The Cleveland Cavaliers did not have the games they were looking for in Games 3 and 4 in New York on Friday and Sunday. Cleveland couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat in Game 3, and in Game 4, the Cavaliers were again outworked by the Knicks.
Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, there’s been just one game when they’ve played up to standard, in what was Game 2, when the team defense was on-point, and Darius Garland led the way with a first half explosion. In New York in games 3 and 4, Cleveland often seemed disjointed offensively, couldn’t hit enough open looks when they came, and New York made countless hustle plays.
The result for now has the Cavaliers in a massive 3-1 hole in the series, putting them on the brink of elimination.
Heading into Game 5 back in Cleveland, and possibly moving forward if that is a win, one Cav, in particular, has to be far better. That’s Jarrett Allen, who had forgettable games in New York.
For the Cavs to have a chance, Allen has to rebound from his disappearing act at Madison Square Garden.
Allen had solid performances in Games 1 and 2, but he had disappointing performances in Games 3 and 4 at MSG. In those, he had six points and five rebounds, and had only three field goal attempts in Game 3, and while he did have 14 points on seven-of-11 shooting in Game 4, Allen was not nearly the presence he can be defensively. In the glass cleaning department, he registered only four boards in 40 minutes.
Cleveland needs Allen to be the true defensive anchor one has grown accustomed to seeing game-in and game-out for the team, making plays and being more of a rim deterrent.
He had his moments in New York, but too often Allen was out of position to be viable in that way, or didn’t seem to be impactful enough to move Mitchell Robinson or Isaiah Hartenstein out to clear space for the defensive glass. Cleveland’s perimeter guys need to help as defensive rebounders, that is completely fair to suggest; having said that, Allen having nine rebounds in total for the last two playoff games was beyond underwhelming.
Obviously, Cleveland needs more from him on the boards in Game 5, and hopefully, in ensuing contests. In this series, the Cavaliers have gotten their share of offensive rebounds, they just have lost the battle when it comes to key loose balls too much, and New York, in Game 4, for example, had 21 second chance points.
It’s probably a broken record at this juncture to stress the Cavaliers have to limit the Knicks to single-shot possessions. Notwithstanding, the point still remains.
On the other end of the floor, while Allen’s screening has been there for stretches to aid in creating open looks, and he had moments in Cleveland’s second half run on Sunday, he’s been too passive offensively in the interior. Credit has to go to New York’s defense and physical paint play, and the lobs and dump-offs for Allen have not been there consistently.
But some of this is on Allen, also. The Cavs need him to avail himself better, and if he can find better looks from subtle fakes, and utilize his much improved footwork to draw fouls, that could potentially soften up the interior for Cleveland over the course of Game 5, and hopefully on.
From there, Allen as a ball-mover and/or tertiary option needs to be more decisive. In the games at New York, he didn’t help the Cavs much in that regard, which could make a difference for the team in set situations and alleviate some pressure on the perimeter guys.
We’ll likely find out early on Wednesday night back in Cleveland if Allen can rebound from his substandard performances in Games 3 and 4. If not, it could definitely be a key factor in the Cavaliers going home in what would be an especially disappointing end to the 2022-23 campaign, in which they won 50 games in the regular season.
The Fro better get after it.