Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 defensive adjustments to make ahead of Game 3

What defensive adjustments might the Cleveland Cavaliers need to make ahead of Game 3?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are allowing the Boston Celtics to have an amazing offensive rating of 116.5 while shooting an effective field goal percentage of 53.1. While they’ve failed to cross the 100-point barrier in the Eastern Conference Finals, it may be their defense that’s the biggest problem.

The Cavaliers broke out a new rotation in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, starting center Tristan Thompson in place of shooting guard Kyle Korver so that the team could defend Celtics center Al Horford and shooting guard Jaylen Brown with greater success.

It was a fine move though Brown still had a great game because Horford looked less dynamic than he had in Game 1 and points were harder to come by for the Celtics in general. Nonetheless, there were crucial defensive adjustments that could be made for the Cavaliers defense to be even better.

Release the Cedi

The biggest problem with defending the Boston Celtics has been the Cavaliers not being able to match their intensity or number of playmakers. They almost always seem to be missing one necessary player.

That player is Cedi Osman, the rookie swingman who plays with the Celtics’ unbridled passion and was putting the clamps on his matchups in the regular season. He’s able to guard 1-3, which is great news against a team with a bevy of perimeter playmakers.

His athleticism, instinct, technique and intensity will be invaluable for the Cavs when they need to matchup with the Celtics 4-out scheme or just when their other perimeter defenders are tired.

No easy points for Jaylen Brown

While Brown has been one of the Celtics’ most efficient scorers, he’s been downright terrible at the charity stripe. He’s made just 54.8 percent of his free-throws in the postseason and it’s an issue that’s plagued him all season, as he shot 64.4 percent from the foul-line in the regular season.

Fouling Brown from three-point range, where he’s taken 42.4 percent of his shot attempts, is obviously a no-go so this strategy also relies on running Brown off the three-line as much as possible.

When Brown is on the move, if the Cavs can wrap him up or “hack” him before a shot around the rim (where he’s made 67.2 percent of his attempts), they have better odds of slowing him and getting him out of his game than just letting him run free.

J.R. Smith, one the team’s best athletes and on-ball defenders, should get the first crack at guarding Brown. Throughout the game, George Hill and LeBron James (if possible, Osman as well) should get their chances at defending Brown too.

That leaves 2 of their best 3 defenders to guard Terry Rozier and Jayson Tatum from the outset.

Using LeBron James to guard Terry Rozier

Allowing James to “hide” on players like Marcus Morris is a strategy since it allows him to conserve energy for the offensive end. However, with the Cavaliers going with their traditional frontcourt of James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, finding a player to hide Love on is more important.

Furthermore, with Rozier’s ball-control (1.3 turnovers per game in the postseason) and general guard skill a major reason for the team’s success, using a player with James’ size and athleticism could force Rozier into both uncharacteristic turnovers and tough shots. Eventually, maybe even stagnation.

*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com