Cleveland’s series-clinching 113-87 game-six win over Toronto was much more than just a better team defeating a lesser foe. It was a beautiful basketball symphony where the Wine and Gold harmonized great talent with even greater effort and execution.
They continued their recent trend of magnificent ball movement that has blossomed during this 12 win, 2 loss play-off run. I highlighted this hoops habit in this recent article.
Passing alone is overrated. It is like a treadmill. A whole lot of work without getting anywhere. But when you put passing into a blender along with attacking drives, effective post entries, and an aggressive transition offense, you get tasty Orange Julius smoothie full of wide open 3-point looks and easy lanes to the basket. Toronto won games 3 and 4 largely because the Cavs had too many offensive lulls. But in game 6, the Raptors couldn’t make any runs to get back into the game because the couldn’t string together stops on the defensive end. Cleveland’s ability to get easy looks was way too much for Team Canada to handle.
I also loved how the Cavs effectively used the both LeBron and Love in the post. Too often in this series (and in his career), LeBron would receive the ball near the block, and then wait for a backside double team so he could hopefully find the open man. But the difficulty in hitting that distant crosscourt shooter made this strategy marginally effective at best.
In this game, LeBron was quick and decisive when he got the ball down low. I just about leaped out of my chair in joy when I saw him spin baseline around his Toronto post defender for an easy dunk. I have been waiting for that lethal power move since he was drafted in 2003.
Kevin Love also incorporated that same quickness and decisiveness on the block. Since he arrived in Cleveland, Love has often driven me nuts when he has tried to slowly back his defender down, and then try a half-hook fadeaway. That may have worked in his Minnesota days. But since he decided to cut weight and become leaner, he doesn’t have the bulk and strength to consistently pull that off move. For Kevin to be more than a stretch-four spot-up shooter, he needs to be crafty to get easy inside looks. Channel his inner-Tim Duncan. And in game 6, along with game 5, K-Love has looked more and more like The Big Fundamental: quick moves on the post, while including an occasional kiss-off-the-glass bank shot. Getting those easy inside baskets makes the rim seem so much wider when launching those long-ball threes.
Lastly, the team’s game-six effort both in defending, as well as going after loose balls, is emblematic of a champion. J.R. Smith got plenty of love from the ESPN broadcast crew and replay booth for his flying around the court to get deflections and defend breakaways. Tristan Thompson’s hunger on the offensive boards crushed the souls of the Raptors and their fans. And someone forgot to tell LBJ that NBA superstars are supposed to put it in cruise control when the ball is not in their hands. This 31-year old was a blur all night, in spite of playing almost the entire game (until the benches were cleared at the end).
Fundamentals, Effort, Talent, and Teamwork has gotten the Cleveland Cavaliers back to the Promised Land of the NBA Finals. If they keep playing that 4-card hand, the Wine and Gold will likely be cashing in some NBA championship gold in the very near future.