NBA Playoffs Takeaways: Cavaliers use their brooms; OKC fumbles big opportunity

Cleveland Cavs vs Indiana Pacers - Full Game Highlights | Game 2 | April 17, 2017 | NBA Playoffs

The Pacers head home, the Cavs move on, the Celtics even the score, the Bulls fall apart, ISO Joe rises, Westbrook lashes out and the Clippers clip hard. Here"s what happened Sunday in the NBA playoffs ...

JOE JOHNSON. AGAIN.

This, my friends, is why your favorite team keeps that veteran on the bench.

Fans always want something shiny and new. They want the youngster to get time, they want the rookies to be on the floor, they want athleticism over experience. But Joe Johnson showed on Sunday night why you want guys like him -- guys who have been in the league for over a decade and have been in these moments before.

Johnson scored 13 points and had three assists in the final seven minutes of Game 4 while the Jazz outscored the Clippers 25-11 to even the series. Johnson was patient, in control, deliberate. When the Clippers sunk off him for a second, he drained a 3-pointer. When he was matched up with a smaller opponent, he worked them in the post. He controlled the game in a way that only veterans know how to do, and delivered time and time again.

Johnson"s career has been underrated since his days in Phoenix. He has made the playoffs every year since 2008, and been a big reason why his squad qualified each year. His defense hasn"t slipped. His passing is still smart. He has added old-man strength and knows how to create and maintain space when rabid defenses are primed on him.

There"s no way to really define these things that make a player so good in clutch time. It"s not just shot making, it"s control of the game. Johnson is one of the best at it, and you"re not going to find it in any young kid. If the playoffs are a man"s game, then Joe Johnson is a certified adult, and the one that the Jazz needed, and had on Sunday, to tie the series.

A CAVALIER APPROACH TO THE FIRST ROUND

Ho-hum, another first-round demolition job for LeBron James, another early finish to the first round and more rest for his squad. In his wake, he leaves a Pacers team wondering if they"ll still have Paul George at the start of next season, let alone next summer when he"s a free agent. This isn"t the first time a team has had to come to grips with tough situations following a loss to King James. Facing James and realizing how big the gap is between your team and what he brings to the table has a startling impact.

The Pacers hung in this series, the point differential was the closest for a sweep in decades. But the Cavaliers had control of this series the whole way, except for the first half of Game 3. Indiana just never had the level of execution to match up. It wasn"t firepower, not this time. They had weapons, and the Cavs" defense remains vulnerable . They didn"t execute.

James did. Over and over. The Cavaliers got a few contributions, Kevin Love in particular was good. But this series was about James. He averaged 33 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists on 54 percent shooting from the field and 45 percent from deep. His free-throw shooting remains bizarrely off, and yet he dominated the Pacers, including hitting the go-ahead shot in Game 4 after the Pacers came back to tie.

The Cavs haven"t fixed anything, and their effort first-round won"t be enough going forward. But it was enough to end the Pacers" season, and earn the defending champs some needed rest before the next round.

The Cavaliers will face the winner of the Raptors-Bucks series, and that next series won"t begin until Monday, May 1, giving them a full week off.

WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG

Everything went wrong for the Rockets to end Game 4 vs. the Thunder. They gave up an offensive rebound off a free throw. James Harden turned the ball over up four with 28 seconds to go. And yet ... more went wrong for the Thunder. OKC found a spectacular series of ways to lose this game. The Thunder led with 5:35 to go, a situation they had been great in the entire season. But they had three turnovers, all from Russell Westbrook, in that span.

After the Thunder managed to generate a 3-pointer off that rebound, the Thunder needed to foul. Instead, they let the ball get ahead of them, to Nene, under the rim, where they fouled him on a layup. Ballgame.

It was not the best executed finish to a ballgame.

In the end, the Thunder had the only kind of game they were going to win in these playoffs -- a close, ugly game. That"s where this team lives, and they still couldn"t close. That doesn"t bode well for this series, much less the 3-1 deficit they face.

For the Rockets, everything went wrong. James Harden had a horrible game. They were never good in the clutch this season, and they shot 11 for 35 from 3-point range. Everything about this game screamed "Rockets loss," and they found a way to win. That"s a big step for a team still finding itself. The Rockets found a way to win when nothing worked the way it"s supposed to for them, and that"s what great teams do.

