Cavaliers: It's All About Defense

The Cleveland Cavaliers have played with fire the last two games, and were almost burned by the Heat Sunday night at Quickens Loan Arena. Both the Cavs and the Heat have been hot lately, the Cavs winning five consecutive games while the Heat had won only four. 

Cleveland jumped out to an early 10 point first quarter lead, but Miami came firing back to tie the Cavs at the end of one quarter, then outplayed the Cavs until late in the fourth when the Cavs clamped down to outscore the Heat 35-19 to win their sixth straight game 93-86.

Cavaliers’ coach Mike Brown has preached the importance of playing good team defense to the Cavs since he took over the team three years ago. The Cavs had always played good defense under Brown, but this year they have turned it up a notch. 

While watching the Cavs jump out to a 26-4 marked, most people have talked about the difference in their offense. With the acquisition of Mo Williams, most people have talked about the improvement in the teams’ offense, which ranks up in top 10 in many offensive categories. However, the Cavs’ defense is improved from last year also.

LeBron James has taken it upon himself to play better defense, and when the King applies himself, everyone else seems to follow. In the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game against the Heat, James matched up with his good buddy Dwyane Wade, slowing down the NBA's leading scorer and allowing the Cavs to comeback from a nine-point fourth quarter deficit to win the game.

For the second game in a row, the Cavs’ offense has not performed up to par as they shot 40 percent from the field against the Heat. There will be games when the offense struggles, but there is no excuse for not playing good solid defense.

Ben Wallace is playing like the old Ben (14 rebounds, three blocks) and can be seen patrolling the lane, intimidating anyone who dares to come to the hoop.

Delonte West has been playing great defense all year. West, who is typically matched against players who are much bigger and stronger then he is, has held his own against the likes of Joe Johnson, Dwyane Wade, and Paul Pierce. West came up with several key steals in Sunday's win against the Heat.

The acquisition of Mo Williams was supposed to inject offense into the Cavs’ line up, but some questioned his defense when he was acquired from the Bucks in a trade this summer. Williams has been stellar on the offensive, but to the surprise of many, Mo has played great defense as well. 

Defense has been so contagious for this team that even Wally Szczerbiak has played great defense for the Cavs this year. Defense is played with the heart and defense wins championships. On nights like tonight when the offense goes south, the Cavs have had the heart to play defense and win ball games. 

If the Cavs continue to play on the defensive end the way they have played all year, there is no reason to not believe the old saying, "Defense wins Championships."