Defense steps up for the Cavs in a blowout over the Wizards

(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Facing the Wizards for the second time in less than a week, the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to flip the switch the flip from the first game, winning the turnover battle, and most importantly the game, 111-87.

The Cavs were able to force 17 turnovers, leading to 22 points -- almost identically to Washington's numbers in the previous match-up, a game in which the Wizards won by 13. Turnovers were just a part of the strong overall defensive effort by the Cavs, in which they held the Wizards to 46.7 percent shooting from the field.

Part of their improved performance on that end was limiting the play of John Wall. In the first game, Wall was the difference for the Wizards in the last game, netting 27 points, six rebounds and seven points, but was limited to just six points on 2-of-6 shooting. Irving, who has improved his defense over the course of the year, took on the challenge of guarding Wall, and succeeded in doing so.

LeBron James, who criticized himself after the team's recent four-game losing streak, played like his former self, almost putting up a triple-double. He had 29 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but it was his defense that came up big tonight. He had a season-high four steals and showed the energy that was lacking just a week ago.

Overall, this was one of the best all-around games the Cavs have played all season. With a fairly easy schedule coming up, Cleveland should start to get things rolling and begin to fly over the .500-mark, playing like the team many expected to be.

Three Things:

1. The D is slowly improving.

The Cavs will never have a Memphis or Chicago defense, nor do they need one, but from where they were last week, they have made some tremendous strides. Washington still hit -- percent of shots, but the amount of easy shots they had were at a minimum, forcing the Wizards to shoot a plethora of mid-range jumpers. For as good as there offense has been, the defense is starting to become at the level they need to win contend. Communication looked head and shoulders better, and led to them forcing plenty of turnovers and a number of fast break opportunities.

2. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.

Speaking of turnovers, the Cavs limited theirs and forced the Wizards into a lot of them. The Cavs best offense is when they're on the break, with LeBron and Kyrie guaranteeing you two points every time they have an advantage. If the Cavs want to have an average defense, they need to force turnovers, which they showed tonight they can do. If the Cavs can continue to wreck havoc for opponents, it will only make them that much better.'

3. The rivalry is back.

They mid-2000 Cavaliers-Wizards rivalry was one of the best in the NBA over the last 20 years. For three straight years, they battled in the playoffs and saw plenty of fire from both sides. Talk stirred back up in the off-season, and was shown a little bit in the first game. But tonight, tempers flared on both sides on two separate occasions. The most noted of the two was when Tristan Thompson accidentally ran over Wall, then Wall got in Thompson's face, with words being exchanged between the two. With both of these teams finally being good again, this revived rivalry will again be one of the best in the league.

Statline of the night:

LeBron James: 29 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists. 7-of-14 shooting, 14-of-17 on free throws.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this team will go as far as LeBron is willing to take them. LeBron showed up tonight, and their was nothing the Wizards could do to stop him. It's gonna be hard for team's to beat the Cavs when LeBron plays this well.

What's next:

Nov. 29, at home against the Indiana Pacers. 7:30 p.m.

Can the Cavs avenge their last game against the Wizards?

(Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Washington Wizards

Record: 9-4, second in the Eastern Conference

Offense: 104.8 offensive rating (20th)

Defense: 101.8 defensive rating (7th)

The Last Result(s)

Nov. 21: Wizards 91, Cavs 78 (read about it here)

The Matchup to Watch

Kyrie Irving vs. John Wall

The first time these two matched up this season, both of these point guards showed their skill sets, with each of them scoring at least 20 points. But it was Wall who got the best of Irving, finishing with 28 points, six rebounds, seven assists, four steals and most importantly, a win. Both of these former No. 1 picks have made their case as the top young point guard in the league, and it's always a sight to see when these two matchup against each other.

The Number

100

Record when the Cavs score more than 100 points: 6-1

Record when the Cavs score less than 100 points: 0-6

The Playlist

Well, another game against Washington means more music from this D.C. rapper:

Why Cleveland will win

The Cavs go as far as their offense takes them. If they get the offense rolling, they are virtually unbeatable. But when their offense sputters, it's hard for them to overcome that. The defense only needs to get a few stops here and there, but if LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving start finding their rhythm, there is no way they should lose.

Why Washington will win

Turnovers, turnovers and more turnovers. That's how they won the first game, scoring 24 points off of 19 Cleveland turnovers, and that's how they'll win this game. Wall is one of the best out forcing them (leads the league with 2.3 steals per game) and turning them into points. All it takes to beat Cleveland is to take them out of their offense rhythm, forcing them to rely on defense to win, which they've shown they cannot do (yet).

Prediction

Cavs 104, Wizards 95

The Wizards completely dominated the Cavs in their last game, holding them to a season-low 79 points and 36.0 percent shooting. Luckily for the Cavs, they get to play this game at home and probably won't have that bad of an offensive performance. The effort looked phenomenal in their last game against the Magic, and I expect them to continue that tonight and avenge their last outing against Washington. 

Sloppy offense leads to third straight loss for Cleveland

With their poorest offensive performs of the year, the Cleveland Cavaliers (5-6) drop their third straight game, falling to the Washington Wizards (8-3) on the road 91-78.

