Cleveland Cavaliers: A Kings Team

When you take a look at the Cleveland Cavaliers team this season, you might ask yourself, how is this team putting up such an outstanding record?

If you check out their roster, one would notice that no names really stand out besides the obvious King James and point-guard Mo Williams.

So how exactly is this team so great?

The Defense

Even with an injured Ben Wallace, the Cavaliers manage to put up magnificent numbers on the defensive end.

We start with the stats. The Cavs currently lead the league in:

Opponents points allowed per game= 91.2 PPG

Lowest opponents 3P%= 33.4%

Biggest lead allowed per game= 6.7 points

Points allowed (by quarter) per game= 22.7 points

Opponents field goals made allowed per game- 33.8 FG's (2nd best)

Blocks per game= 5.3 BPG (6th best)

Steals per game= 7.5 SPG (9th best)

Defensive rebounds per game= 31.2 DRPG (8th best)

Moving onto the key defensive players,

Anderson Varejao (PF/C, 6’11”, 260 lbs)

Varejao is an outstanding player with a nose for the basketball. He has the ability to come into any game and instantly get a hand on the ball on either end of the court. He averages nearly a block per game, along with 7.2 rebounds.

The Brazilian is not afraid to take a charge and plays the game with extreme intensity. He does most of the dirty work and small things that do not appear on the stat sheet and is a huge contribution to the Cavaliers defense.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas (C, 7’3”, 260 lbs)

Ilgauskas is one the tallest athletes in the NBA. He is a great asset on both ends of the floor and is a huge presence down low on the defensive end.

He is averaging 1.3 blocks per game along with grabbing 7.3 boards as well. The Lithuanian is always a big threat when checking into the game and is outstanding at altering shots on defense

The Impact of LeBron James

Instead of labeling this next section the Offense, I decided to name it what appears above.

A gigantic reason for the Cavaliers success lies in the hands of this one-of-a-kind freak of nature, LeBron James. James has the talent to do just about anything and everything on the basketball court. (From filming Mo Williams hit a home run, to making a fire with Daniel Gibsons' hands).

For the most part, the King likes to take the ball up the court and play the point-guard position. This move enables Mo Williams to camp out around the three-point line and play his natural type of basketball, which is simply scoring the ball in the hoop.

When James directs the traffic on offense, he has a plethora of options he can use to his advantage. If he decides to attack the basket, he forces the defense to close in on him, usually attracting two to three defenders. If LeBron does not believe he can make the shot or the lay-in, he still has the benefit of the doubt with two or three shooters surrounding the three-point line (Mo Williams, Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, Sasha Pavlovic, Daniel Gibson).

James can dish the ball out for the easy three-pointer (since someone has to be wide-open because LeBron has just been doubled or tripled teamed) or he can aggressively go up for a lay-in, which more likely than not results in a foul and a trip to the free-throw line.

The Cavaliers offense is like a game of chess.

LeBron James is the Queen.

The three-point shooters are the Rook. (Mo Williams, Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, Sasha Pavlovic, Daniel Gibson)

The big-men down low are the Knights. (Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao)

In a sense, since James is the Queen, this makes him the most dominate piece on the board, giving him the power to move in every which way. If he is stuck and has no move, he always has his three-point shooters who are the rook piece.

They have the ability to move along the rows or columns. They camp out around the three-point line and wait for LeBron to distribute the ball to them. If for some reason these players are being guarded, James always has his big men posting up down low.

These players are the Knights, because they have the ability to jump over other pieces when moving. The big men do not obviously jump over other players, but they are the ones who can grab rebounds over other defenders for second chance point opportunities.

Home Court Advantage

The Cleveland Cavaliers are the most dominate team at home this season, if not the most dominate team in the league. They have a ridiculous home record of 35-1 and are virtually unstoppable when stepping onto their home court.

With an unbelievable overall record of 60-13 (first team to reach 60 wins this season) the Cavaliers have the opportunity to use their home court to their advantage.

If the Cavs end the season with the best record in the entire NBA, they will get home court advantage in every series during the playoffs. This will help the Cavaliers succeed and most of give them a better chance at winning an NBA Championship.

Ending Statement

LeBron James makes this Cavaliers team what it is. He controls the tempo and makes the big decisions during crunch time. He can hit the jumper from anywhere on the court, pass the ball with his eyes closed, grab a rebound with his extreme vertical leap, attack the hoop for the tomahawk jam, block the shot with his outstanding arm span, steal the ball with his intelligent defense IQ, and most of all deliver his team a W on command.

He is the closest thing to a perfect all-around basketball player, as he knows exactly what to do and when to do it.

The King is the face of the NBA and is having loads of fun while doing it. He is shown smiling all the time whether it is on or off the court and WILL win a Championship this season or next year...it is just a matter of time.