3. Pushing the pace
While defense was a huge issue during this streak, playing with pace was one as well.
For the first time since the first game of the year against the Boston Celtics, the Cavs held a lead after the first quarter and scored 42 points in the process.
LeBron James and Derrick Rose combined for 28 points in the first 12 minutes, and as a team, they shot 77 percent from the field. While that kind of shooting is nearly impossible to maintain, the Cavs were still shooting 50 percent from the field in the fourth quarter. There’s a chance then, that maybe the Cavs are actually in better shape compared to a week ago.
Rose, who ended the night with 20 points, did a phenomenal job of pushing the pace the way that Lue wants him to, and essentially took John Wall out of the game. Also impressive was Jae Crowder, who had the best game of his short career as a Cavalier with 17 points and seven rebounds.
While they pushed the pace, they also did it with control, which is especially important to do against a team like Washington that has the ability to put up a lot of points in a hurry. The ability to switch gears kept the Washington defense on their toes and ultimately worked in the Cavs’ favor.
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