Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love Have Officially Rounded out Cavaliers' Big Three
Last year's NBA postseason was all about LeBron James for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were forced out of action with injuries, leaving James to try winning the city of Cleveland its first championship in over half a century. The two sidelined Cavs could only offer moral support as they witnessed yet another franchise celebrate a title on their home floor.
Now, Irving and Love, healthy and productive, have officially joined the party. Together, the three have bulldozed through the playoffs' first two rounds, going a perfect 8-0 against the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks.
Delayed Construction
Technically, the Cavaliers have possessed a Big Three since August 2014, when Love was traded to Cleveland for Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and a first-round pick. At least there were three stars learning how to blend together.
Their impact couldn't always be classified as "big."
Part of this was the offensive scheme, which saw Love drift out to the three-point line far too often and become strictly a shooter, while James and Irving dominated the ball. Part of it was James' sabbatical halfway through the 2014-15 season, followed by devastating injuries to both Love and Irving come playoff time.
"I'm sure there were questions," Love said about the Big Three, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. "For us, we had to figure it out and there was some rough spots."
A whole eight months passed between Love's shoulder injury in the 2015 opening round and Irving's return following knee surgery on Dec. 20, 2015. Heading into their second postseason together, questions remained.
After leading the Cavaliers in three-point shooting a season ago (41.5 percent), Irving dropped to a career-low 32.2 percent this year. His player efficiency rating dipped below 20 (19.9) for the first time during Irving's five professional seasons. The phenomenal chemistry he had seemingly developed with James last year only showed up in flashes.
"I just don’t think Kyrie fits in," one Eastern Conference scout told Bleacher Report shortly before the playoffs started. "He’s a square peg in a round hole with the way LeBron plays. They’re better with LeBron at the point and Kyrie off the ball. Kyrie’s a scorer, that’s what he wants, that’s his mentality. He’s very weak defensively. LeBron wants a little more out of him in other areas."
For Irving to regain his spot alongside James, he had to re-establish his previously trusted outside shooting and become a more willing passer. Love needed to start posting his own impressive scoring and rebounding numbers once again, reminding everyone—including his All-Star teammates—why he remains one of the most offensively gifted players in the league.
"Kevin is a great player, I believe a top 10 player in this league and he knows it," coach Tyronn Lue said, per Fedor. "When you have a team with three All-Stars, sometimes you don't get to play the role you're capable of playing. That's what's been hurting Kevin over this last year and a half."
Role, fit and injuries all took their toll on Cleveland establishing its Big Three. Finally healthy, confident and with more experience under their collective belts, James, Love and Irving can thrive.
The Stage Is Set
The Cavaliers are just four wins away from a return to the NBA Finals—this time with a healthy core.
"I know these guys have been waiting for this postseason opportunity after what happened last year with their injuries, so they've been building toward this both mentally and physically," James told NBA TV after Cleveland finished its sweep of the Hawks.
"I can't say that I haven't waited for them as well."
James has to be thrilled with the help he's gotten from both Irving and Love. Irving is averaging 24.4 points and 5.5 assists in his 36.4 minutes per game this postseason. Even more encouraging, he has seemingly rediscovered his stroke from deep.
He is drilling 53.8 percent of his three-pointers, third among qualified postseason players, per NBA.com. His passing numbers have also increased. Irving carried an assist ratio of 18.7 during the regular season, one that's now jumped to an even 20.0.
Love's postseason legacy is growing by the game. He's just the fourth player in NBA history to begin his playoff career 12-0, joining Randy Brown, Mark Madsen and Scott Williams, per B/R Insights. Madsen holds the record, (dating back to 1964), with a 16-0 start.
Love has collected a double-double during all eight games this postseason, posting averages of 18.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 34.3 minutes. Though his shot has been off from inside the paint, he's knocking down a sparkling 44.4 percent of his 7.9 three-point attempts per game.
"It's something we all envisioned when I came back, Kev was traded here and Ky was already here," James told NBA TV. "We're in a great rhythm right now. We know exactly where we want to be on the floor, we know exactly where we are on the floor and it's benefited all of us individually, and obviously it's trickled down to the team."
Cleveland's offense has been the NBA's best this postseason, led by the Big Three and a 46.2 percent team shooting mark from deep.
"It's just what I enjoy about the game of basketball, playing with great guys," Irving told NBA TV after Game 4.
"We come into this postseason, [and] our second time around there's a sense of calmness within our locker room. This is more than I dreamed of. Honestly."
The four highest-scoring three-man lineups this postseason all contain at least two of James, Love and Irving. The Big Three are racking up an average of 63.0 points during the 26.9 minutes they share the court, fourth-highest in the league, per NBA.com. The trio also carries a plus/minus rating of plus-9.6, tied for second overall among all three-man playoff lineups.
"Between Kyrie and myself, we've had a lot of conversations about our playoff run being cut short, so more than anything, we look at this as an opportunity," Love said at the start of the postseason.
The conversations, rehab, training and preparation are over. The Cavs officially have a Big Three, and they're showing up at the most important time of all.
Greg Swartz is the Cleveland Cavaliers Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @CavsGregBR.
Quotes obtained firsthand, unless cited. Stats via Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
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