Why the Cleveland Cavaliers can win the NBA Finals this season

Kevin Love and the bench unit

One of the most underrated aspects of the Cavs resurgence has been the resurgence of Kevin Love himself. Since LeBron James left in the summer of 2018, Love has shown little interest in being a part of the Cavs rebuild. Who could blame him? He’s an aging veteran and former All-Star wanting to contend for another championship before he hangs it up.

Last season, we, as fans, were ready to move on from Love and his enormous contract. If that meant attaching assets to him in a trade package just to get him off the books, then so be it.

This season, however, has been a pleasant surprise. The 33-year-old took on a bench role and has committed to it. He’s flourished in his new role as not only a spark-plug off the bench, but a leader for the younger guys. He’s taken Darius Garland under his wing, being known to call him his “little brother” at times. This is something that we didn’t really see in years past, or at least see it showcased on the floor.

Kevin Love committing to his role off the bench has done wonders for the team. It creates a real problem for opponents trying to cool down the Cavaliers after the starters go on a big run. Many times, Love’s outside shooting is leading the “Cavalanche”, as some fans on Twitter deem the teams scoring runs.

Love is shooting 40.8 percent from the three-point line; third-best of his career. He’s also posting the fourth-best offensive rating, defensive rating and player efficiency rating of his career. Not enough? How about his career-best true shooting percentage?

Like I said, he’s committed. More importantly, it looks like he’s having fun out there, and he clearly is.

Love has been outstanding off the bench, and so have his counterparts.

Everyone has a role on this team, and no one seems to be complaining about it. Cedi Osman, an off-and-on starter over the last four seasons, hasn’t started one game this season but has found a way to increase his points per game and shooting percentages in fewer minutes.

Lamar Stevens has come in and provided the team with timely momentum plays, acting as a true spark plug although he could probably sustain a larger role if needed. Dean Wade has done similar things when asked to step up when the big men are forced to miss some time. Two-way guard Brandon Goodwin and Rajon Rondo have shown flashes of contribution when Darius Garland needs a breather.

The Cavs bench unit ranks second in assists per game, second in threes made, fifth in net rating and fifth in plus/minus. They are productive, efficient and have the ability turn a game around and give the starters life when things get stagnant. The essentials of a championship-caliber reserve squad.