Cleveland Cavaliers: Lessons from a pivotal Game 5 victory
LeBron’s free throw shooting looks better.
LeBron was perfect from the line in the win. The Cavs needed every one of those 15 free throws to get by.
It’s no secret that free throw shooting has always been a flaw of LeBron’s game. He’s a 73.9% free throw shooter for his career and he shot only 73.1% from the line this season.
These playoffs have been a different story. It’s a small sample size, but he’s shooting 82.5% from the line these playoffs.
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It’s encouraging to see LeBron perform this well from the line. We’ll see if it’s something that continues throughout these playoffs.
Kevin Love continues to struggle.
Love has looked lost on the offensive end for most of this series. Game 5 was no different as he finished with just 10 points on 2 of 11 shooting. Love is averaging 11.8 points on 32.8% shooting from the field.
The Cavs desperately need some secondary scoring this series, and Love hasn’t been able to provide any.
Part of the reason for his struggles could be the partially torn ligament in his left thumb that he suffered at the end of Game 2. He claims the injury isn’t bothering him, but his performance suggests otherwise.
The Pacers have done a great job of containing Love, but the Cavs simply need more out of him. A lot has been made out of how the deadline moves were made to unlock LeBron’s game, but you could say the same about Love. Unlike LeBron, Love isn’t making the most of this opportunity.
Love will have at least one more chance to make a mark this series.