2024 Playoffs Round 1: Cavs (4) / Magic (5) (3-3)

[JujitsuFlip]

Magic switched their PnR coverage. jb is god awful at adjustments but he really should adjust how they're attacking that.

[ijspeelman]

Its not why we are currently losing so I almost shouldn't say it, but the Magic are making legitimately everything tonight and we are missing everything

[JujitsuFlip]

Cavs shouldn't spend too much time on watching this film tomorrow but i will say, prior to Saturday, jb and his staff need to adjust to the new PnR coverage.

[jbk1234]

After Altman addresses the status of Mitchell and JBB, he needs to take a clear-eyed look at his bench this off season. The Magic are considerably better 6-12, maybe 5-12. The Knicks depth killed us last year and if it happens again this year, it won't be solely on JBB.

Niang makes $8M per, which is a lot of money for a guy who probably shouldn't see the floor in the postseason. I'd definitely see if there was a non playoff team looking for a stretch 4 off the bench. Wade has proved too unreliable in terms of availability. That's another $7M. I'm okay making the Q.O. to Okoro, but I wouldn't go very far north of that. TT, Morris, and Damian Jones probably won't be in the league next season so they'll have to be replaced.

[JujitsuFlip]

After Altman addresses the status of Mitchell and JBB, he needs to take a clear-eyed look at his bench this off season. The Magic are considerably better 6-12, maybe 5-12. The Knicks depth killed us last year and if it happens again this year, it won't be solely on JBB.

Niang makes $8M per, which is a lot of money for a guy who probably shouldn't see the floor in the postseason. I'd definitely see if there was a non playoff team looking for a stretch 4 off the bench. Wade has proved too unreliable in terms of availability. That's another $7M. I'm okay making the Q.O. to Okoro, but I wouldn't go very far north of that. TT, Morris, and Damian Jones probably won't be in the league next season so they'll have to be replaced.

Well, see that is why if Mitchell doesn't extend with the first x amount of hours into free agency, the Cavs gotta pivot and just know he isn't gonna be on the team next season. Even if a trade takes several months to materialize.

[jbk1234]

The Cavs should probably consider activating CPJ tonight and staggering Garland/Mitchell fewer minutes. I think they're stuck staggering Allen/Mobley though.

[JujitsuFlip]

The Cavs should probably consider activating CPJ tonight and staggering Garland/Mitchell fewer minutes. I think they're stuck staggering Allen/Mobley though.

His ankle is still messed up from game 82. If he can go on Saturday, I'm sure he will.

[ijspeelman]

I know the Magic defense is one of the best in the league, but we need to break it open a bit.

I think we may be missing some easy passes for buckets. In the past few games, I've seen players making cuts and being wide open in the paint, but different players have missed them in different opportunities. Last night, Garland drove in the lane and the Magic left Mobley wide open in the corner, but it seemed that Garland has the lob pass for Allen (I think it was him anyway).

We can get easier and more efficient looks without having to completely rely on our threes to go in. It would be immensely helpful if they did, but last game specifically felt like we were rushing into pull-up threes and middies that were unnecessary in the moment

Also, I'd like to get our first road win since LeBron

[JonFromVA]

There's a lot of adjustments that need to be made, but some of them are the same adjustments they were supposed to be working on all season so I don't have my hopes up.

Mosley plays a 10 man rotation and didn't stop just because his players were healthy or it's the playoffs. Bickerstaff prepared an 8 man rotation for the playoffs - that's on him.

[toooskies]

I know the Magic defense is one of the best in the league, but we need to break it open a bit.

I think we may be missing some easy passes for buckets. In the past few games, I've seen players making cuts and being wide open in the paint, but different players have missed them in different opportunities. Last night, Garland drove in the lane and the Magic left Mobley wide open in the corner, but it seemed that Garland has the lob pass for Allen (I think it was him anyway).

We can get easier and more efficient looks without having to completely rely on our threes to go in. It would be immensely helpful if they did, but last game specifically felt like we were rushing into pull-up threes and middies that were unnecessary in the moment

Also, I'd like to get our first road win since LeBron

I'm not a fan of contextualizing any Cavs accomplishment as relative to LeBron. We could just call it "Darius Garland's first road win" and capture most of that historical note without putting the entire team in LeBron's shadow.

