Playoffs Film Study: The Cleveland Cavaliers boasted the top defence in the NBA during the regular season, so even though they suffered on the glass, defence wasn’t their main problem (they gave up just 101 points on 95 possessions) when they fell to the New York Knicks in Game 1 of their first-round series.
playoffs film studyYet, their resounding 107-90 triumph in Game 2 on Tuesday was the main factor in their tying the series. The Knicks had just 60 points on 69 possessions (0.87 per) through three quarters, which would have been their second-least effective game of the season. Despite their 30-point fourth quarter, the game had already been decided.
A more aggressive strategy against Jalen Brunson was one factor in the Cavaliers’ defensive success. These are some Game 2 videos and music.
1. Taking down Brunson
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Midway through the first quarter, the Knicks led 13-6; but, during the following seven possessions, they only managed one point, which was a fast break off a turnover of the live ball.
The Cavaliers blitzed and pinned Brunson on the pick and roll to start that stretch.
The Cavaliers rotated effectively behind the trap after Brunson successfully threw the ball away, and Obi Toppin missed a contested runner over Cedi Osman.
2. Put in work after the blitz
A few plays later, on an empty-corner pick and roll, Evan Mobley blitzed Brunson, once more taking the ball out of his hands.
Although Brunson got rid of it more faster, the Cavaliers once more rotated well behind the blitz, with Donovan Mitchell guarding Isaiah Hartenstein’s roll and Darius Garland attempting to get past a screen to prevent a swing pass to Quentin Grimes.
To stop a Toppin-Grimes two-man game, Garland and Osman exerted additional effort, and Garland was fouled when Grimes attempted to push his way to the basket.
The Cavaliers were one of the league’s least active defensive teams this season, blitzing just 105 ball-screens in 82 games, according to Second Spectrum analytics.
Additionally, they didn’t blitz once in Game 1 of this series, when the Knicks set 42 ball-screens for Brunson. Nonetheless, they blitzed nine of the 31 ball screens that the Knicks’ point guard received in Game 2.
On Tuesday, Brunson still attempted 17 shots, but only five of them were successful. It appears that he forced a few short shots to escape a second defender.
3. The horde
As the Cavaliers brought two to the ball, Brunson was occasionally able to drive by the blitz thanks to Julius Randle setting the ball screen.
Brunson and Randle were occasionally trapped on the same possession by the Cavaliers’ swarming defence, which hindered the Knicks’ offensive success:
The Cavaliers can afford to be aggressive on the perimeter because they have two rim protectors in their starting lineup.
The Knicks are not a team that moves the ball efficiently, ranking 25th in passes made per 24 minutes of possession, and they may concede some easy baskets on the weak side. They shot 3-pointers below average (35.4%) during the regular season (300).
Despite being in the top eight offensively in the regular season, none of these teams has scored very well thus far in this series.
In Game 3 in New York on Friday, the Knicks still need to get Brunson back on track (perhaps by lowering the screens and allowing him play one-on-one). Want to get NBA related news and updates follow chopnews.com
