If you don’t know who Coach Nick of Bballbreakdown is and you’re a fan of the NBA, you’ve been living under a rock.
Simply put, Nick is the best out there in terms of breaking down what various teams around the league are doing both offensively and defensively. He’s the reason many casual fans have learned the definition of terms like “horns” and “ice” – common tactics used in the NBA. If you’re a player yourself and looking to improve that jump shot, he’s got you covered there, too.
[Related: Three-Man Weave: Cavs and Have-Nots]
That said, here is his latest breakdown of what we could expect from the Cleveland Cavaliers now that they have formed – tentatively speaking – a dominant trio of LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.
ICYMI: How LeBron, Kevin Love & Kyrie Will Function In the #Cavs Offense: https://t.co/Wwsg5B4U0l
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) August 9, 2014
Needless to say, this is tremendous stuff. Of course, the clip is a small sample of the possibilities, but it certainly shows a general idea of just how great the Cavaliers offense could look in the upcoming season.
(RELATED: Bauman: Five points of impact that Kevin Love will have on Cleveland’s offense)
There is this notion that it will take time for things to gel when players of such powerful caliber come together to form a team. That was the case when James originally teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and likewise for the Brooklyn Nets last season.
The difference for this Cavaliers team, though, is that they are built much better than either of those teams. When the Big Three in Miami first teamed together, they couldn’t space the floor. Egos were bruised, and lack of depth early on was painfully obvious. Unlike that team, Cleveland has great depth, just about everyone can shoot, and there is no doubt about who the alpha dog is heading into the season. That’s not to say that sacrifices don’t have to be made, but it will come easier because everyone will have a role to play. Think Boston Celtics when they first formed a trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen – that team won a championship in their first season of playing together.
The Nets were supposed to be great last season, but no one anticipated such a huge drop in level of production for Garnett, and it took some time for rookie coach Jason Kidd to figure things out. No one on the Cavaliers is expected to take a dive in production due to age, and David Blatt is a highly-respected coach with a world of experience, albeit not in the NBA. He has a wide range of ridiculous talent on the roster to work with. If the players buy into his system early – and there is no reason to believe otherwise - the Cavaliers could dominate the competition much quicker than some may like to think.
It’s a great time to be a Cavaliers fan again. For everyone else in the Eastern Conference, facing them will look to be a very, very unpleasant experience.
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James Park is the chief blogger and deputy editor of Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on twitter @SheridanBlog.
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No doubt the offense will be prolific. But the defense will give points away.