LeBron Forced to Shoulder Load Once More

Down 2-0 to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have looked like a JV squad so far against the defending champs. A series that was hyped up beforehand due to it being a rematch and the way Cleveland breezed through the Eastern Conference bracket has become a slaughter that has left fans and analysts wondering if it's already over.

As always, no one is more polarizing than James, the native son who is once again trying to bring home a championship to a city that desperately covets one. Lyndon B. Johnson was in office the last time Cleveland was crowned champions in any of the four major sports, but with a healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, it seemed this might be the year for the Cavs.

Yet here we are, once again, wondering where LeBron James' running mates are. It's become a theme of LeBron's career in the playoffs: he handpicks his teammates, his teams dominate the regular season and then his sidekicks play their worst basketball in the playoffs, while James takes the scrutiny for the losses.

The 2016 Finals are just the latest example. While James shot poorly and turned the ball over seven times in Game 2, he has still averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists through the first two games. He's shooting 42 percent from the field, including 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. He leads his team in steals and blocks as well.

His Game 2 performance was a mixed bag as Golden State's defense has done a fantastic job frustrating him, and for James there is no room for error. His help has been virtually nonexistent leaving him with no choice but to take over, something he has not done yet. Irving missed all but one game of the Finals last season, and opened this year's Finals with a pair of poor-shooting performances. His 26 points led all scorers in Game 1, but he shot just 7-for-22 from the field and 1-for-4 from 3-point land. He followed it up with a 5-for-14 night, which was good for just 10 points. 

Love, whose status is uncertain for Game 3 due to a concussion, had no issues on the offensive end in Game 1. He scored 17 points and hauled in 13 rebounds, but struggled in Game 2 before exiting with the concussion. He scored five points on 2-for-7 shooting in 21 minutes of play. Where Love has struggled has been defensively as Draymond Green has carved the Cavs up, averaging a series-high 22 points.

Beyond Love and Irving, the rollercoaster ride that is J.R. Smith seems to be at a low point currently. Smith has taken only nine shots and scored only eight points in the two games so far, while Iman Shumpert has taken four shots and scored six points. What's this mean? The Cavs are relying far too heavily on 35-year-old Richard Jefferson and junkyard dog Matthew Dellavedova to score. 

James, who could fall to 2-5 all-time in the Finals with two more losses, has to see Golden State's style of play and wish he had that luxury. Golden State is up 2-0 in the series and Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have averaged 14.5 and 13 points, respectively. However, five players for the Warriors are averaging double figures and seven players are averaging nine points or more. Truly, Golden State's strength is in numbers.

Meanwhile, James will either need his supporting cast to step up or he will need to take over like he did in last season's Finals. If it's the latter, Golden State will no doubt be crowned champions. They are overwhelmingly a better team top to bottom and it will take more than just LeBron James to take them down. 

The first two games beg the question: has any superstar before been hung out to dry by his teammates as much as LeBron James? James' career will have him in the conversation of the all-time greats, but his teammates' shortcomings, and what it's cost him, in the playoffs will inevitably be his shortcoming in that conversation. 

Curry Can Cement Status With Finals Win

Steph Curry's meteoric rise to the top of the NBA is almost complete. The kid from Davidson who
captured the nation's attention during a 2008 NCAA Tournament run fought through a host of ankle injuries early in his NBA career and became just the tenth player in league history to win back-to-back MVP awards this season.

He led the Golden State Warriors to the 2015 NBA title, shattering shooting records in the process. For an encore, he's led the Warriors to the regular-season wins record at 73-9, while shattering those same shooting records again. Curry hit 286 3-pointers last season and then knocked down 402 this year. He elevated his scoring average by 6.3 points per game and averaged more rebounds and steals than a year ago. He shot more 3-pointers and two-point field goals than last season, but still shot a higher percentage this season. For all of that, he was voted the first ever unanimous MVP in NBA history.

Many think he's the league's best player and why not? The numbers paint a picture of somebody who will go down in history as one of the game's greatest, but there's still one other man vying for that title. As long as LeBron James is in the league, he will always be in the conversation. At 31 years old and in his 13th NBA season, James can put up 25/7/7 any given night. He's been widely considered the league's best player for years, but that title is slipping away with every late-game dagger from Curry.

Curry's Warriors defeated James' Cavaliers in six games during last year's Finals, but if Curry is to cement his status as the league's best then he will need to defeat James again this year. The Cavs limped through the Finals last season with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving sitting due to injuries. J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert were exceptionally bad, shooting 31 and 25 percent in the series, respectively.

