Kyle Korver was an important factor in Game 4 of the Conference Finals to win against the Celtics. The Cavaliers not only appreciate his throw – his defense and his dedication are also part of his game.
The Boston Celtics hadn’t given up yet in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Sure, the first half was already catastrophic again and the Cavs came around the corner with throwing odds as if they had pimped the controls on NBA 2K – but this time there should be no blowout.
Instead, Boston fought its way back up in the third quarter and made the frenetic crowd in the Quicken Loans Arena nervous. And then this: Jump ball at the Cavs basket between George Hill and Aron Baynes. The green center should have clear advantages, but the ball came to LeBron James, who instinctively typed it forward.
Two Celtics players sprinted after: Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier. Between them was only a cavalier who had absolutely no chance in the sprint duel. His name was Kyle Korver.
Despite his disadvantages in the spurt against the Young Guns, he secured the possession of the ball for his team. At full speed, he blasted between his opponents to spalding, somehow got a fin on it – and changed the direction of flight so decisively that Rozier could not control the ball and it bounced from the Celtic into the out.
“You rarely see a 36-year-old sprint across the parquet and dive after the ball against athletes like Rozier and Smart like that,” head coach Tyronn Lue praised after the match at the press conference – and received a justified hint from the journalists that Korver was already 37. “37?” Lue replied in disbelief. “My God. Then he gets way too many minutes from us. But we really need him out there.”
In Korver’s 15-year career, it wasn’t often that he was praised for something other than his long-distance shot. As is well known, this is one of the cleanest in NBA history, ranking 4th in the all-time three-shooter league with 2,213 sunk triples.
He also delivers for the Cavs at an advanced age. He was still a starter in the first eleven games of the current postseason, now he is a noble Sixth-Man again. But no matter in which role he is used – he usually hits his throws.
In the important victory in game 3 he remained perfectly out of the field with 7 throws and 4 threes, game 4 he started similarly efficient. All in all, in the current postseason he sinks an outstanding 46.8 percent of downtown and makes life easy for James in the 25.1 minutes he spends on the field.
But as I said – all this is nothing new. That people are talking about his good defense, however, is. Besides his aforementioned Hustle Play he stood out with 3 blocks, two of them against the super-athlete Jaylen Brown, who was always looking for one-on-one with Korver. And failed.
Because despite its athletic disadvantages, Korver can be defensively effective. With his height of 2.01 meters, the quite long arms and the quite existing kilos he can not be pushed aside by Guards, moreover he knows thanks to his experience where he has to place himself. When he’s on the pitch, Defense Clevelands is far better off the ball than J.R. Smith, for example, due primarily to Korver’s communication and anticipation.
“I love Kyle from the moment we traded for him,” said LeBron James after the game. He has long recognized that Korver brings much more values to the team than a one-dimensional shooter.
For example, the notorious veteran leadership. “Such players are of unbelievable value to the team. In the past, it was Channing Frye, Richard Jefferson or James Jones who simply know how to win,” said Coach Lue. Now it is Korver, who is actually the oldest player in the roster – and leads the way with his attitude. “He always acts like a pro,” says Lue, who is only four years older than the third-best Cavs scorer in the current playoffs.
After his “block party” Korver himself was asked in the cabin if he didn’t feel a bit like block legend Dikembe Mutombo. A small smile scurried across his face, but he answered the question seriously. “It’s not easy for me to be constantly attacked by athletes like Brown or Tatum. But I know how to defend myself with my resources and help the team defensively.”
Of course they also wanted to hear his opinion about the Hustle Play against Rozier and Smart: “I’ll probably be in pain tomorrow,” was his sober analysis. Korver seems to have taken the playoff motto of the Cavs – “whatever it takes” – to heart. He is one of the most important players in these playoffs, and not just because of his legendary long-range throw.