Oklahoma City was right there, with the game they needed, and the chances they wanted. There"s a good chance there will be there again. But if they find a way to miss every opportunity, their season will end Tuesday in Houston.

CELTIC ORDER RESTORED

Boston evened its series with Chicago with a Game 4 victory Sunday and has all the momentum. The Bulls are completely overwhelmed since the Rajon Rondo injury and don"t have an answer for the Celtics" small-ball adjustments.

If the Celtics go on to win this series, assuming Rondo is unable to return, they will have beaten the No. 8 seed 4-2. That"s not a bad end result. The fact that the Celtics were down 0-2 and looked lost will be forgotten as the playoffs move along. Is their first round a success then? Are all the things the Bulls exposed in the first two games an illusion, caused by the Celtics" emotional turmoil? Or will another team find a way to exploit the things Chicago can"t now that Rondo"s out?

The Bulls still found a way into Game 4, nearly pulling even in the third quarter before an Isaiah Thomas deluge. Their lack of adjustments has been atrocious. Here"s what"s crazy in this series, though: a game 5 victory would reverse all the trends and switch it back to the Bulls having figured out the Celtics. If the Celtics win, the first two games were nothing but a blip for the 1-seed.

This series, more than any other, shows how narratives shift with each and every game in the playoffs.

Source: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-playoffs-takeaways-cavaliers-use-their-brooms-okc-fumbles-big-opportunity/

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LeBron James passes Shaq in scoring but Cavs" slide continues in 99-93 loss to Bulls

Chicago Bulls vs Cleveland Cavs - 1st Half Highlights | March 30, 2017 | 2016-17 NBA Season

CHICAGO -- The Cavs" slide continues, and the best anyone can say about them right now is March is almost over.

Cleveland fell to the Chicago Bulls 99-93 on Thursday night in a game in which LeBron James passed Shaquille O"Neal (28,596 points) for seventh place on the NBA"s all-time scoring list.

Now is not a time for the Cavs to celebrate personal accolades. James said the milestone "means absolutely nothing right now." It"s time to put out a dumpster fire that consumed them this month.

With the loss, Cleveland fell to 6-10 in March with a game to be played Friday at home. The Cavs have lost three in a row and five of seven. As an aside, they lost all four games this season to the Bulls, who pulled to within a game of eighth place in the East.

The possibility exists for a Cavs-Bulls first-round matchup come playoff time. But at the moment, Cleveland is again a 1/2 game behind Boston for first.

And the losses continue to mount. At least a stretch of six out of seven on the road has come to a merciful end.

"For a team to beat us four games out seven, it will be tough," cavs coach tyronn lue said before the game, when asked how confident he would be if the playoffs started today. His reply was "very confident."

"We"ve been going through some ups and downs as of late, but still confident we"re the best team right now and we just gotta start playing like that," Lue said.

Any time now would be great, fellas.

James scored 26 points to go with 10 rebounds and eight assists. A free throw with 4:28 left in the fourth quarter pushed him ahead of Shaq, his former teammate on the Cavs.

But James was fouled at the 3-point line, so he had two more free throws. And missed them both. He entered play shooting .679 from the line and was 3-of-7 Thursday. This is the worst season of his career from the charity stripe.

Kyrie Irving added 20 points and shot 7-of-20. J.R. Smith was better than he"s been, scoring 12 points on four 3s. Tristan Thompson was strong with 15 points and nine boards.

Kevin Love had a rough night. He finished with eight points and 10 boards on 3-of-10 shooting, and fouled out. He picked up his fifth foul with 11:47 left in fourth quarter, and about eight seconds after he returned to the game he fouled out with 6:08 remaining on a reach into Jimmy Butler. The Cavs looked at Love with stunned expressions.

Nikola Mirotic tied a season high with 28 points for the Bulls. Butler added 25. Rajon Rondo finished with seven points, nine boards and 15 assists.

Chicago shot just 42.2 percent from the field -- an improvement for the Cavs" defense -- but were 12-of-25 from 3-point range.

The Cavs were without Richard Jefferson, who"s battling left knee tendonitis, and Kyle Korver is still out with his sore left foot.

James finished the first half with a 19-footer at the buzzer. He scored 19 in the first two quarters and the Cavs went to the locker room with a 50-41 advantage.

