CLEVELAND: Nineteen thoughts for 19 free throws in a 114-88 win over the wounded Miami Heat…
1. We were chatting Wednesday with LeBron James about the shift he makes mentally when the postseason begins, but James didn’t want to reveal too many of his secrets. “I have a noticeable shift,” was all he would divulge.
2. This win over the Heat, however, was more proof of an on-court shift he is making in preparation for the upcoming playoff charge and the quest to end this city’s 50-year championship drought.
3. James had 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while spending much of his night in the post. He has been gradually shifting into the post more and more in recent weeks. The Cavs destroyed the Brooklyn Nets on this floor two weeks ago because he went in the post, passed out of double teams and let the Cavs’ shooting cut apart a Nets defense that never stood a chance.
4. Thursday he was down there again, perhaps in part because Kevin Love was missing and in part because that’s where he’s going to play when the postseason starts in two weeks. After he has spent much of the season playing at the top of the perimeter with the ball in his hands, the shift has been noticeable.
5. “Just a shift of the mindset, that’s all,” he said after Thursday’s game, reiterating almost verbatim what he said the day before. “I understand what’s ahead of us and trying to get a good feel for it.”
6. Love has been active inside more in recent weeks, both in calling for the ball from the elbow and posting up opponents. But with Love out of the lineup because of his back, coach David Blatt started James Jones at the 4. Jones certainly can spread the floor like Love, but he doesn’t provide the inside presence. That’s where James came in.
7. “I sure like what he’s doing in the post,” Blatt said of James. “He’s going in there with conviction and he’s doing a great job scoring the ball and facilitating from that spot. That’s not where we want him all the time but certainly to our advantage we like to use it and he’s a player that gives you an advantage down there.”
8. Coaches have been asking James to play more in the post for years. Mike Brown always wanted him down there, as did Erik Spoelstra. James conceded recently he doesn’t like playing down there all the time, but doesn’t mind doing it when the situation is right.
9. But don’t make the mistake of watching how the Cavs dismantled this team and jump to the conclusion that the Cavs don’t need Love. They do. The Cavs covered his absence brilliantly for one night because Iman Shumpert – not Jones – hit the outside shots (3 of 4 on 3-pointers) and Tristan Thompson handled the inside game (15 rebounds). That’s not going to work every night.
10. And remember, James has dealt with his share of back problems this year as well. And the more time in the post is more pounding on his back. Multiple NBA coaches have privately said this year regardless of whether or not Love is touching the ball or making shots, his mere presence on the floor demands he be covered.
11. But when Love returns, when J.R. Smith is knocking down shots and Shumpert is making corner 3s, I just don’t know how any team in the league will guard these guys successfully for seven games.
12. “Everyone on our team encourages me to shoot when I'm open,” Shumpert said. “At times they do tell me to be more aggressive. I’m a rhythm guy and when I feel that it’s a good rhythm shot, I'll go ahead step up and knock it down.”
13. Dwyane Wade tried downplaying the severity of his left knee injury and perhaps in the coming days he’ll prove correct. But his Instagram post following the game (“I pray that i can join my team at some point on this road trip”) didn’t sound like a man who believes he’ll be ready to play Saturday at Detroit.
14. Perhaps it was fitting, in a twisted way, that the injury occurred with James in the building. The condition of Wade’s knees, after all, had to be a consideration when James jumped from Miami back to Cleveland last summer.
15. James checked with the Cavs’ medical staff at halftime to see how Wade was doing. The Heat called the knee injury a “bruise,” which is curious because no one touched him and it didn’t appear his knee hit the floor all that hard – if at all. He just had that same knee drained on Saturday and was a game-time decision to even play.
16. “Something he went through over and over while we were teammates,” James said. “When he’s healthy or close to healthy, we’ve been seeing what he’s able to do this last month.”
17. It was curious that Wade was even in this game. The Heat seemed to stand little chance to win regardless of his status. It seemed more prudent to hold him out of one more, then bring him back for three critical games against the Pistons, Pacers and Hornets. The Heat need at least two of those three, if not all three, to cement a playoff bid. And that’s not me playing armchair quarterback now that he suffered an injury, a number of us were discussing the merits of Wade playing prior to the game.
18. Now Miami is tied with the Celtics for the final playoff spot, although the Heat hold the tiebreaker. The Nets move into seventh, a game up on both in the loss column. It doesn’t really matter. Given their current state, the Cavs shouldn’t have much problem with any of those three in the first round.
19. Another big one Sunday. The Cavs’ magic number to clinch the Central Division is four and they can all but lock it up Sunday with a win against the Bulls. I won’t be there, however. We had a death in the family and I will be out of town. So no final thoughts following Sunday’s game. Marla Ridenour will also be handling Wednesday’s game at Milwaukee. Talk to you next Friday after a home game against the Celtics.
