How Cavs and DG snapped their slump

Garland got his groove back.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the league’s best three-point shooting team for most of the season. But for a 15-game skid, they had fallen to 28th in three-point efficiency.

While these games near the end of the season ultimately didn’t matter much to a team that held a commanding lead over Boston for the first seed — it’s still important to catch your stride before rolling into the playoffs.

That’s why Tuesday’s barrage against Chicago was important.

Sure, the Bulls were without numerous starters and the Cavs themselves didn’t have Donovan Mitchell. But Cleveland shot 25-50 from downtown in a performance that felt much closer to their style of play before the All-Star break.

With the playoffs just around the corner, let’s take a look at how the Cavs generated quality three-point shots against the Bulls and what they can carry with them to the postseason.

Playing with a purpose

Kenny Atkinson deserves immense credit for bringing shades of Golden State’s motion offense to the Cavaliers. Getting everyone on a string offensively is easier said than done. The Cavs’ off-ball movement and synergy 1-through-5 were not as evident during their shooting slump.

Against Chicago, the Cavs were back to playing the beautiful game.

This play in the first quarter sets the tone. Ty Jerome begins the possession with an aggressive cross-court pass to the corner. Dean Wade, before even landing with the ball, is already shoveling it to Sam Merrill. Merrill then drives the closeout and kicks it back out to the man who started the entire thing.

Here we get a good example of what I meant by moving on a string. The possession starts with Max Strus taking an Evan Mobley screen. This gets Strus to the elbow while Chicago’s Talen Horton-Tucker has to rotate over to the nail and stop him. But watch the right corner. Jerome expertly cuts across the baseline to occupy his defender — and this allows Wade to dive into the open space and bury an open three-pointer.

This one is admittedly a bit fluky. But the play begins with Max Strus curling off a screen, catching the ball and then wrapping an insane hook pass to the corner. Merrill again attacks the closeout — nearly turns it over — and then finds the open man for another easy three.

Finally, here’s the crown jewel. Merrill gives the ball to Allen, before shaking towards the ball and then cutting backdoor. Allen feeds it back to Merrill — who sees the help defender and immediately dishes to Garland in the corner. Garland takes a half-beat to get Patrick Williams to bite — then swings it to De’Andre Hunter, who has all day to shoot the ball.

This entire sequence takes just four seconds. That’s called playing with a purpose. There’s no dead air or waiting to make the next move. Everyone on the floor is playing on a string and the Bulls’ defense had no chance of recovering.

This is what the Cavaliers have been missing. Cleveland wasn’t getting the secondary (hockey) assists. In other words, multiple passes that lead to a score. They fell from second before the All-Star break to 11th afterwards. The Cavaliers had six hockey assists versus Chicago, which would be a league-best if they did it every game.

Welcome back, Darius Garland

We did our last video breakdown on how Garland was struggling from the field. You can find that here.

In short, Garland has been in a funk since the All-Star break. Entering this game without Mitchell, it was a fine opportunity to get back on track. Garland did just that, shooting 6-10 from the three-point line for 28 points in 29 minutes.

First, we see Garland reading his defender and darting to the open space for an easy catch-and-shoot attempt.

Next is a confident pull-up jumper from 27 feet. This is not an easy shot by any means. But when you’re Darius Garland, who shoots 40.7% from this range, it’s business as usual.

There aren’t many X’s and O’s to discuss with Garland’s three-point shooting in this game. Most of them were absolute bombs over the defense. The man simply found his groove and wouldn’t be deterred from scoring on anyone.

This final sequence is worth highlighting. It starts with a strong defensive play that results in an open three-pointer for Garland. But keep watching. Because no, this isn’t one play on a loop. The Cavs get another defensive stop behind a Mobley block, which again immediately materializes in another Garland three-pointer. This is Cavs basketball at its finest.

I understand if anyone felt concerned during Cleveland’s recent stretch. No one will argue they’ve been playing their best basketball of the season. But keep in mind: they hold the third-best record in the NBA since the All-Star break. They are just three games behind OKC during this time.

The Cavs have shown us all they can in the regular season. Now it’s time to see it in the playoffs.