The Cleveland Cavaliers laid a huge golden egg in game five of their Eastern Conference semi-finals with a 120-88 drubbing at the hands of the Boston Celtics. Most of the blame will be heaped upon the league MVP, LeBron James, and certainly he didn’t play up to his standards. However, one of the problems this team has had since Mike Brown became coach was the real problem…the lack of an offensive structure.
The Cavs spent most of the game in their normal one guy with the ball, another in the post, and the other three spaced around the three point circle. There is no movement, no cutting, no nothing. It makes it very easy to guard James, becasue the defense can play a virtual zone defense, packing everyone in the paint, particularly if no one is hitting open shots.
Why not start James below the free throw line, where he is a threat to score as soon as he catches the ball? Is James the guy who wants to play with the ball at the top of the key? Getting James the ball near the basket puts pressure on the defense right from the get go.
The lack of movement on offense also lends to a lot of long perimeter jump shots, which if missed, turn into long rebounds and fast break opportunities. And when Rajon Rondo gets in the open court, he is a most dangerous offensive weapon.
Just watch the Celtics on offense, Ray Allen spends most possession running all around the perimeter. They dump the ball into Kevin Garnett, and cut to the basket off of him in the low post.
The Cavs will do this occasionally with Shaquille O’Neal, but most times the big guy gets the ball and waits for the double or triple team before passing out to the perimeter for a jump shot.
The management has put some offensive weapons around James, but they are not used properly. It is telling that Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, and even the recently acquired Antawn Jamison were all better offensive players with their former teams than they are with the Cavs. Perhaps it is James demanding the ball, but more likely it is a poorly designed offensive concept.
The Cavs led 29-21 in the middle of the second quarter, when Boston went on a 15-0 run, and the wine and gold settled for mostly perimeter jumpers in that stretch, because there is no motion in the offense.
If you are playing a team with a good defensive scheme, such as the Celtics, it becomes more prudent to run sets where you know you are going to get a good shot. The Cavaliers have no such plan, and that makes it a stuggle to score.
Now, the team who has had the best regular season record the last two seasons faces the daunting task of going to Boston in a must win situation to continue its season. Unless someone on the bench can solve the Celtic defense, which swarmed James everytime he touched the ball, and put together a package where you can penetrate the Boston virtual zone, this season of promise will be over.
And the Cavs will likely be looking for a new coach, or at least someone who has some offensive game planning to help Mike Brown.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 