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Basketball fans worldwide are shocked that the injury-ravaged Cleveland Cavaliers currently hold a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals. Losing Kevin Love in the first round was believed to make the road to the Finals more difficult. After Kyrie Irving injured his knee in the second round, many weren’t sure if the Cavaliers could even make it to the Finals. Yet they soldiered on.
Then Irving — during a game where his performance suggested his health may not be an issue — fractured his kneecap in Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors and his season was over. That was supposed to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. LeBron James was left with no help and the Cavaliers were left with no chance, or so we thought. They are now inexplicably two games away from becoming NBA champions.
Save your remorse for the Cavaliers and their health. Believe it or not, the absence of Love and Irving has actually been beneficial. Go ahead and read it again — it has been beneficial.
For one, it has forced David Blatt to give more minutes to players like Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova. Both have responded about as well as Blatt could have asked for. It’d be crazy to say that these two have been upgrades over Love and Irving, but they have certainly been integral parts of the Cavaliers’ success. Their roles and production would have been minimized on a fully healthy roster.
Through the first three games, Thompson has dominated the boards against the Warriors. He has pulled down 14 rebounds per game, including almost six on the offensive end. While he’s not providing much offense, his rebounding and defense have overshadowed that.
Dellavedova has provided gritty defense and timely offense. He has been on the floor for 81 minutes over the last two games, after playing just nine in Game 1. His hustle has been unmatched, and he has done as good of a job defending Steph Curry as anybody. The adjustment in the rotation has actually worked out well for Cleveland.
Most importantly, though, the injuries to Love and Irving have also forced an adjustment into the Cavaliers’ style of play, one that is better suited to take down the Warriors. Lacking the scoring punch that Irving and Love provide, the Cavaliers have shifted their focus to grinding games out and winning with defense. They have held the Warriors under 100 points in regulation for three consecutive games, the first time that has happened all year.
Were the Cavaliers fully healthy, I’m not sure if this style of play would be possible.
Offensively, if James, Love and Irving were all on the floor at the same time, the focus would have been on maximizing their production. The tempo would have been faster, the scores would have been higher and the Cavaliers would have found themselves in a shootout with the Warriors. That is a situation no team wants to be in. The Warriors are 10-1 this postseason when scoring over 100 points, but are just 3-4 when they score under 100. Not every single play would run through James, like it currently does, leaving the team more susceptible to turnovers and more fast-breaks for the Warriors.
Defensively, the Cavaliers would not be as effective. Love and Irving are both weak, at least weaker than their replacements. Where Thompson and Dellavedova can be trusted to defend one-on-one, Love and Irving would require help at times, leading to more open looks for the Warriors. Curry and Draymond Green would have had more favorable matchups individually as well.
I’m not saying the Cavaliers are a better team without Love and Irving, that’s ludicrous. They are worse off offensively, but better off defensively. However, their injuries have forced the team to adjust their style of play. It’s a style of play that is not as plausible for a fully healthy Cavaliers team given the defensive abilities of Love and Irving. But it is a style that is better suited to take down an offensive juggernaut like the Warriors.
Derek McVay is a Boston Celtics beat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @mcvay34, or add him to your network on Google.
