The Cleveland Cavaliers started very slowly this year as they stumbled to an unacceptable 5-7 record due to several reasons that threatened to derail their season.
With Dwayne Wade relegated to the bench, Derrick Rose unable to stay healthy and with Isaiah Thomas injured for the foreseeable future, Cleveland was on the verge of losing control of the whole season.
But the Cavs have seemingly found a way to leave all of that behind as they now stand at 14-7 after winning nine in a row and managing to turn their ship around.
But what exactly have head coach Tyron Lue and star Lebron James been doing to change the team’s confidence and elevate the game of the Cavs players?
First off, the lineup moves. It’s no coincidence that at the same time when Derrick Rose stopped playing the Cavaliers started winning.
With Rose on the floor, the Cavs had a net rating of -12.6 points as they scored a very decent 106.2 points per game but allowed a dismal 118.8. So even though they were scoring a good amount of points with him on the floor their defense was awful.
With Rose on the bench, however, they have a net rating of +5.6 points as they score 110.7 points per game but allow just 105.
Another issue that has hurt the Cavs is the absence of Tristan Thomson, who has been out since November 1, when he suffered a strained left calf. Because of his absence, Kevin Love was forced to play center and he was just being constantly picked apart in the pick and roll.
With Calderon playing minutes instead of Rose, there is a defensive difference that brought down the defensive rating numbers and improved the net rating.
Calderon has very good spatial awareness on the weak side as he covers for teammates when they screw up during a switch and communicates well to get people on the same page.
Other players that have also contributed to the improvement of the Cavaliers are Channing Frye and Kyle Korver.
Before the streak, the Cavs were playing Channing Frye just 6.9 minutes per game, while during the streak he’s been on the floor 17.3 minutes for a +10.4 minutes per game. Meanwhile, Kyle Korver’s time on the floor went from 19.7 to 24.2 minutes per game for a difference of +4.5 minutes.
With both or one of these guys on the floor, Cleveland has been playing much better. Korver has been used mainly on the offensive side of the floor sprinting off screens while running to the right and setting his feet to make a usually open shot. Frye, on the other hand, has been used primarily setting screens for Korver.
LeBron’s improved play has also been a big reason for Cleveland’s winning streak. He’s been more involved and active all over the court during these games and the results on defense for the Cavs have been better, but keep in mind that James is now into his 15th season and he’s shooting career-high 42 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
If defenses don’t adjust and LeBron can continue to scorch the earth like this the Cavaliers will continue to win and dream about what their team can accomplish once Thomas comes back and fills that Kyrie Irving role.
Although there is no guarantee that this will be enough for the Cavs to win the Eastern Conference, it certainly appears that the Cavaliers have found a formula for success and they’ll keep riding it as long as they keep winning.
