Dean Wade has learned to love defense — and the Cavs lead the Raptors 2-0 in their playoff series because of it

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Dean Wade got the assignment early last week.

He expected it. Mentally prepared for it. Wanted it.

Shortly after one of the Cavs’ exhausting conditioning sessions, assistant coach Mike Gerrity, the team’s de facto defensive coordinator, made it official by pulling numerous video clips for Wade to study.

Clips of Raptors All-Star Brandon Ingram.

“We had it in the back of our minds to start Dean anyway because that five-man lineup has been so great for us all year,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson told cleveland.com following Monday’s 115-105 win. “But the more we watched film as a staff, we just kept saying, ‘B.I. is the head of the snake, so we need to put our best perimeter defender on him.’ That’s Dean.”

How Atkinson rounded out his starting lineup was one of the lingering questions coming into this postseason. Four names were obvious — James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, the new Core 4, a quartet plastered all over multiple billboards downtown. The guys who get most of the acclaim.

But there was at least a modicum of ambiguity about the fifth guy, especially given Atkinson’s affinity for battle-tested playoff riser Max Strus — a more potent offensive weapon who started every postseason game at small forward the previous two years.

Atkinson played it coy in the days leading up to Game 1, saying it was matchup dependent and partially tied to injured Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley’s status. On Saturday morning, a little more than 90 minutes before tipoff, Atkinson once again chose not to disclose, leaning into the usual playoff gamesmanship — despite everything pointing to Wade.

The decision has been validated.

Wade has been the unsung hero of Cleveland’s 2-0 series lead, pestering Ingram and disrupting Toronto’s offensive attack.

“I love it,” Wade told cleveland.com when asked about the defense-first role. “Sometimes, it’s a thankless job and I had to learn to love it. But, man, I love it. I really do.”

During the Cavaliers’ statement-making double-digit Game 1 romp, the Wade-led defense limited Ingram, Toronto’s prolific leading scorer, to one shot attempt in the second half — and just nine total.

According to NBA.com matchup data, Ingram scored just two of his 17 points while being defended by Wade.

Immediately after the loss, Ingram offered a harsh assessment of the Raptors’ strategy.

“At the end of the day, me shooting nine shots is not going to win basketball games,” Ingram said.

Or shooting 15 of them, apparently.

Hounded and pressured by Wade and others, forced to play in a supersized crowd, the slender Ingram missed his first six attempts before finally getting one to drop at the 9:50 mark of the third quarter.

In all, Ingram, who averaged 21.5 points in the regular season, finished with seven points — his second lowest output all season — on 3 of 15 shooting and 1 of 3 from 3-point range to go with three assists against five turnovers. With him on the floor, the Raptors were minus-15.

“Unbelievable,” Harden said of Wade’s defensive effort.

“He’s been doing incredible,” Mobley added. “It’s tough on Brandon Ingram every second of the game. We need that from him every single night. He’s handsy, he’s got size, length and he’s able to move with the best of them all. He’s definitely underrated, his defensive skills. It’s tough to score on Dean Wade.”

That’s why Atkinson chose Wade as his fifth starter. It’s why the versatile forward is affectionately known as the “White Blanket” — a nickname given to him by former Cavalier Tristan Thompson that prompts teammates to grab towels from the bench, spread them wide and wave them up and down each time Wade gets a stop.

In this series, that’s been a common occurrence.

“Definitely not valued as much as he should be,” Allen said of Wade. “I think his defense overall and just how much he impacts the game in a way that stat sheets don’t pick up on, it’s tremendous to this team and our effort on defense.”

So, how would Allen characterize that impact?

“Monumental,” he replied. “I think if people just took time and watched him for four or five possessions, obviously he’s going to mess up one, but still 80% of the time he does something well on the defensive end.”

With Ingram neutralized and Quickley still sidelined because of a strained right hamstring, Toronto hasn’t had enough generators of reliable, consistent offense.

On Monday night, it finished with a putrid 107.1 offensive rating — the equivalent of the league’s worst in the regular season. It turned the ball over a season-high 22 times. Made just seven 3-pointers — the fewest triples allowed in a playoff game by Cleveland since also giving up seven on April 18, 2023, against New York. Looked helpless and answerless even after changing the lineup and shuffling the rotation.

That’s because Wade — and the Cavs — cut off the head of Toronto’s frustrated snake.

“I was trying to be physical. I was trying to be disruptive,” Wade said of his approach against Ingram. “Just take him out of his rhythm as much as possible. When he’s comfortable, he can make the toughest shots no matter what you try to do. Just tried to keep it out of his hands and when he did have it, tried to speed him up and force him to our bigs. When he makes shots, especially open shots at the beginning of the game, he’s really hard to stop. I know shutting someone down is probably not going to happen, especially knowing the caliber of player he is, so just try to make it tough.”

