5 things the Cavaliers needs to do to even their series with the Celtics

3. Keep Marcus Smart shooting

Marcus Smart was an amazing +16 in Game 1 despite only shooting 4-of-12 from the field. He powered the Celtics with his floor game instead. Racking up six assists and three rebounds in his 25 minutes of action did a lot to cover up his shooting ills.

Cleveland needs to make sure they keep him shooting the basketball in Game 2. Smart doesn’t really seem to be aware that he isn’t a good shooter. When teams go under him on screens he has a real tendency to jack 3s at a pretty aggressive rate.

He might make some of them, but it’s still a shot the Cavs need to encourage him to take. Any time he’s on the floor the Cleveland defense should work hard to make sure the ball stays in his hands. Anytime they force him to take a jump shot it’s a win.

In a perfect world, Cleveland could neutralize his floor game. Unfortunately, Lue doesn’t have the athletic wings required to really compete with Smart. That means the team’s only recourse is to take advantage of him being overly aggressive on the offense end.

If Smart makes a bunch of jump shots to beat you, then you just have to chalk it up to bad luck. The bottom line is that Smart shot just a shade over 30 percent from 3 during the regular season. Forcing him to light you up from distance is a great defensive strategy for the Cavs.