INDIANAPOLIS: Deron Williams admitted he felt pressure joining the defending NBA champion Cavaliers.
A starter since his second year in the league in 2006-07, he acknowledged the blow to his confidence that accompanied a new role coming off the bench.
Even after 12 seasons in the NBA and two stints with LeBron James in the Olympics, the 33-year-old point guard might have had no idea what was in store when he signed with the Cavs on Feb. 27.
Especially how long it would take him to feel comfortable, to play like a three-time All-Star again.
Fortunately for the Cavs, Williams appears to be hitting his stride just in time for the Eastern Conference semifinals, which open in Cleveland next week against the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks-Toronto Raptors series.
James wanted the Cavs to add playmakers and when he arrived, Williams seemed the perfect backup for Kyrie Irving. During his time with the Utah Jazz, New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks, Williams reached 19th on the NBA’s all-time career assists list. He’d started 72 playoff games and averaged 18.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists.
He had the experience, court savvy and respect of his new teammates, who were primed for a long postseason run.
But the Cavs, coming off an NBA-best 9-2 record in February, suffered through a 10-14 March and April, including losing four in a row to end the regular season. Williams needed an adjustment period, which lasted nearly two months.
A 35-point night at Miami on April 10 when coach Tyronn Lue rested James and Irving helped Williams find his footing.
Williams finally showed what he is capable of in Game 4 Sunday in Bankers Life Fieldhouse as the Cavs completed a sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the first-round Eastern Conference series.
In Game 4 against the Pacers, Williams scored 12 points in the second quarter, when he made all three of his field-goal attempts, two from 3-point range. Playing 7:28, most of it with the second unit that helped the Cavs rally from a 25-point halftime deficit in Game 3, Williams added two rebounds and an assist in that period.
He finished with 14 points, making 4-of-4 field goals and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line in 13 minutes.
In the locker room afterward, Williams felt good enough about where he stands to discuss what he’d been through.
“Any time you go to another team in the middle of the season, it’s going to be an adjustment,” he said. “Add to it, it’s the defending champs, a lot of pressure, and it was a different situation for me than I had ever been in in my career. Coming off the bench, playing short minutes, trying to figure out how to stay confident and be aggressive when you don’t have the ball in your hands. I feel like I’ve had a little bit over two months now and I’ve adjusted and figured things out.”
As Lue considered Williams’ recent contributions, he also remembered his five-point, two-assist effort in Game 3 against the Pacers, when Williams made two free throws with 14 seconds left to preserve a five-point victory.
Lue knew Williams wasn’t going to be at his peak when he signed with the Cavs after missing eight games with the Dallas Mavericks from Jan. 26-Feb. 9 with a sprained left big toe. He played three more with the Mavericks before being waived on Feb. 23.
“When we first got him he hadn’t played in 3-4 weeks because he was hurt,” Lue said. “When he came to us, he was out of game shape. He’s been working every day with [strength and conditioning coach Derek Millender], doing extra every single day.
“Tonight without him we wouldn’t have won that game. He was spectacular. He was spectacular last game also. Just a veteran getting to the playoffs, knowing our schemes and what we want to do and he does it right every single time. That’s what you can hang your hat on with veterans, they’re going to do it right every single time.”
The key for Williams came against the Heat, when he poured in a season-high 35 points and added seven rebounds, nine assists and a blocked shot. He did commit 10 turnovers in the overtime loss.
“The Miami game definitely helped because it was a game where I was just trying to be aggressive, go back to kind of playing the way I’m used to,” Williams said. “It definitely helped me jump start and get my confidence back a little bit because the games before that I wasn’t getting many attempts, many looks, was kind of fooling around. When I do that I kind of lose confidence.”
Williams made his Cavs debut in a loss at the Boston Celtics on March 1, but he said the rough month as the Cavs went 7-10, playing 12 on the road, also hampered him.
“It was definitely frustrating coming over and then losing. Couldn’t really figure out how to get going,” he said. “Any time you’re losing, it just makes it worse. So, it was a struggle at first, but there were some wins where you definitely knew what we could do. Especially the Boston win [on April 5]. It was like, ‘All right, we’re locked in. We’re ready to go,’ and then we come out and stink it up two nights in a row [against the Hawks] after that.”
Averaging 8.3 points and 1.5 assists against the Pacers, Williams played in the second unit with James, Channing Frye, Iman Shumpert and Kyle Korver, the group that keyed the historic halftime comeback in Game 3 and helped the Cavs open a six-point halftime lead in Game 4.
Williams seems acclimated now. On Sunday, James raved about Williams, affirming he’s the playmaker the Cavs needed.
“Every day he’s getting more and more comfortable with what we want to do, with his ability and getting back to being D-Will,” James said Sunday. “He’s got that right-to-left crossover and that left-to-right crossover. He’s pulling up 3s off pick-and-rolls with no hesitation. He’s getting to the lane.
“He’s given us a huge boost. He had [12] points in that second quarter. He was very dominant. He was very demonstrative about what we wanted to get into. We needed him. We’re happy we got him.”
James traveled on 3
The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report on Game 4 said James moved his pivot foot before making a 3-pointer with 1:14 remaining that put the Cavs ahead for good. The report said the Pacers’ Paul George did the same before his game-tying 3-point attempt that missed with 4.6 seconds to go.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com.