Cavs put on a clinic in the fourth quarter.
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t flex their defensive muscles this season the way they had in the past. The Cavs had been a top-five defense for three consecutive seasons before this one. This year, they finished 8th on defense, which is their lowest-ranked defense in the last four seasons.
Now that the NBA Playoffs are here, should we be concerned about the Cavs’ defensive effort in the regular season?
Let’s remember the big picture. Cleveland jumped to an early lead in the standings and spent most of March in cruise control as the Boston Celtics posed little threat to catch them. This, combined with a grueling West Coast road trip, led to the Cavs stumbling on defense during the dog days of the season.
But make no mistake. When the Cavs needed to play defense, they still turned up the heat.
Cleveland held the 6th-best defense against opponents who finished in the top 10 for offensive rating. For comparison, the Cavs had the 11th-ranked defense against the middle-10 teams and the 14th-best defense against bottom-10 offenses.
In other words, the Cavs were better on defense when they had a reason to be. This was evident in their last win of the regular season. Let’s take a look at the tape.
Defensive clinic in MSG
The Cavs had nothing to play for in their final game against the New York Knicks. They had already clinched the top seed of the conference. So no one could have blamed them if they rolled over and accepted defeat after falling behind by 23 points in the first half.
But after giving up 39 points in the first quarter, the Cavaliers managed to hold New York under 25 points in each of the next three frames. Below, we see Max Strus and Evan Mobley blow up New York’s two-man game and force a shot clock violation. Mobley’s value as a potential Defensive Player of the Year gives the Cavaliers another gear they can switch into when he’s in a groove.
Now the Cavs are creeping back into the game. Below, we see Allen is on an island with Brunson. He slides his feet, stays in front and delivers a quality contest on Brunson’s step-back jumper. Allen’s an elite defensive anchor and shows his versatility on the perimeter.
Two plays later, Dean Wade chases Brunson through a screen, stays attached and forces him into a lost ball turnover. A defensive oriented lineup such as this one can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the NBA.
Wade isn’t as prominent in Cleveland’s rotation now that De’Andre Hunter is filling the void but the Cavs still have an obvious place for Wade in their upcoming playoff run. Wade’s versatility and staunch rebounding gives the Cavaliers a legitimate defensive tool on their bench.
This all accumulated in a bone-crushing performance in the fourth quarter. It was a defensive masterclass that… unfortunately, doesn’t have clips available on NBA.com. All we have is this defensive stop from Allen — who again holds his own on the perimeter.
Take my word for it. The Cavs were swarming in the clutch. Wade, Mobley and Allen wreaked havoc on everything the Knicks tried to do. They held New York to 16 points in the fourth quarter and 27.3% shooting in the second half overall. This all reminded us what the Cavaliers are capable of when defense is their top priority.
The regular season can only mean so much. Cleveland has the burden of proving all of this in the playoffs. But it should be noted that the Cavaliers posted sturdy defensive ratings in both of their previous postseason outings. This suggests the defense they have flashed this season should translate to the big stage. All that’s left is to prove it.