Cleveland Cavaliers: What we learned vs. Boston Celtics

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CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 17: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers goes to greet Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics prior to playing at at Quicken Loans Arena on October 17, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

LeBron and Kyrie might have buried the hatchet.

There has been a lot made of Kyrie’s decision to request a trade. Irving has made some interesting comments about the situation and has said that he won’t divulge the real reason why he requested the trade.

At the end of the day, he showed the crowd in Cleveland why he was beloved for six years. Irving dazzled in the fourth quarter and almost pulled off the comeback. Many of us that have watched Kyrie for years thought that final shot was going down. After the game, LeBron and Kyrie shook hands and hugged it out. No matter what happens down the road, nothing will ever take away the shot over Steph Curry or the championship in 2016.

things i didnt know i needed pic.twitter.com/BGSZKT1F0W
— whitney medworth (@its_whitney) October 18, 2017

Coach Lue has his hands full in trying to find effective lineups.

Cleveland ran out 17 different lineups against Boston.

The starting lineup was the only lineup that played more than four minutes. They played 16 minutes and were a -3. The starters finished the game with an offensive rating of 104.7 and a defensive rating of 117.5. The distribution of minutes was interesting. Wade played 28 minutes while Smith played 21. Many expected Smith to play more minutes than Wade even though Smith is coming off the bench. Coach Lue found only seven minutes for Korver.

The Cavs have so many new players. Figuring out the proper lineups and how to play together in those lineups will take time.