All I have to say after that win is WHEW!

All the media outlets are giving LeBron the credit but Delly was the one who looked like Magic last night and set up a lot of those 20 three point shots. He had 9 assists! This looked like a team that has been itching to get to this point. If they play like this over a consistent basis, they may still shock the world yet.

 

Also, is there a basketball camp Andre Drummond can go to for FT shooting? I actually feel bad for that guy.

^Agreed.  Golden State made it to the finish line for the best reg season record, but they showed some signs of vulnerability, esp losing to teams like the T-Wolves.  Yes in many of those later games Andre Iguodala,  last year's Finals MVP, wasn't playing, but I still believe a fully healthy Cavs team clicking on all cylinders, as they've looked much of the time against this feisty, well-coached Pistons team, could take out Golden State in 6 or 7 games ... this year.

The Cavs regular season and the Warriors regular season were very different.  The Cavs took a page out of SAS's book and pretty much cruised to the playoffs.  They did just enough to get home-court.  The Warriors went full tilt for the record.  Pedal to the metal all season.  I don't blame them.  I also think that strategy may pay off as they've been pressure tested all season with a huge target on their back.  If they burn out or start showing wear and tear injuries, they will be criticized for it.  The Cavs should be well-rested.  Whether they can just flip the switch is the question yet to be answered.  So far, so good IMHO.

And another question is, what condition will Curry's ankle be in for the remainder of the playoffs?

Don't want to be a buzzkill but is anyone else watching Miami crush right now?  I so hope we don't see them in the ECFs given the fact we have looked like 90 year old men groping for their bifocals every time we play them.

Don't want to be a buzzkill but is anyone else watching Miami crush right now?  I so hope we don't see them in the ECFs given the fact we have looked like 90 year old men groping for their bifocals every time we play them.

 

I agree that there's no guarantees to get to the Finals but the regular season is not a great predictor for the playoffs. Cavs looked lost against the Pistons during the regular season and certainly didn't look like the team which would drop 20 threes on them. The same regular season Cavs team smoked the Spurs, Clippers and Thunder. Doesn't mean they could do the same in a seven game series.

 

Also, LeBron sat one game against the Heat where their fans were taunting him for being soft. I believe he may be a bit motivated if the ECF shapes up like that.

 

And another question is, what condition will Curry's ankle be in for the remainder of the playoffs?

 

There's so much hype with the Warriors it's hard to tell if this injury is serious or some sort of Patriots-type drama to keep the media circus rolling.

Miami looks good, but keep in mind they are playing a vastly overachieving Hornets squad.  I'm still more worried about Toronto, and probably Atlanta too.

And like that, Steph Curry sprains and ankle and they lose.  The Warriors could be as vulnerable as ever, as Hts alluded to upthread, they chased that record and wore themselves out. 

 

As much as I don't want any player to be injured, for ONCE I would like it to be another team rather than Cleveland.    Last year we lost Love and Kyrie and took them to 6 games.  Imagine a full strength Cavs and a limping Golden State....

^ Can you imagine the uproar if Houston manages to tie the series?

 

Sad to see Andy not get any playing time. My guess is that the injury last year effectively ended his career.

Without steph, Golden state is a good team, but nowhere near a title. All of their team play is based off the fact that they have probably the greatest shooter in the history of the game.  They are a great team, but cavs would smash them without Curry

Breezing over your post, I thought that said greatest SCORER in the history of the game. But as stated, it is hard to disagree. Steph's shooting ability is unprecedented

 

 

Sad to see Andy not get any playing time. My guess is that the injury last year effectively ended his career.

 

i know. i cannot imagine anyone coming back from the achilles injury andy had. seems impossible, but there he is. on the bench and a part of it all at least. i can't imagine kryrie, love, shump and mo coming back either. just incredible sports medicine, rehab efforts and willpower all around.

And like that, Steph Curry sprains and ankle and they lose.  The Warriors could be as vulnerable as ever, as Hts alluded to upthread, they chased that record and wore themselves out. 

