LeBron Does LeBron Things in Game 2 Victory

AP Photo/Mark Duncan

If there is one thing that LeBron James brought back from his four-year vacation in South Beach, a championship pedigree was the most valuable thing.

How does that apply to this game? Well, it's simple: sometimes when you don't play your best game, you still have to fight through it and find a way to win. That's exactly what happened tonight, where the Cavs played nowhere near their best game and still managed to beat the Celtics 99-91 to take a 2-0 series lead.

Every one expected the Cavs to blow by the Celtics in four games, five at the most. Cleveland had too much talent to let Boston take a game from them. But in the playoffs, crazy things can happen. And when you have a team with not a lot of playoff experience and very high expectations, things don't necessarily go according to plan.

Sometimes a fearless Isaiah Thomas is pesky enough to keep an underdog in it. Sometimes Jae Crowder turns into an All-Defense player. Sometimes a young team with nothing to lose is the most dangerous team you want to play in the playoffs.

But that's nothing that James' hasn't seen over the last 10 years he has been in the playoffs. As a matter of fact, he made sure that no matter how they played, the result would be the same: a win.

With the Celtics not willing to go away, James made sure that sooner or later they would fall -- which they would late in the fourth quarter. James scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and took matters into his own hands to put Boston away.

After James missed a three-pointer, Tristan Thompson grabbed the rebound and gave it back out to James. Not too be bothered by that miss, James let the shot clock dwindle down, finding the right time to attack. Then, with the shot clock just below double-digits, James attacked the rim and finished with a lay-up to give the Cavs a 97-89 lead with 1:13 left in the game, officially ending any chance of a Boston comeback.

James wasn't the only player with a good game, as Timofey Mozgov (16 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks) and Kyrie Irving (26 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds) helped put the Cavs one step closer toward the next round.

However, it was James that was at the head of the charge when all was seemingly going wrong for the Cavs. James knows what can happen in the playoffs, and tonight, he made sure that the Cavs didn't lose sight of what's important: winning.

Three Things:

1. J.R. Smith needs to get going.

Check out this stat: in his last 18 playoff games, Smith is shooting 25-of-104 (24.0 percent) on three-pointers. That's not good. So far in this series he's 3-of-15 from behind the arc, also not good. Part of the Cavs' success over the final three months was Smith's ability to catch fire and hit a string of three-pointers in a small amount of time. But this type of regression was a concern for him coming into the playoffs. It's only been two games and it hasn't hurt the Cavs yet, but if Smith's struggles continue going into the later rounds, the Cavs could have a serious problem on the offensive end. (It's worth noting that he did play better on the defense in this game than he did in Game 1. And by much better I mean he had five steals and that was really it.)

2. Raise your hand if you though Mozgov's impact would this big?

I'm looking around and I'm seeing a lot of people lie right now. Yes, I thought acquiring Mozgov was nice, but if you told me some of the numbers he's put up for the Cavs this year back when we originally acquired him, I never would have believed it. A lot has changed from the first half of the season to second half for the Cavs, and Mozgov is one of the biggest reasons. He's given the Cavs the interior defense that they lacked before he came and surprisingly has been effective on the offensive end. Tonight was just another example of his impact on both ends, scoring 16 points and blocking 5 shots. You know what, maybe he was worth two first-round picks.

3. About Isaiah Thomas..

I've been a big fan of Thomas really ever since his days at Washington, but I've grown very fond of him for what he's done in this league. He's overachieved by all standards (maybe except his own) and this series is proving why he is one of the league's most underrated players. He's been an absolute handful for the Cavs, basically doing whatever he wants on offense. I'm not even remotely surprised by how well he's played in this series, but I am surprised at how his game has worn off to the other Celtic players. At some point, David Blatt will need to find a way to take the ball out of his hands and force the other guards to make plays. But until that happens, Thomas will continue to give the Cavs fits in this series.

Statline of the Night:

LeBron James: 30 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 11-of-20 shooting.

This was about as close as you could get to "classic LeBron," minus only the 6 turnovers. Don't expect this to be the last time he puts up this numbers in the playoffs.

