Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyle Korver is the key to Cleveland’s postseason success

Kyle Korver saved the Cleveland Cavaliers season. His success has been the ultimate key to the Cavaliers first-round series.

This has been an odd series for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their clear second option, Kevin Love, has struggled to find his rhythm while somehow the unlikely key to success, Kyle Korver, has left a huge imprint on the Cavs two victories.

In last night’s Game 4, the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to even the series at 2. The antics of Lance Stephenson, the dominance of LeBron, and the absence of Love all played a part in Cleveland’s narrow victory, but it was Kyle Korver and Jordan Clarkson who will be the team’s unsung heroes.

Game 4 was more of the same for Cleveland. James put up 32, and then the combination of Clarkson, Korver, and Smith put up 42. Those four were the only four to score double figures for Cleveland while Indiana managed to put seven at or above 10.

That just further proves that Korver’s importance was crucial. Without Korver’s four triples, this game would’ve felt completely different, with Cleveland likely going home down 3 games to 1.

For starters, it wasn’t just his four triples. Korver getting to the strip seven times was also impressive for the sniper. Korver’s seven free throw attempts were a season-high for him. Korver, who is an 88% free throw shooter, made six of his attempts. Along with two blocks, Korver was really the spark Cleveland needed last night.

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However, unlike many other players, the Cavaliers play has mimicked Korver’s play in this opening series. In Games 1 and 3, Korver didn’t even score a single point in a combined 23 minutes. In Games 2 and 4, Korver scored 12 and 18 respectively in a combined 57 minutes. The Cavs are 2-0 when Korver scores and 0-2 when he doesn’t.

While that trend might not continue indefinitely, it’d certainly something to keep an eye on moving forward.

It’s impossible for Lue not to notice Korver’s importance, and Game 5 should feature the sniper much more. Right?

It’s not just for Cleveland’s sake though.

LeBron has played much better with Korver on the court. With a 4.1 net rating, the Korver-James combination has reaped benefits for Cleveland, but when you toss in Smith to that combination, that rating goes up to 11.7.

James thrives with shooters, and prior to Game 4, I went into detail on how Cleveland should do that more often. Game 4 just reiterated that fact. The three-man combination listed above had a +13.4 net rating in Game 4.

Korver has thrived with James and likewise James with Korver. Korver is not a star player, but he’s the beneficiary of the Cavs living legend, LeBron James.

As the series continues, expect more this duo to share court time far more often even if Korver is a defensive liability at times.

Knotted up at 2, this series is now just a best of 3 series.

Must Read: Cleveland Cavaliers: Give LeBron shooters and get out of the way

Can Korver continue to be the Cavs spark for just two of the next three games?