The Cavaliers’ Defense Has Accomplished This Feat For The First Time Since 2009

With Monday night’s victory over Orlando, Cleveland has now held opponents to 86-or-fewer points in consecutive postseason games for the first time since 2009.

Apr 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) defends Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) in the fourth quarter during game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers had one of the NBA’s premier defenses this regular season, holding opponents to an average of 110.2 points per game. This mark ranked seventh in the league.

But two games into the 2024 NBA Playoffs, the Wine and Gold’s defense has been on another level.

On Monday night, Cleveland put on another strong showing in Game 2 of its First Round series against the Orlando Magic en route to a 96-86 win. The Cavaliers now hold a 2-0 series lead, already doubling their number of postseason victories from a year ago.

After holding the Magic to just 83 points this past Saturday as well, the Wine and Gold’s latest performance secured a feat that they had not accomplished in over a decade.

According to Stathead, Cleveland has held its opponent to 86 points-or-fewer in consecutive postseason games for the first time since 2009. Before this series, the Cavaliers’ last did this in each of their first eight games of the 2009 NBA Playoffs, when they swept the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks in consecutive series.

Apr 22, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) defends Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) in the fourth quarter during game two of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Defensively, the Wine and Gold have already posted more games of 86-or-fewer points than they did this past regular season, as they did not hold a single opponent to this mark in these 82 contests.

So far this series, the Cavaliers have held Orlando well under its usual shooting percentages. The Magic shot 47.6% from the field, 35.2% from three-point range, and 75.9% from the free-throw line this past regular season. On the contrary, the Wine and Gold have limited Orlando to just 34.3% from the field, 23.6% from beyond the arc, and 67.9% on free throws.

If Cleveland can maintain this blistering defensive prowess, the Cavaliers could be poised for a deep run this postseason.