Double guns in the backcourt have become defensive loopholes—the gap between the Cavaliers and the champion team may be a White

The Cavaliers lost 1-4 to the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals G5, and stopped in the second round of the playoffs this season. This first team in the Eastern Conference, which had 64 wins in the regular season, became the third top team in NBA history to not break through the second round, as well as the embarrassing record of 67 wins in 2007 (who was blacked out of the first round).

The collapse of the Eastern Conference No. 1 began with the "offensive and defensive imbalance" of the backcourt double-gun. Although Mitchell fought with injuries, he averaged 34.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals in the second round, but his shooting percentage of 42.4% exposed the efficiency problem. Garland became a "war criminal". This season's playoffs averaged 18 points, 2.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3 turnovers + 28.6% three-point shooting percentage, and G5 even made 4 of 16 shots; the defender's 1.85-meter height was unlimitedly targeted by the Pacers guard group, and the defensive end was like "the road in the morning" - anyone could pass it.

The Cavaliers' total salary next season is US$221 million, surpassing the second rich line (207.8 million) will trigger severe punishment - unable to sign middle-class players, limited transactions, and freezing of draft picks. If the existing lineup is retained, the future operation space will be almost zero, and demolition of the team may become an inevitable choice. Garland's five-year contract of 193 million yuan has become a hot potato. His playoff performance has shrunk compared with the regular season, with a score of 2 points and a three-point shooting rate plummeting by 11.5%.

Cavaliers tried to trade to strengthen, and exchanged LeVer + draft pick for Hunter in February 2025, but the latter performed mediocre in the playoffs (11 points per game is far lower than the 17 points in the regular season), and failed to solve the problem of forward depth. Nowadays, sending away Garland or Allen is the only way out, but the market is very interested in premium contracts.

In my opinion, the Cavaliers' failure is the inevitable ending of the double strangle between "small basketball" and "salary expansion", and it is also a negative textbook for the logic of modern NBA team building. The "congenital disability" of double-gun in the backcourt cannot limit the opponent's offense from the outside. Looking at the pioneers who used to be "Lillard + CJ" as the core, they can only move towards reconstruction in the end.

The Cavaliers have a bad flaw in their backcourt height. Mitchell was 191CM and Garland was 185CM. He was "named military training" by his opponents in the playoffs. Pacers Halliburton (1.96 meters) and Nemhard (1.91 meters) have height and size advantages. The shooting percentage of this season's playoffs is both more than 47%, directly breaking through the Cavaliers' defense. There is also a ball-right black hole, and double guns occupy a lot of the team's shooting rights, but they cannot drive teammates. Allen and Mobley have not touched the ball per game in the two inside playoffs, and have become "returning and running tools" and have not played their due advantages.

However, there are external factors, that is, salary shackles. After Mobley's 224 million super top salary was triggered in five years, the Cavaliers' salary structure was completely deformed; exceeding the second rich line means that it is difficult to sign players with basic salary, and the bench can only be made up by two-way contracts. Due to the "can't pack more and change one" rule, the Cavaliers cannot exchange Garland + draft picks for All-Star players, and can only accept junk contract swaps (for example, using Garland for Lavender? The Bulls may not want either).

Modern basketball emphasizes the transition of defense and space on the front line, but the Cavaliers stock up on the double towers of Allen + Mobley, whose three-point shooting percentage is high but cannot maintain production, and was walked by the Pacers' five-in-one lineup until their legs were weak.

The Cavaliers' management has spent money to renew their contracts before. Mobley and Mitchell can be the core, but the small guard system has long been outdated. Look at the champions in the past few seasons, which team does not have a top outside leader? White and Holiday of the Celtics in 2024, Pope of the Nuggets in 2023, and Wiggins and Payton Jr. in the Warriors in 2022.

The gap between the Cavaliers and the champion team today may be just a White. Look at the performance of the Celtic White? He averaged 19.9 points + 5.5 rebounds + 3.7 assists + three-point shooting percentage in the playoffs, but his annual salary was only 18.82 million. The future of the Cavaliers is likely to be to tear down the east wall and repair the west wall - send off Garland to stop loss, bet on Mobley and evolve into a DPOY+ space-type inside line, and pray that Mitchell will not apply for a transaction.

But the reality is often - when you think you are bottoming out, there may be a basement under the floor.