The Cavs have finally found a starting lineup that works

The Cleveland Cavaliers finally managed to beat another team out the gates, as their starting lineup was finally able to find a flow on the offensive end.

In Friday night’s victory over the Washington Wizards, the Cleveland Cavaliers started Derrick Rose, J.R. Smith, LeBron James, Jae Crowder and Kevin Love, their sixth starting lineup of the season.

After losing five out of their last six games, including their last four, the reigning Eastern Conference champions looked like a sight for a sore eyes. One of the primary factors in the team’s lackluster performances has been their inability to get to a fast start.

The Cavs had yet to score 30 points in the opening quarter before Friday’s performance and only scored more than 25 points in a quarter on three occasions. Meanwhile, the Cavs allowed opposing teams to top the 30-point plateau on four separate occasions and hadn’t held a team below 25 first quarter points since the season opener.

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Wow. Right?

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ offensive slump was the result of a myriad of factors coming into play within a short span: a lack of spacing before Dwyane Wade’s move to bench and after Tristan Thompson’s promotion to the starting lineup; having no player to push the pace in Rose’s absence; a lack of chemistry with so many new faces in the rotation and constant role-switching; and an inability to hit open shots players would normally make.

With their offensive slump coinciding with lazy defense, the Cavs were unable to leave the first quarter with a lead. They’d end up playing catch-up for the rest of the game and, sometimes, never catch up thanks to three-point barrages from the opponent and a three-point attack in Cleveland that’s not nearly as potent as it was last season.

(The Cavs are 19th in three-point percentage (34.2) this season after being 2nd in three-point percentage (38.4) last season.)

Then everything changed against the Washington Wizards on Friday night. Well, nearly everything. The Cleveland Cavaliers gave up 36 points to Washington in the first quarter, continuing a trend of poor first quarter defense (although James did start the game with a steal). However, Cleveland scored 42 points in the first quarter and the duo of Rose and James was unstoppable.

Unstoppable because they were attacking. Attacking because they had room to do it. So much room, Rose could even pull up for off-the-dribble jumpers in the middle of the lane.

James, who became the youngest player in the NBA history to score 29,000 points last night, did so in the first quarter on an assist from Rose. The way James scored that historic bucket? A fastbreak slam coming off of an outlet pass from Rose that stretched three quarters of the court.

These type of plays exemplified the pace and effort that the team was playing with to start the game.

While the Cavs’ three shooters, Smith, Crowder and Love, weren’t knocking down every outside shot they took in the opening period, the amount of space Rose and James had to attack the rim was better than it’s been at any point in time this season. Even if those three aren’t efficient with their outside attempts, defenders respect their catch-and-shoot ability and that fact alone opens up space on the floor for players like James and Rose.

As a result of the pace and space, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ starters had as much as a 6-point lead on the Washington Wizards before the first sub came in. After Crowder was subbed-out for second-year center Ante Zizic, the Cavs led 24-23. That’s by no means “blowing the opponent out of the water” but with 5:30 left in the half, the Cavs’ offense was showing signs of life that weren’t present in their previous contests.

It looks like the Cleveland Cavaliers have finally found a starting lineup that works. Now, they just have to work on their defense.

Related Story: What we learned against the Washington Wizards

*Unless otherwise referenced, all stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com