The Cavs are in the zone, thanks to an unexpected source

On By Littum

CLEVELAND, Ohio — When the Cavs walked into the locker room at halftime of their eventual 14th straight win against the Chicago Bulls on Friday, the mood was anything but celebratory. Despite scoring 49 points in the first quarter — their best stretch in regular-season franchise history — Cleveland was met with Kenny Atkinson flip-flopping in frustration.

Even when they led by four points at halftime, their new head coach’s actions served as a wake-up call that giving up 73 points in a half was unacceptable.

The defense was supposed to be Cleveland’s identity. Atkinson made it clear heading into the season: The offense would evolve, but the backbone of the team would remain on the defensive end.

Although there were no theatrical performances, the message was that same Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets. The Cavs needed to clean up their defense or they would lose the game and their undefeated streak.

“I felt like tonight, I felt like, ‘Is this the one?’ Is this what knocks us out?’ There is an extra tension on the bench. It’s almost like playoff-like,” Atkinson said. “We don’t want to lose here in front of our fans. Don’t want to lose to Charlotte. I definitely felt that.”

Charlotte’s young, fast team fueled the Cavs’ man-to-man scheme with relentless drives and accurate kick-outs to open threes.

In the second half, in both contests, the solution came in the form of a zone defense that stifled the Bulls and Hornets, turning a shootout into another tally in Cleveland’s win column.

The Cavaliers used the zone for 85% of the fourth quarter, limiting the Hornets to just 15 points on 6-of-21 shooting, helping Cleveland secure its 15th straight victory. The game-changing adjustment didn’t come from Atkinson, though — it came from an unexpected source.

A coach who has yet to log a single minute this season.

Enter Max Strus, a fiery competitor relegated to the sidelines with an ankle injury that has kept him out during the Cavs’ 15-game winning streak and won’t return for at least two more weeks.

Strus was one of Cleveland’s most influential players last year, finishing third in net rating on a team that reached the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time without LeBron James since 1993. Although his injury has kept him off the court, the didn’t stay off the field. him out of action. He has made his presence felt in practice, dissecting schemes and even going up in film sessions to point out adjustments. It was Strus who broke up the zone defense during a recent practice, and it was his scheme that saved Cleveland twice in one week.

“Coach Max Strus,” Darius Garland said with a laugh after the Hornets game. “We’re still learning from him, even though he’s on the sidelines, he’s still preaching about the zone.

“The two-three definitely slowed them down from all their driving options and just put us in rotation a lot. So I’ll definitely put it on the zone. Save us.”

During practice, Strus took charge of a drill, directing rotations and explaining how to neutralize driving lanes. Buy-in was immediate. Jarrett Allen, who anchors the zone in the paint, credited the Strus’ insight for sparking their defensive resurgence.

“It’s an excellent scheme of how we guard the zone,” Allen said. “Shout out to Max. He kind of set the zone in. He was a coach for a day telling us where to be and how to guard certain things and just our energy in the zone. We communicate well. We know when to box out. We know if Evan goes, I have his back. It’s just a good tandem of movement that works well together.”

While Atkinson has historically used zone defenses — Brooklyn ranked second in zone usage under his leadership — he continues to find innovative ways to keep his team, even his sideline, engaged and feeling valued.

Whether it’s been a friendly soccer game at IMG Academy during training camp, a humorous video to begin the movie or letting the Strus set up their zone, Atkinson has pushed all the right buttons for this team on and off the field.

“I’ve always believed in it,” Atkinson said of the zone defense. The NFL does it all the time, right? The quarterback, they want to see zone, they want to see man. I’ve just always believed that, especially when Charlotte went their way. If we stayed in our same coverage, I don’t know if we win that game, honestly.

“We couldn’t stop them man-to-man. You’re right at the point where we have to do something different. We tried a couple of different man-to-man coverages, regular coverage and then we tried to switch everything. That didn’t work. So the zone, we just threw it out there and we just stuck with it and it changed the game.”

In a season defined by adaptability and confidence, the Cavs are leaning on everyone — from their stars to the voices on the sidelines. Atkinson’s ability to utilize every player and coach is fueling a collective effort that is driving their historic start.

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