Author Archives: Kenny Roda

TYRONN LUE – He was the first individual  that popped into my mind as the good from this first round series. He out coached and Stan Van Gundy with his adjustments and out of bounds plays or as they’re known in NBA circles – ATO’s – After Time Out plays! Not bad for only coaching half a regular season and coaching in his 1st ever playoff series as the head coach.

THE BIG THREE – They finally looked like they can play together. They clicked in this series. Each of them had their moments and in those moments helped the team win games. They combined to average 69ppg – 23.2rpg – 13.2apg.

KYRIE IRVING – He looked healthy, shot the ball well from distance, didn’t over dribble for the most part, actually played some defense especially on the final play of Game #4 and did something that is very rarely done, he led a LeBron James team in individual scoring with 27.5 points per game in a playoff series!

LeBRON JAMES – He continued his great all-around game attacking the basket at times in the series but still not enough for me. Hopefully he will attack the rim more in the next round, but you can’t argue with his final numbers in sweep (22.8ppg – 9rpg – 6.8apg). “The King” has been in “Zero Dark Thirty – 23” mode for quite some time now and is playing  his best basketball of the season.

KEVIN LOVE – Despite not shooting it well at 41% from the field, he did score points 18.8ppg and led the team in rebounding 12rpg and his effort was outstanding on defense even though he may not have always been that effective. A good series for Love, and like Irving he came out of it healthy and gained some valuable playoff experience!

J.R. SMITH – “Swish” did his job in three of the four games knocking down three-point shots and unbelievable “end of the shot clock baskets” to become that fourth scorer that the Cavaliers need. He also played good defense and kept his cool, which is paramount for him and this team moving forward. In other words, he didn’t lose his mind and have a J.R. moment that could hurt his team.

MATTHEW DELLAVEDOVA – “Delly” was the one consistent player off the bench as he played outstanding on offense and defense. The Cavaliers need him to continue this type of play throughout the playoffs and into the NBA finals.

TRISTAN THOMPSON – His Numbers don’t look great but he was the sacrificial lamb in this series and accepted that role. He had to give up statistics and take one for the team in guarding “HUGE” Andre Drummond and he did an outstanding job of that. A total team player.

A SERIES SWEEP – Regardless of how it happened, anytime you can “Broom” a team in the playoffs and come out of that series healthy it’s a great thing. Now you can rest and watch the next team you’re going to play in the NBA Playoffs as they continue to battle in their first round series and maybe get a little banged up or at the very least, get tired The less games you have to play, the less chance a player on your team can get hurt.