Key to Game: How Suns Defeat Cavs
The Phoenix Suns sit at 37-27 - and with 18 games remaining they must treat every upcoming game as if it were the last of the season.
Insert the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers have been in the same breath as the Suns since the beginning of 2024.
With that comes the truth that Cleveland doesn't necessarily have a glaring weakness.
The Cavaliers stack up quite nicely according to most metrics and raw stats - but there is one area the Suns can possibly exploit them in - three-point shooting.
Cleveland ranks 17th in the league in three-point percentage this season, and these inconsistencies have flared up somewhat recently.
They shot 32.4% from deep in a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, 22.7% in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks, and 31.3% in victory over the Washington Wizards, to name a few.
While the Cavaliers have had several strong shooting performances to counteract the worse ones, they seem to be most exploitable in games where three-point volume is higher across the board.
Star center Jarrett Allen has also been a menace in the key over the last three months - and it's very likely in the Suns' best interest to keep the ball on the perimeter, especially with Donovan Mitchell and five other Cleveland players unable to go.
The bottom line is the Cavaliers are unlikely to have the firepower to take the Suns out with a poor shooting night - and the best chance at that is schematically keeping the ball on the perimeter.
