Timofey Mozgov to Play Critical Role in Cleveland Cavaliers' Playoff Run
The NBA playoffs are a whole different beast, even for teams that roll through the regular season.
While superstars can help guide a franchise to 50 or 60 wins, even they need help when the postseason begins. For these stars, every strength is combated, every weakness magnified.
Even the best can't do it on their own. This is where role players, or X-factors, come in.
This is exactly what the Cleveland Cavaliers will need when they begin postseason play. We know what LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are capable of. Who else is going to step up when the team needs a lift?
During the Miami Heat's back-to-back championship years from 2011 to 2013, it wasn't all James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh leading the charge.
In fact, there may not have been a title at all if not for veterans like Mike Miller and Ray Allen.
Miller hit seven of eight three-pointers on his way to 23 points in a series-clinching win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012. Allen nailed one of the most memorable shots in NBA playoff history, connecting on a step-back three-pointer in the final seconds of a 2013 Game 6 against the San Antonio Spurs that would send the contest into overtime. Miami would eventually win and take the series two nights later.
The Cavaliers must have a player who can score with efficiency, defend with a passion and bring a never-say-die attitude to the court.
One player Cleveland will need more than any outside of James, Irving and Love is a big, someone who can go head-to-head with opposing centers and match them physically.
In other words, Timofey Mozgov has to be the Cavs' playoff X-factor.
What Mozgov Has Brought to Cleveland
Since arriving via trade from the Denver Nuggets in early January, no other player outside of the Big Three has made a larger impact on the Cavaliers.
Simply put, Mozgov is a monster. A Gov-zilla, if you will.
His immense size (7'1" and a questionably low 250 pounds) has given Cleveland the lane-clogging defender it needed even before Anderson Varejao went down for the season with an Achilles injury.
Coach David Blatt was a fan of Mozgov when he coached him on the Russian national team and admitted to Steve Aschburner of NBA.com what the 28-year-old center has meant to the Cavs: "Boy he's big—you can't teach that. Moz has been one of the key factors in us turning our season around. He fits in extremely well with the other guys—he understands what we want from him and what the other guys expect from him."
Mozgov has been making his presence felt on both ends of the floor.
His on/off rating of plus-12.3 with the Cavaliers is second only to James, nearly equaling that of Irving and Love combined (plus-15.1). Cleveland's offensive rating with Mozgov on the floor (116.3) is the highest mark of any player, even besting James (115.8).
Of course, this by no way means Mozgov is the better offensive player, but rather sheds light on his efficiency and how the Cavaliers can freely operate with him on the court.
Here's how Cleveland's offense and defense are affected with and without Mozgov in the game.
His defense has been superb, both when it comes to the pick-and-roll and protecting the paint. Given his size, Mozgov is surprisingly agile when asked to step out on ball-handlers. He gets in good crouching position, with arms out so as to limit the opponent's driving lane. If the player does get by him initially, Mozgov is usually quick enough to change positions and challenge the shot.
As Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group points out, Mozgov has completely changed Cleveland's pick-and-roll D:
"The Cavs rank 8th in the league defending the ball-handler in a pick-and-roll (yes there's a stat for that), giving up .76 points per possession. …
Mozgov, who is 7-1 with quick feet and an attitude, would seem to have made a difference there. A team source told the Northeast Ohio Media Group that the Cavs are fifth in the league stopping the big man on the pick-and-roll since Mozgov's arrival at .83 points per possession.
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When it comes to the almighty rim protection, few have been better than Mozgov this season. He ranks seventh in the NBA in opponent field-goal percentage at the rim (45.3 percent, via NBA.com), a better mark than former Defensive Players of the Year Dwight Howard, Tyson Chandler and Marc Gasol.
Offensively, Mozgov is doing a great job playing off his star teammates and not forcing bad attempts.
He shot 51.4 percent from the field in January, 61.7 in February and is up to a season-best 62.8 in March. A lot of his scoring is simply screening for James and Irving and waiting to see what they do from there. Many times, a double-team comes for the ball-handler, leaving Mozgov with a wide-open dunk attempt.
Of his 268 field-goal attempts with the Cavs, 73 (or 27 percent) have come via an alley-oop or dunk. On such attempts, Mozgov is converting a sparkling 90.4 percent, via NBA.com.
While he usually serves as an efficient role man and finisher, Mozgov can play with his back to the basket and hit the mid-range jumper as well. He actually led all scorers in a Feb. 11 win over the Miami Heat, hitting nine of 11 shots en route to 20 points.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio notes that Mozgov has benefited by playing with some talented teammates as well.
"Mozgov offers a strong finisher off the pick and roll. While he sometimes has a difficult time handling bounce passes in traffic (much like every 7-footer everywhere), he never has an issue leaping high above opposing centers, catching an alley-oop pass, and throwing it down.
"I love to dunk," Mozgov told reporters in broken English, and broken English or not, watch him play for 10 minutes and you'll get the message.
How much does Mozgov benefit from playing with the Cavs? His scoring average has increased from 8.5 points with Denver to 10.8 in Cleveland, with his shooting percentage rising from 50 percent to 59.
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Mozgov is thriving with the Cavaliers, and he will need to continue doing so once postseason play begins.
Playoff Importance
It's easy to see the common denominator when it comes to past NBA champions.
Yes, star power is important. Defense is a must, and some clutch play will definitely be required at some point.
More than that, however, is the need for an imposing big man.
As NBA.com's Steve Aschburner puts it, "Show us a great NBA center and, invariably, at some point, we'll show you that fellow's championship ring."
Recent history has been no different.
Tim Duncan has five rings, including three NBA Finals MVP awards. Shaquille O'Neal took home four titles for the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, winning MVP three times.
Even those not considered superstars, but rather important role players like Mozgov, have made huge differences.
Chandler was the defensive anchor for the Dallas Mavericks when they won it all in 2011. After failing to make the Finals after he left a month later, Dallas traded for Chandler once again this past summer.
Kendrick Perkins, now a Cavalier, brought toughness and intensity to the Boston Celtics' championship in 2008. Ben Wallace was famous for his defense and rebounding during the Detroit Pistons' title quest back in 2004.
While Mozgov doesn't need to be on the same level as Duncan or Shaq, having a Chandler- or Perkins-like impact would certainly suffice. Both weren't afraid to get physical with opponents and always had a teammate's back should a skirmish break out.
In a weird twist of events, Mozgov proved his physicality back in January with a player he now calls a teammate. From Chris Haynes of the NOMG:
"In the third quarter an animated Mozgov picked up a technical foul for arguing that Kendrick Perkins' foul should have been ruled flagrant. Perkins' block attempt at the rim smacked him in the face.
A second technical would have banished him from the floor, so Mozgov closed his mouth. But he never changed his aggressive defensive style. He banged with Perkins up and down the court. Most players would have avoided unnecessary contact in those types of situations. If anything, he intensified the pounding.
"I just try to make it a little tougher on guys," he said.
The two men tangled a few more times, but the referees let them play. Mozgov said he isn't backing down from anybody.
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This is precisely the type of play that goes on in the NBA playoffs every single game. The Eastern Conference presents some tough matchups at the center position, highlighted by Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls, Marcin Gortat of the Washington Wizards and Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks.
Cleveland needed a big, someone who could beat opponents with both his size and skill. Mozgov more than fits the bill.
He won't lead the Cavaliers' postseason scoring attack. His rebounding won't be the best on the team, either.
Make no mistake, however: Mozgov is the Cavs' X-factor in this year's playoffs, and he should help carry them all the way to the NBA Finals.
Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA for Bleacher Report since 2010.
All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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