Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 takeaways from Game 6 vs. Celtics

2. George Hill and the bench step up

With Kevin Love out with a head injury early on, it looked like the Cavaliers would not be able to have enough offense to beat the Boston Celtics.

There was 7:01 left in the first quarter and the Celtics were up 10-6 and the game was still there for the taking. The Cavs’ supporting cast was already not providing points for the team in past games.

This was not the case in Game 6. The Cavs were able to replace Love by committee with Jeff Green and Larry Nance Jr. Green had 14 points, while Nance chipped in 10 off the bench.

Kyle Korver, who had six points on two made 3s, told ESPN about how they were able to do without Kevin Love in Game 6 after he played only five minutes.

"“I think Jeff Green stepped in, played a great game. Jeff’s just so versatile. He’s able to guard anybody….Larry came in and just gave us huge minutes. I think, I don’t know what his stat sheet says he did, but I thought he really changed the game in a lot of ways.” “…..So, that’s what you have to do when somebody goes down. You can’t just plug somebody else in. It takes a collective effort.”"

George Hill also helped the starting lineup support LeBron’s 46 points. With Kevin Love out, J.R. Smith only put in five points and Tristan Thompson only had two.

With an array of made mid-range jumpers, floaters and layups, Hill was able to shoot 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from the field.

The supporting cast of the Cavaliers (especially the bench) was great in Game 6, outscoring the Celtics’ bench 36-23.