The Cavs need a quick response after the Magic tied their playoff series up at two games apiece.
After bludgeoning and bullying the Orlando Magic to a 2-0 lead in this opening-round Eastern Conference playoff matchup, the Cleveland Cavaliers are reeling. Despite so many believing Cleveland had broken Orlando physically and mentally, the Magic recollected when the series shifted to the Kia Center, winning two in a row at home by bullying the Cavs and turning this into a best-of-three series.
“Both teams protected home court, so it’s not a series until somebody wins on somebody else’s floor,” Donovan Mitchell said as Cleveland concluded a home practice session. “The past two games have been not what we wanted. But we can take care of business at home, and that’s pretty much the only mindset.”
While Mitchell, calm and collected as ever, is saying all the right things, it’ll be easier to believe when the Cavs actually execute their plan on the floor.
The core pieces of what Cleveland has done in the entire series will remain in Game 5 against Orlando. But, there needs to be some tweaks made by head coach J.B. Bickerstaff that respond to the changes the Magic have made up to this point.
Playing faster and firing away
One of the Cavs’ more overwhelming strengths this NBA season has been their three-point production. During the regular season, Cleveland took the eighth most three-pointers per game and converted 36.7% of them. In the playoffs, meanwhile, the Cavs have taken the third-least three-pointers per game and currently own the worst perimeter shooting percentage, only connecting on 26.7% of them.
When diving into the playoff numbers of sharpshooters like Max Strus and Georges Niang, there’s a direct correlation with Cleveland struggling from deep. The same goes for Mitchell and Darius Garland, who have either been hounded by Orlando’s perimeter defense or are too passive when handling the rock on the floor.
So, how do the Cavs fix this? Well, when they pick up the pace, it becomes a bit easier for them to score from the perimeter on the fast break. But more importantly, Cleveland needs to be constantly moving on offense, forcing the Magic to shift locations defensively and eventually being unable to cover the entire court. The constant movement would unlock spacing for players like Strus and Niang to operate and could create lanes for Mitchell and Garland to attack the basket.
Speaking of, the opening on the inside can help foil the biggest adjustment the Magic have made so far.
Forcing the Magic to regret starting Wendell Carter Jr.
When Orlando elected to go with Wendell Carter Jr. as the team’s starting center for Games 3 and 4, it threw Cleveland for a loop. For the first two games of this opening-round series, the Magic went with Jonathan Isaac down low, hoping their overwhelming size on the perimeter would totally negate the Cavs on offense.
Instead, starting Isaac over Carter Jr. empowered Jarrett Allen to impose his will inside, creating chaos for Orlando’s defensive game plan and allowing Cleveland to dictate how they wanted to score whenever they wanted.
But after moving Carter Jr. into the starting lineup and Isaac to the bench, the Cavs have struggled to overwhelm the Magic at the rim. But, if Cleveland re-embraces its faster pace with an emphasis on three-point shooting, it’ll force Orlando to overcorrect and focus on the perimeter instead of the interior.
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This, in turn, will empower Allen and Evan Mobley to attack the basket and control the rebounding margin, which should lead to an easier win for the Cavs at home.
Cavs must not hesitate to go deeper
Again, Cleveland won’t make any seismic changes heading into Game 5, meaning their starting lineup is set in stone. But, when comparing what the Cavs have gotten from their bench versus what the Magic have gotten from their reserves, it’s gut-wrenching.
Orlando’s bench has outscored Cleveland’s bench 127-83 through four games. While the Cavs can’t erase that 44-point deficit all at once, they can still chip away at it and explore other options outside of the typical reserve options in Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro and Georges Niang.
The two obvious options are Sam Merrill, who can provide more movement and off-ball three-point shooting, and Marcus Morris Sr., who can provide shooting and an edge that Cleveland has often lacked. With the Cavs unable to go down 3-2 heading to Orlando to face the Magic for Game 6, they have to try every option available, including going deeper into their rotation.
