Scouts Inc.: Wizards vs. Cavaliers Game 2

East scouting reports: Bucks-Pistons | Bulls-Heat | Pacers-Nets | Wizards-Cavs
West scouting reports: Kings-Spurs | Lakers-Suns | Clippers-Nuggets | Grizzlies-Mavs

Cavaliers Offense: Watching LeBron James run the half-court offense when there was no trap was like watching a quarterback throw when there is no pass rush. Cleveland shouldn't change a thing, keep running a slow offense that allows the game to stay in control. The Cavs should expect the Wizards to trap James sooner and force him to give up possession. The Cavs can counter this by having one of their wing players stay even with James. When James releases to the wing, they can easily get the ball to their shooters in the corner. The scary thing is that Larry Hughes gave the Cavaliers nothing offensively; he looked a little hesitant. Do not expect that to carry over into Game 2.

Cavaliers Defense: The Cavaliers' interior defense was outstanding in Game 1. The Cavs used activity and communication to execute decisive rotations and frustrate any penetration by the Wizards. The Cavaliers also threw in an occasional 2-3 zone that took away some of the aggressiveness of Washington's perimeter players. In the box score it looks like Anderson Varejao played 24 minutes and didn't do much else, but Varejao was all over the place as a second-level defender. He helped in the paint and made it nearly impossible for the Wizards to get a clean rebound in traffic. He was a more effective defender on Antawn Jamison than Drew Gooden, which led to the starter Gooden playing only 19 minutes. The Cavaliers were excellent in transition defense, because they only had to send their center and power forward to the glass while they dropped three back to prevent any fast break.

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