Series:

Game 1: Cleveland, 113-110

Game 2: Cleveland, 99-91

Game 3: at Boston, April 23

Game 4: at Boston, April 26

*Game 5: at Cleveland, April 28

*Game 6: at Boston, April 30

*Game 7: at Cleveland, May 2

*- if needed

Grading the Cavs' Playoff Debuts

AP Photo/Tony Dejak

Four players (plus one coach) made their playoff debuts in yesterday's Game 1 victory over the Boston Celtics. Since we've had a day to digest everything that happened, let's hand out some grades!

David Blatt: B+

Although technically this wasn't Blatt's first ever playoff game, it was his first ever NBA playoff game. For the trials and tribulations that he went through during the regular season, Blatt handled his NBA playoff debut very well. He did a good job with his rotations about as well as he could, going 10-deep but not relying too heavily on guys like Matthew Dellavedova. Don't be shocked by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving playing 40-plus minutes, as the number of days off in between cancel out playing them that many minutes.

It is known that Blatt is the lesser of the two coaches in this series, but so far he went toe-to-toe with Brad Stevens (who was also making his playoff debut) in the first game. The one thing that impressed me with Blatt in Game 1 was him taking J.R. Smith out early in the second half after he struggled with both shooting and foul trouble. Instead of sticking with Smith, Blatt got him out of there before he could get too frustrated and shoot the Cavs out of the game trying to find a rhythm.

Above all else, he won! By 13! We saw what happened the last time the Cavs played a super-hyped up game and it wasn't pretty. He weathered the storm after a slow start to the game and didn't show any panic in that situation.

Kyrie Irving: A+

Could you have asked for a better start to Irving's playoff debut than what he did yesterday? Depending on how realistic you are, the answer is no. Just think about this: since 1977, only 14 players have scored at least 30 points in their playoff debut. That's a good list to be a part of! Irving showed no signs of nervousness in yesterday's game, hitting his first five three-pointers and giving Celtics guards hell every time he had the ball.

Irving's performance was nothing less than what we expected -- he's always had the knack for showing up in big games. But what made this game so impressive was that he didn't do anything different in yesterday's game than what he did in the regular season. He attacked the rim with a controlled fury, drew a foul on a mid-range pull-up and brought out the hesitation three-pointer that he has won many games. By not shying away from his game, it's hard to say that he went "bonkers" in this game, boding well for the rest of the playoffs.

Of course, you could look at the assist total and knock a few points off his debut. But I quite frankly don't care about how many assists Irving has, as long as it's not zero. I've accepted the fact that Irving is a scoring guard and doesn't need assists to be successful as a player. With that being said, I give Irving a perfect score in his playoff debut.

Kevin Love: B+

Personally, I thought Love played an excellent game yesterday. He was a beast on the boards -- both defensively AND offensively -- and found his passing ability that has been lacking in the half-court for most of the season.

Unlike Irving, you could see the nerves on Love to start the game. He began the game by missing nine-of-his-first-11 shots, showing no confidence in his jumper. But once the butterflies left his stomach, Love started to show his skill set on the offense end. In the second half, Love scored in a variety of ways; he hit a three-pointer, a hook shot in the post and a lay-up off of an offensive rebound. Oh, and he got to the line eight times, showcasing his aggressiveness on the offensive end.

All of that was lacking from Love in the regular season. We saw glimpses of Love's talents, but never in a constant way. LeBron kept going to Love in the yesterday's game, trying to keep his spirits up after a slow start. 

Is that just a one-game sample? Or will we continue to see Love involved in the offense like he was in Game 1? Either way, there were way more positives than negatives in Love's first career playoff game.

Tristan Thompson: A+++ B+

Outside of Irving, there isn't a player I genuinely like on the Cavs more than Thompson. He's the ultimate hustle guy and always looks like he's having good time no matter what he's doing. He's also super corny (which makes him great) and has found his niche that has made him into an excellent role player.

Thompson continued his success off the bench by doing what he does better than 99 percent of the league: offensive rebounding. He had four offensive rebounds, but it was his presence that helped add extra possessions for the Cavaliers on offense. Love was able to grab three offensive rebounds as a result of Thompson just being on the court.

