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Cavaliers Without Kyrie Irving: Who Else Shoots Besides LeBron?

ByMark Vandeusen|
June 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) falls to the floor while being defended by Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the overtime period in game one of the NBA Finals. at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
June 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) falls to the floor while being defended by Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the overtime period in game one of the NBA Finals. at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Whenever an All-Star is taken out of the lineup, it obviously has an enormous impact on that player’s team.  Here’s a look at some of the specific numbers in play now that the Cleveland Cavaliers must try to win without Kyrie Irving.

Through 13 games this postseason, Irving averaged 19.0 points in 35.7 minutes per contest.  In Game 1 of the Finals, Irving put up 23 points on 10-for-22 shooting in 44 minutes.

Via Michael Schwartz & Zach Mariner of ESPN Stats & Information:

"The Cavs were at their best on Thursday night with Irving on the floor with LeBron [James] and Tristan Thompson in combinations that often included Timofey Mozgov and either J.R. Smith or Iman Shumpert. The Cavs outscored the Warriors by 10 in the 34 minutes that the James-Irving-Thompson lineup shared the floor and were outscored by 18 in the 19 minutes this trio was not on the court together."

Not only must Cleveland deal with Irving’s absence, but the Cavs will also now be forced to go much deeper into an extremely thin bench.

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All nine of Cleveland’s bench points were scored by Smith, who logged 34 minutes of action.  James Jones and Matthew Dellavedova were the only other Cavaliers to enter the game, contributing a combined stat line of zero points on 0-for-1 shooting, two rebounds, four assists and one steal in 26 minutes.

Should Smith enter the starting lineup in Irving’s place, the Cavs will have next to nothing to rely on from their reserves.

LeBron James hoisted 38 shots in the series opener, the most field goals he’s ever attempted in an NBA game.  Irving shot the ball 22 times–together they amassed 64 percent (60 of 94) of Cleveland’s field goal attempts.

What will James be forced to do without Irving?  Over the last 30 seasons (as far back as Basketball-Reference keeps track), Michael Jordan holds the NBA record for most shots in a single game with 49.  Could we see LeBron take 50?

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