 

As much as I don't want any player to be injured, for ONCE I would like it to be another team rather than Cleveland.    Last year we lost Love and Kyrie and took them to 6 games.  Imagine a full strength Cavs and a limping Golden State....

 

Funny, I was having that conversation with a friend just last week. I have no problem with the Cavs winning a title against a team that has some injuries. I'd just prefer it be someone like Klay Thompson so that their best player (Curry) would be on the floor when the loss happened and it would be analogous to last year for the Cavs.

As I said up-thread, even though Golden State achieved the regular season record, they were leaking oil.  And frankly, beating up on a completely dysfunctional mess like Houston says nothing imho -- remember when, earlier during the season, the Cavs visited Houston and ran up 30-point leads on our way to a near effortless rout of these same Rockets -- it actually says more to me about GSW's vulnerability in their losing to the Rockets the other night even without Steph (oh, and did you notice Houston's Ariza twice, in the final 12 seconds, throw stupid inbounds passes; the last in the closing seconds nearly cost them the game as he foolishly threw it into Houston's backcourt from midcourt just beyond Shaun Livingston's reach and an easy layup).  Truth be told, if there's any doubt about Curry's ankle going into Game 4, Kerr would be crazy to play him -- they really don't need him to knock off this sorry Houston club.  Best save him for latter, bigger battles, like the Spurs and, perhaps, us...

 

Although it's a little scary to think about, the way the Cavs are finally putting it all together in the playoffs and getting excellent coaching from Lue vs. a tough, well-coached Pistons team, I'm coming to believe that, absent another Cavs' catastrophic playoff injury, we actually can beat GSW, SAS, ... Miami, Toronto, or anybody else, and finally bring home the Gold ... this year.

Detroit was the best possible team to play in the opening round. They don't give up. It was great seeing the Cavs getting on the same page to earn the W last night.

 

This is just fun.

 

https://streamable.com/oage

Detroit was the best possible team to play in the opening round. They don't give up. It was great seeing the Cavs getting on the same page to earn the W last night.

 

This is just fun.

 

https://streamable.com/oage

 

*SVG viciously throws clipboard on the ground*

^ Ha! Good catch! Love it!!!

 

 

Some love for Delly's inbound pass. It was a rope to Kyrie's chest. A split second later or offline and Ky doesn't get that shot uncontested. Awesome play all around.

^^SVG is definitely Old School.  He's a great coach but his hard-edge style wears on guys after awhile and he/them will often burn out.

Steph Curry, at a minimum, has a sprained MCL. Typical recovery time of 6 weeks. If no complete tear, I'll bet he tries to come back in 4. He might, but he won't be the same. That light at the end of the tunnel for Cavs Nation just got a bit brighter.

Interesting situation. I'm not even sure they get pay the clippers without him....

Interesting situation. I'm not even sure they get past the clippers without him....

Nobody's happier than me about the Cavs winning - (congrats Cavs on a series sweep)...I also get that Kyrie is one amazing and special player - but is that one against five mentality going to work against a great team deep in the playoffs?  Everybody standing around in that half court offense - makes me nervous as they go forward.  Had we not hit a couple unbelievable shots, like the half-court before half time, and, of course, Kyrie's shot to go up 100-96 - this game could've definitely gone to the Pistons.  Detroit deserves credit for fighting hard even against overwhelming odds, down 3-0 tonight.

Nobody's happier than me about the Cavs winning - (congrats Cavs on a series sweep)...I also get that Kyrie is one amazing and special player - but is that one against five mentality going to work against a great team deep in the playoffs?  Everybody standing around in that half court offense - makes me nervous as they go forward.  Had we not hit a couple unbelievable shots, like the half-court before half time, and, of course, Kyrie's shot to go up 100-96 - this game could've definitely gone to the Pistons.  Detroit deserves credit for fighting hard even against overwhelming odds, down 3-0 tonight.

