Third Takeaway: Cavaliers wouldn’t defend without fouling + not enough free throw attempts
The Cavs couldn’t stay in front of Butler. He attempted 15 of Miami’s 25 free throws, cutting the game’s flow for the home team while giving his guys a breather before transitioning to defense. Watching the Cavs repeatedly send him to the line was like watching a football team consistently give up first down. This made Cleveland’s offense work twice as hard in the half-court because the Heatles were already in a defensive stance watching the ball.
DG committed a foul against Butler, a career 32% shooter from deep, behind the 3-point line resulting in a few freebies. LeVert also fouled Herro on the left wing, sparking a four-point play.
Baited by the zone, the Cavaliers’ offense mostly attacked from the perimeter. Had they done a better job of breaking it in the middle the last three quarters, there wouldn’t be a disparity of 13 attempts. The only other breaks Cleveland got were during a timeout.
Final Words
The outfit is still nine games over .500, but with 29 matches left, it needs to finish off the last third and change of the season strong. In its last 44 outings, the Cavs are 23-21. The team directly behind them in the standings, Miami, is 26-18 over the same stretch. The Heat are also 1.5 games out of fifth place and getting healthier.
Most of Cleveland’s remaining games are on the road. Perhaps if the group goes .500 on tour the rest of the way, and locks up home court, it will have a chance to host the start of round one of the playoffs at home.