Lessons the Cavaliers can learn from the 4 NBA Conference Finals teams

Only three teams now remain in the NBA Playoffs, absent of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ presence. As the number four seed going into the postseason, missing out on the NBA Finals and previously, Conference Finals, is nothing astonishing; yet, watching the eight-seeded Miami Heat and the seven-seeded Los Angeles Lakers prior to that continue competing shows that effort and skill matters more than regular season record.

This year was the first opportunity for the majority of Cleveland’s roster to experience the postseason, so their loss will serve as a learning experience. Though the Cavaliers can watch film on their series, watching the teams that have succeeded and recognizing what they did right will also prepare Cleveland for a better next season.

What can the Cavs learn from the final four playoff teams this year, with the Lakers also in mind, prior to their series loss? What aspect of those teams could help fix the Cavs’ short comings?

Miami Heat

Jimmy “Buckets” Butler and the Miami Heat are currently 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals as the eighth seed against last year’s NBA Finals contestant in the Boston Celtics. In Round One, the Heat fended off the East’s top team Milwaukee Bucks in only five games. Next, they defeated the team that took the Cavs out of the running, the New York Knicks, in only six games.

This playoff run has been impeccable and historic. Watching from home, what the Cavaliers can learn from the Heat (other than losing Kevin Love sucks)?

The Heat can teach the Cavaliers that depth and talent can be found anywhere if you’re willing to hustle.

In recent seasons, the Cavaliers essentially signed three players from the G-League affiliate Cleveland Charge to the main roster. Those players, Dean Wade, Lamar Stevens and Sam Merrill, did not play much at all against the Knicks. Though those three Cavs did not see the court consistently in those five games, President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman is no stranger to discovering hidden talent.

Both Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are on supermax contracts, and Evan Mobley is likely to earn one himself in the coming years. In that case, the Cavaliers could discover cheap, game changing role players by taking a note out of the Heat playbook and searching where nobody else takes a peak.

Additionally, it matters how those players are utilized on the team. Throughout this postseason, Jimmy Butler has averaged 29.9 points per game. In Game 3 against the Celtics, Butler was not the top scorer on the Heat in the 26-point win. Instead, that honor went to undrafted guard Gabe Vincent, who sank six out of his nine attempted three-pointers.

More than just signing this talent, the Cavs will need to trust them in the brightest spotlight. Opponents will center their defense around the idea of stopping Mitchell, Garland, and Mobley’s productivity. Finding the extra pass and trusting that player just as much as you trust your star-studded core could be the final piece in elevating the Cavaliers’ ceiling for success.

Denver Nuggets

Let’s make this apparent. Three. Point. Shooting. Wins. Games.

The Cavs do not have many shooters outside of Garland and Mitchell. How does Denver open up the floor for their shooters? Ball movement. Making the extra pass. Confidence.

The Nuggets and Heat are first and second in three-point shooting at 38.6% and 38.0% in the NBA Playoffs thus far. This is not coming just from last second attempts where Jamal Murray or Nikola Jokic dart a pass to a corner shooter with three seconds left on the shot clock.

Watching the Nuggets play shows fluidity in their offense. Shooters are open because everybody moves with or without the ball in their hands. Players are setting screens for off the ball movement as well as setting up isolation plays.

The Nuggets are set up for success through their frontcourt duo in Jokic and Aaron Gordon in unison with a star-studded backcourt with Jamal Murray. The Cavaliers are built for success through their frontcourt duo of Mobley and Allen next to Garland and Mitchell in the backcourt.

Against the Knicks, the Cavaliers ran their offense through high pick-and-roll actions setting up Garland or Mitchell either to break down defenders in isolation or pass to the post to Mobley or Allen. If those options didn’t work, then they passed it out to Okoro or LeVert and prayed for a panicked three-point shot to go in.

Conversely, Denver plays through each and every member of the roster. Jokic might center himself around the offense by holding the ball with his back to the basket at the top of the key. He watches his teammates set themselves up and launches the ball to the open guy.

