The Big Three is transforming right before our eyes
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love is finally reaching its potential.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Big Three is transforming and it’s not just LeBron James who is playing better than ever. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love have transformed their games as well.
James has become the complete package offensively. He’s the point guard of the offense, an iso scorer, a three-point threat, a dominant post player, an incredible slasher and flies around on defense, wreaking havoc. While he’s lost a bit of explosiveness in his first step, he’s mastered getting smaller and slower players to switch onto him in the pick-and-roll, minimizing the impact that lack of explosion has on his overall game.
Nowadays, James’ name can’t be mentioned without someone saying something to prove Michael Jordan is better… Or worse. James, for his part, is scoring at a Jordan-like volume while taunting opponents with Jordan-like showmanship and torturing them with gamesmanship.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Irving is always going to be a sensational offensive player with silky smooth handles, creative finishes around the rim and a shooting stroke that brings together range and precision. Now he’s improving his shot-selection and taking a special pride in setting up his teammates for the assist. Defensively, Irving looks quicker and more engaged than ever before.
He’s growing as a player and with his propensity to deliver in the clutch, developing a legacy that doesn’t sit in James’ shadow. He’s actually very clearly a byproduct of James and Kobe Bryant’s mentorship, delivering as a player and a crunch-time killer.
Love mixes it up on offense, getting points from the three-point line to the paint. He’ll attack off-the-dribble, going all the way to the rim or pulling up from midrange. He’s getting points in the pick-and-pop and the pick-and-roll while using his passing ability to be the quarterback in transition and drop dimes inside in the halfcourt.
Defensively, Love has better timing on weakside rim-protection and while he’s defending in the post, he shuffles his feet, keeping his hands up and contesting shots pretty well. He’s more attuned to making the proper defensive rotations and, playing in the best shape of his life, he’s physically capable of getting to the right spot on time.
This transformation of the Big Three is, in part, a product of Tyronn Lue’s coaching.
Lue has focused on getting Love involved offensively, helping Irving be a playmaker in the offense, putting James in advantageous situations and improving the physical conditioning of the whole team. The aggressive defense deployed by Lue in the Finals has turned James into a defensive terror off-the-ball, as James is allowed to sit inside the arc and defend his own zone; contesting shots both inside and outside the paint while jumping in passing lanes like he’s living out NFL dreams.
It’s also, in part, due to the personnel they have around them. James, like Irving, is surrounded by shooters that give him space to drive and perpetuate the threat of his passing ability. Tristan Thompson’s ability to finish off the pick-and-roll, get offensive rebounds and second-chance points is crucial to the Cavs’ success as well.
In addition, without J.R. Smith’s ability to guard a team’s best player or Thompson’s ability to guard on the perimeter, the Cavs would be playing a more conservative defense that lessened James’ overall impact.
This may be the best three-man unit James has ever been a part of.
The Heatles’ Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh was better defensively due to the athletic abilities of the entire trio.
Yet, the Believeland Big Three has found an offensive balance the South Beach Boys never had while taking strides defensively.
The Cavs current Big Three is also younger and will have a longer reign of dominance.
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In any case, with all due respect to Brad Daugherty, Mark Price and Larry Nance, this trio is the best that Cleveland ever seen.