In his second year as Cavaliers head coach, Byron Scott has the rebuilding team at a respectable 13-18 record. In the vulnerable Eastern Conference, this is good for the 9th best record. A review of Cleveland’s performance regarding offense, defense, and pace helps illustrate how the team has improved.
Improving Execution of the Princeton Offense
When the lockout ended and training camp opened, Scott said that he and his staff would simplify the Cavaliers’ offense this year and rely more on instinct. Running a less complicated offense has given the young Cavaliers more confidence than they had last season. This has proven to be especially important because offensive production across the NBA has suffered from the practice time lost due to the lockout. Teams are scoring 4.6 points fewer per game this year (95.0 vs. 99.6), which includes 4.1 points fewer per 100 possessions (103.2 vs. 107.3).
Although the Cavs are actually scoring less this year (93.7 PPG) than last year (95.5 PPG), they have improved from 25th in the league in points per game to 19th. Regarding efficiency, the Cavs are about 1 point per 100 possessions behind last year’s mark (101.4 vs. 102.2); however, this has improved their ranking from 29th in the league to 22nd. This has included a boost in 3-point shooting, where the Cavs are tied for 10th in 3-point field goal percentage (35.7%) and tied for 9th in 3-point field goals made per game (6.9).
The steady play has been orchestrated by point guards Kyrie Irving and Ramon Sessions. They have combined for 28.5 points per game (18.1, 10.4) and 10.6 assists per game (5.1, 5.5). Although Omri Casspi has struggled in Cleveland by posting career lows in points per game, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, and free-throw percentage, Antawn Jamison and Alonzo Gee have stepped up to provide 17.4 and 10.1 points per game, respectively.
The high level of confidence is not without flaws. The Cavaliers are averaging 14.9 turnovers per game, which is 24th in the league (7th worst). They are also shooting only 69.7% from the free-throw line, which is nearly 5% worse than last season (74.5%). This includes Tristan Thompson’s free-throw mark of 45.3%, something that can be improved over time.
Establishing the Defensive System
Despite not getting much credit for it, Scott and his staff take great pride in having their team play good defense. The Cavaliers have responded by improving on the defensive end this season, giving up 7 fewer points per game than last season (97.3 vs. 104.5). While this ranks the same as last season (23rd in the league in opponent points per game), the Cavs improved from 29th in defensive efficiency last season (111.8 points per 100 possessions) to 23rd this season (105.3). The Cavaliers’ intensity has led to more steals per game (7.6 vs. 6.6) and more blocks per game (4.7 vs. 4.2).
Most importantly, the Cavaliers are forcing opponents to shoot at a much lower percentage than last season. Opponents are shooting 44.9% from the field (47.5% last season) and 35.3% from 3-point range (41.1% last season). After ranking 30th (last in the NBA) in opponent 3-point percentage and opponent 3-point field goals allowed, the Cavaliers now rank 19th in opponent 3-point percentage and tied for 14th in opponent 3-point field goals made per game.
Adjusting the Pace?
Although his Chris Paul-led Hornets teams ran a slower pace, Scott has actually preached speeding up the pace with the Cavaliers with Irving now starting at point guard. As it stands, the Cavs are playing 1 less possession per game this season (91.8 vs. 93.0), but so is the rest of the league (91.4 vs. 92.1). With half a season left, Scott may still have the team speed things up, but he will do so with some caution, as the Cavs need to stay healthy with 35 regular season games left.
Fast or slow, a controlled pace remains critical to the team’s success. The Cavs may be scoring fewer fastbreak points per game this season (11.5 vs. 14.1), but they are also giving up fewer fastbreak points per game this season (9.5 vs. 14.2). In fact, the Cavs are tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for fewest fastbreak points allowed per game. If the Cavs can continue to control the tempo of games, they may still be in the running for a playoff spot at season’s end.
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Most statistics came from Basketball-Reference.com. Team per game stats came from Yahoo! Sports. Fastbreak points per game came from TeamRankings.com.