If the Cleveland Cavaliers have proven one thing throughout their 12 postseason games, it’s that this team is going to live or die by the three.
After a 25-point blowout loss in Game 1 against a young Boston Celtics team, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have several things to work on moving forward. However, none of their adjustments will matter if they continue to shoot 15% from deep.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals and Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals have an eerily similar feeling for Cavalier fans.
In one game, they watched as Victor Oladipo tore through their defense while on the other end of the court the Cavs would end up shooting a then postseason-low 23.5%. The one positive about that game is how LeBron looked locked in, notching a triple-double albeit losing by 18.
As for the Cavs most recent game, they saw Marcus Morris (yes, Marcus Morris) score 21 points while the King managed just 15. To add to that, the Celtics orchestrated a massacre from deep while the Cavs failed to hit more than five from downtown for the first time this postseason.
The Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals shot 4-for-26 from deep, a new postseason-low 15.4%. The Cavs are 6-1 when making as many or more threes than their opponent and just 2-3 when their opponent makes more triples.
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As for the Cavs snipers in Game 1, Smith, who shot over 75% from deep in the Cavs clean sweep of the Raptors, missed all three of his attempts while the Cavs most consistent sniper, Kyle Korver, went just 1-for-5 from deep. The Cavs benched chipped in on the horrific shooting as they shot just 1-for-7 from deep.
Another similarity between the two Game 1’s is that in both games LeBron failed to convert from downtown. In the Cavs opening-round Game 1, James missed all four attempts, and in this past Game 1, James missed all five attempts from behind the arc.
However, if the same turn of events comes into play, the Cavaliers lackluster play won’t keep up.
The only question mark is the defensive intensity by the Celtics. The Cavs won’t shoot that poorly again, but will the C’s allow them to outgun them moving forward?
During the regular season, the Celtics gave up the fourth-fewest threes per game. This postseason, they’ve stepped their defense up another notch, allowing just 8.7 per game, a postseason low.
Injured and inexperienced, this Celtics team is the best team defensively the Cavs have yet to face, and they’ll have to find a way to break down their formidable defense more efficiently. However, like previously stated, don’t anticipate Korver and Smith to combine for 1-for-8 from downtown in Game 2.
This series, like many in the modern-day NBA, will be won or lost from behind the arc.
If that’s the case, who will win this series?
For Cleveland, I was one of the first to say that the Cavs sweep of the Raptors and extended time off would hurt them in Game 1. This team has to find its rhythm again, both offensively and defensively, and it starts by knocking down shots from deep.
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Connecting from deep is how Cleveland opens up James’ and Love’s ability to post up. This offense thrives and dies by the three, and without it, they might not be making the trip to their fourth straight NBA Finals.