Credit goes to the Wizards, who were able to hold the league's second-best offense to a minuscule 78 points, thanks in part to the 19 turnovers they forced. Most of them were due to their backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal, who combined for seven steals, but the rest was more self-inflicted by the Cavaliers. Multiple times throughout the game, Cleveland had fast break opportunities ruined by bad passes and miscommunication. In the first quarter, Anderson Varejao tried to play point guard on a two-on-one fast break with LeBron James, but made a bad pass leading to a turnover and two points for Washington on the other end. Washington was able to capitalize all night on Cleveland's miscues, scoring 24 points off of turnovers.

When the Cavs didn't turnover the ball over, they still made bad decisions shooting the ball, making only 36.0 percent of their shots tonight. Ball movement, which is a staple of head coach David Blatt's offense, was as nonexistent as it has been all season. The Cavs finished with 13 assists, and ended way too many possessions with zero passes or one-on-one isolation. Plenty of shots were taken with at least 15 seconds on the shot clock, most of them coming from LeBron. If the offense wants to be as good as they can be, they must eliminate these mistakes.

This is more than just losing games for the Cavs right now, as it seems that LeBron's message isn't getting across to everyone. Communication is mum, both on AND off the court, leading to problems that could easily be avoided. It's early, but if things don't change quickly, it will be long season in Cleveland.

Oh, and if things weren't as bad as they were now, the Cavs play the best team in the Eastern Conference tomorrow. But hey, all it takes is a few wins and this will all go away.

Three Things

1. LeBron is not helping.

Well, his play is (kind of), but his body language is definitely not. More times than not, he looks disgruntled and it's been rubbing off on his teammates, specifically to Kevin Love. At times, him and LeBron look as if they don't want to even share the court together. Look, LeBron knew it would take time for this team to gel, and even said that in his letter announcing his return to Cleveland. He shouldn't be the guy being frustrated, he should the guy be trying to calm everyone down when something goes wrong, and not making comments as if he is surprised at the situation the Cavs are in. Leaders are supposed to set good examples for others, not compound an issue when it arises. If and when things start to change in Cleveland, it will begin with LeBron showing the leadership he learned from Dwyane Wade and Pat Riley.

2. It's hard to be good when your bench isn't.

Just as important as having two or three star players are in order to win a championship, you need two or three bench players that can come in and make an impact on the game when the starters need a rest. Right now, there is no one on the Cavs bench that has constantly played well. Waiters and Thompson were supposed to be the go-to guys off the bench, but their play has been spotty to say the least. Joe Harris showed signs earlier, but since the Atlanta game his play has fell off. Mike Miller has been the Jason Giambi of this team: the old veteran who is more of a locker room guy than anything, and only does the one thing he does well good every once in awhile. There's plenty of time in the season for these guys to step up, but right now, it's gonna be hard for them to win games with no bench production.

3. Dear NBA Gods, let Varejao stay healthy.

You're not technically an NBA writer/blogger if you have not yet talked about the Cavs defense or lack of interior depth. Flat out, they're not good at defense, and no matter how much better they get, they're ceiling is no higher than 15th in defensive rating. As of now, Varejao has been the Cavs best interior defender while also providing some spark on the offensive end. I'm not a fan of him taking 10 shots in three quarters (as he did tonight), but he can score when given an open shot. If Varejao goes down, you're looking at Haywood as your backup big (barring any trades) with Thompson as the starting center. As bad as things have went so far, the last thing the Cavs need is for the Brazilian big man to go down with an injury.

Statline of the night: John Wall. 28 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals. 12-of-20 shooting.

I noted in the preview that Wall was one of the best two-way guards in the league, and he definitely showed that tonight. He was unstoppable on offense, but even more impressive on defensive, snagging four steals in what would be a turnover fest for Cleveland.

What's next: Nov. 22, at home against the Toronto Raptors. 7:30 p.m.

Irving and Waiters look to show who has the better backcourt

After captivating off-seasons for both of these teams, there are two things that have remained constant for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards: the backcourts. Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiter are downsizing their roles for newer players in Cleveland, while John Wall and Bradley Beal look to be the reason they go far in the playoffs for Washington.

Washington Wizards

Record: 7-3, third in the Eastern Conference

Offense: 102.8 (20th)

Defense: 100.3 (6th)

The Good

- So far this season, the Wizards bread and butter comes on the defensive end. As you can see above, they rank sixth in the NBA in defensive rating, and they are there because of the amount of turnovers they force. So far this season, Washington ranks fourth in both turnovers forced and opponent's turnover percentage. They also defend the basket extremely well, allowing the third fewest points in the paint this year. The towering combination of Nene and Marcin Gortat, combined with the quickness off John Wall have made life tough for opposing offenses.

- They may not have a top-ranked offense, but they do one thing well that is comparable to the previous team the Cavs played: ball movement. The Wizards 65.2 percent of field goals assisted on is currently third in the NBA, and just 0.7 percent behind the top-ranked Spurs. The Cavs have given up the second most assists per game, and could see some problems with All-Star point guard John Wall commanding the offense.

