SideshowBob wrote:You weren't around during the Finals last year so I'll jump at this opportunity now. What are your thoughts on 2015 & 16 Lebron? How great do you think his defensive resurgence has been since the 2014 off-year and how much has that made up for his offense falling off a cliff post 2014?
Moving this here from the LeBron thread. Rambling thoughts:
Do people remember the Cavs led late in the 3rd quarter in G1 in Golden State? I forgot! Then GS went on a 15-0 run. At 66-65, James helped on Curry (already covered) at the 3-pt line instead of picking up Livingston, whom he literally ran by and left uncovered. He was backdoored in this game. He had a few lazy helps as well. During this run, Steph Curry finished on him at the rim.
I've been impressed with many defensive plays LeBron has made in these Finals. But this is not quite the same defender he was during his best years, where the extra hop and energy increased his court coverage, rim protection and (probably as a function of this) reduced his defensive errors. I think it is a resurgence over what I saw in 2014 and even last year, but it's not what it used to be. To quote Bball breakdown, there have been many great efforts, deflections and steals in the first 2 games, but "over twice as many defensive mistakes." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z0Eblu1Aaw
Anyway, back to the Cavs-Warriors for a minute, because understanding team dynamics always helps understand player performance. The game last night was ultra-physical (G4). I was intrigued to see the Warriors be bullied a bit, because when they play that small lineup, they are vulnerable to it, and the current NBA these days doesn't seem equipped to take advantage of it. Thompson, LeBron and Love in the post were temporarily abusing the Warriors. Cleveland seemed determined to punish Curry for switching on to a 3, 4 or 5 (or Klay against 4's and 5's). And this is a good strategy. Really, teams should do this -- I thought Cleveland slowly abandoned it after Curry wasn't called for his 2nd foul in the 1st Q and then again in questionable spots as the game went on.
I credit the Warriors though -- the game got so physical (and was so horribly officiated), that they just ramped up physicality as well. Green (obviously) did so. But so did others, including Curry, who was partaking in all out wrestling matches. Surprisingly, LeBron struggled as this went on. Perhaps fatigue. But I think mostly because of the shooting issues.
You asked if 85 Magic was a good comparison to LeBron. Last night I saw something closer to 82 Magic in style. The issues with his shot and lack of ability to score reduced his offensive attacks to wrestling matches at the rim. Lots of strips, fumbles, slips, etc. (More on this in a second) I do sympathize with the lack of free throws -- it's like James abandoned shooting and just decided against the small lineup he was going to use sheer physicality, and it's been completely combatted by the combination of good hands, uncalled fouls and poor spacing. Even the lineup with Love and Frye last night (start of 2nd Q) generated no spacing -- if they screened the ball, GS has no trouble reacting to the pop, unlike Toronto or Atlanta.
The Cavs need to space better or LeBron looks the worse for it. In the earlier series, the defenses weren't as good as responding to the pick and roll. LeBron turned the corner and either had a nice line or an open shooter. Pick and Pop was there as well when Frye/Love set the ball screen. In this series, (a) GS is better defending it on the ball and (b) it's not happening with Love-Frye constantly, or the floor isn't spaced well, so everything is crunched up, making all the 6-7 defenders more accessible to James on help/collapse. Coupled with LeBron's inability to think about a mid-range shot, this has made for some ugly possessions. (Credit GS -- they are very good defensively.)
This is also a classic example of left-hand and right-hand interaction. Lue, understandably, doesn't want Frye and Love on the court against smalls because they are being murdered in PnR action AND they aren't rim protectors AND they don't defend on-ball under the hoop well. Then you've got JR Smith and Irving, who have the defensive habits of a ball boy in tennis: "Should I go over here? Maybe over here? I'll run over here? Let's run over here together!" I credit their effort, because, for spurts, they've been able to stay on a string and react appropriately, but they are both just weak team defenders and that can't change over night. That's why Lue subbed Love in at the 5 last night originally -- he's less vulnerable defensively there, especially with a GS big on the floor. (Credit JVG for being all over this dynamic.)
But those lineups impact the offensive spacing and sets. Not to mention that I think Cleveland exhausts itself with defensive effort as the game wears on -- and this kind of effort is largely mental, having to make dozens of quick decisions over and over. The offensive sets for the last 15 minutes of the game had way less movement, way worse spacing, and as a result, LeBron's strengths as a passer are underserved. It's a great example of skills being applied to different lineups/environments on the same team. It's also a reminder that some players are capable of excelling on D if they focus on it (at the expense of offense) and others would be better on offense if they rested more on defense, or as it's officially known, "Kobe Bryant's last 10 years."
So where does that leave James? I think he was clearly a better offensive player last year. His lack of shooting makes him less portable to me -- so he can do incredibly well on-ball with a favorable lineup, but provides less value on more skilled/balanced teams. His defensive worth on a lot of teams is good still. But to me, the worst version since ~2007 Lebron in value.
