The Cavaliers may have won, but their problems aren’t solved

The Cavaliers and Timberwolves may have played the game of the year last night with Cleveland coming out on top, 140-138. The teams combined for 200 points by the end the of the third quarter. There wasn’t a blocked shot until overtime (and it happened to be a game changer.) They combined for the most three pointers made in a game ever with 40.

As disappointing of a loss as it was for the Timberwolves, it was a much needed victory for the Cavaliers. LeBron James said as much after the game.

“We needed this after that tough loss last night in Orlando. Our fans were unbelievable. Our guys stuck with it even though they was shooting the heck out of the ball,” James said.

But James’ next quote might be a bit of a cause for concern. “They shot 58 percent from the field and we were still able to get a win. We played Cavaliers’ basketball tonight and that’s all we can ask.”

The Cavaliers matched the Wolves shot for shot throughout the game, but they were never able to legitimately get a stop. That’s been the Cavaliers’ problem all year and it didn’t stop against the Wolves.

They’re one of the worst defenses in the league with a 109.9 defensive rating — only the lowly Phoenix Suns are worse right now. The Cavaliers’ problems certainly weren’t fixed by giving up 138 points to the Timberwolves.

They just don’t seem to have the ability to defend at times. We know how much of a liability Isaiah Thomas is on defense at times and the Cavaliers just don’t do a great job of protecting him. Here is Jimmy Butler attacking Thomas after he gets him on a switch.

Thomas stands no chance when guarding Butler and they don’t have rim protection behind him to help with Jeff Green and James heading the Cavs front court. Earlier in the game, the Cavaliers would switch with Thomas quickly before opponents could isolate on him, like Andrew Wiggins does here.

But those are switches that take precision and chemistry to make and — plays the Cavaliers often fail to execute. Often, they miscommunicate on a switch like they do here.

Another part of the problem is James himself. As great as he is, there are just some plays he isn’t making anymore. SB Nation’s Tim Cato noted last night that there are just plays James isn’t making anymore, where he’d normally cover for his teammates. Whether it’s because of a lack of effort or just a flat out inability to make these plays as he heads toward the twilight of his career, James’ defense has become a problem for the Cavaliers.

It’s true that James has a bulk of the responsibility to create offense for the Cavaliers, but that can’t be an excuse when the Cavaliers’ defense is so bad. They need him more defensively than they do offensively, even if Kevin Love is out and Isaiah Thomas is struggling. The Cavs are going to score regardless of who is in front of them — it’s just about getting stops at this point.

There’s no way they can expect to compete with the Raptors or Celtics at the top of the conference defending like this. Both of those teams have threats at every position on the floor that can either create in isolation or move the ball and find the right play. The Cavaliers’ weak spots will be targeted against both.

The Cavaliers also tried to do offense-defense substitutions for Thomas through the final two minutes of regulation with Cedi Osman, but they still got torched. It feels like they’re trying anything but haven’t found anything close to a fix.

The playoffs are right around the corner and they’re jostling with the Wizards for the third seed in the conference right now. And the Pistons, Pacers, and others are breathing right down their necks. They’ve still got time this season, but they’ve got to figure things out soon.