10. Defense Matters
The Cavaliers were able to hold Golden State to just 89 points, breaking a 48-game Warriors streak at home of scoring at least 100 point per contest. For the season, Golden State is averaging 114 points each game, which gives an indication of just how strong the Cavs’ defense was on Friday.
That defensive effort has been evident since late November, with Cleveland holding nine of its last 12 opponents under 100 points. Two of those games came when a team hit barely that milestone, finishing with exactly 100 points, while the other came in a December 4 overtime clash against the New Orleans Pelicans, when they allowed 114 points.
There’s nothing really new in saying that playing solid defense will lead to success, but without it against Golden State, the Cavaliers’ woeful 32 percent field goal shooting might have turned a close game into a blowout.
Considering they only lost by six points on the defending NBA champion’s court, there’s no reason to panic in trying to discern how this will affect the Cavaliers’ season. However, addressing the above items will help make the path back to the finals a great deal easier.
