Cavaliers: Three keys to game vs. Heat on Thursday

#3: Do the Cavs move it better than they did on Tuesday?

The Cavaliers have a rough game, for the most part, on the offensive end at the Sixers.

Cleveland put up just 97 points, and the offense was all bunched up far too frequently and had some stagnant possessions and bad turnovers which was a key part of some big Philly runs.

Cleveland had just 13 assists, and though 13 turnovers wasn’t all that bad, some of them led to really easy baskets at the other end.

Of course, the length of Philly on the perimeter had a lot to do with it, but the Cavs’ movement was less than stellar, and was a big reason why Cleveland shot just five-of-21 from three-point range, as noted by ESPN.

It was nice to see Collin Sexton have four assists, and Garland had some good dishes, but Cleveland did not convert enough, and again, Philly’s length played a role in that.

Initially, I would’ve thought that rookie wing Dylan Windler could’ve potentially returned to the rotation in this game against Miami, which could’ve played a crucial role in some minutes in improving Cleveland’s spacing.

This one against the Heat, according to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, was a realistic target date for Windler’s return from a reported tibial stress reaction in his leg, but that won’t be the case, so the Cavs will have to make quicker decisions this go-round, anyhow.

Unfortunately, Windler won’t be back for a while yet, as Sports Illustrated‘s Sam Amico reported that Windler is expected to remain out at least early December.

So again, Cleveland needs to have more consistent man and ball movement in this one against Miami, who is stout defensively.

When the Cavs have been at their best this season, they’ve utilized movement as the biggest key to their offense. Hopefully we’ll see that from them in this one.