The Cleveland Cavaliers have had to go through a plethora of issues in the NBA Finals. They walked in knowing they would be without Anderson Varejao and Kevin Love. After Game 1, they found out they won’t be having Kyrie Irving. LeBron put the team on his back and now the series is tied 2-2, with still a hope for the Cavaliers to get their first ever NBA title. Despite it being close for the Cavaliers, it is far from over, and in Game 4, they showed they have a lot of work to do. Players who usually made their shots (J.R Smith, Dellavedova, Shumpert) struggled, and Head Coach David Blatt kept his rotation tight, only playing 7 players in Game 4. This raised a couple questions, including some from the Cavaliers bench.
According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN:
The Cavs are indeed playing with a lot of grit in these Finals — that the series is tied 2-2 despite their decimating injuries is a statement. But there is also a strong feeling within the team, multiple sources said, that coach David Blatt could rely more on the veterans he’s been leaving unused on the bench.
So if the Cavaliers do look to extend their rotation, who could they possibly add? With no Love, Kyrie, or Varejao, their rotation runs thin, with Perkins, Marion and Miller being the only real options. Do those guys still have what it takes to make an impact in the Finals? Who knows, it’s very unlikely, but if either Marion or Miller can come in and give some rest for a couple of minutes to LeBron, Delly, and other players who are logging in the most minutes, the Cavaliers should have a better chance at winning this series. LeBron wouldn’t oppose the idea:
“That’s the coach’s decision if he decides he wants to go deeper in the bench,” James said. “We haven’t played many guys throughout this playoff run. I think it would help some of the guys that are playing some high minutes, for sure. Just give guys a couple minutes here, a couple minutes there. But I think the coaching staff will try to do what’s best to help us be physically and mentally prepared for Sunday.” “We don’t have many options as far as lineups we can go to, but we can make adjustments,” James said. “That’s what you do throughout a series.”
The Cavaliers have a decision to make. Will they go into the Oracle with a 8-10 man rotation, which will give LeBron the needed rest, or will they stick to the 7-8 man rotation that probably led to the Cavaliers gassing out late in Game 4? Seems easy to me, but Blatt may see it otherwise. Game 5 will be on Sunday in the Oracle Arena where the Cavaliers will look to take a win in a huge Game 5.