As far as defense goes, Thompson did struggle a bit trying to guard Kelly Olynyk. It was only one quarter, but Thompson looked lost trying to guard Olynyk, leaving him open for multiple three-pointers and failing to contain him on a dribble-drive. Outside of Olynyk though, Thompson did an OK job on the defensive end.

Overall, I'm excited to see how Thompson's game progresses throughout the rest of the playoffs.

Matthew Dellavedova: B-

He only played nine minutes and he didn't stink! He actually hit a shot inside of the arc, something he didn't do too well at during the regular season. Dellavedova didn't do anything wrong, which is exactly what you want out of your back-up point guard. 

LeBron talked about Dellavedova's performance and how Dellavedova impact in his limited minutes was pivotal. In those nine minutes on the court, the Cavs out-scored the Celtics by 10 points, telling us all we need to know about Dellavedova's performance yesterday.

Of course, don't expect anything more from him. Dellavedova might hit a three here, but that's about it. But for his first playoff game, you could call it a success for him.

Irving Shines in Playoff Debut, Cavs Take Game One

AP Photo/Mark Duncan

When the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Kyrie Irving first overall in 2011 NBA Draft, they visioned Irving leading the charge come playoff time. It may have taken four years for that vision to come true, but the Cavs, along with Cavs' fans, finally got to see that dream come true.

In his first career playoff game, Irving scored a game-high 30 points in the Cavs'  113-100 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

There were constantly reminded of how many games that Irving has played in the playoffs, but that didn't matter. He has shown on multiple occasions that he doesn't shrink in the biggest of moments, as he has hit his fair of big-time shots, including this shot in a  career-high 57-point performance against the San Antonio Spurs just over a month ago.

Don't forget all the game-winners, either, including this one against the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 28. Oh by the way, he also scored 55 points in this game.

There are countless examples of how Irving has played on the biggest stages, but none in the playoffs. People wondered how his game would translate into the postseason, but as Cavs fans, we knew there was no worry about his play in the NBA's "second season."

So instead of "how will Irving perform in the playoffs," it was "when will we finally be able to see Irving in the playoffs?"

In that case, he didn't let any one down today for those who were as eager to see him perform in the playoffs. Irving was automatic from behind the arc, hitting 5-of-his-9 three-point attempts, with each of those makes coming at times the Cavs desperately needed a big shot.

After Isaiah Thomas hit a mid-range jumper with five seconds left in the first half to cut the Cavs lead to five, Irving came down and did what he does best. Irving rushed the ball down the court, sized up his opponent and pulled up from behind the arc and nailed it as the clock zero.

Then, with the the Celtics again starting to come back, Irving made sure that there would be no more close encounters the rest of the game. With 8:53 left in the third quarter, Irving would hit his fifth three-pointer of the game to give the Cavs an 11-point lead and started a run that the Cavs would push the lead to as big as 18 points.

It was more than just offense that made Irving's night special, as his impact was seen on the defensive side. Although he struggled out of the gate on Boston's guards, Irving was active all over the court over the final three quarters, shaking off some of the slander he receives for his defense.

Combine how he played on both ends of the court, and you can see why Irving was made to play in the playoffs and why so many people were excited to see him play in this type of atmosphere. He was a big reason why LeBron James decided to come back to Cleveland, and as we all saw tonight, Irving let us know that James did make the right decision.

And if there's one thing we can take away from Game 1, it's this: It's Kyrie Irving's world, and we're all just along for the ride.

Three Things:

1. This is going to be fun.

It took four years, three No. 1 overall picks and countless losses to get to this point, but we finally are back in the playoffs. I wrote about how important this game was earlier today, but unlike the first hyped up game of the year, the Cavs did not disappoint. After a rocky first quarter, the Cavs dominated the final three quarters in the first game against the Celtics and won by double-digits. LeBron did LeBron things, Irving flashed his offensive brilliance and Love played better than the stat-line would suggest. Overall, it was nice to see some domination from a Cleveland team in the playoffs, and it's hopefully a sight we will continue to see over the next two months.

