NBA Playoffs: How the Cleveland Cavaliers Stack Up Against the 2011 Miami Heat

There’s no place like home.

After a second straight win against the Boston Celtics, LeBron James has his Cleveland Cavaliers off to a strong start in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Fellow All-Stars Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving seem undaunted by the pressure of the postseason and have started off their playoff careers in impressive fashion.

But is LeBron’s new Big Three good enough to navigate through two grueling months of playoff basketball?

While head-to-head statistics give us some insight, a comparison with James’ 2010-11 Miami Heat team may shed some light on Cleveland’s chances to win it all with its retooled roster. How do this season’s new-look Cavaliers stack up against LeBron’s first Miami team?

The Heat, boasting an impressive new lineup of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, took the Eastern Conference crown in 2011 but eventually lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

Considering how that team was able to reach the Finals in its first year together (before losing in six games), it may be useful to take a look at how this year's Cavaliers stack up against that 2011 Miami squad. 

Let’s see how these two championship contenders match up by comparing their starting lineups, bench production, defense and coaching.

Roster

Both the 2011 Heat and the 2015 Cavs trotted out a fierce starting five for the beginning of the postseason. The Heat boasted two of the league’s top four scorers (James and Wade), while the Cavs boast two of the playoffs most explosive playmakers (James and Irving). 

But basketball isn’t a two-on-two sport, and it takes a full roster to win it all in the NBA. So to start, we will break down each team's starting lineup, position by position.

Point Guard: Mario Chalmers vs. Kyrie Irving

Chalmers, only 24 years old during the 2011 NBA playoffs, was, to put it politely, a role player during the Heat’s Finals run. While providing hustle and solid perimeter defense, he had yet to fully mature as a reliable NBA starter and was a weakness in the Heat’s powerful starting five. Averaging 7.8 points and 1.3 steals in the playoffs, he was a serviceable talent for a playoff contender, but his offensive limitations and questionable decision-making limited his contributions.

Irving, on the other hand, is an undeniable force. As illustrated by his 55-point outburst against the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this year, he is among the best at his position on the offensive end. His shortcomings as a passer were the subject of much media scrutiny earlier this season, but he has learned to play effectively alongside James while efficiently maintaining his scoring prowess.

However, Irving has no prior playoff experience and is therefore a question mark in terms of postseason reliability. Chalmers played well enough in his two first-round playoff series’ prior to 2011. Yet, Irving's first two playoff games are a vivid reminder that he is one of the top young talents in the league today. Chalmers can’t compete with that.

Advantage: Cavs

Shooting Guard: Dwyane Wade vs. J.R. Smith 

In the summer of 2010, Wade went from being the alpha dog in Miami to sharing the spotlight with the best basketball player on the planet. But to say that Wade instantly became the Robin to LeBron’s Batman doesn't acknowledge just how good D-Wade played during that 2011 playoff run.

Left with the lingering memories of a one-legged Wade hobbling through most of the regular and postseason in recent years, we forget that 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade was still a very good player when James and Bosh joined him in Miami. 

During those 2011 playoffs, Wade actually outscored James, averaging 24.5 points per game and 7.1 rebounds while getting to the line a team-leading 8.5 times per game. In the NBA Finals, Wade was even better, outscoring everyone with 159 total points. He was still very much at the top of his game.

This season, LeBron has J.R. Smith, who is no Wade.

No, that's unfair. Smith has actually been a key contributor to this team since his arrival from New York midway through the season. After joining Cleveland he averaged 12.7 points and shot a respectable 39 percent from beyond the arc for the remainder of this regular season. He hasn’t been forcing his shot, and he’s limited his mental mistakes.

Still, he’s no Wade.

Advantage: Heat

Small Forward: 2011 LeBron vs. 2015 LeBron

So here’s where stats can be a little deceptive.