The Bulls turned that around with 37-point third quarter. All of Cleveland"s problems returned, from poor defense (the Bulls shot 15-of-25 overall and 5-of-8 from the perimeter) to turnovers (six for 11 Bulls points).

As for passing O"Neal, who played with James in 2009-10 in Cleveland, James said: "Shaq is an all-time great, and the most dominant player to ever play this game. He re-defined what the big man was all about. He"s like a big brother of mine.

"But I could care less about me passing him. Means absolutely nothing."

NEXT: The Cavs start a three-game homestand Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30.

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2017/03/lebron_james_shaquille_oneal_c.html

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What to know from Cavs" 118-115 overtime loss to Spurs: "Hey, Joe!"

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Sacramento Kings - Full Game Highlights | Jan 13, 2017 | 2016-17 NBA Season

CLEVELAND, Ohio --Following the Cavs" 118-115 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in overtime, fans asked cleveland.com beat writer Joe Vardon:

• How much do the cavs" need a backup point guard? (Here"s a hint, their second unit was eviscerated Saturday night, 17-2 to start the second quarter and 12-1 to begin the fourth.)
• Will Iman Shumpert start in the playoffs, given how well he"s played with the Cavs" starters? He scored 11 points against the Spurs on 4-of-8 shooting.
• Are the Cavs missing J.R. Smith more than anyone cares to admit? Hey, the Spurs were missing Pau Gasol and Tony Parker and got the job done.

Also see:

Cavs players forgot Tyronn Lue"s play in OT

Spurs hold off Cavs

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2017/01/what_to_know_from_cavs_118-115.html

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Spurs hold off Cavs 118-115 in overtime

Relive Cavs" Wild Comeback and Amazing 4th Quarter!

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A scoreless two minutes, a bad turnover, and two timely Spurs shots sunk the Cavs in overtime Saturday night.

Kawhi Leonard scored a career-high 41 points to LeBron James" 29 and the Spurs defeated Cleveland 118-115 in what was obviously a compelling game, given its score, length, and the two teams competing.

The Cavs (30-12) scored one basket in the final 2:12 of overtime. Trailing by three and coming out of a timeout, James threw a pass to no one in the corner with 24.2 seconds left for his seventh turnover.

The Spurs took the lead for good on Patty Mills" 3-pointer with 1:52 to go. LaMarcus Aldridge"s jumper with 38 seconds remaining put them up 116-113.

After a layup by Kyrie Irving, James tied Leonard up for a jump ball with 13 seconds left and appeared to have won the tip (James later said Leonard won it; Love thought it was the other way around) but Love"s effort to save it from going out of bounds went straight to Leonard, who raced ahead for what should"ve been a clinching dunk.

But LaMarcus Aldridge missed two free throws with .9 seconds to go and gave the Cavs another chance. But Love"s 3-point attempt at the buzzer was no good.

Irving scored all of the Cavs" eight points in overtime and finished with 29 total. Love, playing for the first time since injuring his back in the first half against Golden State Monday, scored 13 points with 11 rebounds. Tristan Thompson added 14 points and 12 boards, and Iman Shumpert contributed 11 points.

This was Leonard"s sixth consecutive game of 30 or more points. Aldridge added 16. David Lee and Dejounte Murray, filling in for the injured Pau Gasol and Tony Parker, each scored 14 points.

The Cavs committed 18 turnovers for 19 points, the Spurs had 14 turnovers for 14 points. Just as costly, the Cavs missed 10 of 22 free-throw attempts.

This was Tyronn Lue"s 83rd game as head coach, meaning he"s coached a full season. His second full season started just like the first.

The Cavs lost the first game of Lue"s tenure against the Bulls, which was also ABC"s first Saturday night game. Things turned out OK at the end of that year.

The Cavs held the Spurs scoreless over the final 2:45 in regulation to forge overtime. James made three free throws and a 30-foot 3-point bomb to tie it. Leonard scored 12 points in the period, but missed his last five shots. After Leonard missed a jumper with 13.4 seconds left, James" step-back 3 that could"ve won it at the buzzer rattled out.

The Spurs opened the fourth quarter on a 12-1 run and the Cavs committed four turnovers over the first four minutes.

