Ohio -- After playing a role in the Cleveland Cavaliers' defense giving up 32 points to Victor Oladipo during the Game 1 loss on Sunday afternoon, George Hill had a simple answer when asked about the changes needed against Indiana's All-Star for the remainder of the series.
"Defend better," Hill said. "It wasn't just him. I think they played a great all-around game. All the guys. Lance (Stephenson) coming off the bench giving them a spark, (Bojan) Bogdanovic hitting some big shots, Myles (Turner) hitting some big shots and Cory (Joseph) hit a big shot in the corner. We can't just put it all on (Oladipo), but I think they're just a good overall good team. Can't just nip the bud on one guy, have to be good defensively all around."
Sure, there is plenty of danger in paying too much attention to Oladipo. But this is the time of year the Cavaliers have often focused on harassing the opponent's best, even bragging about their ability to make foes uncomfortable with their typically effective blitz strategy -- sending two defenders at the star on picks.
It's the defensive tactic that spearheaded a sweep against Toronto in the conference semifinals and led to a quick series against the Boston Celtics last year. It's also what Tyronn Lue hinted at following the first postseason practice a few days ago.
"Defend better," Hill said. "It wasn't just him. I think they played a great all-around game. All the guys. Lance (Stephenson) coming off the bench giving them a spark, (Bojan) Bogdanovic hitting some big shots, Myles (Turner) hitting some big shots and Cory (Joseph) hit a big shot in the corner. We can't just put it all on (Oladipo), but I think they're just a good overall good team. Can't just nip the bud on one guy, have to be good defensively all around."
Sure, there is plenty of danger in paying too much attention to Oladipo. But this is the time of year the Cavaliers have often focused on harassing the opponent's best, even bragging about their ability to make foes uncomfortable with their typically effective blitz strategy -- sending two defenders at the star on picks.
It's the defensive tactic that spearheaded a sweep against Toronto in the conference semifinals and led to a quick series against the Boston Celtics last year. It's also what Tyronn Lue hinted at following the first postseason practice a few days ago.