 

The offense breaks down because Love was a disaster last night. Cavs are paying him too much to play like last year's version of Delly every fifth game or so. There are key moments where the offense has to run through him for the entire thing to work. His post-up shot was too strong all night long and he couldn't make a three to save his life. His rebounding numbers are inflated by getting his post-up misses. I'd rather he just score. He also got pushed around by Drummond the entire series.

I'm not sure we watched the same series.  Love created mismatches all series which opened up the lane for LeBron and Kyrie by pulling their post-defenders out of the paint.  He will have bad shooting nights.  Anyone who watches the NBA regularly knew that Love was a mid-40's shooter, even as the primary option in Minny.  As for his rebounding, he is a waaaaaaay better defensive rebounder than he is an offensive rebounder, so him getting his own misses doesn't appreciably inflate his numbers.  He consistently boxes out the man he is guarding and is the best big man in the league at starting the fast break off a miss.

 

BTW, everyone gets pushed around by Drummond.  That's what Drummond does.  He might be the strongest post player in the league right now.

 

If you think Love is overpaid, just wait until you see the contracts which will be signed this summer.  By the end of the contract, if he stay healthy, Love will be as underpaid as Curry is right now.

I'm not sure we watched the same series.  Love created mismatches all series which opened up the lane for LeBron and Kyrie by pulling their post-defenders out of the paint.  He will have bad shooting nights.  Anyone who watches the NBA regularly knew that Love was a mid-40's shooter, even as the primary option in Minny.  As for his rebounding, he is a waaaaaaay better defensive rebounder than he is an offensive rebounder, so him getting his own misses doesn't appreciably inflate his numbers.  He consistently boxes out the man he is guarding and is the best big man in the league at starting the fast break off a miss.

 

BTW, everyone gets pushed around by Drummond.  That's what Drummond does.  He might be the strongest post player in the league right now.

 

If you think Love is overpaid, just wait until you see the contracts which will be signed this summer.  By the end of the contract, if he stay healthy, Love will be as underpaid as Curry is right now.

 

C'mon Hts. did you watch last night's game? Love was 1-10 in the first half. Pass for an open three, rattles out. Low post shot, hits the back of the rim. Grab his own rebound, hits the back of the rim again. How do you run an offense through that? Of course the offense breaks down. If it wasn't for JR and Kyrie circus shots, Pistons win by 10+.

Love's post play on offense collapsed the entire Piston's D. He also showed that he's one of the best defensive rebounders in the game. He had a tough shooting night yesterday but I thought he was awesome the whole series.

I'm not sure we watched the same series.  Love created mismatches all series which opened up the lane for LeBron and Kyrie by pulling their post-defenders out of the paint.  He will have bad shooting nights.  Anyone who watches the NBA regularly knew that Love was a mid-40's shooter, even as the primary option in Minny.  As for his rebounding, he is a waaaaaaay better defensive rebounder than he is an offensive rebounder, so him getting his own misses doesn't appreciably inflate his numbers.  He consistently boxes out the man he is guarding and is the best big man in the league at starting the fast break off a miss.

 

BTW, everyone gets pushed around by Drummond.  That's what Drummond does.  He might be the strongest post player in the league right now.

 

If you think Love is overpaid, just wait until you see the contracts which will be signed this summer.  By the end of the contract, if he stay healthy, Love will be as underpaid as Curry is right now.

 

I agree.  Love didn't get pushed around by Drummond nearly as much as Tristan Thompson did (and Channing Frye for the limited minutes he was in).  But that's what Drummond does.  He's a stud and would be a premier player if he could learn to shoot free throws.