2. Don't discount how well Kevin Love played today.

If you look at everything other than the shooting numbers, Love actually played a really good game. He was a monster on the boards, did an excellent job of passing on offense and didn't play terrible defensively. Most importantly, he looked healthy for the first time all season. He was skying for offensive rebounds (something he lacked in the regular season) and took two charges over the course of the game. Although Irving played outstanding in his playoff debut, Love definitely didn't disappoint. Honestly, outside of scoring, you couldn't have asked for a better game out of Love. If this is the worst he plays all playoffs, all will bode well for Cleveland.

3. Hack-a-Tristan?

With 6:21 left in the fourth quarter, Jared Sullinger fouled Thompson 50-plus feet away from the basket. Thompson split the free throws and would be taken out after the second free throw. What made this interesting was that Celtics coach Brad Stevens was trying to implement the "Hack-a-Player" strategy on a guy who is shooting 64.1 percent from the line. Most of the time, coaches will do this on guys who shoot sub-60 percent from the line, guys like DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard. Was this just a blip in the radar? Or is this something we'll see all series, especially in close games.

Statline of the Game:

Kyrie Irving: 30 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 11-of-21 shooting.

After a four-year wait, we finally got to see our beloved second son play in a playoff game. And as we noted above, he didn't disappoint.

Series:

Game 1: Cleveland, 113-110

Game 2: at Cleveland, April 21

Game 3: at Boston, April 23

Game 4: at Boston, April 26

*Game 5: at Cleveland, April 28

*Game 6: at Boston, April 30

*Game 7: at Cleveland, May 2

*- if needed

Coming Full Circle on Today's Game

REUTERS/David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Today, the Cleveland Cavaliers are playing in their first playoff game in almost five years. It's a big day for those in northeast Ohio and a day that has been waited upon for nearly four-and-half years. I want to go back and reminisce about the day LeBron James left, the previous four years and explain why today's game is more important than you already think it is.

--

I remember it like it was yesterday.

The day was July 8, 2010, and LeBron James was set to make the biggest free agent decision in NBA history.

Just like every other Cavs' fan at this point, I had no idea what James would decide to do: is going to come back to Cleveland and make note on his promise, or is going to walk away and break the hearts of millions in northeast Ohio?

The feeling throughout the day was weird, as if this were more than just basketball decision. It almost felt like a pending doom was upon us. No one said much about it throughout the day, just wishing it was over and hoping the right decision was made.

I had a baseball game at Perry High School that night, but I knew I wasn't playing so I was constantly looking at my phone in between innings, trying to find any type of information about what James would do.

It was nearing 8 p.m., when James was going to announce his decision, and the nerves starting flying in -- could the King really leave his hometown for brighter pastures? I never thought it would happen, no matter how much sense it makes in hindsight.

Around the sixth inning, I was constantly updating Twitter and Facebook, hoping that a decision was made. I wasn't the only one concerned either, as the rest of the team was more worried about where James would end up than the game.

As the decision was about to be made, my phone was nearly dead and I was beginning to freak out. Why was I so worried about this?

Finally, it came across my screen: LeBron James has announced his decision to sign with the Miami Heat.

That was the last thing I saw before my phone died, along with my spirit.

The game had ended by the time every one else there found out. I couldn't tell you if we won or lost, but I can tell you that it felt like everyone in Ohio lost on that day. Every memory I had at that point of the Cavs involves James (I was five years old when we drafted him), so it was hard to imagine what it would be like without him.

But eventually we saw what it was like. We watched the Cavs struggle for four years while James won two championships in South Beach.

Over those last four years, we saw a numerous amounts of lows. The 26-game losing streak, the missed draft picks and the incompetent coaches. On more than one occasion would I turn the Cavs game off because of just how bad they were, something you couldn't pay enough to do this year.

However, the highs were still there, especially with the pick of one player that became almost like our own child in Kyrie Irving.

We expected Irving to become the second savior of Cleveland, the guy who would bring the Cavs out of the ashes of misery and back to the top of the mountain. Although he struggled to win games, the individual efforts by Irving were special to us -- the flashy ball-handling, the All-Star game MVP and every single game-winner he hit. All of those moments made us forget the fact that the Cavs were still one of the worst teams in the league and helped us ease the pain of watching our former King win titles in a different town.

