Where Does the Miami Heat’s Starting Five Rank in the East?
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
May 26, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13), forward LeBron James (23) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) wait to reenter the game during the third quarter against the Atlanta Hawks in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Starting Five: Kyrie Irving, Iman Shumpert, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov
The starting five for the Cavs is projected to be exactly the same, so it’s hard to say that a team two games away from the finals doesn’t have the best starting five in the conference.
And honestly, after the performance LeBron James had in the finals last year, I would rank this lineup first even if James’ only teammates were four cardboard cutouts.
The biggest concern for this team is their defense, which we have yet to see play well with Love and Irving both on the floor. They hurt themselves into a good defensive team last spring when Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova had to step up as last-second replacements.
After they breezed through the Eastern Conference last year, it’s hard to choose anybody else.