The Cleveland Cavaliers are rolling. Following their 105-94 victory over the Miami Heat on Monday night, the Wine and Gold are 17-12; good for fourth in the Eastern Conference after notching their fourth double-digit victory in a row. Per Basketball Reference, the Cavaliers sport the NBA’s fourth-best SRS and number one (!) in the Eastern Conference. An acronym for Simple Rating System, this metric takes a team’s overall point differential and adjusts for opponent point differential. Contextual grist given the schedule the Cavaliers have faced relative to the league so far.
While Cleveland’s offense (19th in the league, per Basketball Reference) has been respectable given their personnel, it’s been on the other side of the ball which has truly set them apart. Check out the five best Cavalier defenses compared to league average since 1999-2000 (per 100 possessions):
#1: 5.9 (2008-2009)
#2: 5.2 (2006-2007)
#3: 4.3 (2021-2022)
#4: 3.5 (2009-2010)
#5: 1.9 (2015-2016)
Sure, we’re not even half way through the season yet but this team currently finds itself among some special company. While the 2007 Cavaliers weren’t expected to climb as high as they did, all of the Cleveland teams above oozed title-contention, led by some iteration of zenith-level LeBron James. I’m not suggesting this Cavs team is a contender but considering their remaining schedule, there’s little reason to expect significant defensive regression. This topic deserves its own article but one thing appears certain: The defense is here to stay and it’s worth bringing up at every opportunity.
Monday’s victory at home over the Miami Heat, albeit depleted, was further evidence of the defensive chops this team has shown. In 93 possessions, as considered by NBA.com’s box score, the Cavs held Miami to just 94 points – good for a defensive rating of 6.8 points per100 possessions better than league average.
It was never going to be easy though. After a 55-41 half time lead, the Heat used a 23-9 run to tie the game before a certain “stud” decided it was time to take over.
Speaking of studs, the candidates from this game were once again aplenty: Lauri Markkanen (12 points and +21 in 32 minutes), Isaac Okoro (18 points on 4-of-8 from 3-point range), Jarrett Allen (17 points on 6-of-6 shooting and 5-of-5 on free throws) and Darius Garland (16 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals) all deserved consideration for such a title.
One player however, despite waiting until the second half, rose to the top of the pile with a classic Cavalier performance.
Cavs stud: Kevin Love
I wrote about Love recently, ranking all of his games against the Minnesota Timberwolves; his former stomping ground for six seasons. The motivation for such a topic came about due to Love’s recent performance in Minnesota, posting 18 points and 13 rebounds in 23 minutes. Love’s contributions however have been far more than just one “revenge” game.
Despite playing the lowest minutes per game of his career, Love has bought in to this team, proving to be a legitimate weapon off the bench. In 20 minutes per game, the 2016 Champ is averaging 11.9 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 40.4 percent from downtown. His PER (Player Efficiency Rating) is the highest it’s been (20.7) since 2017-2018 while the Cavs’ most-used lineup with Love on the floor boasts a net rating of plus-13.2 per NBA.com’s lineup tracking data.
Our own Dan Gilinsky explored Love’s recent flame throwing, which now includes an especially flammable last five games – 15.6 points and 7 rebounds on 51.4 percent from 3-point range in just 20 minutes per game.
Against the Heat on Monday, Love saved his prowess for the most important part of the game – the second half. After a P.J. Tucker jump shot tied the game, Love responded with a 3-point shot which saw the Cavs lead for the rest of the way. His final three-pointer resulted in a 100-86 lead, sealing the deal on another dominating performance – a season-high 23 points that came all in the second half, including 5 three-pointers.
Love also recorded 9 rebounds which included game-highs of defensive box outs (4) and total box outs (5) (again, per NBA.com’s box score). Kevin Wesley Love is officially back, folks.
Cavs dud: Cedi Osman
As the title suggests, there does need to be a dud, despite all the “feels” this team is giving its fans at the moment. While Osman only logged a small sample of game action (6 minutes), closer review of his play suggests this was intentional.
His first missed shot (0-of-3 in the game) was a left-handed air ball right at the rim. On the very next sequence, Osman was beaten by a Duncan Robinson drive and score, followed by another air ball, this time a rushed reverse layup in transition. His only 3-point attempt came around a minute later which was well short after a wide open look.
From there, Osman’s last game action came in the second quarter when he struggled to navigate a UCLA side double screen then cherry-picked a possible transition opportunity only to give up an open three in the same spot he had abandoned. It appeared Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff had seen enough.
This game is not a fair assessment of Cedi’s season, though. Far from it. Like Love, Osman has embraced a strictly-bench role for the first time in his career while bombing it from three, shooting a career-high in accuracy (41 percent) and frequency (9.2 attempts per-36 minutes). He’s mostly removed the mid-range markers from his shot chart while improving defensively thanks to his size and agility.
Cedi’s previous game against the Kings (18 points on 4-of-10 from downtown) aligned closer with his season overall but also highlights an inconsistency which will be a goal of his to address moving forward. Osman will have an opportunity to do just that against a dangerous Houston Rockets team at home on Wednesday night. If you’re reading Cedi, we believe in you!