So when we signed Irving to a five-year deal in June (after some rumors that he might leave), it felt like the first domino to fall in what hoped to be an exciting summer, as James was a free agent and the chance of him coming back was higher than it had been since he left for Miami.

No matter what anyone says, most Cavs' fans were like dog sitting by the window waiting for its owner to return home. We sat and waited for James to return back to his home, whether he would actually would come back or not.

But we knew there was a chance. If you look at every move that was made over the last four years, it was made around the possibility of James' return.

The second decision was looming and all the signs were slowly pointing towards him returning home. Could this be real?

As it was the first time, I remember exactly where I was when James announced his free agent decision. The scenario was different, the mood was different and the feeling was different from his first decision. It almost felt like a big reward for everything that Cavs' fans went through over the previous four years.

James and Irving weren't the only positive things to go our way; the Cavs would trade for All-Star power forward Kevin Love just a few weeks later. I couldn't believe it. How could all of these great things happen to a team that has suffered through so much?

Eventually, the season would start and I was expecting all of the the pain of the past four years to go away. But I was wrong. I didn't want to see James, Irving and Love just play for the Cavs, I wanted them to take us to places we haven't been in awhile. The regular season was nice, but it was just a long appetizer for what we truly wanted.

That brings us today. The Cavs are playing a playoff game at home, something they haven't done since James' first stint as a Cav. It's a surreal moment that I have no idea how to cherish. I might laugh; I might cry; I might scream and shout. The whirlwind of emotions will be too much, even before the game starts for multiple reasons.

We finally get to see out era's child in Irving play his first playoff game and hopefully prove that he is more than capable of translating his regular season performances into the playoffs. We get to see James dominating in the wine and gold (and navy) instead of the red and black. We finally get to see how this team overcame a mid-season crisis and possibly turned it into a championship.

Tonight's game will be more than just the first game in the first round of the playoffs; it's the start of the journey toward bringing Cleveland a title for the first time in almost 50 years.

Above all else, tonight's game is the first step in the process toward forgetting that fateful July day nearly five years ago.

Cavs Beat the Wizards in Regular Season Finale

AP Photo/Mark Duncan

Out of all the things that have changed from last year to this, the Cavs having a meaningless game in their last game is not one of those changes. Of course, the circumstances were different this year compared to last, but it was a game that was meaningless nonetheless.

With the No. 2 already clinched, the Cavs treated tonight's 113-108 win over the Washington Wizards as a glorified scrimmage, virtually making sure that everything was in tune heading into the playoffs this Sunday. Unless you really wanted the Cavs to win 53 games this year, this game had no real purpose other than to keep every one fresh for the next (possibly) two months.

That being said, everything went about as well as you could have imagined in the final game of the regular season. Kevin Love played well in the first half, scoring 19 points on 5-of-6 three-point attempts before sitting out the entire half. The bench was able to play a ton of minutes in the second half, getting four Matthew Dellavedova three-pointers. And the biggest of all: everyone stayed healthy!

But! Not everything went well. The game was about as bad as it could of been. Kendrick Perkins took six shots and had the same amount of travels. Brendan Haywood played 15 minutes, but he did hit the game-winning jumper with 10.1 seconds left in the game! Worst of all, the game went to overtime, making us all wait at least five more minutes to end the season.

On the bright side of all that, the guys on the bench were into it all game, including Love, who was jumping around with Tristan Thompson for most of the second half. Heck, they even mobbed Shawn Marion after he had a steal and dunk to end the game. Chemistry!

Basically, everything that could have went right for the Cavs did go right.

Well, maybe not everything. For those like me who wanted J.R. Smith to shoot until his arms got tired, you would have been as disappointed as I was. Smith only play nine minutes, missing all three of his three-point attempts. Nothing would have been more appreciative to the fans on Fan Appreciation night than seeing that.

Anyways, the regular season has finally come to a close and the playoffs are finally here. Let's do this Cleveland.

(More Than) Three Things:

1. THE

2. PLAYOFFS

3. ARE

4. HERE

Statline of the Game:

Brendan Haywood: 5 points, 1 rebound, 2-of-3 shooting.

