The Cleveland Cavaliers have instantly vaulted from the dregs of the Eastern Conference to NBA title favourites with the additions of LeBron James and Kevin Love this offseason, but bringing the city’s first championship in any sport since 1964 isn’t a foregone conclusion.
Unquestionably, the Cavaliers will have one of the scariest offences in the league with their trio of James, Love and point guard Kyrie Irving.
Playing with the best team-mates he’s ever had, Irving should thrive in pick-and-roll situations with defences forced to keep their attention on James and Love.
The effect of James and Love playing together doesn’t exactly need much explaining. The daunting thought of facing two of the top five offensive players in the league for opposing coaches is self explanatory.
Where Cleveland still have question marks, however, are two areas that will ultimately determine whether or not they hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy come next summer: defence and team chemistry.
Last season, the Cavaliers ranked 16th with 101.5 points allowed per game and although they were one of the best defensive teams in the league before James’ departure in 2010, the four-time MVP isn’t the same devastating force on that end that he used to be.
James still played well last year but seemed less committed to shutting down opposing players, which was reflected in him being named to the All-Defensive 2nd Team after six straight seasons of 1st Team honours.
He could easily regain his full defensive form if he focuses more on that end, but won’t have much of a choice with Love and Irving sharing the floor.
Love has a reputation for being a stat-stuffer who provides little substance on defence. He is one of the best rebounders around and a defensive possession doesn’t end until a rebound is grabbed, but that comes at a cost.
He often sacrifices contesting a shot for the chance to box-out early and appears more concerned with being in the best position to pull down a board than force a miss.
Moreover, he’s slow on rotations and doesn’t give the best effort guarding out to the perimeter, even though he’s rangy on offence. Irving similarly doesn’t make defence a priority and gets caught in screens easily.
Overall, it will take the Cavs some time to come together, as it did for the Heat when their “Big 3” formed in 2010. That squad reached the Finals in their first year, but it was clear in the loss to the Dallas Mavericks that they weren’t fully comfortable playing with one another.
Cleveland are going to be fun to watch and might be able to hide their shortcomings by just scoring a billion points. That might work against the East, but not against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs and other top squads in the Western Conference.
In his essay in which he revealed he was returning to Cleveland, James said the path to a championship will be a long process. Even though Love helps, those words still hold true.
Cleveland are back on the map, but the roads still have to be paved.
