Can the Cavs Keep the Band Together?

May 12, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) celebrates his three-point basket in the third quarter against the Chicago Bulls in game five of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers are going into the Eastern Conference Finals starting Wednesday. The Cavs will face off with the Atlanta Hawks and we are excited to cover our team’s battle for a possible Finals appearance.

The Cavs got to this point with a ton of help from their complimentary players. While the season was defined by LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, the post-season has been the story of Iman Shumpert, Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova. At the start of this season none of those 4 were in the starting lineup. 3 out of the 4, all but Delly, started in the Cavs series with the Bulls.

What a big change. With LeBron, Irving and Love the focus was on their dominate offense. With Love out and Irving limited, with a ton of help from two bad offensive teams, the Cavs have won primarily with defense. That is not to say that each of those 4 have contributed on the offensive end because they have.

J.R.’s shooting helped open up the floor when nobody was hitting. Shumpert’s shooting, attacking the basket and timely offensive rebounds buoyed tough nights by James and Irving. Thompson’s offensive rebounding and rim runs for alley oops were huge sparks. Delly, the pin cushion for most Cavs fans this year, exploded offensively in Game 6 to wrap things up.

Next: Tough Decisions Ahead