How The Cleveland Cavaliers Are Shocking The World
LeBron, High Volume Shooter
After playing 142 of a possible 154 minutes in this series, and after hoisting a total of 107 shots in that time, no one should be too surprised LeBron James now has the most points through the first three games of a Finals series in NBA history. But even with all these role players and former scrubs stepping up, none of it would matter if it weren’t for the way King James has dominated this series.
His Finals numbers through three games speak for themselves — 41 points, 12 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game — but they don’t tell the whole story. The LeBron haters are quick to point out that the King is shooting only 40.2 percent from the field thus far, but that obviously doesn’t tell the whole story either.
The truth lies somewhere in the middle.
On the one hand, the Warriors have played LeBron the way they’ve wanted. They’ve held him to 40 percent shooting, they’ve watched him play an unholy amount of minutes and they’ve held Cleveland’s offense in check. If Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green were shooting worth a damn, we might be looking at a 3-0 series.
But Cleveland’s defensive transformation isn’t the only reason the Cavs are up 2-1 despite having an inferior offensive rating in the series. Surprisingly, LeBron’s switch to an iso-heavy brand of basketball is the biggest reason the Cavaliers are two wins away from shocking the world.
Everything we’ve seen from the Warriors this season and everything we know about the game of basketball in our hearts dictates that holding a team to 39 percent shooting is not only how you win a series, but how you dominate it. And yet, the Warriors’ defensive, team-oriented brand of basketball is getting bested by the kind of good old-fashioned hero ball that has Kobe Bryant diehards everywhere foolishly exclaiming, “NOW he gets it!”
LeBron talking about how he doesn't want to be a high-volume, inefficient shooter, but that with two All-Stars out, he has no other choice.
— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) June 10, 2015
Except they aren’t totally wrong given the type of series it’s been. In a defensive, grind-it-out series, it doesn’t matter that LeBron is shooting 40 percent from the floor if the games are in the 80s and 90s.
Golden State’s defensive strategy is brilliant under the premise that the offense wouldn’t be s**tting a brick. But so far, the Warriors could build a fecal foundation for their new arena with all the brick-s**tting that’s going on around here, which has given King James free reign to do what Cleveland needs him to do without Love and Irving: shoot ALL OF THE SHOTS.
And I'm seriously asking: when does Kerr go back to traditional "let's make someone else beat us because Bron sure as hell is" defense?
— I Always Keep A Can Of Tuna On Me (@SnottieDrippen) June 10, 2015
LeBron is still distributing the ball as well, but he’s clearly taken the reins and rightfully decided that if the Cavs are going down in this gunslinger battle, he’s going to be damn sure to fire his shots off first. If Golden State catches fire, this current output won’t be enough. But if Cleveland’s defense continues to hold, it’ll be the reason they win the series.
Even when LeBron is missing shots, they’re usually going to the basket. Cleveland’s offensive rebounding and do-or-die transition defense has prevented Golden State from taking advantage of one area they thrive: turning misses into easy buckets in the open court.
By limiting the Warriors’ fast break points and letting LeBron wind down the shot clock every possession, the Dubs haven’t been able to push the tempo and bury their opponent with backbreaking transition threes as they’ve done all year long.
"I hate the internet"
When you think about the way this series has gone, it really is poetic. It’s not always pretty to watch, but watching LeBron grind it out with old school hero ball against a superior team that thrives on new-wave concepts like three-point shooting, pace-and-space analytics and team defense is the most ironic — and yet, perfectly fitting — way to explain this nonsensical series.
Think about it. Against impossible odds and with far less help, LeBron James is on the verge of ascending from Cleveland’s Sisyphus, forever doomed to push that heavy boulder up a hill only to watch it roll back down every time, to its Atlas, holding the barrier between Cleveland and the heavens of basketball immortality on his mighty shoulders.
But unlike Atlas, this would not be punishment; it would be vindication.
LeBron has made his fair share of mistakes in his career and devastated an entire city with The Decision. But if he can finish off this Herculean feat and bring Cleveland its first NBA championship, playing this blue-collar version of hero ball for his team and his city couldn’t provide any better ending for LeBron James’ story of redemption.
This wasn’t the original plan, but this is EXACTLY what he returned for.
Next: Golden State Warriors: 5 Reasons To Resist Panicking
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