I told myself if Haywood scored that I would give him the SotG. Well, here we are.

What's Next:

April 19, Game One at home against the Boston Celtics, 3:30 p.m.

J.R. Smith Makes Us All Happy in Win Over Detroit

AP Photo/Mark Duncan

When the Cleveland Cavaliers made the trade for Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith, the idea was that the former was the piece the Cavs needed and the latter was simply baggage to get the former.

In the 43 games to follow, the opposite has proven true. Smith has looked like the Sixth Man of the Year award winner from two years ago instead of the partying troublemaker that usually gets attached to his name.

Tonight was just another example of Smith's importance in Cleveland, as he hit 8 three-pointers and finished with a game-high 28 points in the Cavs 109-97 win over Detroit.

Smith has been firing away ever since he arrived in Cleveland, averaging 7.3 three-point attempts per game, the third-highest mark in the league since Jan.
7, when Smith made his debut for the Cavs. And more than just firing them up at an outrageous rate, he's converting too, hitting 38.4 percent of his three-point attempts in that span.

His ability to stretch the floor has been crucial to the Cavs success over the last 40-plus games. I covered it more here, but in short, Smith (and Shumpert too) has opened the driving lanes for guys like LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to attack the rim.

But the great thing about Smith is that he's been more than just a knockdown three-point shooter, as playmaking and defense have looked as good as they have in years. Those two qualites are a big reason as to why coach David Blatt has stuck with him in the starting lineup instead of bringing him on the bench, something he has done for the majority of his career.

Of course, all Smith needed was a little motivation to turn in a career-year in Cleveland. Instead of being surrounded by clubs and bad teammates, he's surrounded by video games and teammates that won't stand for his previous acts that got him into so much trouble in New York over the past few years.

In Cleveland, Smith has the world's best player and three other guys with championship experience, something he has never had before.

Also, there's a certain level of fun that Smith has brought to the Cavs that they had lacked before he was here. Smith jokes on the bench and in the post-game interviews, leaving Cavs' fans with plenty of photos and videos to joke around with.

Above all of that, Smith has made the other guys on the team become more relaxed. When James first came back to Cleveland, there was a sense that the team was too uptight with expectations that have been skyrocketed for the first time in most of the young Cavs' careers. But by bringing in Smith, he has unintentionally brought a weight of everyone's shoulder.

And as much as we want him to stay away from the clubs, we truly want to see his partying if the Cavs are able to bring home a championship in June.

Three Things:

1. This win was not needed, but it was kind of needed.

In no way, shape or form am I saying that losing this game would have any effect on the Cavs, but I am saying that after Sunday's beatdown by the Celtics that a game like this was kind of needed before the playoffs. Obviously none of the Big 3 plus Smith played against the Celtics, but that gives us more of the reason as to why the Cavs needed to come out strong tonight, which is exactly what they did. Instead of just going through the motions, the Cavs came out and put the game out of reach early, dominating both ends of the court. The effort was as good as it has been all year, most notably from James. He was very aggressive on the defensive end and active on offense, and the rest of the team followed. Now that the Cavs got their tuneup out of the way, they can fully say they are ready for the playoffs in just a few days.

2. LeBron is in playoff mode.

This has been a small theme over the last few weeks, but it appears that James has officially turned it on for the playoffs, at least on defense. James has received his amount of criticism for how his energy level has been on that end of the floor, but he has put those arguments to rest over the last few weeks. He's been all over the court defending, and like we said in the previous paragraph, he made more than his fair share of defensive plays tonight, including a steal that led to a behind-the-back pass to Timofey Mozgov for a dunk. Don't expect him to be the super athlete he once was on defense, but he still is one of the best on that end when he plays like he has now and when the playoffs start.

3. Holy cow the Cavs will playing in the playoffs.

I was a freshman in high school the last time that the Cavs were in the playoffs, and I'm a sophomore in college now, showing how long it has been. But the last time they were in the playoffs, I didn't really care too much for the Cavs. It's different now considering that the first four years that I truly cared about the Cavs, they stunk. And after dealing with those four painful years, it feels good knowing that all that suffering has finally paid off. I've been waiting four years for this moment, and good god it's almost here.

