After being down 19 points at the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, a dub narrowly slipped through the Cleveland Cavaliers’ grasp in the final minute. The one-point loss to the Spurs drops the Cavs’ record to 5-9 outside of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Before getting into my observations, this must be made clear: A true contender beats the bottom-feeding groups when they’re matched up. They also take care of business on the road.
Would The Rolling Stones, BB King, or Cream have been as electric and legendary as they were if they couldn’t perform on tour? I don’t think so. The Cavaliers have as much talent on paper to reach the same heights as these rockstars.
An outfit that can barely win away from their building should never get taken seriously. Cleveland still has 28 games to salvage its road record, but the season goes by quickly. This team can’t afford to let its shortcomings in this department turn into a malignant habit.
With that in mind, we’ll get into the five takeaways from this Cavaliers’ loss at the Spurs.
The first relates to minimal screening.
1. Not enough screening
The only Cavalier key screening aside from Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley was Caris LeVert. Maybe the other players never got the memo that apart from getting your teammates open, a pick also gets the man who sacrificed his body available for a dive or catch-and-shoot attempt.
Perhaps more flares on the perimeter and back screens on drives would free up the players not named Darius Garland or Donovan Mitchell for easier looks. When only three players set picks consistently, the team is playing selfishly and not creating enough mismatches after a switch.
2. Cleveland shut down San Antonio’s leading scorer
When Keldon Johnson beat Cleveland’s point-of-attack defense or found an opening on the baseline, Allen and Mobley were there for a contest at the rim. Of Cleveland’s perimeter players, Lamar Stevens had the most success staying in front of KJ, holding him to 1-of-7 shooting from the field as the primary defender, per NBA.com’s matchup data.
3. Weak point-of-attack defense
The Spurs couldn’t capitalize on their abundance of paint attempts because Cleveland’s backline of defense was bothering the rival with their length and quickness. Aside from getting two feet in the paint whenever San Antonio wanted to, the Cavs’ perimeter players couldn’t stay in front of their man or close out fast enough to the top of the key.
These breakdowns put too much responsibility on the frontcourt to assist on a drive while leaving their man open. It cost the Cavs on Monday night because backline defenders were out of position after helping, and the team gave up 21 second chance points. If that effort continues against the intelligent teams, the squad will likely get boat raced off the floor.
4. Misfiring from deep
Most of San Antonio’s perimeter defenders are longer and taller than Cleveland’s starting backcourt. The Cavs converted a scarce 5-of-23 triples against the Spurs. Mitchell made his first two on each wing, but San Antonio managed to get a hand in his face, causing his last five misses from beyond the arc, including blocking an attempt.
Garland shot 1-of-6 from 3-point range. The Spurs’ length bothered most of his releases, minus his lone make from the left wing that came on a step-back jumper against the 6-foot-9 Charles Bassey.
Garland missed a makeable shot from the left corner on a feed by Mobley that would have put the Cavs up two points with four seconds to go. Sometimes a marksman has a bad showing at the range.
5. Success from the mid-range
Cleveland made 12-of-20 mid-range shots, per the NBA’s shot chart. Open looks against San Antonio’s drop coverage were available at the elbows and on pull-ups on the baselines. Considering the group’s poor shooting from beyond the arc, they should have adjusted earlier to take more from the mid-range coming from a handoff or regular pick-and-roll.
Allen and Mobley are some of the best screeners in the NBA. If they keep shielding defenders off the backcourt, these looks will always be there.