In a macro sense, things with the Cavs are absolutely fine. They are still a near lock to finish first in the East and still have a chance to finish the regular season with the best record in the NBA. And if a dip is ever expected to happen over the course of an NBA season, the yearly West Coast road trip is a prime candidate.
But in a micro sense, there are things the Cavs should be paying attention to. And learning from. In the past 10 games, they are near the middle of the pack in terms of both offensive and defensive efficiency. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland have struggled to put together complete games, and that in turn has messed with the Cavs offensive power. And in the last game against a short-handed Kings team, they struggled to get defensive stops in the clutch and could not find an answer for Demar DeRozan or Malik Monk.
And because of all that, tonight’s game against Phoenix is a lot more intriguing than it probable should be. Phoenix is struggling, to say the least. But they still have Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Tonight is an opportunity for the Cavs to get back to their dominant, consistent ways, but they must be intentional and persistent about getting there.
To get back into the groove, we are looking for a few things:
1. Can Donovan Mitchell put together 4 consistent quarters of basketball? In the last couple of games, he has started well but failed to carry that momentum into the second halves. He is the leader of this team, and the momentum of the team largely rests on his back.
2. Who will stop the Suns big scorers, and how will the Cavs scheme against them? In Sacramento, the Cavs failed to defend the only two players on the Kings who could beat them: DeRozan and Monk. How will they play individual and team defense to contain Durant and Booker tonight?
3. Can the Cavs cut down on sloppy turnovers? While the turnover statistics in recent games might not show that there is a major turnover problem, the Cavs have been sloppy at critical moments in recent games that have produced bigger impacts when it comes to momentum and rhythm. If they can eliminate those, it creates a better path to create every Cavs fan’s favorite phenomenon: the Cavalanche.
Let's go Cavs!
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