 

I'm not the biggest Love fan, but he does seem to fit well on this team right now.  He and TT complement each other.  TT gets rebounds on the offensive end, while Love gets them on the defensive end.  TT can't play outside of 10 feet on offense, Love stretches the floor while still being able to score in the post.  TT moves his feet and contests shots on defense, Love...OK, let's not talk about Love's defense. :P

^^^Did I say he had a great game last night?  No, he didn't shoot well.  But did the Pistons stop guarding him?  Did they collapse the paint and leave him open on the perimeter because he was missing shots?  And when he did go inside, did the Pistons not swarm him, leaving the perimeter open?  He still had a double double (as he did EVERY game this series) and we won.  You can play the "if" game all day.  We still won.  We still swept.  We are still moving on with time to rest.  I'm a results oriented guy.  I don't care if it is pretty so long as the end result is the desired result.

I'm not sure we watched the same series.  Love created mismatches all series which opened up the lane for LeBron and Kyrie by pulling their post-defenders out of the paint.  He will have bad shooting nights.  Anyone who watches the NBA regularly knew that Love was a mid-40's shooter, even as the primary option in Minny.  As for his rebounding, he is a waaaaaaay better defensive rebounder than he is an offensive rebounder, so him getting his own misses doesn't appreciably inflate his numbers.  He consistently boxes out the man he is guarding and is the best big man in the league at starting the fast break off a miss.

 

BTW, everyone gets pushed around by Drummond.  That's what Drummond does.  He might be the strongest post player in the league right now.

 

If you think Love is overpaid, just wait until you see the contracts which will be signed this summer.  By the end of the contract, if he stay healthy, Love will be as underpaid as Curry is right now.

 

C'mon Hts. did you watch last night's game? Love was 1-10 in the first half. Pass for an open three, rattles out. Low post shot, hits the back of the rim. Grab his own rebound, hits the back of the rim again. How do you run an offense through that? Of course the offense breaks down. If it wasn't for JR and Kyrie circus shots, Pistons win by 10+.

 

Love had 9 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive rebounds.  His numbers weren't inflated by grabbing his own misses.  It's a rare instance you'll catch me defending Love's play, but he did have a good series and was a huge reason we swept.

 

I do agree that Kyrie needs to stop this one-on-five mentality late in games.  It reminds me of what Lebron used to do when he was here the first time around.  I love watching him play, but the "4 guys standing around watching Kyrie dribble for 20 seconds" offense isn't going to work any better than the "4 guys standing around watching Lebron dribble for 20 seconds" offense worked in 2007.

It's Kyrie's fault that Love can't hit an consistent open three or can't score in the post for an entire game and when they need him too? Meanwhile Kyrie hit a half-court shot and put the dagger in the Pistons with his three to make it 100-96 then shut the Pistons down himself in the last possession of the game. Let's also give credit where credit is due: JR Smith was hitting daggers all night long. They pay Love to be a scorer and rebounder, if he can't score the offense breaks down. If Love plays like he did last night against the Spurs or GSW, this game is over early.

 

And they were sharing the ball last night. Lebron had his touches and so did Love. Want proof: Delly had 11pts! In fact Delly looked better beyond the arc than Love.

 

Love is seeing the open three because coaches know he has long cold streaks. They can collapse on other players. SVG had sets that were closing the lane all night long because nobody was defending Love.

 

Love is getting his own rebound. It happened more than once in this series. Love's so off the mark down low that the ball bounces off the back of the rim 10 feet while he is drifting way and he grabs it. I'd rather he make the shot.

^I appreciate your contributions, but sometimes wonder whether you actually read the posts you are responding to or just skimming them.

^I appreciate your contributions, but sometimes wonder whether you actually read the posts you are responding to or just skimming them.

 

I grabbed the wrong quote. I just deleted it.

Steph Curry, at a minimum, has a sprained MCL. Typical recovery time of 6 weeks. If no complete tear, I'll bet he tries to come back in 4. He might, but he won't be the same. That light at the end of the tunnel for Cavs Nation just got a bit brighter.

 

Agreed, but San Antonio has the second-best win total in the history of the Western Conference. Sure, Golden State is a juggernaut with Curry. But at least the Cavs have shown they can beat the Spurs.

