Pace of Play Watch: 2022/2023

[BimboColesHair]

The Cavs are 27th in field goal attempts per game and 10th in effective shooting percentage and offensive efficiency. They tend to use most of the shot clock before taking a shot, but they are above average in points per possession.

Since both teams get the same number of possessions regardless of the pace, I don't think the Cavs' slow pace is a problem.

However, I would like to see them push the ball up the floor more aggressively after a steal or defensive rebound in order to try and get a high percentage shot before the defense can set up.

The idea of pushing the ball after a steal or long rebound being related to pace is a myth. Just aren't enough of those plays in a given game to actually effect the pace of a game. Pushing in transition is not the same as playing fast paced.

Regardless, the Cavs are already one of the best transition teams in the league. 4th in PPP, 3rd in eFG%, 2nd in score frequency on transition opportunities. They are absolutely getting high percentage shots before teams set-up in transition, the numbers prove that.

But pace has as much to do with your defense as it does your offense. Pace is the speed of the game for both teams, not just for one. I'm glad to see you point that out as in these discussions that seems to always be forgotten about when people discuss our pace. Both teams are playing slow, not just the Cavs, and a lot of that has to do with how hard teams have to work against our defense to get a good look at a shot.

By % of FGAs per game by opponents, the Cavs are 2nd in the league in shot attempts against with 8 or less seconds left on the shot clock behind Miami. More of our shots against us come in the last 3rd of the shot clock than 99% of the league. That alone helps dictate how slow paced we play. 24% of our opponents shot attempts against us come in the last 8 seconds of the shot clock. If it is taking longer for opponents to shoot against us there will be fewer possessions in our games.

Also, historically speaking, the pace of the playoffs tends to be anywhere from 2-5 possessions per 48 minutes slower than the regular season. But teams who do well at dictating their pace of the game slower than the league average in the regular season tend to see a much lesser drop in pace in the postseason.

 

[Alabuckeye]

I swear to Ahura if basketball does something as stupid as the moronic pitch clock in baseball, I am so done.

Well…they did in the 50’s with the shot clock. Before then you had offenses like the 4 corners and scores below the halftime scores we see today

Teams in the lead were running out the clock, passing the ball incessantly. The trailing team could do nothing but commit fouls to recover possession following the free throw. Frequent low-scoring games with many fouls bored fans. The most extreme case occurred on November 22, 1950, when the Fort Wayne Pistons defeated the Minneapolis Lakers by a record-low score of 19–18, including 3–1 in the fourth quarter.[3] The Pistons held the ball for minutes at a time without shooting (they attempted 13 shots for the game) to limit the impact of the Lakers' dominant George Mikan. It led the St. Paul Dispatch to write, "[The Pistons] gave pro basketball a great black eye."[4]: 31–2  NBA President Maurice Podoloff said, "In our game, with the number of stars we have, we of necessity run up big scores."[4]: 33  A few weeks after the Pistons/Lakers game, the Rochester Royals and Indianapolis Olympians played a six-overtime game with only one shot in each overtime: in each overtime period, the team that had the ball first held it for the entirety of the period before attempting a last-second shot. The NBA tried several rule changes in the early 1950s to speed up the game and reduce fouls before eventually adopting the shot clock.

 

[foucault87]

Well…they did in the 50’s with the shot clock. Before then you had offenses like the 4 corners and scores below the halftime scores we see today

Teams in the lead were running out the clock, passing the ball incessantly. The trailing team could do nothing but commit fouls to recover possession following the free throw. Frequent low-scoring games with many fouls bored fans. The most extreme case occurred on November 22, 1950, when the Fort Wayne Pistons defeated the Minneapolis Lakers by a record-low score of 19–18, including 3–1 in the fourth quarter.[3] The Pistons held the ball for minutes at a time without shooting (they attempted 13 shots for the game) to limit the impact of the Lakers' dominant George Mikan. It led the St. Paul Dispatch to write, "[The Pistons] gave pro basketball a great black eye."[4]: 31–2  NBA President Maurice Podoloff said, "In our game, with the number of stars we have, we of necessity run up big scores."[4]: 33  A few weeks after the Pistons/Lakers game, the Rochester Royals and Indianapolis Olympians played a six-overtime game with only one shot in each overtime: in each overtime period, the team that had the ball first held it for the entirety of the period before attempting a last-second shot. The NBA tried several rule changes in the early 1950s to speed up the game and reduce fouls before eventually adopting the shot clock.

Back when a commissioner could be named Maurice Podoloff. The 50s were on some wildness

 

[Alabuckeye]

Back when a commissioner could be named Maurice Podoloff. The 50s were on some wildness

I’ll bet he didn’t look like a cadaver.

 

[foucault87]

I’ll bet he didn’t look like a cadaver.

True but he also probably did not look like a tax guy

 

[Futuredome]

Lets remember the bleakness of Cavs basketball 2 years ago. Then remember today. When you stare into the abyss, it states back.