Do Cavs Resemble LeBron’s Old Flame?
Are the Cleveland Cavaliers in fact similar to LeBron James‘ Miami Heat teams?
After LeBron James saying Kyrie Irving reminded him of former teammate Dwyane Wade, it’s easy to wonder if we were in fact about to witness greatness? To see a potential dynasty begin? Irving is like Wade despite the fact he’s a way better three-point shooter, because of how he attacks the paint and moves the defense with his handles and penetration.
J.R. Smith has the same job as Ray Allen. His defense is suffocating as of late; like Wade, and unlike Allen, who had impressive defense on the wing as well. And is this the reincarnation of Ray Allen’s shooting in J.R Smith because he is very, very good right now. He’s making everything!
* The combination of Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade on defense might look remarkably similar to that of Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith.
* Unlike in Miami, Cleveland has a point guard who can play with the ball in his hand while starting a shooting guard whose primary ability is actually shooting.
LeBron is a slightly different beast but still the best small forward in the game and in history. A spectacular feat to accomplish given the ascension of Kawhi Leonard, the return of Paul George, and the angry and combative Kevin Durant.
He’s managed to stay ahead of his three most recent challengers for the throne of top small forward in the NBA because he’s more aggressive and a heady basketball player.
His 3 point shooting vacilates from inconsistent, most of the time, to knocking them all down, every once and awhile.
The most important things are: his defense is tougher; he plays off the ball more and with more purpose and assertiveness when he does it; he appears to be a lean behemoth on the court, he’s bigger than Rob Gronkowski and as agile and flexible as ever.
Lastly, he’s smarter than he’s ever been before. He’s often said to be in conversation for best point guard in the game. The way he sees the game and he’s setting up his teammates has gotten his team going from the three. He’s putting them in good spots with smart, crafty, pinpoint passes and he’s bought into the system like he did at Miami and it’s paying dividends.
The major similarities are in the post; when LeBron operates there, whether he’s playing with a center who can shoot the three or a more traditional center, he looks like one of the best power forwards in the game as well.
Kevin Love had long been, to me, an improvement over Chris Bosh because while Chris Bosh plays better pick and roll defense than Love, Bosh got dunked on frequently, out rebounded even more, and failed to be aggressive on the offensive end. The way Kevin Love has been playing is the way I think LeBron wanted Bosh to be playing.
Tristan Thompson provides the defense that Kevin Love lacks. His defensive impact on the opposing stretch fours is better than Shane Battier‘s was. Because of Battier’s age and Thompson’s youth, I’d argue that there is a similar impact on perimeter defense as well. Thompson reminds me of Joel Anthony with his hustle and Chris “Birdman” Andersen with his energy, dunks, alleys, and sensational blocks despite being undersized.
Channing Frye like Udonis Haslem is the backup forward-center who provides toughness, spacing and smart defense, though UD’s defense was always solid. Some games he may get big minutes, some games he may barely play. Either way he’ll be the consummate professional and an essential piece to the teams championship hopes.
Iman Shumpert like Norris Cole plays tough defensively, is an emotional leader and decent deep shooter, at times. They both have the flat top. They both are favorites of LeBron. How could you not see their role as the same?
Richard Jefferson is the veteran like Mike Miller who was deadly at the three, though not at the rate of Mr. Let It Fly, and whose knowledge and humor make him perfect for LeBron’s team. If Mike Miller had stayed healthy he was supposed to be LeBron’s backup.
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Matthew Dellavedova is a bit like Mario Chalmers. He provides timely career-games, tremendous effort on defense, and is always there to shoot the three. The occasional drive to the hole is nice as well. He’s a capable ball handler and is a better floor general than Chalmers, but gets less steals.
Generally speaking, yes, the Cavaliers have a similar offense to the Miami Heat. The current Cavaliers team is more versatile and has more depth by comparison though. They are shooting at the three way more and better than any of James’ teams, which I think is due to the production of Dellavedova, Smith, Jefferson, and Frye, and Love in particular.
A sharp-shooting assortment of starters and bench players. This year, they also have a system like the second year Heat instead of heavy amounts of isolation like the Heat in the first year after LeBron’s arrival.
And this city is LeBron’s. This team is poised for greater success than the team he came from, which is probably why he left.
Do the Cleveland Cavaliers resemble LeBron James’ Miami Heat?