Come to think of it, Cleveland"s reserve unit -- which starts the second and fourth quarters with James -- struggled all night. The Spurs opened the second period on a 17-2 spurt. The Cavs closed periods well, up until overtime anyway. They won the final 4:42 of the second period, 14-6, and finished the third with five points in 33 seconds for a five-point lead.

James and Leonard each played 46 minutes. Irving logged 41.

NEXT: the cavs hit the road again, but for only one game against the New Orleans Pelicans Monday at 8 p.m.

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2017/01/lebron_james_kawhi_leonard_kyr.html

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Cavaliers clearly know the score -- now what about that defense?

Kevin Love & Richard Jefferson Postgame Interview | Cavs vs Raptors | Dec 5 | 2016-17 NBA Season

NEW YORK -- With two simple words, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue summed up both the tantalizing talent on his team and the reason that talent doesn"t always translate on the court the way he wants it to.

"Offensive-minded," Lue said when asked to describe the Cavs" identity at the one-quarter mark of the season, now 15-5 following a 126-94 drubbing of the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

The win was another example of the offensive exploits of LeBron James (25 points in 32 minutes), Kyrie Irving (28 points in 30 minutes) and Kevin Love (21 points in 27 minutes) -- the sixth time all three went for 20-plus points in the same game this season. The rest of the team poured it on as well, combining to set a season high in 3s by going 22-of-40 from deep.

It was the type of performance -- if you looked only at the offense -- that has caused Lue some concern in the early part of the season.

"You know, it comes easy for those guys," Lue said before the game. "And when it comes easy we tend to get caught up in the just back-and-forth instead of getting stops and taking on that tough grind-it-out game. So, I mean, when you got guys like Kyrie, Bron and Kevin who can score so easy, sometimes that just [becomes], "Oh, you scored, but we know we can score the basketball." So now we got to get back to playing Cavaliers basketball."

Then Cleveland went out and held its opponent to under 100 points and sub-42 percent shooting (its nightly goals) for the first time in six games; it swiped 11 steals, one short of its season high; and it took care of business inside by controlling the rebounding battle (46-43) and holding the Knicks to 28 points in the paint after Chicago abused the Cavs at the rim to the tune of 78 points less than a week ago.

"I mean, you can"t rely on that," James said afterward when asked about the offensive potency of his group. "And obviously we have some great 3-point shooters and guys that can really spread the floor and make shots, but we try not to rely on it. We got to rely on defense. Our defense is what gets us out in the open court, what gets us spread, what gets us in a rhythm."

LeBron James scored 25 points in 32 minutes against the Knicks, and indeed each of the Cavs" Big Three went for 20-plus points.AP Photo/Kathy Willens

The Cavs came into the night tied for fourth in points per game (110.3) and alone in fourth in offensive efficiency. Meanwhile they were 17th in opponents" points allowed (105.1) and 17th in opponents" field goal percentage (45.0).

If there is one area the Cavs can improve in, it"s defense. And with Golden State looming in the West -- with Klay Thompson dropping 60-spots and Kevin Durant enjoying the most efficient season of his career, making two-time MVP Stephen Curry the third option at times -- defense will be paramount should Cavs-Warriors III happen in June.

In a way, that makes guys like Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert and the newly christened starting shooting guard DeAndre Liggins (while J.R. Smith recovers from a left knee injury) just as important as the Big Three. They have to bring the defense that allows those stars to shine on the other end.

"Bringing the defensive edge, being disruptive," Liggins said, describing his marching orders in Smith"s stead.

It is making a difference, as the Cavs have won their last two games with Liggins taking a bigger role. Before that, they had dropped three in a row.

"He doesn"t need much out on the floor," James said. "I think it starts with just his defensive mindset. His ability to pick up guys 94 feet and just get them out their rhythm and things of that nature, and he"s always around the ball giving us a great boost the last couple games and we"re going to need that moving forward."

Thompson, who finished one shy of his career high with 20 rebounds against the Knicks, also figures into that defensive mix.

Even with Steph missing all his treys, golden state swatted away the clippers.

cavs get their points. What about D? Stats: LeBron sizzles, Melo fizzles Stars not aligned but Warriors sharp Jaylen Brown"s poster move Mavs: Scents of where they are Bench woes undermine Butler"s rise Gordon"s treys off bench lift Rockets Wednesday"s TrueHoop podcast

Check out the team site for more game coverage

Check out the team site for more game coverage

"For me, looking at those losses, the ways I could have been better was protecting the rim and rebounding and limiting teams to only one shot," he said. "Those games, teams outrebounded us and I take responsibility in that because that"s my role and that"s what I bring to this team. Whenever we have games where we get outrebounded, I take that real personal. So I just had to be better."

