Written by Matt Moore at CBSSports.com
These are the Cavaliers you should be worried about, if you’re the rest of the NBA.
The Cavaliers have always had so much promise, just from a talent perspective. LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, the list goes on and on. But they never seemed to maximize it. Their regular season was marred with inconsistency and disappointing performances vs. the Warriors. Their playoff run last year was buoyed by a weak Eastern Conference and their injuries shifting their defensive identity.
There was serious concern for what kind of team they would be in the playoffs. Even in Game 1, the Cavs had to fight the whole way to beat the eighth seed. There were positive signs, like the fact that the Big 3 came through together at the same time for the first time in a playoff game, but there were still concerns.
Game 2, however, was Full Cavs. Peak Cavs. Omega Cavs.
The Big did their thing, combining for 65 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists between Love, James and Irving. The perimeter weapons were on full display, knocking down 20 3-pointers to tie an NBA record for a single playoff game with last season’s mighty Warriors. Those made 3s meant they could set their defense, and that helped contain the Pistons’perimeter game, holding them to 44 percent shooting. The weapons were everywhere.Matthew Dellavedova, hitting 3s and slicing to the rim. J.R. Smith launching over and over, and everywhere, everywhere, James.
James finished with 27 points, six rebounds and three assists.
James after the game described the Cavs as having “snipers” all over the floor and that he’s more of a “tank.” In reality, he’s more like a Navy destroyer, able to coordinate all the weaponry at his disposal. This is what James wants, also. Him with the ball, three shooters and a rebounder. Preferably four, but the Kevin-Love-at-the-five lineups weren’t as successful in Game 2 as they were in Game 1.
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