CLEVELAND -- It's been nearly a year since David Griffin last served as the general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers. His impact on the franchise, however, was apparent on Monday night.
With just under a minute remaining in the third quarter of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard George Hill found himself matched up for a jump ball with Boston Celtics center Aron Baynes -- a seven-inch mismatch that favored the latter.
As the ball was tipped into the Cavs' backcourt, three Celtics players -- Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris -- raced toward it, only to be beaten out by Kyle Korver, whose diving save provided just enough chaos for the ball to bounce out of bounds off of Rozier.
Korver's dive would have been a remarkable feat for any player -- let alone for a 37-year-old racing against three players at least nine years his junior. Factor in the 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks he was responsible for on Monday night and it was impossible not to notice the 15th-year pro's presence throughout the Cavs' 111-102 Game 4 victory.
It also left LeBron James wondering how Korver wound up in Cleveland in the first place.
"I've loved Kyle ever since we made the trade to get him here," James said after the game. "I have no idea how Griff was able to pull that off still to this day."
Griffin was able to extract Korver from the Atlanta Hawks in January 2017 for the price of a future top-10 protected first-round pick, which will convert into two second-round selections should it not be conveyed by 2020. Responsible for the fourth-most 3-point makes in NBA history, Korver's skillset has made for a perfect fit next to James -- as has his 'whatever it takes' attitude.
"He's just a true professional. There's not many of us '03 class guys still around," James said. "I feel like we're just cut from a different cloth because we've been around for so long. We have this work ethic and you see him every day putting in the work, putting his mind, his body into it. It's not about his age. I think it's just always keeping his body in the right position, especially in tonight's game."
Added Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue of Korver's signature play from Monday night: "That means that's a guy that's all about winning, and whatever it takes to win. You very rarely see a 36-year-old running full speed against Marcus Smart, against Rozier and diving for the loose ball and laying it all on the line."
Lue was then corrected by a reporter that Korver is in fact 37.
"He's 37 now? God dang," Lue said with a laugh. "We played him too many minutes.
"We need him though."