^"a bit brighter".... Still a very tough road to get there, for sure.  Hell, there is no guarantee we make it out of the East and, if we do, whoever we see come out of the West (Warriors, Spurs, Thunder, Clippers) is going to be an incredibly tough opponent.

whats the latest word on mo? anybody know?

^"a bit brighter".... Still a very tough road to get there, for sure.  Hell, there is no guarantee we make it out of the East and, if we do, whoever we see come out of the West (Warriors, Spurs, Thunder, Clippers) is going to be an incredibly tough opponent.

 

I agree about the tough road.

 

Running their endless simulations 538.com has the odds of the Cavs going to Finals at close to 50/50 but winning the championship at about 10%. That's taking into account Curry's injury and the Cavs already getting into the second round.

 

It's going to take a special situation to get the ring, hence my worry about Love's 3 of 15 shooting last night.

Then don't worry about how he shot in one game in the First Round.  Winning the Finals in a competitive year like this one always involves a bit of luck.  For GS last year, it was running the table without a serious injury even though its roster is filled with injury riddles players.  For us, it is going to take one or two of our guys playing above their level in the Finals.  For instance, if JR has one of those streaks of games where he can't miss from 3 and LBJ, Love, and Kyrie all pull their weight, we will be very tough to beat, I don't care who we play.

Then don't worry about how he shot in one game in the First Round.  Winning the Finals in a competitive year like this one always involves a bit of luck.  For GS last year, it was running the table without a serious injury even though its roster is filled with injury riddles players.  For us, it is going to take one or two of our guys playing above their level in the Finals.  For instance, if JR has one of those streaks of games where he can't miss from 3 and LBJ, Love, and Kyrie all pull their weight, we will be very tough to beat, I don't care who we play.

 

Now you're missing my point. Kyrie or LeBron begin to play 1 on 5 because Love gets cold too often. The offense relies on him being able to score not just to rebound. The offense isn't designed to make him another TT. He was wide open at times last night and couldn't make anything.  That's why SVG was able to shut off the lanes and leave Love open if he wasn't under the basket. That's why Kyrie and LeBron began to play iso ball. Love needs to be a consistent scorer or there's no reason to believe the Cavs can win a championship.

The Cavs COULD have won a championship last year minus Love.... and Kyrie.  If they would've pulled out that game 4 against GS, I'm sure they would have.  I don't see how you can say there is "no reason to believe" they can with those two on the court, even if KLove plays less than spectacular.  Sorry, but that line of thought makes absolutely no sense.

 

I'm more than happy with teams rolling the dice and leaving KLove open.  Go right ahead.  They will get burned more often than not.  It's a pick your poison proposition, which is exactly why KLove is so integral to what we do.  He can also go and has gone nearly an entire game without hitting his shots and then nails the dagger at the end which puts the other team away. 

 

I won't pretend that I can read the minds of Kyrie and LeBron, but I doubt their isolation plays have much to do with KLove's shooting percentage on any given night, or JR's, or Delly's, or whomever's.  They play isolation basketball because they are two of the best isolation players in the league.  It's not a good format as the primary offense, but when you really need a bucket, it's not a bad play.  Think of how LeBron always used to get criticized for passing up the final shot as opposed to just putting his head down and driving to the hole. 

Then don't worry about how he shot in one game in the First Round.  Winning the Finals in a competitive year like this one always involves a bit of luck.  For GS last year, it was running the table without a serious injury even though its roster is filled with injury riddles players.  For us, it is going to take one or two of our guys playing above their level in the Finals.  For instance, if JR has one of those streaks of games where he can't miss from 3 and LBJ, Love, and Kyrie all pull their weight, we will be very tough to beat, I don't care who we play.

 

Now you're missing my point. Kyrie or LeBron begin to play 1 on 5 because Love gets cold too often. The offense relies on him being able to score not just to rebound. The offense isn't designed to make him another TT. He was wide open at times last night and couldn't make anything.  That's why SVG was able to shut off the lanes and leave Love open if he wasn't under the basket. That's why Kyrie and LeBron began to play iso ball. Love needs to be a consistent scorer or there's no reason to believe the Cavs can win a championship.

