Does LeBron James have enough help to win a championship in Cleveland? That basic question is the common theme linking his two tours with the Cavs and it seems unbreakable, at least until it gets sliced by the Lawrence O’Brien trophy.
Deep into the 2016 NBA Finals, it continues to be the wine-and-gold elephant in the room, even after Kyrie Irving’s 41 points in Game 5, which is more than any LeBron teammate has ever managed in the playoffs, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh included. It was never an issue in Miami because of those two All-Stars, who eased the pressure and leadership burden. Plus, the Heat always had a role player produce at the right time. Shane Battier, Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller all had a big moment in the Finals and that’s why LeBron owns a pair of rings.
Yet on the eve of a second straight elimination game against the Warriors, there are some signs that LeBron (averaging 28 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists) might need to keep churning out epic performances if the Cavs hope to extend the series to seven games, much less win it. That’s a lot of strain for any player averaging nearly 41 minutes to maintain, even one with his talent.
It’s a weird issue considering Irving is carving out a solid reputation in this, his first real taste of the NBA Finals. Yes, with the exception of Game 2 when he scored 10 points, Irving has indeed shown up on a nightly basis. This is his breakout as a pro. In addition to scoring 30, 34 and 41 in his last three, and doing so very efficiently, his defense has been acceptable and at times even solid on Steph Curry. Irving has more than earned the confidence of LeBron, who doesn’t hesitate to find him in urgent situations. It’s the level of respect that all co-stars crave from the franchise player and it only fuels their confidence, which is flowing from Irving.
If he didn’t know it then, LeBron now realizes how much he missed last summer when Irving’s time in the Finals was cut short after one game because of a knee injury. LeBron was placed in an impossible situation, needing to transform himself into a high-volume shooter ? which he isn’t ? and send out an SOS to teammates who weren’t comfortable in roles that were suddenly upgraded out of necessity.
“Coming into the Finals I knew I had to be a lot better and be a leader for this team,” Irving said.
Elsewhere, LeBron can’t be sure who’ll give him a hand. Nobody else in the rotation has shown enough on a consistent basis to be dependable, some are simply overmatched, and others aren’t even getting minutes because coach Tyronn Lue has determined, perhaps correctly, that they would be exposed by the Warriors’ Death Lineup.
Irving is LeBron’s most talented teammate outside of Bosh and Wade. Beyond that, here’s what LeBron is working with (and without) against the Warriors:
Kevin Love
If Irving is busy upping his star power and becoming a fast learner on how to play next to LeBron, Love is backpedalling in the opposite direction. He had a solid season, averaging 16 points and nearly 10 rebounds, and was forceful at times in every playoff round. But this series hasn’t killed the notion that Love was a stat-stuffer in Minnesota yet a rather average player when placed in a secondary role on a winning team.
Imagine: A three-time All-Star who’s still in his 20s has been yanked in the championship round in favor of prehistoric Richard Jefferson, a guy who was dangerously close to being out of basketball this time last year. That’s the hard-line view of Love’s series.
Here’s another: He can’t back down a clever defender like Green in the post. Because he’s forced to drift to the perimeter for three-pointers, he’s out of position for offensive rebounds, which is one of his strengths. And he’s an average defender at best. Therefore, what’s he giving the Cavs? Do the Warriors see him as a dangerous threat at either end of the floor?
Too often, Love passes the ball to LeBron or Irving and then runs to the corner; this was a recurring sight in Game 5 when Love had two points, three rebounds and four fouls in 33 minutes (to be fair, with LeBron and Irving hot, he wasn’t needed). He makes little to no effort to get open and demand the ball, seemingly accepting his status as third wheel.
“He just needs to be aggressive to help us send this back to Golden State,” LeBron said.
With Green back on the floor Thursday, and no doubt ready to spit fire after his suspension, Love’s minutes will likely get cut. Don’t be surprised if this series forces the Cavs to explore trading him next month, before his value drops further, and cut their losses.
Tristan Thompson
He’s the Cavs’ only beast on the boards, besides LeBron, and his worth will only rise with Green back on the floor and Andrew Bogut out of the series. His interior defense has also been a boost. The Cavs will simply live with his robotic offensive instincts. His habit of bringing the ball low before going up strong must frustrate whomever’s teaching him in the low post, and it makes him vulnerable to getting fouled and going to the line, where he’s a career 63 percent shooter.
JR Smith
There’s no middle ground with Smith. He’s hot or cold, helpful or harmful, hitting open threes or hoisting bricks. LeBron has no idea what’s about to happen when Smith gets the ball. What’s really curious is why Smith has almost abandoned his dribble game and only occasionally attacks the rim.
Richard Jefferson
Let’s be clear about this: Jefferson is getting minutes because Love is a poor fit against the Warriors. Lue simply doesn’t have any other choice. In limited minutes, Jefferson at age 35 is fine. When he’s pushing 20-plus minutes, he’s exposed.
Iman Shumpert
There hasn’t been one game, and actually not one minute, where Shumpert has done something special in this series. Not one. He can’t hit open shots. He doesn’t dribble-drive. His defense, which supposedly is why the Cavs extended his contract last summer, hasn’t stopped Klay Thompson. Shumpert (33 percent shooting, many on open looks) has been a ghost, albeit one with a pony-top.
In Game 5 when Shumpert threw a wild pass that caused LeBron to get whistled for a backcourt violation, LeBron angrily threw the ball high in the air. Lue would probably love to bench Shumpert but there’s no real alternative.
Matthew Dellavedova
Remember last summer when the hyperactive Aussie had his 15 minutes of fame at the expense of Curry? That’s a distance memory now. Delly has played 16 minutes total the last three games after seeing 28 in the first two. He can’t hit open shots and after he followed a miss with a turnover in Game 5, Lue sat him for good and instead gave the backup point guard minutes to Mo Williams, who last made a positive contribution to the Cavs in 2007.
Channing Frye
Wow, that was fast. He was celebrated as a smart and economical mid-season pickup and paid dividends almost immediately, serving as the stretch-four off the bench. Just a month ago he shot 58 percent on threes against Toronto and made seven of nine from deep in a game against the Hawks. But he’s a matchup casualty in this series. Fearing that he’ll get carved up defensively, the Cavs have Frye (33 minutes total, no threes) under house arrest.
Timofey Mozgov
He rode shotgun to LeBron last summer against the Warriors. In this series? He’s just shot.
Veteran NBA writer Shaun Powell has worked for newspapers and other publications for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here or follow him on Twitter.
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