5. Somebody unexpected will make a difference.
As James goes, so go the Cavs? Not always. It’s easy to forget he went 7-of-23 in their series-clinching 94-73 rout of the Chicago Bulls last May. Matthew Dellavedova, who was largely an unknown quantity at the time, led them in scoring with 19 points off the bench while Tristan Thompson added 13 points and 17 rebounds while starting in Love’s usual power forward spot.
No one is crazy enough to suggest Jordan McRae could come anywhere close to duplicating his 35-point showing Wednesday night against the Pistons in what was essentially an exhibition. But don’t be surprised if Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye or James Jones makes a significant contribution from three-point range, or if Timofey Mozgov can wear down Pistons double-double machine Andre Drummond without getting into foul trouble.
