ORLANDO: Do the Cavaliers believe they can wait until the postseason to play defense?
Or is the continuing inefficiency in that department merely a byproduct of injuries that have plagued them since December?
At first glance, the former seemed to be the case in Thursday night’s 106-101 loss to the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Notorious for turning up the intensity only when they deem necessary or face an opponent that gets their juices flowing, the performance seemed to — as a certain King would say — fit their DNA.
If defense creates offense, it was working in the third quarter.