Cavaliers' Defense Starting To Become A Liability And Cost Them Games
The Cleveland Cavaliers were considered to have one of, if not the best, defense in the entire NBA for the first half of the season.
They still have a fantastic overall defense and rank as the second-best team with a 110.5 defense rating. However, teams are starting to take advantage of their weakness and the holes are really starting to show.
The primary problem with the Cavs is their three-point defense.
So far this season, Cleveland ranks in the lower half of the league in opponent three-point percentage giving up 36 percent of the three their opposition takes.
But it's only gone downhill lately. They rank at the very bottom of the league by letting their opponent shoot 36.9 percent against them.
This is a troubling trend that is undoubtedly costing the Cavs wins.
Let's look at Tuesday night's loss to the Knicks as an example. New York is far from being a good or even great three-point shooting team. They connect on 34.5 percent of their shots from behind the arc and their best shooter, Jalen Brunson, connects on 40 percent of his threes. It drops off quickly after that.
Jan 24, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Quentin Grimes (6) shoots against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio (13) in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
However, the Knicks exploded from behind the arc against the Cavs and they ended up shooting 51 percent from three on over 30 attempts. Cleveland ended up losing by two.
Teams in the NBA are shooting three-pointers at a higher rate than we've ever seen in NBA history. Having your biggest weakness be in the department is certainly not ideal.
Cleveland has a talented defense team, but they need to find a scheme that works that will eliminate their defensive woes.
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