3 things the Cleveland Cavaliers will have to do to win Game 2

Shake Up the Lineup

The Cleveland Cavaliers can’t afford to play Caris LeVert anymore. He provided so very little for the Cavs in his brief 18 minutes on the court. The same can be said for Isaac Okoro, who sat a majority of the fourth quarter in favor of Cedi Osman. Osman, who only took four shots, but still had nine points, was a wild card that helped the Cavs’ offense come alive down the stretch, while also playing some remarkable defense.

Okoro’s defense is good, but the Knicks’ offense isn’t so high-powered that the Cavs can sacrifice a spot on the floor for him. While LeVert was solid defensively, his lack of a shot isn’t uncommon and has plagued him for most of the year. He is among the streakiest shooters on the team. He shot 48.5% from three in October, 31.5% from three in November, 30.8% from three in December, 41.8% from three in January, 21.7% from three in February, and then 48.7% in March and April.

Osman either needs to start or gets significantly more minutes, as he’s a more aggressive defender than LeVert. Okoro shouldn’t get zero minutes, but he should only play when the situation arises. Dean Wade should only be used for now when the team needs a spell for Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.

But the big change should be replacing LeVert with Danny Green. Green can still shoot and play defense, and I trust his shot far more than LeVert’s at the moment. The Cavs can’t afford another 1-7 day from LeVert. Not when the series is this close and every miss matters so much more.