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Cleveland Cavaliers: Lessons from the Cavs first loss since the trade deadline

By Jackson Flickinger

CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 22: Kelly Oubre Jr.
CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 22: Kelly Oubre Jr. /
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – FEBRUARY 13: Cleveland Cavaliers Forward LeBron James (23) shooting a free throw versus Oklahoma City Thunder on February 13, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena Oklahoma City, OK (Photo by Torrey Purvey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – FEBRUARY 13: Cleveland Cavaliers Forward LeBron James (23) shooting a free throw versus Oklahoma City Thunder on February 13, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena Oklahoma City, OK (Photo by Torrey Purvey/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Lesson No. 4: The Cavs are still an offensive team.

Coach Lue has alluded to the Cavs’ identity being on the defensive end of the floor earlier on Thursday. The Cavs are a much better defensive team than they were. But they still are a team that’s going to go as far as their offense takes them.

The success of the Cavs defense has a strong correlation with their offense. Inversely their worst defense comes when their offense is struggling. That’s not uncommon for teams to play like that, but the Cavs are somewhat of an extreme example of this.

They finished the first quarter with 31 points and an offensive rating of 124.6. It was also their best defensive quarter of the night as they finished with a 90.0 defensive rating. Conversely, the second quarter was their worst quarter of the night as they finished that quarter with a 132.4 defensive rating and an 88.6 offensive rating.

How their offense is playing remains the best indicator of their success. While they’re a much better defensive team, they’re by no means a team that can beat you solely on the defensive end. They’re an offensive juggernaut that relies on their three-point shooting. They aren’t going to win many games shooting as poorly from deep as they did against Washington.

There’s no need to overreact to one bad shooting game. This team is loaded with great shooters and offensive weapons, especially when Love returns. However, this game serves as a perfect illustration as to how this team will go as far as their offense takes them.

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The Cavs have a quick turnaround. They will be in Memphis to take on the Grizzlies Friday night. We’ll see how the new group responds to their first loss in a Cavs’ uniform.