Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyle Korver is the MVP of Game 4

Cleveland Cavaliers sharpshooter Kyle Korver should be given the game ball for both his offensive and defensive playmaking in Game 4.

When I say Kyle Korver, what pops into your mind? It’s his dynamic three-point shooting that he’s been known for his entire career, right? But, that wasn’t all he gave the Cleveland Cavaliers last night.

In Game 4, it was the hustle plays.

One noteworthy instance was Korver speeding, or as fast as Korver speeds, down the court to force the ball off Terry Rozier. A dive led to an additional possession, one of the many Korver created throughout the game.

On top of several hustles plays that don’t appear on the box score, Korver recorded three blocks.

Korver, who has a career average of just 0.3 blocks per game, has three games with three or more blocks in all 141 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is a rarity for Korver to be this active defensively.

It wasn’t meaningless broken play blocks either. Korver’s defense was terrific, and he made some big times defensive plays.

Two of Korver’s three blocks were on 6-foot-7, 21-year-old Jaylen Brown. The same Jaylen Brown that the NBA asked to participate in the dunk contest this past season.

Here’s a montage of Korver’s blocks plus a fantastic “8 Mile” reference.

Korver’s always been a steady rotational player for the Cavaliers, but with the C’s athleticism, his minutes have been slipping. He even lost his starting spot due to a favorable defensive matchup between Horford and Thompson.

However, unlike Hood, he didn’t let that change his mindset. The trusted veteran has always done what the team has asked, and in Game 4, he delivered offensively in a pivotal way.

Korver took the sixth most shots on the team, yet he finished with the team’s second most points. Scoring 14 on just seven shots, Korver proved his value even with quicker Celtic defenders guarding him.

Although Korver scoring has been ideal for Cleveland, his reputation makes him an offensive distraction even if his shot isn’t falling.

One example from last night’s game was when James was passed the ball off a rebound and pushed it into the frontcourt, instead of both defenders helping onto James, one had to be completely taken out of the play to guard Korver.

Even without the ball, Korver makes plays happen. That’s why at 37, Korver can still be an important player on a Finals contending team.

After a near-perfect game in Game 3 where Korver shot 5-for-5 from the field, Korver somehow stepped his game up yet again.

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Although his athleticism doesn’t always make him the Cavs first choice off the bench, Korver, over the course of the last two games, has been exactly what coach Lue and his staff needed from the 37-year-old.