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Cleveland Cavaliers: 4 reasons why consistent play from role players is needed

By Alec Hartman

CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 18: George Hill #3 and Kyle Korver #26 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after scoring during the final second of the second half as Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers reacts in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 18, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Pacers 100-97. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 18: George Hill #3 and Kyle Korver #26 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate after scoring during the final second of the second half as Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers reacts in Game 2 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on April 18, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Pacers 100-97. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 22: Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Indiana Pacers goes to the basket against Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first half of game four of the NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 22, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – APRIL 22: Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Indiana Pacers goes to the basket against Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first half of game four of the NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 22, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

The Cleveland Cavaliers have taken the lead in the opening series versus the Indiana Pacers for the first time after winning two straight.

In what has been an extremely suspenseful series for both sides, the Cleveland Cavaliers have finally taken the lead. The last three games have been decided by no more than four points and the pressure doesn’t seem to be lowering one bit.

The Cavs began the series with a rocky start as they conceded Game 1 to the Indiana Pacers by way of a 19 points deficit. This loss featured the Cavs scoring just 80 total points on their home floor while trailing by 20+ points beginning in the first half.

Since then, the Cavs haven’t necessarily stepped their game up collectively as a team as much as they’ve relied on The King himself: LeBron James. Most notably, LeBron scored almost half of the team’s points in Game 2 to secure a crucial 100-97 victory.

LeBron is averaging almost 35 points per game in this series. Per usual, James will produce whether his team is on or not. In this case, his team is most definitely not. It has become apparent that consistent contributions from the supporting cast cannot be counted on as this series has wore on.

The Cavs have tweaked their starting lineup a bit since entering the playoffs. This comes as no surprise though as they’ve played with several different lineups throughout the season. With the Cavs flipping their roster at the trade deadline, they still seem to be trying to figure out how all of the new pieces can fit together. Here are reasons why the role players’ play is so crucial.

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