It's clear to see that the LeBron James who returned to Cleveland this summer has matured, both as a player and a person, from the one who took his talents to South Beach in 2010. However, it takes more than individual statistics to understand why.

James’ numbers were higher across the board in 2010 compared to his output during this year's regular season. In his first season with Miami, he led the Heat in points (26.7), assists (7.0) and steals (1.6) per game while averaging 7.5 rebounds and shooting 51 percent from the floor.

This year, even allowing for his improvement after returning from injury in January, LeBron has posted lower averages in every major offensive category. Still, numbers tell only a part of the story.

His leadership skills have developed immensely, and he seems to have grown from the media firestorm following "The Decision" and his struggles in the 2011 Finals. Of course, this is mostly conjecture, but the refinements to his game and the change in his demeanor are obvious.

During his last two seasons in Miami, LeBron became only the fifth player in NBA history to average at least 26 points per game while shooting better than 56 percent from the floor in multiple seasons (and only the third non-center to accomplish the feat). He is the only player to ever do it while averaging more than six assists.

Though his numbers have dipped since his return home, James’ basketball intelligence and efficiency have vastly improved from his 2011 campaign in Miami.

Advantage: Cavs

Power Forward: Chris Bosh vs. Kevin Love

Bosh was an All-Star during the 2009-10 season and the lone bright spot on a struggling Toronto Raptors team. During that campaign, he ranked among the top 10 in points, rebounds and player efficiency rating (PER), according to Basketball-Reference.com, in easily his most productive season as a pro. 

However, Bosh’s numbers took a larger hit than expected during his first season in Miami. He averaged 5.3 fewer points per game and 2.5 fewer rebounds as he adjusted from being the only show in town to a third option on a championship contender. Although the Big Three got close to an NBA title in their first full season, Bosh never seemed to find a comfortable role in the offense, and his output and confidence struggled as a result.

Sound familiar?

Love, who averaged 23.5 points and 13.7 rebounds on the Minnesota Timberwolves, has struggled in Cleveland while adapting to his new role in an offense loaded with talent. He is averaging five fewer shots per game and has been often relegated to standing idly in the corner during offensive sets. His scoring average has dropped almost 10 points from last season, and he’s collected almost three fewer rebounds per game.

Love is a powerful inside force and one of the best rebounders in the game, but he’s been unable to utilize these skills with any regularity with LeBron and Irving dominating the ball and driving to the hoop. Love’s difficulty acclimating to his new role has been duly noted, even by James himself. 

"

Stop trying to find a way to FIT-OUT and just FIT-IN. Be apart of something special! Just my thoughts

— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 8, 2015 "

Despite all this, Love’s numbers were better this regular season than Bosh’s stats during the 2010-11 season. Still, Bosh seemed more committed than Love does now. Even before the season began, some were questioning the Cavaliers' decision to acquire Love for an immensely talented rookie in Andrew Wiggins.

And by the way, Love has no playoff experience yet and has been finishing games on the bench more often than expected. 

Advantage: Heat

Center: Joel Anthony vs. Timofey Mozgov

The Heat’s biggest weakness during the 2010-11 season was their lack of rim protection, much of which could be attributed to Joel Anthony. He was undersized for a center at 6’9” and not particularly good at anything offensively. The Heat apparently understood this as well and opted to give him just 19.5 minutes per game.

Erik Spoelstra experimented with Bosh at the 5 and James at the 4 to try to counter their lack of size with speed. However, this quick fix for their size deficiency couldn’t hold up in the playoffs, as Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler feasted on the Heat's interior defense during the NBA Finals.

Mozgov, on the other hand, has played well for Cleveland since being traded from the Denver Nuggets in January. He has put up a solid 10.6 points and 6.9 rebounds on 59 percent shooting, filling the void at the center position left by Anderson Varejao’s Achilles tear early in the season.

Mozgov’s defensive presence and shot blocking ability may become key factors to Cleveland’s title chances this summer, and his respectable finishing ability has kept opposing defenses honest.

