Three Reasons Why The Cavs Fell To The Heat

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Miami Heat with a final score of 115-119.

The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a gritty win over the Miami Heat in their first matchup of the week on Wednesday night. However, they were unable to win back-to-back after falling 115-119 on Friday.

There were multiple explanations as to why the Cavs lost.

Tough night. pic.twitter.com/N6aNLPQr0X

— Cleveland Cavaliers On SI (@CLECavsOnSI) March 11, 2023

Three-Point Defense

One glaring hole in Cleveland's defense last night was their inability to stop the Heat from knocking down threes. The Cavs were able to open up a double-digit lead in the second half but Miami immediately fired back with a three-point barrage which put them right back in the thick of it.

The Heat as a team shot 48 percent from behind the arc. This was led by Tyler Herro who was 5-for-7 and Max Strus who was 4-for-7. Victor Oladipo also knocked two of the three threes he shot too. 

Mar 10, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) looks to take a shot as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) defends in the first half at Miami-Dade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Fourth Quarter Struggles Continue

Cleveland's struggles to close out close games have definitely gotten better from earlier in the season, but they still are present and games such as this one show that.

The Cavs held the lead entering the fourth quarter as they looked to stretch the score a little more and run away with it. However, thanks the Miami's shooting, the Heat found themselves back in the game and Cleveland wasn't able to slow them down.

Miami outscored the Cavs 37-26 in the final period which ultimately led them to the victory. 

Transition Defense

There's a theme growing here. A lot of the reasons why the Cavs lost to the Heat have to do with their defense. 

First, it was the three-point defense, then it was their overall lack of execution in the fourth quarter. But another area where Cleveland failed was getting back in transition.

The Cavs play at the slowest pace of play in the NBA. This model has proven to be successful for them, but they can't rely on other teams to play at their pace too. Miami can get out and run in transition and they showed that on Friday night.

The Heat outscored the Cavs 17-6 in fast break points with seven of those points for Miami coming in the fourth quarter. Even though the Cavs like to take it slow on offense, they need to get back quickly on defense. 

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