The Wood Shop: Connectedness

When a team is on the same page, they become especially fun to watch on the defensive end. Guys who may be sub par individual defenders get picked up by the collective effort of the four other guys. A mistake reacting results in an opportunity for the team to show how well they can recover. And, guys become willing to help each other for the sake of getting a stop. Needless to say, the Cavs are on the same page right now.

The first play below shows guys stepping up for each other when one of them gets caught by a screen. In the video, Carmelo Anthony catches the ball in the corner. He waits for Derrick Rose to come set a screen, which sort of catches LeBron James off guard. James can’t go over it because of how close Rose is to Melo. So, Kyrie steps out onto to Melo for just a second to keep him from turning to the center of the floor and to prevent him from simply rising up, while the King recovers. Kyrie’s original assignment rolls to the rim, but Tristan Thompson is close enough to prevent him from being a real threat. Ky then recovers .

Melo then gives up the ball to Joakim Noah and screens for Rose.  Kyrie gets caught behind the play going over Melo. The proper play would been to duck under the screen to prevent Rose from driving, since the former Bull isn’t a great jump shooter. However, his mistake doesn’t do damage, as the King covers for him and shuts Rose’s drive down. Rose must then pass out to the corner where Melo has popped open. Only, Kyrie, knowing he has been bested by Rose, just switches directly onto Melo. Melo still drains the shot, but Kyrie is contesting it. He made the right play to make up for his mistake.  The team knows Kyrie isn’t a Tony Allen level defender, but they have been helping him when he needs it. Kyrie has made them want to help by being more aware of what’s going and making the move that the game plan dictates.

In the next play, the whole team covers up for each other multiple times just to get a stop.

Kristaps Porzingis makes the Cavs react initially when he butt bumps Kyrie off of Brandon Jennings, who is doing a sort of shuffle pass hand off with him. TT, insulted that KP dare use his patented booty blast to free a point guard, takes on the task of covering Jennings. TT chases him across the court and prevents him from getting truly open. Jennings ultimately launches a last second three to beat the shot clock and misses. That isn’t that important though.

What matters is what’s going on where the KP screen went down. Kyrie switches onto the Unicorn and follows him into the paint. James, knowing what a big dude wants to do with a smaller guy on him down low, switches onto KP off of his man, Kyle O’Quinn. J.R. Smith who is helping off of Courtney Lee in the original weak side corner crashes down a little more to cover O’Quin. Kyrie is then waved on by J.R. to go and get Lee out by the 3-point line.

J.R. has made this decision, because he knows that Irving can’t handle O’Quinn on the glass. He, however, is up for the challenge. And, when Jennings finally launches his shot, Smith bends at his knees, shoves his hips into Kyle, and uses his arms the perfect amount to execute a box out without getting called for a hold. O’Quinn can’t handle the little man’s skill and fouls him.

These two plays don’t seem like the biggest deal, but the chemistry required to pull them off is immense. The Cavs brought back almost their entire team this season, and it shows.

–

It also helps that the King brought something back this season too, highlight reel defense. Since LeBron returned to Cleveland, it has seemed some parts of his game were left in Miami. During year one, he left a lot of explosiveness at the beach. He went as far as apologizing to fans for not dunking enough. In year two, he looked as explosive as ever, but he lacked the effort on the defensive end he was lauded for in previous seasons. This year it looks like that effort is back. The Block in the Finals might have signaled its return.

Against the Knicks, the King had a ferocious block on Courtney Lee. After giving Lee a baseline drive on purpose, the King stalked him from behind, so he could smash the ball off the glass. How many guys can make that play in the NBA?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOlf5ViEFZI

Against Toronto, the King showed he has grit in the second quarter. After Kyrie got beat by a quick give and go featuring Lowry, the King said, “I got you little buddy,” and took a hard charge right outside the restricted area. Lowry actually went at the King hard enough he landed in a full mount MMA position. He could have ground and pounded the King, but both guys played it cool.

And, against Orlando, the King proved his premediated blocks aren’t going away. He left a lane open for Elfrid Payton go by him on a fast break just so he could aggravate his shot from behind. He didn’t get a vine level block off the play, but it was enough to prevent a basket and demoralize the Magic.

With peak defensive LeBron becoming an almost nightly thing this season, the Cavs have become even harder to defeat. There’s no easy buckets against them. Everything is earned, as the King would say.