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Cavaliers focused on correcting 3-point defense, among league's worst
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- Cavaliers focused on correcting 3-point defense, among league's worst
CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers own one of the NBA's top at-the-rim defensive units, utilizing Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen to force teams into tough nights inside the paint or offensive adjustments to stay out of the lane.
The only problem is that in 1979 the league adopted the 3-point line , allowing players to score three points on a single shot if it was taken far enough away from the rim.
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Opposing teams keep taking advantage of that little wrinkle in the rulebook, and whenever the Cavs defense has run into trouble that's often been the culprit.
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The Cavs entered their Jan. 28 game against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers holding opponents to the the third-lowest field goal percentage inside five feet , at 59.2%. Only the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder , the two teams holding the No. 1 seeds in each conference, have been better.
But behind the 3-point line, the Cavaliers' standing in the league has flipped on its head. Entering Jan. 28, they were 28th out of 30 teams in opposing 3-point shooting percentage at 37.6. Only the Utah Jazz and the Brooklyn Nets have fared worse.
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So, statistically, the Cavs have had the third-best defense at the rim and the third-worst defense at the 3-point line. And that glaring weakness is being exploited by opponents as often as possible.
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Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson was recently asked if he could change one thing about the Cavs defense, what would it be? His answer was direct.
"Defensive 3-point shooting," Atkinson said, before half-jokingly adding, "I'm taking suggestions, so if you want to text me or whatever … but we're looking at all the things, shot quality, right? What's their shot quality? How can we get their shot quality down? How can we contest better?"
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The Cavs are in the middle of the pack in terms of opposing 3-pointers attempted per game (37.1, 18th in the league). It's been more about shot quality than volume. They're hoping Dean Wade being healthy again will help bring many of their defensive numbers into better standing.
The league has become wildly 3-point-heavy, and the Cavs are built to defense the rim like few other teams can. But many of the inside-the-paint advantages the Cavs hold evaporate if teams keep making 3s at such a high rate. Correcting it is at the top of the to-do list for the Cavaliers defense as the season continues deeper into the second half. These things are often a sliding scale, though, and Cleveland could be forced to make a decision on how to shift its focus around the floor.
"The rim is the number one — should be, at least, in our philosophy — the number one priority," Atkinson said. "But can we do a better job of bringing 3-point attempts down? What you control, that's more than the makes and misses, believe it or not, and I know everybody freaks out when people say that, but that's been established.
"In an ideal world, you're taking away the rim and you're limiting 3s. That's the perfect defense. Oh, and not fouling. Three things."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs defense among NBA's best at rim, worst at 3-point line