Advantage: Cavs

Defense

Despite the impact of Mozgov in Cleveland’s defense, the Cavs still lacks the lockdown defensive mindset that will be necessary for an NBA championship. They surrender 98.7 points per game and have a defensive rating of 106.3, good for 13th and 18th in the league this year, respectively, per Basketball-Reference.com.

This Cleveland team has had problems breaking up offensive movement and forcing mistakes, ceding 24.1 assists per game to opponents, the highest number in the league. Cleveland also ranks just 22nd in opponent turnovers, forcing just 13.3 per game.

The 2010-11 Heat, however, began focusing on defensive cohesion early, utilizing their athleticism to allow for quick switching and trapping. Miami excelled at forcing difficult shots, holding its opponents to just 43.4 percent shooting, good for second in the league. The Heat also led the league in blocked shots and gave up just the fifth fewest assists per game.

Advantage: Heat

Bench

Despite all the hoopla over Miami’s power grab for talent that summer, the 2011 Miami Heat did not enter the NBA playoffs with a balanced roster. Spoelstra relied heavily on Udonis Haslem, James Jones and a 32-year-old Mike Bibby come playoff time, none of whom elicited much fear from opposing coaches.

That season, the Heat’s bench ranked 18th in Efficiency Recap Difference and last in points per game, per Hoops Stats. 

This season’s Cavaliers haven’t performed much better. Cleveland’s depth, although bolstered substantially by the addition of Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith (who starts), is still a weakness entering the playoffs. 

During the regular season, the bench ranked last in points per game and finished 28th in Efficiency Recap Difference. Although Thompson and Shumpert have played well, the rest of the Cleveland bench, including Matthew Dellavedova, the ghost of Shawn Marion and a 50-year-old man claiming to be Kendrick Perkins, isn’t exactly a reliable bunch.

Advantage: Neither

Coaching: Erik Spoelstra vs. David Blatt

Spoelstra was roasted multiple times during his first year with the Big Three in Miami, but four straight NBA Finals appearances quelled many of his critics over time. Despite having great deal of talent at his fingertips, Spoelstra was a great coach in 2010 and remains a great coach today.

In seven full seasons, he has led the Heat to a combined regular season record of 351-207 and a .636 playoff winning percentage. His ability to craft lineups and defensive schemes around James helped push the Heat over the top to become a legitimate title contender. In just one full season he helped refine James into the positionless two-way terror that he is today, something that no coach in Cleveland could accomplish prior to James' departure. 

Cleveland head coach David Blatt doesn’t have the same luxury of familiarity, with the team and the league, that Spoelstra enjoyed in 2010-11. Blatt, an acclaimed international coach, spent his career primarily in Israel and Russia before taking the a job with the Cavaliers this summer.

He is clearly adjusting to the NBA landscape, and the white-hot spotlight that has accompanied LeBron's return to Cleveland has not made his new job any easier. Earlier this season, it seemed as if Blatt was being pushed around by his players, sometimes literally. 

His anonymity among the NBA community has limited his ability to exact authority in LeBron's presence, and some have questioned who is actually calling the shots. While he may eventually be a top coach in this league, the inevitable growing pains of being a first-year coach have curbed his effectiveness thus far.

Advantage: Heat

The Verdict

The 2010-11 Miami Heat marked the beginning of LeBron’s first Big Three and serve as an instructive basis of comparison for Cleveland’s new All-Star trio. Though James, Wade and Bosh reached four consecutive NBA Finals with Miami, they could not transition seamlessly enough to win a title during their first year. Nonetheless, superior coaching, more experience and a stingier defense make them a better overall team than this year’s Cavaliers.

This does not necessarily spell doom for Cleveland’s title chances. The Eastern Conference has been weaker than usual this year, and who knows which team will emerge from the relentless Western Conference. 

After all, this is why they play the games.

Verdict: Heat