Tired Cavaliers look to regain past form against Rockets
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[January 26, 2023]
In what is a testament to the grueling nature of an 82-game season,
the Cleveland Cavaliers seemingly have plateaued following a roaring
start that made the rest of the league take notice.
The grind appears to have caught up to the Cavaliers, who will
continue their three-game road trip with a game against the Houston
Rockets on Thursday.
With a 105-103 road loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday, the
Cavaliers dropped to 6-6 in January. The offseason addition of
three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell to an ascendant roster paid
immediate dividends for the Cavaliers, whose blend of frontcourt
size and backcourt dynamism yielded instant success over the opening
two-plus months of the regular season.
This month, Cleveland is 15th in offensive rating (115.9), and its
2.1 net rating in January is 11th overall. Even the Cavaliers'
defensive rating (113.8 this month) has slumped.
"We just have to do a better job of sustaining what's working,"
Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "I think we've gotten away
from that."
Returning to form will require an intentional focus on both ends of
the court. Optimal health would also help as Cleveland has dealt
with its share of nagging injuries undermining progress.
Mitchell
returned from a three-game injury hiatus to face the Knicks, and he
missed 15 of 24 shots en route to posting 24 points, eight rebounds
and eight assists. Issues with the left groin strain that sidelined
him flared up late Tuesday, with Mitchell experiencing cramps in
both legs in addition to groin tightness while tumbling to the court
on the Cavaliers' final offensive possession.
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Mitchell
declared himself "all right" afterward, and he is listed as
questionable for Thursday. Given how Cleveland has leveled off this
month, his return to form is paramount to the Cavaliers regaining
the stride that yielded such promise.
Meanwhile, the
Rockets, who feature one of the youngest rosters in the league with
10 players 22 years old or younger, would seem by design inclined to
push the pace and score in transition. And in the first half of
their 108-103 home loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, the
Rockets produced eight fastbreak points en route to building a
commanding 19-point lead.
But the Rockets rank 28th in fastbreak points at 11.2 per game and
16th in pace with 100.08 possessions per 48 minutes. In the second
half against the Wizards, the offense bogged down and Houston scored
only four points in transition while shooting 38.5 percent.
For such a high-turnover team, running for the sake of running comes
with additional risks. Still, given the Rockets' ample youth and the
abundance of athletic players in their rotation, running more
frequently would seem to present an avenue for Houston to generate
easier offense, a necessity for a team ranked next to last in the
NBA in offensive rating (109.1).
"I want us to run more," Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. "I want
us to be a better transition offensive team. There are times when
we'll get out in transition ... and we just won't make a play. I
want us to play a little bit faster."
--Field Level Media
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