2 meters 11 tall, weighing 109 kilograms, athletically talented perverted "alphabet brother" Antetokounmpo stood on the court, most opponents saw him and trembled three times, but this "majority" did not include the Cavaliers.
You have the alphabet brother, I have the front court three towers. Ivan Mobley and Jarrett Allen can play two MVPs in terms of size alone, not to mention that the Cavaliers do not intend to fight alone, they are putting the two elders on the field at the same time to play the siege war.
On January 27, Beijing time, the Cavaliers sat at home to beat the Bucks 115-99, after which the Cavaliers ranked against the Bucks to reach the 4th place in the East, while squeezing the Bucks to 5th place. Don't look at the alphabet brother 13 shots 7, free throws 12 shots 11 of 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, the data is OK, but 7 turnovers and -11 points on the floor net win points are extremely dazzling.
It seems that the knight has become one of the nemesis of the alphabet brother. Alphabet has played against the Cavaliers twice this season, the last time he scored 27 points but only 9 of 19 shooting, assisted only 2 but had 4 turnovers, and lost 5 fouls. After two games, Brother Alphabet's scoring, efficiency, and assists did not reach the normal level of the season, and the mistakes were numb.
Last season, the Cavaliers, who were still competing for the bottom of the East, how did they stand at the forefront of the sniper Bucks' defense this season with the strongest dark horse in the league?
Player configuration, what kind of cattle do the Cavaliers have?
After LeBron James left the Cavaliers, the Cavaliers went into rebuilding mode again. In the past few years, although the Cavaliers have acquired several young players through the draft, none of them have shown the potential to become superstars. Small-market teams like Cleveland can't attract big stars, and management can only build teams by participating in big deals and drafts for other teams.
The key to the Cavaliers' rise this season is that the rookies selected before have made great progress, Mobley, who was selected with a probing stick in 2021, far exceeded expectations, Jarrett Allen played a performance close to the All-Star level in the original trade, the introduction of Markkanen has excellent compatibility with the team, Kevin Luck and Ottoman "resurrection".
None of these players may be able to become the cornerstone superstar of the team, but together they produce a perfect chemistry.
Defensively, Allen and Mobley built a no-fly zone on the Cavaliers' interior, and the Cavaliers were no.1 in the league under the basket. What's even more frightening is that both have a height of more than 2.10 meters and excellent foot movement, positions are interchangeable, and they can cover the defensive range to the three-point line. This combination of interior lines allows the Cavaliers' defense to cope with a variety of offensive teams, and they can use small shooters such as Trae Young to form tall commandos such as the human wall defense letter brother.
Looking at this round, Alphabet Brother was hit by 2.01m Ottoman and 2.11m Allen in the blocking, and finally passed the ball wrong, Alphabet Brother usually saw this kind of shady defense outside the three-point line.
Looking at these few rounds, Brother Alphabet was either forced out of the human wall defense composed of Mobly and his teammates, or he could not break through the pass mistake in the face of Allen's defense.
Allen and Mobley kept the Cavaliers' defensive base, while Garland took charge of the offense. This season, Garland has been one of the best point guards in the East, and he may be the best point guard in the East to shoot, pass and burst, and his projection and tandem ability has improved a lot. Garland is the Cavaliers' chief blocker and passer, as well as the chief singles player, scoring the league's top 1.125 points per singles per game this season. Garland's efficiency in catching shots around cover and pointing shots is also impressive. This combination of possession and no-ball makes him suitable for any lineup, either creating opportunities for the inside or taking advantage of allen and Mobley's high-post tactics to play without the ball.
In the case of Sexton and Rubio's reimbursement and Markkanen's recent truce due to an ankle injury, the Cavaliers can still maintain excellent offense, relying on the "resurrection" of Lefour and Osman. Last season, Love had been on the fringes of the situation and on the court, but this season he was a strong contender for the best sixth man of the year, shooting more than 40% from three-point range. Osman's three-point shooting dropped to just 30.6 percent last season, but this season he's improved his three-point shooting percentage to more than 36 percent. Today's game with the Bucks, the two combined 23 three-pointers to shoot 11, the Bucks only shot 9 three-pointers.
Others, such as Rondo, who came through the trade, Devon Wade, Ocro, etc., who came through the trade in the middle of the way, also made different contributions to the Cavaliers. This team doesn't have superstars, but the depth of this team is the league's top.
Strange playing style, how did the Cavaliers come up with it?
The Cavaliers are the most peculiar team in the league, and most other teams are sticking to the small ball, but the Cavaliers have done the opposite. When Markkanen was healthy, the Cavaliers started with 3 big ones over 2.10 meters tall. In the rotation time, they can replace Loafer at 2.03 meters, Wade at 2.06 meters, and Osman at 2.01 meters. At any time, the knight can always maintain the advantage of height.
Cavaliers coach Bixtav Jr. has always liked to play three highs, and he has tried three highs in both the Grizzlies and the Cavaliers, but the effect is not good. The defeat after a brief attempt did not deter Bixtaugh Jr., and after witnessing the 2020 Lakers and 2021 Bucks win the championship by interior defense and height, Bixtaff Jr. and Cavaliers general manager Altman strengthened their determination to play three highs.
Altman said: "We've watched a lot of footage, studied the championships of the last few years, and they're all teams that are very good defensively. The Bucks own Antetokounmpo and Brooke Lopez. The Lakers have LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, they all play big lineups, and they all win championships. ”
When the Cavaliers took the Probe Flower Stick to choose Mobley to form the three highs, there was a lot of doubt from the outside world, because they were not sure whether Mobley and Allen would be compatible. But it turns out that Mobley and Allen are not only compatible, but also very complementary.
Altman said: "We don't think Mobley is a player with a character very much like Allen, we feel they can coexist. ”
The height advantage, combined with allen and Mobley's formidable ability to guard the basket, gave the Cavaliers the league's best under-the-basket defense. In terms of basketball defensive dominance, the Cavaliers learned the essence of the Lakers and Bucks. Bixtav Jr. said: "Opponents can really feel the pressure that our height advantage brings to them. ”
Future prospects, short-lived or real?
Halfway through the schedule, the Cavaliers have proven that their rise is not accidental, nor will it be a flash in the pan. The Cavaliers are currently no. 4 in the East, just one win away from the No. 1 Heat in the East, and they even have a chance to reach the top of the Eastern Conference, and in the absence of two key guards and a starting forward.
Plagued by injuries, the Cavaliers still have a 14-14 record against teams with more than 50% wins, and they play the league's sixth-place winning percentage behind the Suns, Grizzlies, Warriors, Jazz and Heat. The victories won in these hard battles are enough to prove the quality of the knights.
The Cavaliers have now developed a proven system that allows allen and Mobley to maintain the league's top five levels of defense as long as they are there. And as long as Garland and the two interior cores are there, they can at least maintain the midstream level of the league's offense. Next, the Cavaliers only need to boost the offense.
The Cavaliers don't have the comfort of being a little rich, and the Cavaliers management is working to upgrade the lineup through trades. It is reported that the Cavaliers are keeping an eye on Eric Gordon, LeVert, Robert Covington, this kind of player who can improve the team's bench firepower and forward defense is exactly the puzzle that the Cavaliers need. If the Cavaliers can complete the goal of improving the scoring firepower, flank defense and projection ability of the backcourt before the trade deadline, their strength is enough to make the Nets, Bucks, and Heat feel frightened.
As for the future, a team with multiple young players and salary space has a bright future.
"We haven't finished evolution yet," Bixtaugh Jr. said.