East Quickly Becoming Cavs and Cav Nots

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

Without much fanfare, the Cleveland Cavaliers have become this year’s Phoenix Suns. With eight straight wins under their belt – including a sound 115-93 beating of the Celtics last night – the Cavs are the hottest team in the league going into their Thanksgiving night showdown with the Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse. Much like the Suns last season, Cleveland’s offense is, so far anyway, one of the best in league history, led by a former Rookie of the Year, LeBron James, who is making a strong case for MVP in his third season – just as the Suns’ Amare Stoudemire did last year.


But you can forgive the fans at Quicken Loans Arena for not dancing in the aisles quite yet over their team’s 9-2 start. Their skepticism has to do with something other than the home court’s awkward name. Last November, the Cavs sprinted out of the gate to a 30-20 record, winning nine of 10 during one stretch near Thanksgiving. But the holiday season was cruel in Cleveland, and the Cavs soon fell into a 12-20 nosedive. In the process, the entire organization melted down: Coach Paul Silas was fired with 18 games left in the season, GM Jim Paxson was sent packing early in the off-season, which began unceremoniously when the Cavs were nosed out of the final playoff spot by the Nets on the last night of the regular season.


Save for the dominant presence of James, this year’s team couldn’t be more different from last year’s model. Last season’s team was just above average, 12th to be precise, in both offensive and defensive efficiency (points scored and allowed per 100 possessions).This year’s squad, assembled by former pro Danny Ferry and coached by former Rick Carlisle assistant Mike Brown, is an offensive juggernaut. The Cavs are sporting an Offensive Efficiency rating of 116.3. Last year’s Suns posted a 114.7, the best of the century.


So why isn’t the press falling over itself to praise the Cavs new offense? Because they play at a slow tempo, averaging only 93.5 possessions per game, 20th in the league. Nevertheless, that 116.3 is better than anything posted by the Jordan Bulls, the Magic Lakers, or the Bird Celtics.


The Cavaliers’ success certainly reflects some good off-season moves by Ferry, but any discussion of the Cavaliers personnel obviously must begin with James. As if 27.6 points, 51.3% shooting, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists don’t speak loudly enough, remember that the assists and rebounds are actually down from his career averages, and, most important, he’s still only 20 (he’ll turn 21 in late December).


Most players make great strides during their early 20s, so the idea that James will average a triple-double someday seems less like a titillating possibility and more like the logical progression of his game.


The most impressive aspect of James’s game this season is his shooting percentage, which is up 6.3% above his career average. It reflects the fact that the Cavs have a diverse arsenal of offensive threats. Although they play at a slow pace, there are fewer possessions that result in James desperately going one-on-one – or one-on-two or one-on-three – to beat the shot clock.


James had to shoulder a lot of the offensive load last season since the Cavs had only two other scoring threats: center Zydranus Ilgauskus and power forward Drew Gooden. Ferry doubled that total in the off-season by adding forward Donyell Marshall, guard Larry Hughes, and point guard Damon Jones.


Hughes is still finding his way into Brown’s motion offense, but his 17 points and 4.5 assists are good numbers for a second option on a team with many. Gooden’s game has taken a step up this season. The power forward isn’t scoring as much as last season – 12.2 points a game this season to 14.4 last – but his shooting percentage is up by 3.1%, he’s committing fewer turnovers, and his rebounding remains rock solid at 9.2 per game. Ilgauskus, who resigned in the off-season, continues to post respectable numbers – 13.8 points and 8.4 boards in 28 minutes a game. Marshall has yet to show the three-point stroke that became his calling card in Toronto, but with 11.4 points and eight rebounds in 27 minutes a game, he’s a valuable sixth man.


Jones was the last of the off-season signings, but he’s been extremely valuable – perhaps even more so than starting point guard Eric Snow. Snow is a good distributor and rarely turns the ball over, but as his 3.9 points per game indicates, he still has no outside shot. But at least he knows it: Snow has attempted only one three pointer all season.


When Snow has run the offense this season, better defenses like Memphis and San Antonio – both of which have beaten the Cavs – have nearly dared him to shoot by leaving him open and using five players to swarm his four teammates. Jones has no such issues. He’s scoring 9.6 points per game in 25 minutes of action, and he’s shooting 44.4%, which keeps defenses from sagging on his teammates. He’s also adept at running the break, and while the Cavs are fielding a solid half-court offense already, with James, Hughes, and Gooden, they also possess a quick and potent fast break.


Okay, so we’ve established the offense is among the league’s best. But what should really have the home fans clamoring for playoff tickets is that the Cavs’ defense is better than it seems. Yes, they’re allowing 95.3 points a game and presently rank 19th in Defensive Efficiency, but they rebound well, don’t allow many drives in the lane (as indicated by a relatively low amount of free throws allowed per field goals attempted), and they cause a good amount of turnovers.


In reality, they’ve simply been burned by opponents making an unusually high percentage of shots, but that is easily remedied. Gooden is a good shot blocker, so they’ll have to tighten their man-to-man assignments on the perimeter and hope he can bail them out if necessary.


Last season, the Cavs folded down the stretch because of a significant drop-off after their three core players. This season, the core is seven deep, and beyond them are mix of developing young players like Luke Jackson and Sasha Pavlovic, and savvy veterans like Zendon Hamilton and Alan Henderson. It’s a much better constructed roster, and even with this early burst of success, none of the Cavaliers are wildly overachieving. Barring a key injury, Cleveland will almost certainly give Detroit a significant run for the Central Division title this year, and should be counted among the elite for several years to come.


mjohnson@nysun.com


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