King James Gospel
Fansided

Cleveland Cavaliers: What we learned from a narrow OT win over the Clippers

By Jackson Flickinger

CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 17: LeBron James
CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 17: LeBron James /
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CLEVELAND, OH – NOVEMBER 17: Lou Williams #23 of the LA Clippers and Kyle Korver #26 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dive for a loose ball during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena on November 17, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Clippers 118-113 in overtime. 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 Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – NOVEMBER 17: Lou Williams #23 of the LA Clippers and Kyle Korver #26 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dive for a loose ball during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena on November 17, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Clippers 118-113 in overtime. 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 Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

LeBron locked up Blake Griffin down the stretch.

James locked down Kristaps Porzingis in New York last at the end of the game week and followed that up by shutting down Blake Griffin in the fourth Friday night.

LeBron took the responsibility of being the primary defender for Griffin in the fourth quarter and overtime. Griffin was held to 6 points on 2 of 12 shooting in the fourth quarter and overtime as a result.

Kyle Korver needs more minutes still.

Korver’s numbers Friday night don’t jump off the page. He finished with just 9 points on 2 of 5 shooting. But what can’t be ignored is the effect he has on the team in general.

The Cavs had lapses of terrible basketball Friday night. None of that came with Korver on the floor. As a result, Cleveland was a +25 and had a net rating of 40 when Korver was on the floor. The problem is he only played 28 and a half minutes against LA.

The Cavs are such a lethal team when Korver is out there. He plays so well with LeBron and teams are forced to defend differently with him on the floor. With JR Smith not having an outstanding season, it may be time for Coach Lue to consider inserting Korver into the starting lineup.