 

Love had a TS% of .56, which was basically the same as Chris Bosh, Lamarcus Aldrige, and Anthony Davis. And the Cavs were 3rd in the league in assists/game despite being 28th in the league in pace. So I don't think any of this is true.

The Cavs COULD have won a championship last year minus Love.... and Kyrie.  If they would've pulled out that game 4 against GS, I'm sure they would have.  I don't see how you can say there is "no reason to believe" they can with those two on the court, even if KLove plays less than spectacular.  Sorry, but that line of thought makes absolutely no sense.

 

I'm more than happy with teams rolling the dice and leaving KLove open.  Go right ahead.  They will get burned more often than not.  It's a pick your poison proposition, which is exactly why KLove is so integral to what we do.  He can also go and has gone nearly an entire game without hitting his shots and then nails the dagger at the end which puts the other team away. 

 

I won't pretend that I can read the minds of Kyrie and LeBron, but I doubt their isolation plays have much to do with KLove's shooting percentage on any given night, or JR's, or Delly's, or whomever's.  They play isolation basketball because they are two of the best isolation players in the league.  It's not a good format as the primary offense, but when you really need a bucket, it's not a bad play.  Think of how LeBron always used to get criticized for passing up the final shot as opposed to just putting his head down and driving to the hole. 

 

The "coulda, shoulda, woulda" argument doesn't do much for me. They didn't win Game 4 and the rest was history.

 

If Love, Kyrie and LeBron have solid and consistent scoring contributions it opens the entire offense and they have a far better chance at winning at title than if Kevin is shooting 3 of 15. Not quite sure how that doesn't make sense.

The Cavs COULD have won a championship last year minus Love.... and Kyrie.  If they would've pulled out that game 4 against GS, I'm sure they would have.  I don't see how you can say there is "no reason to believe" they can with those two on the court, even if KLove plays less than spectacular.  Sorry, but that line of thought makes absolutely no sense.

 

I'm more than happy with teams rolling the dice and leaving KLove open.  Go right ahead.  They will get burned more often than not.  It's a pick your poison proposition, which is exactly why KLove is so integral to what we do.  He can also go and has gone nearly an entire game without hitting his shots and then nails the dagger at the end which puts the other team away. 

 

I won't pretend that I can read the minds of Kyrie and LeBron, but I doubt their isolation plays have much to do with KLove's shooting percentage on any given night, or JR's, or Delly's, or whomever's.  They play isolation basketball because they are two of the best isolation players in the league.  It's not a good format as the primary offense, but when you really need a bucket, it's not a bad play.  Think of how LeBron always used to get criticized for passing up the final shot as opposed to just putting his head down and driving to the hole. 

 

The "coulda, shoulda, woulda" argument doesn't do much for me. They didn't win Game 4 and the rest was history.

 

If Love, Kyrie and LeBron have solid and consistent scoring contributions it opens the entire offense and they have a far better chance at winning at title than if Kevin is shooting 3 of 15. Not quite sure how that doesn't make sense.

He only had 1 poor shooting game in the series.

Everyone has a bad shooting night here and there.  If Love shoots 20% FGs for the rest of the playoffs, then of course we should be worried.  I doubt very much that will happen, though.

 

And I bet Kyrie's one-on-five end of the game mentality comes more from Lebron than any observations of how his teammates are playing.  He tends to only do it at the end of the game, just like Lebron used to.  I think they believe it's the best way to kill shot clock and still get a decent shot off, but IMO it works about as well as the prevent offense in football.

 

Of course Kyrie's half court shot and three at the end were HUGE.  But he also did some bad things offensively on many of those last possessions.  I don't want to have to rely on low percentage shots like those to win a championship.  We need to continue to run our offense and get quality shots for all 4 quarters.  It's why I think we had trouble closing out games and lost some big leads in the 4th quarter in the regular season.