- Speaking of Wall, he has lived up to all the hype he received coming out of the University of Kentucky, where he has been one of the best two-way guards in the league. He leads the league with 2.3 steals per game and is third in assists, averaging 9.3 per game. And by the way, he does all that while averaging close to 19 points per game. At 6-5, he possess both a height AND speed advantage, which could be a nightmare for Kyrie Irving.

The Bad

- Normally the "Let it Fly" moniker is used for a player who has an unnatural ability to shoot 3-pointers (hello Mike Miller), but when playing the Wizards, you can basically "Let Them Let it Fly" for how bad they are behind the arc. They don't necessarily shoot a bad percentage, but they don't take (29th in 3-point attempts) or make (29th in 3-point makes) a lot of 3-pointers. Considering Wall likes to use his quickness to get the basket, and the fact he also has some terrible shooting percentages, we might see the Cavs play zone for 48 minutes (very unlikely though).

- For as big as they are down low, the Wizards don't too much damage in terms of second chance points, where they rank 28th with 10.3 second chance points per game. Part of that problem is that they aren't a good offensive rebounding team, only bringing in 9.3 per game. Because they are a one-and-done offense, they will need an effective shooting night in order to score points, which they have shown so far this season they have trouble doing (18th in effective shooting percentage).

The Matchup to Watch

Kyrie Irving/Dion Waiters vs. John Wall/Bradley Beal

Shots were being fired left and right from both sides about who has the best backcourt in the NBA (which is neither for those wondering), promptly reviving the Cavs-Wizards rivalry of the mid-2000s. Beal led things off by saying the Wizards "definitely the best backcourt in the league", which then led to Waiters saying that Beal's claim was "nonsense" and sent one of the greatest tweets the internet has ever seen. Being that this is the first time these two teams have met since these comments, this could be a bloodbath (probably not though).

The Playlist

There is no one in the music industry who is more attached to a certain city than Wale and Washington D.C. are He's a huge Wizards and Redskins fan, and sort likes the Nationals. He likes to hoop too and is good friends with plenty of NBA players, specifically Kevin Durant, who is from Maryland. Not only is he the rapper who appreciates his roots, he's also one of the only well-known rappers from this area (sorry Logic, King Los and Black Cobain). Let us listen: 

Why Cleveland will win

The Cavs just came off of a game against the Spurs where they didn't play one of their best games and still had a chance to win the game at the end, until LeBron pulled an Earnest Byner (sorry Browns fans), costing them the game. This offense has been as good as advertised over the last few games, and not even a stout Washington defense could stop them.

Why Washington will win

We noted how well the Wizards are at forcing turnovers, and if Cleveland begins to cough up the ball, Washington will capitalize. The difference for Cleveland in their wins and losses have been turnovers, averaging 4.4 more in losses than in wins. All it takes is for Wall to have a couple of steals to change the outcome and the momentum of the game.

The Prediction

Cavs 102, Wizards 100

A lot will have to go wrong for this to be a blowout. Both of these backcourts are eager to prove which one is better, battling each other until the end. I think the difference will be LeBron and his ability to bounce back after poor games this year. Although he and Paul Pierce have had a solid rivalry against each other, Pierce is older and not as good as his younger self was. Expect a prototypical LeBron night, leading the Cavs to victory in the nation's capital.

Bradley Beal thinks the Wizards have NBA's best backcourt

It's the NBA offseason, so there has been plenty of time for players to talk to the media during their respective training camps. Of course, when players talk to the media, certain debates can be created. The popular topic this offseason? Which team has the best backcourt in the NBA. Shooting guard Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards believes he and point guard John Wall combine to form the best backcourt duo:

“I think we’re definitely the best back court in the league,” Beal declared at his team’s Media Day at Verizon Center Monday. “Just in terms of what we’re capable of doing, the confidence that we have in that. At the same time we got to prove it.”

Cavaliers shooting guard Dion Waiters took issue with Beal's statement, claiming that Cleveland now hosts the top backcourt that consists of point guard Kyrie Irving and Waiters himself:

"That's nonsense," Waiters said after practice Tuesday. "(Beal is) supposed to say that, but I know deep down, he's not messing with me and Ky (Kyrie Irving). I think me and Ky are the best backcourt, young backcourt. That's all."

John Wall finally got into the mix, throwing some shade by adding that the Cavaliers' backcourt can't even join the conversation until the Cavs make the playoffs (which shouldn't really be an issue from this point on). Wall also mentioned that "you gotta be a starter first," poking fun at the position Waiters has been in the past two seasons, coming off the bench as a sort of sixth man due to both he and Irving's ball-dominant play style.

Wow Wall just went hard on @dionwaiters3 saying they dont have the best backcourt.. The gist of his message: make the playoffs #WizardsTalk
— J. Michael (@JMichaelCSN) September 30, 2014

John Wall on Dion Waiters' "nonsense" remark: "you gotta win a playoff game first before you can talk. You gotta be a starter first."
— A. Sharif (@Abdu11ah) September 30, 2014