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Kyrie Irving said he's enjoyed being part of the Cavaliers' three-guard lineup, which also features Dion Waiters and Jarrett Jack.
(Joshua Gunter, The Plain Dealer)
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Given that Mike Brown loves defense above all else, it should come as no surprise that the Cavaliers coach would never want to cede any defensive advantage to an opponent.
Which is precisely why it's such a surprise that Brown has not only employed a small, three-guard lineup this season featuring Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Jarrett Jack, but he has done it often – and liked it.
"I've never been a fan of being small, whether it's with my bigs or with my smalls," Brown said. "So I've never done this. I am a little surprised at how much I've used it, and at especially at times how effective it is."
Irving is 6-feet-3, Waiters 6-4 and Jack 6-3. Combined, they average 43.7 points. Though their quickness, ball-handling and shooting abilities would put any team on its heels when trying to defend the three, they admittedly give up a size advantage when trying to defend opponents.
Doesn't matter. Not even to defense-first Brown. (At least not much.)
"It's almost like playing three point guards on the floor," Brown said. "They all can play pick and roll, they all can shoot and create for their teammates, come off pin downs, they call can get out in transition, they all can push the ball in transition and make plays. It just gives you a versatility offensively that a lot of teams don't have."
Irving said he thinks he, Waiters and Jack all can use their quickness to make up for any size surrendered defensively.
"We're tough to guard on the offensive end," Irving said." Our defensive rotations can be that much quicker. We give up a little bit of size, but we're that much quicker and can make up for it."
Rotation set? Just because the Cavaliers have stuck with the same starting lineup for the last five games doesn't mean that Cleveland finally has a steady and consistent rotation.
But it's getting close.
"We're looking for some consistency, and I'm sure they're looking for some consistency from me," Brown said. "I think we've done some good things. I'm going to keep rolling with it to see if we can last this way. I'm still not sure."
Players, at least, like the general consistency and the direction the team has been going of late.
"I think everybody's starting to come around," Irving said. "We're playing a lot more freer. I'm more comfortable out there, and we're getting wins. Hopefully we can continue it."
The last word: Goes to Irving, on what has been the toughest part of adjusting to Brown's new style: "I don't even know where to start. I'm just glad we're getting this thing rolling now. There's so many things you can pinpoint, but as a team we're just moving forward with one another, and that's all we can do."