Luka’s Corner

We all know about how dominant the Spurs have been in the Finals, with the Big Three playing at a superb level and leading the team to three straight wins. We also know about LeBron James’ struggles in the series and how dismal the Cavs offense has been. Despite all of this, I want to point out two bright spots on the Cleveland roster: Daniel Gibson and Sasha Pavlovic.

Daniel Gibson had been absolutely phenomenal in the Conference Finals and has been very solid in the Finals as well. He has come from a first-year player averaging 4.4 PPG and 0.2 SPG during the season and first two rounds of the Playoffs (while getting only 16 MPG) to a starter averaging 12.3 PPG and 1.2 SPG in the last two series he played. “Boobie” is an offensive spark and relentless defender, unfazed by the task of running the team at the point guard spot. Nobody expected him, a 21-year old drafted 43rd overall, to even be on the roster during the postseason. Instead, he is a starting PG for a Finals-caliber team. Not only is this an amazing feat for Gibson, but this is exactly the type of thing LeBron needs to eventually win a title. LBJ has never played with a reliable point guard throughout his first four years in the league, including Larry Hughes (who is always injured or underperforming). Gibson changes all that by giving James an oppurtunity to rest once in a while on the offensive end of the floor, because of his scoring ability. He is also a quick defender who can guard the NBA’s premier point guards, such as Tony Parker. Cleveland now has a bright future with this rookie feeding LeBron the ball and running the offense.

Sasha Pavlovic is another Cav who has enormous potential playing alongside LeBron. I believe that he can become the reliable second offensive option (to LBJ) for Cleveland, and will also continue to be a consistent one-on-one defender in years to come. He already possesses a smooth perimeter shot, and with LeBron drawing constant double teams, he will recieve the ball often for a shot. But, the one thing that has really surprised me is his incredibly quick first step. It is one of the fastest (behind Dwyane Wade) in the league, and it helps him get inside so easily. Time and time again, Pavlovic blasted by Manu Ginobili (a very good defender) and Brent Barry to attack the basket and possibly draw the foul. If he was just a little better at finishing in traffic, he would be able to rack up 25 points on a consistent basis. This surprising first step is what makes Sasha so dangerous to defenders because he can drive inside or step back and knock down the three. Also, he has improved his defense tremendously from last year, and has even become a sort of defensive stopper (witness his defnse on Manu in game 3). Pavlovic is the second guy that I believe can help LeBron get over the hump and win a title for Cleveland.

Forget about San Antonio dominating Cleveland in these Finals. If these two players can develop even more for the Cavs, and with LeBron playing well as it is, Cleveland has a bright future ahead of them. I do not thnk it will be long before the city of Cleveland witnesses another championship game in their arena.