Following a season where the Cleveland Cavaliers saw a seven-win improvement and their first playoff berth without Lebron James since 1998, strides were made towards Cleveland being in the title conversation again. Unfortunately, the lack of shooting, rebounding, and experience in the First Round versus the New York Knicks caused their season to end in just five games.
In the series, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell faced double teams and horrible spacing due to the lack of consistent shooting. Allowing the other team’s rim protector to roam the paint made it virtually impossible to get a good look inside, and relying on two guys to consistently hit contested jump shots is not a winning strategy.