You don't need LeBron to win a road game. You need to play well on the road.

[JujitsuFlip]

I know the Magic defense is one of the best in the league, but we need to break it open a bit.

I think we may be missing some easy passes for buckets. In the past few games, I've seen players making cuts and being wide open in the paint, but different players have missed them in different opportunities. Last night, Garland drove in the lane and the Magic left Mobley wide open in the corner, but it seemed that Garland has the lob pass for Allen (I think it was him anyway).

We can get easier and more efficient looks without having to completely rely on our threes to go in. It would be immensely helpful if they did, but last game specifically felt like we were rushing into pull-up threes and middies that were unnecessary in the moment

Also, I'd like to get our first road win since LeBron

It's bc the PnR coverage switched from the first 2 games. Our guys didn't know how to beat it, so they were trying to rush to get a shot before getting into halfcourt sets.

I don't think jb knew how to beat it either. Hence why he pulled the plug halfway through the 3rd quarter because we were down nearly 40 points.

If the team comes out tomorrow afternoon expecting lobs and dump offs to be there like game 1 and 2, i expect another blowout win for the Magic.

If jb and his staff can't figure out an effective counter for the 4 or 5 staying home, then i would abandon a lot of the PnR action. Kinda hard when that is essentially jb's entire offense but it's not working.

The way to beat it is attack the POA defender like LeVert did, the issue is LeVert started freezing everyone out once he figured it out.

I would also remove Niang from the rotation in favor of Morris. Like I said, i would probably even start him and move Strus to a bench role.

[ijspeelman]

I know the Magic defense is one of the best in the league, but we need to break it open a bit.

I think we may be missing some easy passes for buckets. In the past few games, I've seen players making cuts and being wide open in the paint, but different players have missed them in different opportunities. Last night, Garland drove in the lane and the Magic left Mobley wide open in the corner, but it seemed that Garland has the lob pass for Allen (I think it was him anyway).

We can get easier and more efficient looks without having to completely rely on our threes to go in. It would be immensely helpful if they did, but last game specifically felt like we were rushing into pull-up threes and middies that were unnecessary in the moment

Also, I'd like to get our first road win since LeBron

I'm not a fan of contextualizing any Cavs accomplishment as relative to LeBron. We could just call it "Darius Garland's first road win" and capture most of that historical note without putting the entire team in LeBron's shadow.

You don't need LeBron to win a road game. You need to play well on the road.

I get that, but its hard to not contextualize it to LeBron bc he's been a part of every Cavs playoff journey (besides last year) since 2003.Its more these milestones as fans to get away from those times, but I guess I may be drawing on them too much

My point is exactly your point. We need to play well on the road

[jbk1234]

There's a lot of adjustments that need to be made, but some of them are the same adjustments they were supposed to be working on all season so I don't have my hopes up.

Mosley plays a 10 man rotation and didn't stop just because his players were healthy or it's the playoffs. Bickerstaff prepared an 8 man rotation for the playoffs - that's on him.

A lot of our top 10 guys got plenty of run this season, and in March specifically, and didn't look great against good teams. Those same guys looked pretty awful last night. I'd argue that Wade's injury forcing Niang into the top 8, coupled with Strus missing his threes, have been the biggest problems so far.

I just don't see how playing CPJ and Merrill behind two small guards was ever going to work. Okoro is maybe half as effective defensively at SF as he is at guard. Every time Merrill plays Okoro gets bumped out to forward. All of their guards really got going when Merrill was on the floor last night. I'm just not buying that *preparation* solves for that problem.

[JujitsuFlip]

CPJ is ruled out of game 4 with the ankle.

[ijspeelman]

[ijspeelman]

[JujitsuFlip]

Aggressive defense in the first 2 minutes by the Cavs.

[JujitsuFlip]

Refs giving the Magic home cooking through the first 6 minutes. Gonna be tough to pull away in this one.

[JujitsuFlip]

I hate this Cavs lineup

[JujitsuFlip]

This Magic team can't hang with our starting 5, man. If the refs would kindly frick off this would be an easy Cavs victory.