King James Gospel
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Cavaliers Starters Playing At Their Best

By Quenton S. Albertie

May 4, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; The Cleveland Cavaliers bench, including forward Kevin Love (0), guard Iman Shumpert (4), guard J.R. Smith (5), and center Tristan Thompson (13) celebrate Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams
May 4, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; The Cleveland Cavaliers bench, including forward Kevin Love (0), guard Iman Shumpert (4), guard J.R. Smith (5), and center Tristan Thompson (13) celebrate Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers have gotten great contributions from their starters.

(1) Kyrie Irving is a firecracker offensively, and is getting comfortable being a leader on this team. He hasn’t been hunting for his shot too much under Coach Lue, and when he does decide to take over he’s been on fire.

He is focused and in a groove now that the playoffs have started. Even his defense which is generally a liability, is more active.. He’s accepting the challenge, as he always has, but he may need to do Pilates and begin to be a better defensive study in the off-season, before he can be an above-average defensive player. In the meantime, the Cavs have a top 3 offense that prevents Irving’s defense from being a real liability.

In the meantime, the Cavs have a top 3 offense that prevents Irving’s defense from being a real liability.

(2) J.R. Smith is finally focused and a he’s a better player because of it. He’s not just a placeholder at shooting guard or solely a shooter. He fits the starting five because of his shooting, defense, and swagger. The Cavaliers are an explosive three point shooting squad, but the star behind the line is J.R.. In terms of sheer shot volume and efficiency, JR is

He fits the starting five because of his shooting, defense, and swagger. The Cavaliers are an explosive three point shooting squad, but the star behind the line is J.R. In terms of sheer shot volume and efficiency, JR is

In terms of sheer shot volume and efficiency, JR is arguably only behind Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson as the best three point shooters this year. His defense on Korver and the threat of him making a three were integral to the Cavaliers success, a big reason the Hawks brought Korver off the bench in Game 3. The difference between this year’s playoff performance and last year’s, less turnovers. J.R. Smith has his head in the game.

(3) The angles LeBron James visualizes are incredible. His post play is improving under Coach Lue: Hi off the dribble attacking and controlling his tendency to overthink by allowing his coach to lead the team.

There’s nothing James can’t do on the court, but his ability to get to the rim and finish through constant contact with strength and finesse is actually better than ever. His combination of otherworldly passing, athleticism, versatility and basketball IQ are legendary as is his scoring ability. All by himself we

All by himself we know what he can do but this year he has the offensive boost he needed thanks to a completely healthy Big 3. He’s becoming a bigger presence defensively under Coach Lue, averaging two steals a game this postseason.

(4) Kevin Love seems confident again, or maybe he’s just finally excited. He’s being aggressive and, though I personally would like to see him be more of a facilitator, he’s hitting a fair amount of shots from all over the floor.

More importantly, he’s hitting big ones. He has to be more than just a stretch four, the Cavaliers don’t want two Channing Frye‘s, no matter how great Frye was last night. Love has been facilitating, operating efficiently in the post, and rebounding offensively and defensively, maximizing his productivity.

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(5) Tristan Thompson has started to get heavy minutes and fair recognition and it’s definitely deserved. While he is always a very effective defender because of his length and athleticism, hen he’s in his zone as a rim protector, there’s no better center for the Cavaliers.

Like Coach Lue has said, his ability to get offensive rebounds demoralizes the opponent. That’s his specialty, demoralizing the opponent. Protecting the rim has been something he had to learn how to do consistently in the NBA. Scoring efficiently is the next thing, and it starts with him scoring off the ball through cuts for alley-oops or easy dunks. It should start involving him bringing the ball up quickly around the rim to maximize his quickness and minimize the opponent’s chance to make a play on the ball. That aside, he’s worth what he asked for, and got, in the off-season.

Are you surprised by how the Cavaliers’ starters are playing?