Then don't worry about how he shot in one game in the First Round.  Winning the Finals in a competitive year like this one always involves a bit of luck.  For GS last year, it was running the table without a serious injury even though its roster is filled with injury riddles players.  For us, it is going to take one or two of our guys playing above their level in the Finals.  For instance, if JR has one of those streaks of games where he can't miss from 3 and LBJ, Love, and Kyrie all pull their weight, we will be very tough to beat, I don't care who we play.

 

Now you're missing my point. Kyrie or LeBron begin to play 1 on 5 because Love gets cold too often. The offense relies on him being able to score not just to rebound. The offense isn't designed to make him another TT. He was wide open at times last night and couldn't make anything.  That's why SVG was able to shut off the lanes and leave Love open if he wasn't under the basket. That's why Kyrie and LeBron began to play iso ball. Love needs to be a consistent scorer or there's no reason to believe the Cavs can win a championship.

 

Love had a TS% of .56, which was basically the same as Chris Bosh, Lamarcus Aldrige, and Anthony Davis. And the Cavs were 3rd in the league in assists/game despite being 28th in the league in pace. So I don't think any of this is true.

 

Love shot 3 of 15. He missed open shots. SVG blocked the lanes.

 

Love was 1 for 10 in the first half. Then he has five attempts in the second half. They clearly stopped passing the ball to Love. All of sudden iso-ball shows up. But there is no link and is "not true". OK. I give up.

So 1 game defines a player?

The Cavs COULD have won a championship last year minus Love.... and Kyrie.  If they would've pulled out that game 4 against GS, I'm sure they would have.  I don't see how you can say there is "no reason to believe" they can with those two on the court, even if KLove plays less than spectacular.  Sorry, but that line of thought makes absolutely no sense.

 

I'm more than happy with teams rolling the dice and leaving KLove open.  Go right ahead.  They will get burned more often than not.  It's a pick your poison proposition, which is exactly why KLove is so integral to what we do.  He can also go and has gone nearly an entire game without hitting his shots and then nails the dagger at the end which puts the other team away. 

 

I won't pretend that I can read the minds of Kyrie and LeBron, but I doubt their isolation plays have much to do with KLove's shooting percentage on any given night, or JR's, or Delly's, or whomever's.  They play isolation basketball because they are two of the best isolation players in the league.  It's not a good format as the primary offense, but when you really need a bucket, it's not a bad play.  Think of how LeBron always used to get criticized for passing up the final shot as opposed to just putting his head down and driving to the hole. 

 

The "coulda, shoulda, woulda" argument doesn't do much for me. They didn't win Game 4 and the rest was history.

 

If Love, Kyrie and LeBron have solid and consistent scoring contributions it opens the entire offense and they have a far better chance at winning at title than if Kevin is shooting 3 of 15. Not quite sure how that doesn't make sense.

He only had 1 poor shooting game in the series.

 

Right, against the Pistons...no problem. Against the Heat, Spurs, Warriors, etc. it could make or break a series.

The "coulda, shoulda, woulda" argument doesn't do much for me. They didn't win Game 4 and the rest was history.

 

If Love, Kyrie and LeBron have solid and consistent scoring contributions it opens the entire offense and they have a far better chance at winning at title than if Kevin is shooting 3 of 15. Not quite sure how that doesn't make sense.

 

That does make sense.  But "they have a far better chance at winning" is not the same as "there's no reason to believe the Cavs can win a championship".  Not even close.  OF COURSE they have a "far better chance" if Love does not shoot 3 for 15 each night.  They also have a far better chance if LeBron doesn't get hurt, or if Kyrie doesn't commit 10 turnovers per game.

^^Fair enough. I'll put more stock in what he's done over the course of the past 7 seasons, and the Cavs' proven record of ball movement and their 3rd ranked offense.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