8. A Much Deeper Bench
The injuries to Irving and Love forced the Cavs to employ a starting lineup against the Warriors which included Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov. While Dellavedova remains a valuable contributor off the bench, Mozgov — whose 14-point average in that series was second on the Cavs only to James — has fallen out of Lue’s rotation and is brought in only when leads are well out of reach.
Frye, Dellavedova, Iman Shumpert and Richard Jefferson have been part of a lineup often used to begin the second quarters of games, with James being the only starter on the floor. It was Shumpert, not Smith, who started at the shooting guard spot in the finals last year, and having to play an average of 36 minutes a game took a toll on his shooting. Reducing his workload to an average of 17 minutes a game this postseason has made him more effective.
Next: Success Away from Home