With things being so easy for the Cavs since that epic comeback against the Warriors -- all the adulation, all the contract extensions, all the early season wins stacking up -- the real challenge is now drumming up the proper urgency for their title defense by, well, bettering the defense.

"Just continue to show them the mistakes they"re making, but also show them the things that they"re doing right," Lue said of how he plans to keep the Cavs" D locked in. "Keep hitting them with it."

Source: http://www.espn.com/blog/cleveland-cavaliers/post/_/id/3362/cavaliers-clearly-know-the-score-now-about-that-defense

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Report: Cavaliers not actively looking to trade Iman Shumpert

Cleveland Cavaliers Championship Ring Presentation Ceremony | October 25, 2016 | 2016-17 NBA Season

The Cleveland Cavaliers " rotation has changed more than you probably would think since winning the NBA title last summer. Yes, LeBron James , Kyrie Irving , Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson are locked in, James Jones is still a veteran presence and Richard Jefferson is still Snapchatting away. But the bench unit went through an overhaul, with Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov leaving in free agency and Mo Williams retiring.

There could be even more changes. The one player who has never quite fit is wing Iman Shumpert . He"s not nearly the shooter J.R. Smith is, and Smith has caught up to him on defensively. Shumpert"s still long, athletic and versatile, so he has value, which means he could be ripe for a deal if the Cavaliers want to address another roster need, like backup point guard.

From Cleveland.com:

It is true, a few teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves have inquired about Iman Shumpert, who has three years and $30 million left on his contract at age 26. The Cavs are answering the phone, as ESPN"s Zach Lowe reported. But they are not actively looking to deal him, a team source told cleveland.com.

Source: Are the Cavs interested in Ricky Rubio? Hey, Joe! | cleveland.com.

The Cavs shouldn"t be "actively" looking to deal anyone. Coming off that championship, they looked terrific on opening night vs. the New York Knicks . There"s zero reason to think that barring injury, if they just keep this roster intact, they won"t return to the Finals.

Iman Shumpert is available but not being shopped, reportedly. USATSI

However, teams are always looking to stay a step ahead, and the Cavaliers have exemplified that idea. It"s why they went out and got Channing Frye last trade deadline, who helped them immensely in the playoffs.

While Shumpert has value, a team would have to be pretty desperate to want to go get him. The Cavaliers gave up a first-round pick for him, along with Smith. Ironically, Smith was the "throw-in" but has been invaluable while Shumpert has struggled with fit and injury. Still, he did start for the team often over the past two seasons and if he hangs around, that"s not a bad thing. If the Cavs deal Shumpert, it"ll be because they see a ripe opportunity or because of injury.

Source: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/report-cavaliers-not-actively-looking-to-trade-iman-shumpert/

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The Cavs have joined NBA"s elite by demoralizing their opponents

Cavs with a 12-0 Run | Raptors vs Cavaliers | Game 1 | May 17, 2016 | 2016 NBA Playoffs

The Cavs aren"t just beating teams anymore. They"re demoralizing them.

The Cavaliers have vacillated between being a underwhelming, good or very good team since LeBron James" return to Cleveland.

The team obviously underwhelmed at the beginning of last season, made their midseason trades for J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov, and then took off. They were dominant, finishing 32-3 in the games that featured the trio of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love after the trades.

Then, as most of us know, the team was struck by the injury bug, and had to rebuild its identity around defense, grit and size, and they were good at that too.

Through this season, the team was marked by more of the same inconsistency while remaining mostly very, very good at basketball.

But, there was something missing. Even at their best, the team was good, but not truly exceptional, like we all expected them to be.

That has changed.

These Cavaliers have evolved into their final form. They"re not just beating teams by playing good, fundamental basketball. They"re demoralizing them.

This is the final step in a great team"s growth.

This season"s Warriors are a near-perfect example. It only takes one flurry of Steph Curry threes to make fans and opposing players question what they"re even doing there in the first place. LeBron"s best Heat teams had this quality too. They"d swarm opposing ballhandlers, jump passing lanes, and at times, not let you get the ball across half court all while having the best player in the world at the peak of his powers.

