"When the Cavaliers were trying to pull off another stunning victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, they had possession in the final minute and trailed by four.

They needed a good look, preferably something that included Kyrie Irving. But with one second remaining on the shot clock, Anderson Varejao hoisted a 20-footer essentially from the 3-point line. Varejao missed the shot, the Celtics grabbed the rebound and the Cavs' comeback had ended.

The Cavs have committed 18 shot-clock violations through 20 games, which is tied for the third-most in the league. Not included in that total are countless other possessions that ended like the one Tuesday, where Varejao hoisted a bad, low-percentage shot just to beat the buzzer.

"We're getting into what we call late-clock situations way too often," said Cavs coach Byron Scott, who addressed the issue with his players again during practice Thursday. "Our pace of play has to be faster. The way we want to play and the way we want to get the ball moving from side to side and then look to attack means you have to get the ball up the court a lot faster.""