Curry was his usual self, averaging 26/5/6, while James gave us a performance for the ages, putting the team on his back and averaging 36/13/9. This season it's the Cavs who look unstoppable, advancing the Finals with a 12-2 playoff record. With the exception of an 0-2 trip to Toronto in the conference finals, Cleveland has mowed down any and all opposition. Love and Irving are healthy and playing well, while Tyronn Lue has made this Cavs team his own.

Golden State has battled the championship-or-bust expectations, a Curry knee injury and the Oklahoma City Thunder on its way to the Finals. The Warriors have lost five games in the playoffs, which seems alarming after their rampage through the regular season (fun fact: if they lose the Finals to Cleveland, they will have as many playoff losses as regular season losses. Puts that regular season in perspective a bit).

Despite the long road to the Finals and the Cavs' dominance, Golden State has Curry, Klay Thompson and a host of role players who give them quality minutes. Any team that can shoot like Golden State can win any game. For Curry, a win would mean back-to-back titles to go along with back-to-back MVPs. The only other point guard to accomplish that feat? Magic Johnson.

By defeating James two years in a row, Curry would thoroughly announce to the world that he is the game's greatest, but he would also carve out a spot in the NBA history books with a win. It's the game within the game, and it's a game that will surely not disappoint.

The Future of NBA Point Guards is Here Now

The NBA is a point guard's league. There's no doubt about that. It's hard to win without a good floor general and a quick look down each team's roster shows that as a fact. The league is filled with great point guards right now. Chris Paul, Tony Parker and Deron Williams have been steady for years. Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose bring an explosiveness to the position that is rarely seen and Rajon Rondo drops dimes better than anybody else. Several other point guards such as Jeff Teague, Brandon Jennings, George Hill and Mike Conley have proven themselves in recent years. All that said, in three to five years who will be headlining the point guard position? None of the players above will be going anywhere, but three fresher faces will run the show in no time at all.

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
If you haven't seen Irving's game yet then you must have been under a rock for the past two years. One individual can't make Cleveland forget about LeBron, but Irving is doing the best he can. The 2011-12 Rookie of the Year was magnificent in his first year, but stepped up even more this past season. He averaged 22.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game and showed a leadership that far exceeded his age. Sure, there is still some refining to be done, but we're talking about a guy in his second season who was the third-highest scoring point guard in the league. The only two ahead of him were Westbrook and Steph Curry. Irving is the nucleus of a young Cavs squad that holds the number one pick in this year's draft. They will go as far as he takes them and right now the sky is the limit.

Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

This year's Rookie of the Year came into the league as an unknown, but is now a household name around the league. A lottery pick from Weber State, Lillard entered the NBA and did his thing right away. It was no contest for Rookie of the Year as no one came close to the impact that he had or matched his numbers of 19 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. Lillard is on a Blazers team with plenty of young talent and he gives them exactly what they were missing -- a proven point guard. And he was proven from game one. His NBA debut was against the LA Lakers and he went for 23 points while dishing out 11 assists. A month and a half later he carved up the Spurs for 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists. To cap off his stellar season he torched the Lakers once again, this time with 38 points and nine assists.

Trey Burke, soon-to-be lottery pick
Trey Burke is the best point guard in this season's NBA Draft and he will help whoever drafts him immediately. Fresh off of a dominant season at Michigan, Burke has matured into a great point guard. His decision making improved this past season and he has the intangibles that will make him an elite player. If you aren't convinced of his game or simply haven't seen him then go ahead and watch the film of Michigan's instant-classic victory in the Sweet 16 over Kansas. Burke completely took over the game and hit big shot after big shot. He's not afraid of anything and he won't be afraid of the NBA.

Almost every game puts two great point guards on the floor and the league will only improve with the entrance of Burke. It's a point guard's world and teams need one to be successful. As the league prepares for a new season the returns of Rose, Rondo and Westbrook will be highly anticipated and these three above will be watched closely. The future of the position is here now. Time to recognize.

Irving Belongs in Elite Group of Point Guards

Kyrie Irving has one of the more difficult jobs in the NBA. Being the face of a franchise is a burdened bestowed on few men in the league, but being the face of the franchise for the Cleveland Cavaliers comes with extra burdens and pressures. Irving happened to come along just one year after Cleveland's favorite son, LeBron James, took his talents to South Beach. With the poor aftertaste of rejection still fresh for all Cavs fans, Irving has done more than enough to help Cleveland move on. Now in his second season, and first full NBA season, the 20-year-old has stepped up his game and has become one of the top point guards in the league.

Cleveland is currently 17-37, which is good for last place in the Central Division, and it is certainly nothing to brag about. However, with Irving they have their centerpiece and due to good drafts, have pieces around him that could develop. Through the first 54 games Irving is averaging 23.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He has raised his points per game by five from last season and is also averaging more assists and steals while shooting a higher percentage from the field and from long range.

