The Cleveland Cavaliers did enough to defeat the Brooklyn Nets106-102, but it was far from a perfect game. Let’s get into why.
First, the Cavs struggled to keep control of the ball. They turned it over 17 times, which accounted for 17.9% of their offensive possessions (21st percentile). That would be concerning on its own, it coming against the 27th-ranked defense that is also in the bottom half of the league in forcing turnovers, makes it even more worrisome.
The Cavs are at their best when they get their bigs involved offensively, especially Jarrett Allen. Opponents know this as well and are packing the paint anytime one of Cleveland’s bigs is rolling or available for a pass inside. This led to more than a few of their turnovers on Sunday afternoon.
Additionally, James Harden wasn’t as sharp as he usually is with the ball. He’s responsible for five of Cleveland’s giveaways. Some of these were uncharacteristically sloppy. This could also be a byproduct of playing through a broken thumb.
Opponents know that the Cavs want to get the bigs involved and that Harden isn’t 100%. This will make them more susceptible to turnovers, even against a poor defense like Brooklyn’s. Cleveland will need to be better in this area if they want to avenge Friday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.
Speaking of things that also went wrong on Friday, the Cavs — once again — nearly blew this game late.
They were up seven with a minute and a half left against a bad Nets team, and then proceeded to shoot themselves in the foot. The Cavs allowed the Nets to score on four of their final five possessions, committed two turnovers, and missed two crucial free throws of their own.
The combination of poor clutch defense and not effectively closing the game out at the line is also what did them in against Detroit. Evan Mobley’s big offensive rebound after a Dennis Schröder missed free-throw saved them from being in the same situation they were in then.
A better team than Brooklyn might’ve taken advantage. These late situations are where they miss Donovan Mitchell — who sat out his third straight game with a groin injury — most.
There were still good things to take from this game, particularly how Harden opens up the offense with his passing.
Harden wasn’t perfect, but the way he’s a threat to get the ball to everyone on the court unlocks the offense in a way few in the league can for their team.
Harden has the unique ability to both make every pass and see every opening as if he’s watching everything unfold in slow motion above the action.
This play is a good example of that.
I’m not sure if Harden ever actually sees Sam Merrill on this pass. What he does know is that there’s two defenders on the ball, and two down low taking away the inside pass, and the opposite wing is covered up as well. By process of elimination, the corner must be open, which is where he riffles the pass too.
Merrill was actually drifting away from the corner when he caught it, but the velocity of the pass gives him enough time to set his feet and square his shoulders for the on-balance three.
Harden seems to make his best passes to Merrill.
This also illustrates how Harden just reads and reacts to everything so quickly. He keeps the decision tree open as long as possible, and if the defense gives a better opportunity to one of his teammates, Harden is going to get the ball to them even if he’s already going up with his own shot.
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There aren’t many players who can make passes like this.
Harden contributed a team-high 22 points in the win, but did so on just nine attempts from the field. He did a great job of getting to the line, as he took 12 free throws, which ties his most in a game in a Cavs uniform. Overall, he came into this game attempting over four fewer free-throw attempts in Cleveland than he did with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Most of the fouls he drew came from attacks off-the-dribble. That’s notable because if there were something he’d be hesitant to do coming back from a broken thumb, it’d be driving to the hoop.
Even though he did on Sunday, Harden hasn’t really looked to score since coming to Cleveland. With the Clippers, he was averaging 17.5 shot attempts per game. So far with Cleveland, he’s only taken 17 or more shots once in the eight games he’s played with the Cavs.
Throughout his career, Harden’s shot attempts have mostly reflected the context and offense he was in. In his prime with the Houston Rockets, he routinely averaged over 18 shots a game. When he’s playing off another star player, he’s adjusted his shot attempts down. This was most recently seen when he took under 15 shots a game alongside Joel Embiid when he was with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Harden has mostly tried to set up his teammates in Cleveland. That’s what the situation has called for. And he’s done an excellent job of doing that so far. It’ll be interesting to see if that changes on Tuesday assuming Mitchell will still be out of the lineup.
The Cavs need Donovan Mitchell to play at a faster pace.
Harden’s deliberate style has helped the offense, but it’s done so most when he’s paired with Mitchell’s frenetic energy.
Mitchell has been a one-man break starter this season as the Cavs have gotten out in transition 1.9% more (90th percentile) when he’s on the court compared to when he’s off.
The Cavs were missing this on Sunday. They played at one of their slowest paces of the year, with only 95 possessions. They weren’t able to get anything easy in the open court and mostly relied on Harden and others to create in the half-court. It was good enough to get the win, but it wasn’t their best overall offensive process.
Mitchell and Harden’s opposite styles have blended nicely. That is more apparent when only one of them is on the court.
Keon Ellis has great hands, even if he has a broken finger. He finished with five blocks and three steals in this game. It’s nearly unheard of for a guard at his size to get his hands on the ball with such frequency.
Just look at some of these blocks and steals. I don’t think I’ve seen someone with this combination of size, closing speed, and hands. And he also never gives up on a player and has seemingly endless energy. He’s a complete game-changer on that end.
In another life, Ellis would’ve made for a great free safety.
Evan Mobley is turning the corner. He has now strung together two good games, which is encouraging given how disjointed things looked offensively for him when he first came back from the calf strain after the All-Star break.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson mentioned on Friday that it typically takes Mobley time to find his groove after he returns from an injury. I wouldn’t say he’s found it yet, but the team did play its best basketball with him as they outscored Brooklyn by 24 when he was on the court.
Things are trending in the right direction.
Allen has continued his aggressive play.
He tied Mobley for the most shot attempts on the team (12), which is exactly what you want to see.
The Cavs have continually challenged Allen to be more involved offensively. He was when Harden was out for two games, and that carried over on Sunday when he returned to the floor. The offense will continue to be at its best when he’s involved like this.
