The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached their second NBA Finals in team history and their first since 2009. In a weak Eastern Conference, the return of LeBron James nearly guaranteed it and the appearance is hardly a surprise.James is now in his fifth consecutive NBA Finals, bringing in a 2-3 record on the game's biggest stage. He fell to the San Antonio Spurs in his first appearance with the Cavaliers, as he did in his final season with the Miami Heat. But the 2015 Cavaliers are hardly the Cavaliers of 2009.
The only other player on the roster that played alongside James six years ago is Anderson Varejao, who was lost for the season back in December.Ownership made it a priority to surround James with, not just adequate talent, but players he could jell with. Mike Miller and James Jones, both of whom won two titles in Miami, were two prime targets. Miller has faded out of the limelight, but Jones has exceeded expectations in the postseason. The eleven-year veteran has played in all 14 of the Cavaliers' playoff games and has scored effectively off the bench. Averaging more minutes in the playoffs than he did during the regular season, Jones scored 17 points in Game 2 against the Chicago Bulls. Just as Jones has caught the eyes of the NBA world as an unsung hero, several other players have emerged from the shadows.
With an injury to All-Star point guard, Kyrie Irving, Matthew Dellavedova was able to step in and provide a much-needed edge. After scoring 19 points in the final game against the Chicago Bulls, Dellavedova scored in double figures in three of the four games against the Atlanta Hawks. The second-year man from Australia was an agitator against the top-seeded Hawks and frustrated Al Horford to the point of an ejection which sealed the fate of the series.
Even without Kevin Love for the majority of the postseason, the second-seeded Cavaliers reached the NBA Finals. LeBron James has been the dominator, leading the team in nearly every stat category.
But players like Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, and Iman Shumpert have provided the majority of support. The injury to Love forced Thompson and Shumpert into the starting lineup and both have excelled in that role. Thompson is averaging 9.4 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game in the playoffs, while Shumpert is averaging 10.1 points per game. Both have averaged 34.3 minutes per game through all 14 playoff games. Meanwhile Smith was bumped from the starting lineup. Between the roster shifts and suspension back in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Smith has only started four games this postseason. Nevertheless, he is third on the team with 13.5 points per game.
The social media game has been even more entertaining as the former New York Knick has made his feelings about the road to the NBA Finals evident. The most noticeable aspect of his Instragam posts is his teammates, who appear to bond more and more after each victory.So the second-best team in the Eastern Conference and Central Division Champions have reached the NBA Finals. The Cavaliers ended the regular season 53-29 overall and proceeded to top the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and Atlanta Hawks in succession.
The Cavs are now a combined 12-2 in the postseason. After sweeping the Celtics, they dropped two games to the Bulls, but were able to win the final three contests. They were then crowned Eastern Conference Champions by sweeping the second-best team in the NBA in the Hawks.
The Cavaliers now await the top team in the league in the Golden State Warriors, led by NBA MVP Stephen Curry. David Blatt will aim to win the battle of the rookie head coaches and give his team their first NBA Title in franchise history.