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Tyronn Lue: Kyle Korver does little things necessary for Cleveland Cavaliers to win in postseason

Coach Tyronn Lue believes shooting guard Kyle Korver does the little things necessary for the Cleveland Cavaliers to win in the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Credit: Nick Turchiaro
Coach Tyronn Lue believes shooting guard Kyle Korver does the little things necessary for the Cleveland Cavaliers to win in the 2018 NBA Playoffs.

CLEVELAND -- In the eyes of head coach Tyronn Lue, Kyle Korver’s contribution to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 100-97 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs was far more than the 12 points he scored.

To Lue, Korver did the little things required to pull out the hard-fought, series-evening victory in front of the home fans at Quicken Loans Arena Wednesday.

“Kyle was great for us,” Lue said after the Game 2 win. “I think he opened the floor up, but more so than anything, I thought defensively, he had a few good rotations. He did a great job on Thad (Young) when we were in full rotation, taking the bigger guys, boxing out, so he does all the little things it takes to win, and when you want to win a championship, you’ve got to do all the little things.

“Outside of his great shooting, just doing the little things and making the extra efforts, being in the right places defensively, taking two charges really set the tone for us in that first half. Taking two charges, I think on Oladipo, was big for us.”

READ: Cleveland Cavaliers SF LeBron James was 'just playing his game' in Game 2 win over Indiana Pacers

Beyond the four made three-pointers, Korver pulled down three rebounds, handed out one assist, stole a pass, took charges and was not afraid to sacrifice his ailing body by diving on the floor after a loose ball against the Pacers.

And that drew compliments from fellow shooting guard J.R. Smith, who, like Korver, was reinserted into the starting lineup ahead of the Game 2 matchup after the Cavaliers suffered a 98-80 loss in Game 1.

“Swish out there too, putting as much shooting as we can around ‘Bron is always a good thing for us, and it creates other things that we’ve got to work through, as well, but I think it was important for us to have a really good start,” Korver said.

“I think after Game 1, we all saw what happened, and our energy wasn’t there, so the thought was put a lot of shooting around him, let him be really aggressive and kind of get us all going.”

Credit: Adam Hunger
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyle Korver (26) battles for a loose ball with New York Knicks guard Trey Burke (23) during the first half at Madison Square Garden.

From the constant travel to late-night departures and arrivals in opposing cities as well as at home, the game of basketball can be challenging, especially at the professional level, but Korver has found solace in it over the last month.

Korver has found peace on the court since the loss of his youngest brother, Kirk, in mid-March.

READ: Cleveland Cavaliers SG Kyle Korver finds solace in basketball after brother's passing

Sighting the desire to play as hard as possible to help process his emotions after recovering from a bout with the flu and a nagging foot injury, Korver played with the passion of a player much younger because he understands what will be necessary if the Cavaliers hope to win a second NBA Championship in the last three years.

“Every moment is big in the playoffs,” Korver said. “Moments can change games. Moments can, you know, create a run, and so, I think that’s on all our minds. If there’s a loose ball, you dive on the floor. If you can take a charge, do that.

“The playoffs are all about scrapping and whatever it takes, right? Whatever it takes. It was just fun to be out there competing again.”

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