In Defense of Good Defense

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a position with today's game to set the tone for their entire 2010 playoff run. The Cavs made a habit this year of coasting through three quarters, only ratcheting up the skill level and intensity in the fourth to take the win. This team ended the season on a four game losing streak after sitting most of the starters and not using any sort of game plan with the bench players. This team, much of the time, has not had its head in the game to say the least. It has trusted that its superior talent would carry it far enough that anything resembling maxiumum effort was unnecessary. This was largely true in the regular season.

But not in the playoffs.

Joel Bringham at HoopsWorld calls this a "character game" for the Cavs. It's a game that will show the league and the fans how serious this championship run is. It's a chance for this Cavs team to flex its muscles and prove how outclassed the Bulls really are in the series. Four of five Cavs starters have been All-Stars and a fifth comes off the bench. Two are going to be in the Hall of Fame. Last year's Coach of the Year is manning the bench.

The Bulls are riding a second- and third-year player and a second year coach that recently got into a physical altercation with the GM.

The Cavs are one of the deepest teams in the league, unable to find playoff minutes for someone that started 70 games in the regular season, and one of the league's best 3-point shooters.

The Bulls rely on a rookie and two journeymen past the starting five.

So what's the problem?

Henry Abbott at ESPN.com recently wrote, The playoffs are different. The fouls are harder, the preparation is more intense, the defensive schemes are more focused, and the easy shots are memories.

Apparently nobody sent this to the Cavs.

Following a Game 1 that showed crisp defense and punishing offense the Cavs let their foot off the gas pedal and let the Bulls back into the series. Game 2, a Cavs victory, was closer than it should have been because the Cavaliers lacked a sense of urgency. Defensive rotations were slow, Mo Williams was for some reason guarding Derrick Rose and the Cavs players were shying away from contact. Cleveland was able to simply outscore Chicago down the stretch to secure the victory.

After absorbing a tough shot from the Bulls and still claiming the win the Cavs came out flat in Game 3, quickly going down by double digits. The team got back into the bad habits built during the season of only turning it on in the fourth and expecting a win. Williams was still mystifyingly guarding Rose, who wrote his name all over the paint. Cavalier interior defenders did their best matador impressions by letting him to the cup if they weren't in place to draw the charge, consistently allowing easy baskets. Worse still, they let Kirk Heinrich get hot, pouring in 27 points.

The Cavs miraculously only lost this game by 2 because they picked up their scoring, but make no mistake: Cleveland lost this game on its horrendous defense.

This team needs to remember that this is the NBA and this is the playoffs. Anything less than 100% is unacceptable because the competition here includes the greatest players in the world and the stakes are an NBA Championship. These players need to body up on defense and give hard fouls in the paint. They need to play like every team is the Orlando Magic because if they don't, by the time they do face the Magic they might find that it's too late to turn that switch.

Worse still they might find themselves, once again, watching the Finals from home.