INDEPENDENCE — There’s a part of Cavaliers coach Mike Brown that is never going to change.
While much has been made of Cleveland’s increased offensive tempo after the addition of lightning-quick point guard Mo Williams, Brown does not want his players to forget where their bread is buttered.
That’s why the Cavaliers, who didn’t return from a Friday night exhibition game in Providence, R.I., until 2 a.m. Saturday, were back on the practice floor at Cleveland Clinic Courts later that morning.
“We’re going to have the ability to score,” Brown said. “I don’t even have to call a play. These guys can go play pickup ball if they want to and we should still score some points.
“Getting stops? That takes effort. You’ve got to want to be able to do that. You’ve got to want to do it every possession for 24 seconds.”
The Cavaliers have not been terrible defensively in dropping their first two preseason games to Toronto and Boston, especially when players who figure to be in the regular rotation have been on the floor, but Brown wants to see a more consistent effort when Cleveland plays the Celtics at Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center on Tuesday night at 7:30.
“We want to have some freedom to do some things offensively,” he said. “Having said that, we’ve got to understand who we are. If we want to win, we’ve got to get it done defensively.
“I’m having to stress it more than I would like to. Right now, we’re in float mode defensively as a group. We’ve got to get out of that.”
The Cavaliers were fairly solid in the first half Tuesday against Toronto, giving up just 43 points while taking an eight-point lead, but mental and physical lapses allowed the Raptors to put up 35 points in the third period en route to a 20-point win.
“In spurts, we get it,” Brown said. “But not consistently the whole night.”
Brown is most concerned with his team’s ability to stop the pick-and-roll, defend in the post and limit penetration by opposing guards. Though it’s a legitimate explanation to a point, the coach is not using frequent substitutions and unfamiliar lineups as excuses for his team’s up-and-down performance.
“It doesn’t matter who’s on the floor,” Brown said. “We can do a better job in those situations.”
Though some natural improvement should be made as core players start to receive more minutes in the exhibition season, the defensive-minded Brown does not plan on letting up on his troops.
“It’s my job to continue to push, push, push,” he said. “I had a conversation with the team (Saturday). I’m going to push until they get really irritated with me.”

Tip-ins

Power forward Ben Wallace (back, ankle) and shooting guard Sasha Pavlovic (ankle) did not practice Saturday.
• Point guard Delonte West has now been away from the team 10 days while attending to personal matters.
• The Cavaliers were off Sunday, but will resume practicing today.
Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rickn@ohio.net or 330-721-4061. 

NEXT UP

WHO: Cleveland vs. Boston
WHAT: Preseason game
WHEN: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Petersen Events Center, University of Pittsburgh
RADIO: WTAM 1100-AM

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