King James Gospel
Fansided

Cleveland Cavaliers: Here’s why Kevin Love may be enough for LeBron James

By JR DePierro

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 18: LeBron James
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 18: LeBron James /
facebooktwitterreddit

LeBron James has been carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers every game since Kevin Love went down with a hand injury right before the All-Star break. Now Love is back, and we finally see that he is all LeBron needs to succeed.

First off, LeBron James not only needs Kevin Love by his side, but he also needs a reliable bench and role players. Is he capable of winning a game or two in the NBA Finals with only role players by his side? Yes – which he has proven in the 2015 NBA Finals.

After the trades made by the Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman, LeBron now has reliable role players, a very deep bench, and an All-Star sidekick. James has all the tools for another Finals run, and this time, it’s with just one all-star teammate.

We are now in 2018 and LeBron’s dominance over the league has remained steady.

As the 2018 NBA playoffs approach, the Cavaliers are doing everything they can to earn a top seed in the playoff race. The fact that the team has dealt with so many injuries and significant trades has made their hopes of achieving a top spot in the playoff race more difficult. Along with the temporary exit of Tyronn Lue, the Cavs have yet to catch a break this season.

Assuming the Cavaliers make the playoffs, LeBron will have a loaded bench and reliable role players surrounding him. This leads me to why Love is all he needs.

As most know, LeBron love’s to dominate games by being the main ball-handler and facilitator. When Kyrie Irving was on the team, he would have to share that role with him. Of course, this worked out in the 2016 NBA Finals when the Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors.

More from King James Gospel

However, the fact that Irving is gone may be for the best. LeBron can control the game at whichever point he feels necessary. LeBron controls everything from the Cavs defensive intensity to their offensive pace.

The Isaiah Thomas experiment was also an example of too much mid-game hesitation on who should take over at certain points. I’m sure egos were also in the mix of the on-court issues.

At the end of the day…

Love is the key to the Cavaliers success. With him now being the definitive number two option, and his understanding that LeBron is the leader, it benefits the team as a whole.

We saw that last night as LeBron mad the right decision late in the game to defer late-game free throw shooting to Love. James knows his strength and his teammates and Love trusts him enough to make those decisions correctly.

With Love back, the Cavs were able to down the Toronto Raptors, the East’s top team which the Cavs have struggled with all season. Them proving to themselves that they can beat a fully healthy Raptors team with only a partially healthy team is huge. With Kevin Love back, this team has proven to be able to step it up a notch.

Believe it or not, there is an added benefit to Love discussing his struggles with anxiety. People, especially his teammates, are aware of it and that’s a relieving feeling.

LeBron can play with essentially any offensive mindset he wants at any time now, or let Jordan Clarkson/George Hill take over.

Must Read: The Cleveland Cavaliers might have a shot at Damian Lillard this summer

The Cavaliers aren’t guaranteed to win the Finals, but I’d expect a very solid run come playoff time. At the end of the day, unless LeBron James is paired with another true superstar, Kevin Love should be all he needs to put this team on his back and carry them to the Finals.