Wade admits that guarding players like Ingram used to take a mental toll. His first couple years he would get down on himself, not being able to define success by anything other than the end result. But he’s learned. And it’s now easier to accept. These are the game’s elite. They hit tough shots. Wade can’t control makes or misses.

“The NBA is a scoring league, scorers league, so just do all you can do,” Wade explained. “I think midway through my third year, it was kind of like, ‘Man, I can’t get down on myself every time something doesn’t go my way or they get a lucky bounce or something like that.’ Once you make it tough on them, the rest is none of my business really.”

Wade said his personal satisfaction lasted about 10 minutes Monday night. He even lamented a late-game mental lapse that led to Ingram hitting an open 3 because Wade over-helped instead of staying connected.

That’s life for a defensive stopper. You’re on an island. Mistakes are magnified. Success is fleeting. Especially in a seven-game series, where adjustments are made and chess pieces get moved. Come Thursday in Toronto, the first two games are irrelevant. Wade needs to bring the same effort again.

To that point, he is already trying to predict how Toronto will deploy Ingram. Post-ups? ISOs? Screens? Pin-downs? On the ball? Off the ball?

Either way, Wade knows what’s coming — an attack-minded Ingram looking for retribution.

“Can’t let it get to your head,” Wade said. “He’s going to come out firing.”

Upon learning that Ingram would be his responsibility last week, Wade started cramming like it was a college final.

He wanted to know everything about Ingram — strengths, weaknesses, moves, counters, tendencies, shot profile, sets. Wade received a detailed scouting report and broke down film clips with Gerrity, around 20 minutes each day. That was on top of the team-specific video sessions.

With such a rigorous and important defensive responsibility, Wade knew his role at the other end would be minimal. Space the floor. Set screens. Be a connector. Don’t pass up open 3s. The same as it has been all season — and most of his career.

He scored five points Saturday. Just three in Game 2.

And, yet, in about 51 minutes, Wade has been one of the Cavs’ most effective players, besting Toronto by 34 points with him on the floor over the first two games of this lopsided series.

As for Ingram, he has just two total points and is 1 of 6 shooting when guarded by Wade — about four times the matchup minutes of any other Cavalier.

“My main focus is on the defensive end,” Wade said. “That’s where I have the most effect on the game. I think that’s what everyone in here relies on me to do and I can’t let these guys down. Offensively, you like to look at your stats and see a lot of points and stuff, but I can’t look at that. I need to see the effect I have on the defensive end. That’s my job. I cannot have any mistakes.

“I know it’s not as fun or as glamorous as the offensive end. But it’s just as important.”

Ahead of Saturday’s series opener, the Cavs handed out t-shirts and towels with their snappy playoff slogan written in big, bold letters.

Let Em Know.

Only in the middle of that phrase, there were six cleverly placed asterisks sandwiched between the Cavaliers’ recognizable C logo — two at the beginning and four at the end. Use your imagination on the vulgar meaning.

Inside the asterisks were six roaring faces. Harden. Mitchell. Mobley. Allen. Atkinson. And … Strus.

Not Wade. He was overlooked. Again.

Perhaps not much longer. Not with this series reaffirming his value and showcasing his impact.

“As much as y’all talk about us three, me and him and Ev, y’all got to — Dean Wade deserves a bunch of credit for tonight,“ Mitchell said. ”He’s been phenomenal on both ends. Rolling. Screening. Defending. He’s doing everything. He’s playing at a high level.”

Mitchell’s right.

There are countless reasons the Cavs are up 2-0 in this series and have led for nearly 90 out of a possible 96 minutes. Not the least of which is the Raptors’ season long ineptitude against quality opponents that has unsurprisingly carried over.

But coming into the best-of-seven, there was one name at the top of Cleveland’s scouting report, one guy who occupied most of the pre-series bandwidth, one guy tied to Toronto’s best chance at any semblance of success.

Ingram.

And Wade has, ahem, blanketed him.

“He’s been incredible,” Atkinson told cleveland.com of Wade. “Not only the defense and limiting touches but the discipline. B.I. is a master. I think that’s growth for Dean. He can sometimes get overzealous, over physical and will foul sometimes. It’s a luxury to have a stopper, a 6-foot-9 wing that you can use as a stopper. Can use him on a point guard. Can use him on a wing. He’s been phenomenal so far. He’s been amazing. Dean has made him work for everything.

“I’d give him an A-plus grade.”