The Cavs are letting the Magic shoot themselves out of the playoffs
Cleveland is executing J.B. Bickerstaff’s plan to perfection.
Paolo Banchero had an open transition three after two Cleveland Cavaliers fell down behind the play midway through the first quarter of Game 2. Instead of confidentially taking it, he pump-faked and tried to drive into the paint, which allowed the defenders to get back into the play. He settled for a contested midrange jumper that led to a fastbreak dunk the other way.
This is what it looks like when a team is out of its comfort zone.
Orlando Magic head coach Jahmal Mosley said after Game 1 that he liked the looks they got. “We just got to continue to step into them with that level of confidence.”
Saying that and meaning it are two different things. After Game 2, it’s safe to say his team doesn’t believe they can make the outside shot when dared to do so. They passed up attempts, and when they did take them, they seemed to know the shot wasn’t falling before it left their fingertips.
Playoff basketball is about taking away what your opponent does best and making them beat you other ways. The Cavs have made the bet that the Magic can’t consistently make threes. Through two games, that bet has more than paid off.
The Magic were 9-19 in the regular season when they took 35 or more threes and 38-16 when they attempted less. They’re now 0-2 in the playoffs after going 8-37 (21.6%) Saturday and 9-35 (25.7%) Monday.
Cleveland’s defense has done a good job of keeping the ball on the perimeter and daring their opponent to shoot over them. Particularly, guys they’re comfortable letting take threes, which includes Jonathan Isaac (3-11), Paolo Banchero (3-11), Jalen Suggs (1-10), and Wendell Carter Jr. (2-8).
“It’s frustrating for everybody when you keep shooting and it’s not going in,” Banchero said. “I’m not the only one who’s frustrated by that.”
The Cavs’ number one defensive goal is to make sure the rim is protected. They still rotated out to the shooters they were okay allowing three-point attempts from, but they closed out on balance to ensure their opponent didn’t get by them.
“I thought we did a great job of forcing them to take the shots that we wanted and conceding nothing,” Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Very few of the shots that they took tonight weren’t contested.”
Daring Orlando to shoot threes makes it more difficult for them to get to and finish at the rim, which is what they want to do most. The Magic led the regular season in shots in the restricted area and are taking nearly as many attempts in the first two games of the playoffs. The issue is they can’t finish them with multiple defenders waiting for them when they get there.
“They’re doing a good job of clogging lanes, packing the paint, and swarming the ball anytime you drive,” Banchero said. “It makes it hard.”
A play like the one below is emblematic of that. There are five Cavaliers in the paint when Gary Harris puts up his shot initial shot. Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro both contest it before Mobley ends up blocking Moritz Wagner’s putback attempt.
This is why Orlando went from finishing 67.4% of their shots at the rim in the regular season to only 51.9% in the playoffs. Hitting more threes and extending the defense is the only way they can help alleviate some of those problems. As of now, they haven’t been able to do so.
The Cavaliers are dictating the terms of engagement so far. They’re forcing the Magic to take the shots they want and are physically meeting them at the rim when they come inside. That’s a recipe for good playoff defense no matter the opponent. It’s just easier to do that against a team like Orlando who has multiple guys on the floor you’re okay giving up outside shots to.
“I thought we did a good job of making them pick the [shots] we wanted,” Bickerstaff said. “And then we were physical with them and didn’t allow them to get the ball to their spots easily.”
“We learned that in our first playoffs,” Jarrett Allen said. “If you’re physical with them and you make every single play difficult, you’re going to wear the other team down. And that’s when they start making mistakes.”