The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t assemble the highest-paid roster in the league just to get out of the first round.
“We haven’t done anything,” Donovan Mitchell said after his team closed out the Toronto Raptors in seven games. “It’s just the first round.”
The Cavs will have their hands full against a 60-win Detroit Pistons team that proved to be one of the best defenses in the league all season. That said, there’s a path to winning the series and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. Let’s get
into the keys for Game 1.
1. Reestablish the pick-and-roll
Both Mitchell and James Harden struggled to shake free of Toronto’s perimeter defenders. The top-locking defensive strategy, coupled with their ability to switch every screen and not be at a distinct disadvantage because of it, made it difficult for them to establish a consistent scoring rhythm. At least not the kind we’re used to seeing.
Detroit is a better statistical and traditional defense than Toronto. They were the second-best unit in the league for a reason. Their ability to run teams off the three-point line, funnel them inside, and then provide tough contests from there made them difficult for teams to crack, especially with two imposing centers in Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart.
At the same time, they aren’t a switch-heavy team like the Raptors, which does present some additional openings for the Cavs to attack mismatches.
Cleveland’s best offense this year has been when they can create advantages off the pick-and-roll. They should be able to get into those actions much easier, given Detroit’s drop coverage.
2. Exploiting the weak links
The Raptors weren’t the most talented team in the playoffs, but there aren’t many groups that had as many passable two-way players. There really weren’t any weak links to attack on offense or ignore completely on defense.
The Pistons have more talent, but there’s more guys who aren’t high impact on both sides of the ball.
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Duncan Robinson is a great shooter, but he’s someone that the guards can go after in a matchup much easier than any of Toronto’s rotation players. On the other end, Ausar Thompson is a phenomenal defender, but you can cheat off him defensively due to his lack of playmaking and shooting.
The Cavs also have several players that teams can take advantage of as well. Opponents mostly ignore Dean Wade on offense and attack guys like Mitchell and Harden on the other end.
The team that can hide its weaker players and exploit their opponents could come away with the win.
3. Find the three-point shot
The Cavs won their first-round series without ever getting the three-ball going. They shot just 34.1% from beyond the arc throughout the series. This included shooting below 30% in three games, including the Game 7 victory.
Cleveland isn’t the outside-shooting juggernaut they were at times last year, but they’re still one of the better shooting teams in the league as they connected on 36% of their shots in the regular season.
This is an advantage they should have over Detroit. The Pistons aren’t a high-volume three-point shooting team, and they don’t connect on them particularly well. That came through repeatedly in their first-round victory over the Orlando Magic, even in some of their wins.
4. Win the possession game
Head coach Kenny Atkinson has preached the need to grab rebounds and limit turnovers all season. The Cavs struggled at times throughout their first-round series with both, but closed the Raptors out in Game 7 by winning this category by nine.
That same focus will be needed against the Pistons.
Cade Cunningham was at his worst in the first round when he was turning the ball over. He averaged 5.9 giveaways per game against Orlando. This includes averaging 6.7 in Detroit’s three losses.
As a team, the Pistons aren’t great at protecting the ball. They finished the regular season 22nd in turnover percentage (15%) as an offense. However, what they made up for that in other areas, particularly in offensive rebounding and forcing turnovers of their own.
Detroit was second in offensive rebounding percentage in the regular season. They grabbed 34.3% of their missed shots.
On the other end, the Pistons had the highest turnover percentage in the league as a defense. They turned opponents over on 16.8% of their possessions.
However, despite their good offensive rebounding, they struggled ending possessions, as they finished 20th in defensive rebounding percentage.
There are areas the Cavs can attack here. They could be disruptive on the offensive glass and force Cunningham into turnovers. But they have to be careful not to fall victim to those same issues themselves.
5. Can Dean Wade make things difficult for Cade Cunningham?
Stopping a player as good as Cunningham is a complete team effort, but you’d expect Wade to draw the primary assignment on the superstar guard.
Wade has been the team’s best wing defender all season. He did an excellent job of taking Brandon Ingram away at the beginning of the series against Toronto and shifted onto Barnes as the series progressed.
Cunningham struggled against Orlando when he was guarded by Franz Wagner. Wagner’s size and strength presented real issues. It wasn’t until a calf strain forced Wagner out of the lineup that Cunningham really got going.
Wade has some of those same qualities. He has good length, quickness, and strength. Wade has continually shown he’s comfortable defending on the perimeter against an opponent’s primary offensive engine.
The key to this will likely come down to the other end of the court. For Wade’s defense to be its most effective, his offense needs to be good enough to justify staying on the court. That was an issue at times in the first round as Wade’s outside shot left him for stretches.
Outside of Wade, the Cavs don’t have many good options to turn to for guarding Cunningham. Max Strus has shown a willingness to battle with bigger wings, but he doesn’t have the strength or size to present the same issues for Cunningham. Jaylon Tyson has had stretches of looking like that guy, but it’s fair to question whether he’s ready for such a big assignment.
Cunningham is the head of the snake. There’s no situation where the Pistons get past the Cavs if he isn’t playing at an All-NBA level. That puts a premium on Wade and the rest of the team’s defense against Cunningham.