That is what the Cavaliers need to become. Mobley might not be Jokic, but he has the developing court vision to run the offense when needed. Trusting Mobley to control the offensive flow allows Garland and Mitchell to utilize their speed and elusive nature to get themselves open for a barrage of three-pointers by two of the league’s best long range shooting guards.

This type of post-oriented playmaking is what vaulted the Golden State Warriors to success for over half a decade, and it can absolutely be what moves the needle for the Cavaliers.

Los Angeles Lakers

At the NBA trade deadline, LeBron James and the Lakers were nowhere close to reaching the NBA Playoffs. After their 2-10 start to the regular season, the Lakers were given a 0.3% chance to reach the postseason. They remembered that.

For months, the Lakers were in trade rumor after trade rumor to land LeBron’s former teammate Kyrie Irving in a blockbuster trade to save the season and make everything okay. Kyrie, though, ended up in Dallas a week before the deadline. On the day of the deadline, the Lakers traded for D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, and more. Additionally, they had traded for Rui Hachimura shortly before the deadline. None of these players were All-Stars this year, and none of them were that “third star” people believed the Lakers needed.

Though LA would be swept in the Western Conference Finals against Denver, making it that far as the seventh seed with an almost entirely new rotation speaks volumes to the value that trading for depth rather than headlines has. The Lakers took down the emerging Memphis Grizzlies and the defending champion Warriors in the first two rounds. Their path to the Conference Finals was nothing easy. Once the Lakers had their star players, they built around them.

Now, there have been rumors of the Lakers being potentially interested in reuniting Kyrie Irving with LeBron James, and one will have to see what transpires down the road with James, who is reportedly considering retirement. Regardless, it was clear LA dealing with meaningful for role players that fit with their current stars was pivotal for them in making their run.

With rumors of Jaylen Brown, Pascal Siakam, and other star wing players circulating the NBA world, the Cavaliers should learn from the Lakers and trade for role players with determination. They have their stars, but they need depth. The Cavs are already likely on this trajectory, but they should not let a flashy headline obscure their path.

Boston Celtics

While the world heralds the beautiful display of talent Jimmy Butler and the Heat have shown this postseason, the Celtics are being held to the fire for their disappointing effort in the Eastern Conference Finals. As the second seed and having reached the NBA Finals last year, the Celtics were heavy favorites going into their series against Miami.

Watching the Heat dismantle the Boston squad, the Celtics looked to have lost their motivation this series, although they did have an impressive win on Tuesday night when facing elimination. By and large, however, their coaching decisions are questionable, and their players do not seem to have the drive to keep pushing consistently. These were the same issues the Cavs faced against New York.

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was out-coached, and the players were out-hustled. The Cavaliers might have the most to learn from the Celtics, a young team with high aspirations being held back by lingering issues.

The Cavaliers need each and every player who touches the court to fight for every defensive stop and every offensive success. The Cavs need to be selfless in mindset and action, just like the Celtics needed to be more thus far. Secondly, the Cavaliers need to ignore the rumors and complaints. Jaylen Brown has been in trade rumors nearly every deadline, but the Celtics have maintained their trust in the All-NBA talent wing.

Keep your core and build around it. Find the missing role players to complement your star-studded core.

In terms of coaching, though, the Cavaliers and Celtics might make different choices. Bickerstaff has been confirmed to be coming back next season with the Cavs; yet, Boston might believe new head coach Joe Mazzulla is the cause for their failure this year. Mazzulla has been the only major change to the Celtics out of the squad that reached the NBA Finals last season. For that reason, the front office might look to replace their coaching staff first and expect different results.

Coaches are on the hot seat this year, but the Cavs are staying put. If even the Celtics fire their head coach, it might signal that the Cavs need seriously to reconsider their decision to retain Bickerstaff after their embarrassing exit.