BOSTON: A global panel of sports writers and broadcasters voting for the All-NBA first, second and third teams are required to pick two guards, two forwards and a center for each team.
That format produced some skewed results, including the fact that Cavaliers’ point guard Kyrie Irving was not selected among the league’s top 15 players.
In the regular season, Irving averaged a career-high 25.2 points, 11th in the league, and shot a career-high .473 from the field. He also added 3.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.2 steals and hit a career-best .905 (second in the Eastern Conference) from the free-throw line.
LeBron James was chosen for the first team for a league record-tying 11th time. Also snubbed were the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul and the Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson. The Warriors had Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant on the second team and Draymond Green on the third.
The guards chosen were the Houston Rockets’ James Harden and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook (first team), the Boston Celtics’ Isaiah Thomas and Curry (second team), and the Toronto Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan and the Washington Wizards’ John Wall (third team).
Irving’s absence on the three teams surprised Cavs coach Tyronn Lue.
“Yeah, very surprised. Just because of the year he’s had and all the injuries that we had, him and LeBron carried this team for most of the season with Kevin [Love] and J.R. [Smith] being out. I thought it was a tough decision, but just part of how things go,” Lue said before Friday morning’s shootaround. The Cavs took on the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals Friday night at TD Garden.
No MVP for LeBron
James will not have a chance to win his fifth NBA MVP award.
Finalists were announced for some of the major categories for the “NBA Awards on TNT” show on Monday, June 26 and James was not among the three remaining in the MVP race. They are Harden, Westbrook and the San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard.
James was not expected to win despite his stellar play this season.
Akron will have a representative at the show, though. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Larry Nance Jr., a Revere High School product and son of former Cav Larry Nance, was nominated in the Dunk of the Year category for a slam against the Brooklyn Nets. He will compete with the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Zach LaVine (against the Phoenix Suns) and the Thunder’s Victor Oladipo (against the Atlanta Hawks).
Lue was not chosen as a coach of the year finalist. Those were the Rockets’ Mike D’Antoni, the Spurs’ Gregg Popovich and the Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra. Basketball executive of the year candidates have not been chosen.
The Cavs did have two players tabbed. In the Best Style category, Iman Shumpert goes up against the Chicago Bulls’ Dwyane Wade and Westbrook. Irving was chosen in the Game Winner of the Year for his decisive 3-pointer in Game 7 of the Finals against the Warriors, along with Westbrook against the Denver Nuggets and the Suns’ Tyler Ulis against the Celtics.
Where’s Kyrie?
Lue said the Celtics paid extra attention to Irving in Game 1, limiting him to 11 points (on 4-of-11 shooting, 0-of-3 on 3-pointers) and six assists. But there is still a sense within the team that Irving is due for a big night.
“He’s a special player. With LeBron playing the way he’s been playing of late, we really haven’t called Kyrie’s number a lot lately,” Lue said. “But he’s primed and ready to go off at any time and we know that. That’s why we have the luxury of having a Big Three. Kevin had it game one, Kyrie is always ready to have it and so is LeBron.”
James poured in 38 points and Love 32, and Lue thought Irving did a good job of setting up those two. It’s possible Celtics coach Brad Stevens will elect to double-team James in Game 2, which could create more opportunities for Irving.
“I thought he did a great job of play calling, getting those guys shots, getting those guys in the right spots. He understood Kevin and LeBron had it going, so let’s ride those guys. That’s what a great point guard does,” Lue said.
Lineup change
Trying to get as many shooters on the floor as possible, Stevens started guard/forward Gerald Green over forward Amir Johnson Friday.
“Gives them some more shooting on the floor, to try to spread the floor, same thing they did in the Chicago series, which helped ’em out,” Lue said of the change. “With us trying to do a good job of taking the ball out of Isaiah’s hands, to get another shooter on the floor is smart.”
A 10-year veteran, Green scored 11 points in 13 minutes in Game 1 and hit 4-of-6 field goals, 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Johnson played only four minutes and did not score.
But when the Celtics rallied from an 0-2 deficit in the first round against the Chicago Bulls, Green played at least 20 minutes in three of Boston’s four victories. He scored a career-playoff high 18 in Game 4 and 16 in Game 6, both of those on the road.
“Gerald specifically has been ready when called upon all year in a unique year for him,” Stevens said. “He got hurt in training camp, didn’t hardly play at all until Christmas, played in the Christmas Day game, and then played a lot while Avery [Bradley] was out but didn’t play a lot in March. But he’s always been ready, and he always stays ready.”
While Stevens was forthcoming about that lineup change, he wouldn’t reveal who was starting on James.
“We’re going to have to guard him as a team,” Stevens said.
Let’s talk
Several Cavs praised their improved defensive communication after Game 1. Iman Shumpert said part of the reason is the Cavs have had time together off the court in the playoffs.
“A small thing, but having team dinner and guys just talking, period and guys learning somebody else’s voice,” Shumpert said Wednesday night. “We’ve been playing one-on-ones and pickup basketball on the off-days we’ve had, I think that’s been very successful for us.
“It’s just everybody buying into what we have to do. The playoffs can do that to you. I think it does that to all teams, but with the way things have been going for us in this postseason, it’s been special.”
Shumpert said opponents can hear their chatter.
“It’s been communication from start to finish,” Shumpert said. “I think the communication is going to a new level now and making us more and more aggressive on defense. When you’re the aggressor on defense, it usually calls for a good game.”
Lue said Friday morning that when the Cavs were at their best in Game 1, the defense was setting the tone for the offense.
“I thought especially that first half, I thought defensively we were really good,” Lue said. “I thought we really set the tone defensively, and that enabled our offense to be so good of pushing the basketball, playing with pace, getting out in transition. I think if we come out with the mindset of defense in this next game, we’ll be fine also.”
James said communication is key for an efficient defense.
“It’s a beautiful thing when you communicate and everybody knows where they’re supposed to be defensively,” he said at Thursday’s practice. “Because when you get stops, then you can have fun. You can get out and run around and throw the ball and shoot 3s and things of that nature. Defense is always key.”
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com.