The Cavaliers, in these playoffs, have found that gear, and they"re doing it in so many ways that are unique to them.

It"s hard not to feel dispirited when LeBron James is steamrolling towards you in transition, and kicking to open shooters if you dare send extra help.

If you can get the ball out of LeBron"s hands, he just becomes the best short-roll screener in the league. If the ball movement is stymied, a rejuvenated Irving can get an isolation bucket against anybody in the league. Love is shooting the cover off the ball, cleaning the glass, and hitting cutters like he"s wearing a Minnesota jersey again.

J.R. Smith is the most unfair fourth option in the league, especially when he"s feeling hot. Tristan Thompson ruins your pick and roll attack by switching onto the guard and not giving an inch of ground.

And, to top it all off, Tyronn Lue has discovered a lineup of Matthew Dellavedova, Iman Shumpert, Richard Jefferson, LeBron James and Channing Frye that has just decimated opposing second units.

What makes the attack so devastating is the versatility. This is what we had in mind when this team came together. A team that could play big or play small, that could lock down the boards and bomb away from three.

The Pistons and Hawks conceded the three point shot to the Cavs in the first two rounds. After seeing them get mercilessly shelled, the Raptors tried to stay home on the shooters, and the Cavs turned the games into a layup line.

I can"t tell you how many games I watched the Cavs play in the regular season the last two seasons where the team would get up big, relax, and let the other team back in it. And the other teams, despite having the appropriate amount of respect, didn"t seem to fear them.

Fear isn"t a particularly easy topic to discuss because it"s hilariously intangible and it"s definitely speculative. That doesn"t mean it"s not real. Teams playing the Warriors this season that kept the game close made some of the dumbest basketball decisions I"ve ever seen.

We watched several Pacers melt down offensively against the Heat during their defensive peak a couple years ago. When a team begins to overwhelm its opponent, you can feel it happening.

The Raptors have come out and put up a good fight early in each of the first two games. The Hawks and Pistons put in good, strong efforts too. Over the course of each game and series, however, a sinking degree of inevitability set in for each team.

Now, the obvious caveat here is that the Cavaliers haven"t yet played a title contender. It was a four-team league, and the other three teams happen to play out West, and, barring a very surprising comeback from Toronto, they"ll be playing one of them soon.

The Cavaliers will have to maintain the gear they"re playing at. They"ll have to try to demoralize their Finals opponent, even though they"ll have been joined in the schoolyard by another bully.

The Cavaliers took a long time to find their final gear. Let"s see if they can stay there.

Source: http://www.fearthesword.com/2016/5/20/11718848/the-cavs-have-joined-nbas-elite-by-demoralizing-their-opponents

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Cavs must challenge themselves if Raptors won"t

Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers - Game 1 - Full Highlights | May 17, 2016 | 2016 NBA Playoffs

USA TODAY Sports" Jeff Zillgitt breaks down how the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts beside Toronto Raptors forward Terrence Ross (31) in the second quarter of Game 2.(Photo: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports)

CLEVELANDIn theory, the conferencefinals should be more difficult than the conference semifinals, and thesemisshould be more difficult than the first round.

That theory is being tested perhaps refuted in the Eastern Conference finals between the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers eliminated theDetroit Pistons in four games, winning each game by an average of 8.5 points. They swept the Atlanta Hawks in the conference semifinals, the average margin of victory at 12.5 points.

And now in the conference finals, against the Raptors, who finished second in the East with a franchise-record 56 victories, Cleveland has won the first two games by an average of 25 points.

Cleveland took a 2-0 series lead with a 108-89 victory over the Raptors on Thursday, following up Tuesdays 115-84 victory.

The Cavs will never admit this, but the next round has been easier than the prior round. They have won 10 straight playoff games, and if they win Game 3 Saturday in Toronto (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), they will tie the 1989 Los Angeles Lakers and the 2001 Lakers for best start to the playoffs in NBA history.

Where is the challenge? And is this road through the East to the NBA Finals adequate preparation for what the Cavs will get in the Finals? Either Golden State or Oklahoma City will have fought through much tougher scenarios to get there.

