A closer look at the Cavs’ league-leading offense: ‘We’re just playing real basketball out there’

The Philadelphia 76ers came out of the gate strong and led 25-14 within eight minutes on Saturday. The Cleveland Cavaliers responded with 16 points in the final four minutes of the first quarter to tie the game. They then jumped out to a 36-point lead in the second quarter to take a double-digit lead. They then opened the third game with nine unanswered points in three minutes, putting the game out of reach.

The Cavs offense is inevitable. They repeatedly pounced on small chances from their opponents to open games. That’s why they’re at the top of the table at 25-4.

The offensive performance that wore down the 76ers was nothing new. It was the third straight game in which the Cavaliers scored 120 or more points. This is an ongoing issue as they have the best offensive rating in the league.

We are more than a third of the way through the season. At this point we just have to accept that they are an offensive juggernaut. The question is, what has caused them to continue to be so impressive?

“I think we have good variety,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said when asked. “I don’t think it’s one thing. We’re not all pick-and-roll, we’re not all transition. We have a pretty good balance when it comes to shooting.”

The balanced external attack is part of it. The Cavs have six players shooting 40% or better with more than two triples per game. These include Donovan Mitchell, who is shooting 40.5% on 9.2 three-pointers per game, and Darius Garland, who is converting 44.2% of his 6.8 outside shots.

This has allowed Cleveland to lead the league in three-point percentage (40.5%). In the first month of the season, Atkinson expressed that they were facing regression. He hasn’t mentioned this lately and may have realized that they are exactly what they are.

“When you shoot the three like that, everything opens up,” Atkinson said. “Any guy we throw out can pretty much shoot. (Jarrett Allen) is probably your only non-three-point shooter. So that gives us a huge advantage.”

As Atkinson first mentioned, there is more than one reason why this team has such a formidable offense. Ty Jerome highlighted selflessness when asked what made the offense so good. Mitchell attributed the good habits they build to this purpose.

“You can tell we’re having a lot of success and we just don’t get tired of the repetition,” Mitchell said. “And sometimes it can be monotonous, over and over again, but that’s what makes you a great team.”

When Evan Mobley was asked about the offense, he mentioned the speed at which they play.

“Just our pace and the way we all play together, the ball movement we have, we’re just playing real basketball out there,” Mobley said. “Everyone reads correctly and does what they are supposed to do.

The pace is significantly different than in previous years. The Cavs play with an intent that allows them to create micro-advantages that they continually seek to exploit until the dam breaks. Playing faster contributes to this.

“It doesn’t build up the defense,” Mobley said when asked why it was so important to play with pace. “When you’re on the floor in about six seconds, the defense isn’t set yet. Mismatches that play a role in it. Once the defense is set, scoring is difficult in the NBA. So the faster you play, the easier it is.”

Interestingly, these three answers all highlight different things that made the game easier for them individually and, in turn, the team. Jerome has benefited from an offense that allows everyone to touch and make plays on the ball. Mitchell has thrived in a more structured environment that relies on players being in the right places on the field and reacting accordingly. And then Mobley has enjoyed the benefits of playing with pace on and off the ball, regularly exploiting mismatches since the Boston Celtics series last May.

The offensive side of the ball has led to the Cavs’ undoing of the last two postseasons. They still have to prove that this won’t happen again next time.

“Ultimately, we’re going to judge (the offense) based on how they transition into the playoffs,” Atkinson said. “That’s always in the back of my mind when I think about the teams we have to play against. How can we even improve this? Because we know defense, that’s a different matter. So that will be the big challenge.”

There’s nothing they can do in December to definitively show that this translates to the playoffs. For now, they will have to settle for being the best offense in the league.