able to score effectively in the paint or in transition in Game 3. That came back to bite them in the fourth quarter when the three pointer wasn’t falling like they did earlier.

Part of those numbers have to do with James having a poor game. His inability to score in the paint or capitalize in transition are reflected in the Cavs’ overall numbers. However, the point still remains that the Cavs are a much different team when they aren’t attacking in transition or getting to the rim.

The Cavs’ aren’t immune from rough stretches even though they are the best offense in the league. Game 3 was a reminder of just how important it is to have a well balanced offense. An offense that is one dimensional like the Cavs was on Sunday night is much easier to stop.