Go online with NBA 2K15 and you will inevitably run into the Cleveland Cavaliers. Funny how that works, right? Last year, you probably counted the number of times you competed against the Cavs on one hand, and this year everyone loves the playoff-cursed franchise. Of course, LeBron James went back home to the team he spurned in 2010’s infamous The Decision. That, and he just so happens to have a new partner-in-crime named Kevin Love, arguably the best active power forward in the NBA.
Is there more to the Cavs than two stars? Yes, but we don’t blame you for spamming the LeBron button. Skilled players, on the other hand, will utilize the rest of Cleveland’s roster to make rivals pay for overcommitting on James.
If you bandwagon jumped onto the Cavs this season or you’re a longtime fan, here are some tips to outscoring the competition.
Currently, 2K Sports ranks the Cavs first in offense and third in defense. The latter is suspect because the biggest criticism against Love involves his lack of D. That said, James makes up for this by swatting potential layups off the backboard, while center Anderson Varejo provides respectable cleanup duty.
Here’s the deal: don’t forget about point guard Kyrie Irving, who admittedly plays third banana behind James and Love but runs the offense. Expect your opponent to double LeBron whenever possible, which ultimately leaves someone open. If that player is Kyrie, make him or her pay with slashing moves to the basket and long bombs from the outside. After all, the guy averages 20.8 points for a reason, while his 6.8 assists per game means he can get the ball into LeBron’s hands at will.
Then we have Kevin Love. His hot outside shooting forces opponents to bring their power forwards and centers away from their comfort zones. One less player in the paint means more scoring opportunities for you inside. If Love is open beyond the three-point line, let it fly or pass the ball to a cutting teammate.
This brings us to another important question. Aside from these three players, who else is capable of making a shot? Granted, the rest of the Cavs roster doesn’t shine as bright as James, Love and Irving, but Shawn Marion (despite his bizarre shooting style) can score, and you’d be foolish to leave three-point assassin Mike Miller on the bench. These two players can make up for all those double and even triple teams you’ll see on James. You can even get points from the likes of Dion Waiters and James Jones.
Yes, LeBron is one of the most efficient players in NBA 2K15, capable of scoring whenever you want, but you have other weapons. The King will get his points, but unless you play against an NBA 2K guru, you should be able to remain competitive with the third, fourth and perhaps fifth option.
NBA 2K15 is available now for multiple platforms.
