CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have their season (almost) on the line on Tuesday night as the team takes on the Brooklyn Nets. A win for the Cavs and they move on to take on the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. A loss for the wine and gold would mean the team plays again on Friday against the winner of the game between the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets that’s played on Wednesday.
Here are three keys for the Cavaliers to beat the Nets and advance to the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Slow the pace
Turning Tuesday night’s game into a track meet in Brooklyn would be a bad idea for the Cavs. This is a Nets team that can put up points with the best in the NBA. Cavs fans certainly are no strangers to playoff performances from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Limiting the possessions and forcing the Nets to play the game in the half court plays much more into the Cavs’ hands.
Cleveland is by far the better defensive team, and forcing the Nets to attack a set defense rather than one in transition doesn’t guarantee success, but it certainly does improve the chances of it. Both Irving and Durant are more than capable of picking apart any type of defense, but limiting their chances to do so significantly upgrades the Cavs chances of moving on.
Let Darius Garland work
If the Cavaliers win the game on Tuesday night, Darius Garland is going to have to be the biggest reason as to why. Garland has unquestionably taken a leap in his play this season. He’s gone from a player full of potential to an All-Star that could see a future as an All-NBA player. Tuesday night is an opportunity for Garland to introduce himself to the common NBA fan. This is just the second time this year the Cavs are playing on national television.
Garland needs to be the key to the Cavaliers on offense against the Nets. He likely needs to score more than 30 points and dish out double-digit assists for the Cavs to have a chance at a win. Garland is more than capable of putting up numbers like that, especially if those assists are leading to 3-point makes for the Cavs.
Pick your poison
One of the biggest questions heading into the game on Tuesday night is how the Cavaliers will matchup with the Nets defensively. There’s no player on the roster – and few in the world – that are good matchups defensively for Durant, and stopping Irving is almost an equally difficult task. What the Cavs need to ensure is that they’re not burned by both players. One player going off for a big night is expected, but both players doing so would be a disaster.
Since the All-Star break, Durant has averaged 31.1 points per game while shooting 51.6 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range, and 93.5 percent from the free throw line. Preventing a big game from him seems impossible but doing so with Irving may be much more manageable. He has been much more inconsistent, especially since transitioning to a full-time player. Irving’s numbers are still impressive, but since becoming a full-time player, he’s averaged 26.9 points per game on 43.3/40.2/94.7 shooting splits. In those 10 games, Irving does have three games with less than 20 points, including against the Cavs last Friday night. Prior to playing full-time for the Nets due to his ineligibility because of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Irving was averaging 27.7 points per game while shooting 49 percent from the floor and 43 percent from beyond the arc.
If the Cavs had to pick, the answer may be Durant getting his, and suffocating the rest of the offense for the Nets. He’s coming off a 16-assist game in the regular season finale against the Pacers, and that can’t happen, or it will be over for the Cavs.