Bench boosts Cavs
LeBron’s playing time with reserves paying off
In the NBA playoffs, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue tweaked his rotation so LeBron James could start the second quarter with reserves.
“It was something our coaching staff talked about before the playoffs started, letting LeBron play with that second unit,” Lue said. “LeBron and Delly (Matthew Dellavedova) have a great chemistry together.
“I thought it would be better for the second unit to get more shots, spread the ball out, spread the floor. It’s something we started to do going into the Detroit series, and it worked out, so we stayed with it.”
It was a departure from Lue’s rotation in the regular season, when he let James play the entire first quarter. Now he takes James out near the end of the first quarter and starts him in the second quarter with reserves, and the results have been impressive.
Take Cleveland’s 115-84 victory Tuesday against the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Cleveland ended the first quarter with a 33-28 lead, and Toronto had played well.
Cavaliers reserves Dellavedova, Iman Shumpert, Richard Jeffer-
“Me being out there with those guys, it just gives us another threat out on the floor at all times.” Cavaliers forward LeBron James, referring to playing with reserves
son and Channing Frye started the second quarter with James. In six minutes, that unit outscored Toronto 17-4 and built a 50-32 lead.
Frye made a three-pointer, Dellavedova scored seven points, James had four points and Shumpert dunked. The Cavs were 6for-7 from the field, including 2for-3 on three-pointers, during that game-deciding stretch.
“The game ball definitely goes to our bench,” James said. “All the way down, those guys gave us a boost in that second quarter, and I was out there with them. But Channing, Shump, Delly and R.J., at that moment they pushed the tempo.”
Cleveland has owned the second quarter in the NBA playoffs, and it starts with James getting minutes with reserves. In the second quarter, the Cavs:
Lead the playoffs in scoring at 29.1 points per game.
Are scoring 127.1 points per 100 possessions and are +19.8 points per 100 possessions.
Are shooting 50.3% from the field and 49.4% on three-pointers.
It illustrates Cleveland’s depth when healthy. Because of Kyrie Irving ’s injury last season, Dellavedova was pushed into a starting role, including during the Finals. J.R. Smith and Shumpert didn’t have precise roles because of injuries then, and the Cavs didn’t have Frye.
“Obviously, the addition of Channing Frye has helped out a lot,” James said. “He’s given us a dynamic that we didn’t have in that second lineup, another big that just spaces the floor, shoots the ball and also rebounds and defends. So that helps, and me being out there with those guys, it just gives us another threat out on the floor at all times.”
In the playoffs, the lineup of James, Frye, Jefferson, Shumpert and Dellavedova has outscored opponents 102-64, and the lineup has scored 130 points per 100 possessions, according to Stats .nba.com. Lue didn’t use that lineup during the regular season, and he also used a lineup with Kevin Love and Frye that was effective against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Cavaliers are more versa- tile because of their depth. Each regular rotation player off the bench is positive in the plus-minus category, meaning the team scores more than its opponents while those players are on the court. Dellavedova is +53, Frye +52, Jefferson +38 and Shumpert +29.
“You just got to work at it. In practices, we do a lot of work together, but we’ve got some very smart, cerebral players,” James said. “Coach Lue is able to mix and match some lineups that he feels best fits.”
The starters are producing, the bench is producing, and it’s not a surprise the Cavs are 9-0 in the postseason with Lue finding the right lineup combinations.