Stat Line of the Game:

LeBron James: 21 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 7-of-17 field goals.

As much as I wanted to pick Smith for this, James technically had the better stat line. This is James's second triple-double in four games and did achieved this one with relative ease. Let's just hope these kind of numbers appear the rest of the way out.

What's Next:

April 15, home against the Washington Wizards, 8 p.m.

Making the Case For (And Against) Tristan Thompson for Sixth Man of the Year

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

2015 has been a great year for individual award races.

The MVP race is the closest it has been since 2007, with five (two, more realistically) players having the chance to win the award.

Both Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year have a wide range of options to choose from, with different players picking up steam for each of these two awards as the season goes on.

Heck, even Coach of the Year is a toss-up.

And then there is Sixth Man of the Year, also known as the "award that no one is talking about."

No one player (or players) has stood out and took charge in this race, leaving us with no clue as to who could win this award.

However, Grantland's Zach Lowe did throw one name in the ring.

Interesting Sixth Man of the Year candidate -- at least for a ballot spot: Tristan Thompson.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) April 7, 2015

With that being said, why not Thompson?

Although he has not been the flashy scorer that normally brings home this award, he has quietly been one of the best guys to come off the bench for any team this year. His scoring numbers have been down, but all of his other numbers have been right around career averages.

So with no true candidate this year, let's try and make the case for (and against) Thompson.

The Case For

Thompson is one of the best offensive rebounders in the league, ranking fourth overall in the league in offensive rebounding percentage and and fifth overall in offensive rebounds per game, while leading the league in both for bench players. This one true skill (offensive rebounding) he has goes under the radar to most, that's what makes him so important on the offensive end.

His impact on the offensive glass is noticeable, as Thompson turns the Cavs into one of the best offensive rebounding teams when he is on the court. When Thompson plays, the Cavs would rank third in offensive rebounding percentage, just barely behind Utah and Oklahoma City. When Thompson sits, the Cavs would drop all the way 19th.

But for Thompson this year, his impact on offense has gone deeper than just being an energy guy who can grab plenty of rebounds. Because Thompson's offensive role has been limited this year, that doesn't mean he hasn't been as effective. He is shooting a career-high 54.5 percent from the field, almost seven percent higher than his previous high.

The increase of his efficiency is in part to his improved shot selection. Thompson has never been a great shooter, he has taken charge in making sure most of his shots have come around the rim. This year, he has taken 88 percent of his shots around the rim, nearly 18 points higher than the last year.

Although he has never been a great finisher either, he has been effective at finishing alley-oops better than in previous years. Alongside Timofey Mozgov, Thompson has vaulted the Cavs up the rankings as the league leaders in alley-oops since Jan. 9, nearly doubling the Los Angeles Clippers, also known as Lob City.

The Case Against

As good as the numbers have been for Thompson this year, they don't necessarily match the qualifications of the previous 32 winners of this award. Of those winners, only three have finished with less than 10 points per game, something that Thompson is currently doing right now. If Thompson were to win, his 8.4 points per game would be the second-lowest for a Sixth Man Award winner.

Points aren't just the only thing that are holding Thompson back, as the his on-and-off splits are not the best among those who is currently up against.

Looking at the chart, the Cavs are barely better with Thompson on the court than when he is off the court, well behind Williams and Iguadola, both whom are wing players.

This, alongside his position, will be the biggest detractor in Thompson's chances of winning the award. Because wing players traditionally dominate this award, Thompson would have needed a drastic net rating to overcome what he lacks in the race.

Positionally, voters tend to vote for wing players for this award, putting another obstacle in Thompson's path the Sixth Man of the Year. The last ten award winners have played on the wing, including teammate J.R. Smith, who won the award in 2013. The last post player to win this award was Antawn Jamison, and he would be more favorable towards Speights than Thompson.

The Verdict

Based on the past winners, it's going to be a very steep climb for Thompson to win this award. Luckily for him, no one else is stood out at this point, leaving the door open for Thompson to sneak in there and take the trophy.

Right now I'd say there's less than a 10 percent chance that he does win this award, but as this season has shown us, anything can happen.