How the Cavaliers can apply last year’s lessons to the Magic series

Cavs have a chance to prove they have grown.

A loss ain’t a loss, it’s a lesson. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, a series against the Orlando Magic is a chance to prove that last season’s beatdown was more than just that. It’s time to find out if they truly learned anything from the New York Knicks.

Last season’s collapse can be summarized by three factors. First, how the Knicks trapped Donovan Mitchell and forced other Cavaliers to make plays. Second, how New York dared Darius Garland to beat their drop coverage. And lastly, losing the rebounding battle.

The Cavaliers spent all summer telling us they have addressed those issues. Orlando is built to test that theory by exploiting all of the same flaws New York did.

Trapping Donovan Mitchell

New York emphasized limiting Mitchell’s scoring opportunities last April. This meant blitzing pick-and-rolls and forcing Donny to get rid of the ball. Ideally, this creates an advantage for the offense as a quick pass will leave the defense at a 3-on-4 disadvantage. But the Cavaliers couldn’t capitalize on these scenarios for various reasons.

For starters, Mitchell was hesitant to give up the rock. He waited too long to pass out of those traps and often turned it over by pressing the issue.

Worse, Cleveland was unable to convert whenever Mitchell did pass the ball. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, in particular, had a hard time generating offense in the short roll.

This is why the Cavaliers added Max Strus in the offseason. Strus provides another layer to Cleveland’s offense. He can pass, dribble or shoot — and this makes him capable of punishing teams who blitz Mitchell.

As for Mitchell, Allen and Mobley, they all worked to expand their games. Each player dished a career-high in assists this season. Most importantly, Mitchell appears more comfortable as a playmaker and should be better prepared if Orlando attempts to replicate New York’s trap.

Darius Garland in drop coverage

It’s no secret how teams have decided to defend Garland at this stage. The big is going to drop and dare Garland to beat them in the lane. So far, the results have been a mixed bag.

Garland is a lethal operator in pick-and-roll when he can get downhill and throw a dime to his bigs. Finishing at the rim, however, is a different story for Garland. He’s plummeted from above-average to near league-worst in the restricted area since his jaw injury.

Fortunately, Garland has proven he is capable of going on a heater. He torched Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves for 34 points earlier in the season — converting numerous floaters in the lane. Of course, shooting more three-pointers is always an option, as well. Garland finished the regular season as the fifth-most accurate pull-up shooter.

Last season, New York escaped without Garland burning their drop coverage for more than one game. Orlando will likely attempt to replicate that result. It’s on Garland to change that.

Controlling the glass

No one needs to be reminded of New York’s dominance on the glass. While the Magic are not as dominant — they are a threat to pound the boards.

Orlando finished the regular season seventh in offensive rebounding percentage and second in defensive rebounding percentage. Their raw rebounding numbers are much lower, placing 20th in total rebounds per 100 possessions. Still, this is a sizeable team with the ability to win a rebounding battle.

The Cavs have not done as much to address this issue. Sure, Allen and Mobley can simply be better on the boards but the lack of size around them has not improved. This will be exasperated if Dean Wade is unavailable throughout the first round

However, Cleveland has better backup options than a year ago. Tristan Thompson and Marcus Morris are more capable rebounders than Robin Lopez and Danny Green, for whatever that’s worth.

New York ranked third in second-chance points last season. This year, Orlando placed 11th. The Cavaliers will have a slightly easier challenge but nothing they can overlook. The rebounding battle will be key.