The answer to the second question will play out, starting June 2 when the Finals begin. Maybe the Cavs are playing the kind of basketball that will be successful regardless of opponent.

The answer to the first question is more complex. Yes, the Cavs had to prepare for Detroit, Atlanta and Toronto, and they had to execute.

But the challenge also comes from within the Cavs locker room. Pointing out mistakes on video and correcting them. Working on specific plays for specific situations. Conditioning bodies so they have fresh legs after an eight-day layoff. Eating the right foods. Drinking enough fluids.

How do we prepare and be better the following game, LeBron James said after his 23-point, 11-assists, 11-rebound performance in Game 2, his 15thcareer playoff triple-double. Weve taken one step at a time. Weve havent overlooked any steps along this process thus far, and thats part of the reason were in this position today.

Weve enjoyed the process to this point, and we got to it, weve tried to take care of business. Then, once its over, we want to learn from that instance and move on and see how we can get better the next time.

Tyronn Lue and his coaching staff havent stopped scheming or dreaming. There are a lot of nights we dont get a lot of rest, a lot of sleep, Lue said. Youre dreaming of ATOs (after-timeout plays) and plays you can run and things that can happen, so a lot of sleepless nights, but the way things are going right now, its worth it.

While the Cavs havent had adversity in the postseason and James guaranteed they would at some point they had adversity during the season. In January, they fired Coach David Blatt who was 30-11 and who took the Cavs to the Finals in his first season as an NBA coach a year ago. Kyrie Irving missed a stretch of the season recovering from the knee injury he sustained in last seasons Finals.

Even late in the season an odd loss to the Brooklyn Nets and indifferent loss to the Miami Heat it wasnt clear if the Cavs, including the Big 3 of James, Irving and Love, would or could figure it out.

They have played individually and great collectively.

We do a great job of having each other"s backs, and it just makes our job a lot easier out there, Irving said. We know what to expect. But this is high-intensity basketball that we"ve all been waiting for, and to all be healthy at the same time and doing whatever it takes to win.

This is what we want to be part of, and we"ve been waiting for. We missed out on our chance last year, we"re relishing the moment and we just want to continue that going forward.

Perhaps, figuring all that out has been Clevelands biggest challenge. Figuring that out has allowed the Cavs to power through the East.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/playoffs/2016/05/20/cavs-challenge-themselves-raptors-2-0-eastern-conference-finals/84641516/

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Cleveland Cavaliers NBA 2015 news, rumors: Do the Cavs really need Kevin ...

Reuters

Kevin Love

Many believe that the Cleveland Cavaliers were done for when Kevin Love went down with a dislocated shoulder during the team's first-round match-up with the Boston Celtics. The Cavs did make adjustments and it looks like David Blatt and the coaching staff were able to do the necessary tweaks.

Add to the fact that Lebron James and Kyrie Irving are also hurting and yet are playing less than 100%. So how are the Cavs doing it?

After disposing the Celtics in the first round, many believe that they would find the going tough against the Derrick Rose-led Chicago Bulls. But alas, they were able to pull it out despite some tense moments within (remember that controversial scene where James allegedly scratched Blatt's final play in game four?)

It seems that healthy or not, Lebron James has stepped up his game and the rest are following. And right now, the Cavs are enjoying a 2-0 edge over the Atlanta Hawks with no Kevin Love in sight.

Love has of course been the subject of criticism since he seemed to have struggled co-existing with Irving and James. And that leads many to ask, do the Cavs really need Love?

Love is by no means a player any team would want to have. He wanted to be in the playoffs and that was accomplished until that unfortunate shoulder injury. So would it be fulfilling if the Cavs went all the way to win the title without his help.

A player of his capacity may very well consider it half-heartedly. With no effort, being part of a champion team and not sweating for it due to injury may not necessarily be something he wants. So what happens after this season? Will he stay or jump ship?

Love is another free agent many will be trying to lure once the current NBA season ends and like last year, Love has been silent on his plans.

Teams like Boston (Celtics) and Los Angeles (Lakers) will be making pitches but there is nothing clear right now on whether Love is interested.

The Cavs could opt to retain him but it may all depend on how their campaign ends up, not to mention the available talent in the NBA free agent market this coming July.

Source: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/cleveland.cavaliers.nba.2015.news.rumors.do.the.cavs.really.need.kevin.love/54506.htm

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