3 lessons Boston Celtics can learn from Pacers to dethrone LeBron James
By Jason Timpf
2. Erase Kevin Love
Thaddeus Young was arguably the most valuable player for the Pacers in round one. Oladipo was really bad for a four-game stretch, Collison couldn’t make the 3s he had made all season, and Lance Stephenson mostly contributed after the whistle.
Thaddeus Young completely and utterly erased Kevin Love. By the end of the series, Young was so far in Love’s head that he had him pump-faking even when he was wide open. It was one of the most impressive defensive performances I’ve ever seen.
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Kevin Love, despite not seeming as valuable on the surface, is vitally important to what the Cavaliers do.
As we know, LeBron desperately needs someone to take over the offense sporadically throughout a game in order for him to conserve enough energy to close the deal. The disappearance of Love is part of what allowed the Pacers to wear LeBron out the way they did.
Kyle Korver might be the biggest beneficiary of Love’s success. “Floppy” — which is perhaps the most used play in the Cleveland playbook — is entirely dependent on the gravity of both shooters. When Kevin Love isn’t playing well, it is harder for Korver to get open.
Here’s an example of “Floppy” where Korver actually gets a decent look, but as you can see Thaddeus Young makes a lunging stunt at Korver as he elevates:
Love Korver floppy, pretty clean look pic.twitter.com/KyglDx3wGt
— Crandall Dinsbach (@cavsfilmroom) April 16, 2018
If Love is in a rhythm and playing well, there is no way Young stunts off of Love to help with Korver. The two shooters are in a symbiotic relationship of sorts, where they feed off of each other’s success.
The Boston Celtics have the perfect man for this job: Al Horford. If there was a NBA Playoff MVP to this point, LeBron would likely win it, but Al Horford would be right there behind him.
He’s playing the best basketball of his career, especially on the defensive side of the ball. He absolutely neutralized Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid at various points in the previous round.
If Al Horford can force Kevin Love back into a slump, the trickle-down effect could end up crippling the Cavaliers.