Irving owned All-Star weekend in Houston, winning the three-point contest, putting on a show at the Rising Stars Game and then held his own in the All-Star Game. Consider it his coming out party to the world because now the world knows that Kyrie Irving is the real deal. He has finally stepped out and is no longer a mystery. His college career, if you could call it that, was gone in the blink of an eye. He played just 10 games at Duke, but it was obvious that he was something special. Despite the foot injury that sidelined him for much of the season, Cleveland drafted him number one in 2011 and now he has been given the task of leading the Cavs back to the top of the Central Division.

He is the perfect man for the job due to the fact that he has such a complete game. He is and incredible ball-handler (just ask Brandon Knight) and can get to the rim at will. However, sag off of him to defend the drive and he will rise up and shoot the jumper. He shoots 42 percent from three and is a solid free throw shooter. If defenses try and stop Irving from scoring then they allow him to pass the ball, which he is equally good at. He rebounds well for a point guard and averages just shy of two steals per game.

Irving's numbers rank right up there with some of the best point guards in the league as well. He averages more points than any other point guard and is sixth overall in the NBA. He averages more rebounds than Chris Paul or Deron Williams and averages more steals than Williams and Rajon Rondo.

The crazy thing about it all though is that Irving is in just his second season and he is not even 21 years old yet. He's made great strides from his rookie season and as the Cavs continue to rebuild, Irving will improve. That's scary news for the rest of the league because he has already proven he can just about beat any team by himself on a good night. On Wednesday night he dropped 20 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter to defeat the New Orleans Hornets and its something we may need to get used to. Kyrie Irving himself is somebody we better get used to as well because he has proven that he is the future of the point guard position.

Cavs Hoping Strong Draft Class Makes Them A Contender Again

By: Nate Wadley

It all started with “The Decision” last July. Throughout the entire summer, Cleveland fans held on to only a ray of hope that the kid they had embraced as a hero would elect to remain with the team that drafted him, the team that had built their city around him. Yet that all came to a screeching halt when LeBron James told the world that he would be “taking his talents to South Beach”. From then on, everyone knew that the Cleveland Cavaliers perennial runs through the playoffs were over. But nobody expected their first season without the King to go like it did. A dreadful 19-63 record (which at one point consisted of a 26-game losing streak) haunted the Cavs players, organization, and fan base for what turned out to be a painful year. While the Cavs are at home watching the Playoffs, LeBron is making noise down in Miami, the same city that will host the Dallas Mavericks in game one of the Finals on Tuesday night.

As for the Cavaliers, it can’t get any worse…right? Correct. Experts and analysts have shown that this year’s draft class is sure to be weaker than years’ past. However, Cleveland will potentially have the first, second, AND fourth picks in the first round. Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, and Kawhi Leonard stand in those three spots in ESPN’s mock draft in which the Cavs will draft.

Kyrie Irving left Duke early, exiting the campus after being injured for half of his freshman year. Yet at the young age Irving is at right now, he dominated the games he played and shows unbelievable potential at the NBA level. Irving is considered to be a true point guard, yet can score whenever need be. He has a knack for the game and his basketball IQ is very high for a kid his age. In time, Irving just might be one of the elite point guards in the NBA.

Derrick Williams came alive in the NCAA tournament last year. Proving to all the critics that he was not just a post presence, Williams has developed a jumper from anywhere inside the arc. His knack for getting to the rim will surely draw multiple defenders, opening countless opportunities for kick-outs. With a 6’8, 240 frame he’s a little undersized for his position, but his strength and versatility will surely prove that he can play against anyone.

After his team had a breakout season, Kawhi Leonard decided to leave San Diego State and enter the draft. A 6’7 small forward, Leonard is a flexible player and feels comfortable playing power forward as well. Leonard repeatedly dominated the offensive boards at the collegiate level and shows great tenacity as a defender. He’s a threat to score both inside as well as outside and will surely draw attention from defenses around the league.

It is a term used in college year-round; “this was a rebuilding year”. Well, we can say that about the Cavs, but as a team they never had the players (or will?) to compete with anyone last year. Yet trade negotiations are flying around the league and the Cavaliers may just end up with the first, second, and fourth overall picks. When LeBron left, Cleveland fell to rock bottom of the league and was constantly a source of amusement on SportsCenter. If they are able to snatch these three picks, the Cavs may just end up being a contender once again.

Nate Wadley is the brother of Zach Wadley and is a contributor to the World of Wadley site. He is a senior in high school.