Looking In The Mirror

Tonight the Cleveland Cavaliers face what could be considered their first true test of the season in the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite the improvement across the Eastern Conference this season, no other team is truly seen as a title contender, and the Cavaliers have yet to face any of the top teams in the West. That changes when LeBron James and company face a team that not only has championship aspirations, but is in many ways a distorted mirror image of the Cavaliers themselves.

The Cavaliers (16-7) and the Thunder (17-8) share similar solid record with some nice wins as well as some surprising losses—the Cavaliers to the Pelicans and Bucks, the Thunder to the Knicks and Rockets—that have seemingly put them a half-step behind the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors. Both teams are coached by men who made their names with success at other levels of the sport. Both are also built around a pair of elite forwards and a dynamic point guard. Both squads even have their own enigmatic gunners, scrappy foreign players, and veteran three-point shooters. Let’s take a look at each Cavalier and their counterpart with the Thunder.

David Blatt vs. Billy Donovan

Just as Blatt joined the Cavaliers a year ago after having tremendous success coaching overseas, Donovan began his first stint as an NBA coach after a wonderful collegiate coaching career at Florida. Now, like Blatt did a season ago, Donovan is finding that the adjustment to the NBA is greater than he may have originally expected. The Thunder are still a contender, but their head coach has yet to truly find his footing at this level. Edge: Blatt. Everything Donovan is going through this season, Blatt has already experienced.

LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant

Along with Stephen Curry, James and Durant are two of the three best players in the NBA, and Curry has only joined them at that level in the last year. Before last season, James and Durant had finished as the top two vote-getters for the MVP Award in three straight seasons and four of the previous five. Besides both men playing small forward as their primary position, they are both transcendent scorers who are elite in nearly every facet of the game. Durant is a better shooter, while LeBron is the better passer and defender, though not by much. Edge: James. Even though LeBron is older, Durant’s foot issues make him the greater health risk, but you’d thank the basketball gods every day for either one.

Kyrie Irving vs. Russell Westbrook

Both point guards are perennial All-Stars and overqualified second options who could easily be the primary scorer on a really good team. Both also have somewhat undeserved reputations for putting blinders on and going on scoring binges that may not be in the best interest of winning games. That’s pretty much where the similarities end. Irving is a terrific shooter who changes speeds and uses arguably the best handle in the league to get to the basket. Meanwhile, Westbrook may be the best athlete in the league. His sheer explosiveness and intensity are second to none. Edge: Westbrook. He’s a better rebounder and arguably a better passer than Irving. He also has far less of an injury history.

Kevin Love vs. Serge Ibaka

Both power forwards are seen by many as the third wheels in their respective Big Three, but that doesn’t make them any less important to their teams. Love and Ibaka have both improved as three-point shooters throughout their careers, and are two of the best “stretch fours” in the NBA. However each player really stands out at the opposite ends of the floor. Love is an amazing offensive player, who is also an incredible passer and the best post player in the league this season. He is a better rebounder than Ibaka, whose impact on the boards has dropped as he has become more of a floor spacer. Ibaka, may not be the offensive player that Love, is but he’s on a whole different planet as a defender, finishing in the top four in blocks per game each of the last four seasons and making three All-Defense teams. Edge: Love, although this is closer than many fans may realize.

Iman Shumpert vs. Andre Roberson

Shumpert and Roberson are great defenders and below average offensive players who are likely to be the regular starters at shooting guard for their respective teams as this season progresses. Shumpert has shot under 40% from the field for his career, is below average from beyond, the arc, and is a poor finisher who missed several wide open dunks last season. Compared to Roberson though, Shumpert is the second coming of Steve Nash. Edge: Shumpert. At least he can’t be completely ignored on offense.

J.R. Smith vs. Dion Waiters

Two notorious gunners and inconsistent defenders whose mental lapses sometimes make them more trouble than they’re worth, Smith and Waiters were essentially traded for one another last winter. When first reports of the trade went down and Smith was mentioned without Shumpert, I was a bit apprehensive that the Cavaliers were simply getting an older version of Waiters with more baggage, but I quickly found out several key differences. Smith have the same need to dominate the ball that Waiters does, and is willing to do his gunning from beyond the arc instead of two feet inside of it. Considering that Smith has shot over four percent higher from three than Waiters for his career, that difference in shot selection is huge. Edge: Smith. To borrow from Zach Lowe, I escaped from Waiters Island a long time ago.

Anderson Varejao vs. Nick Collison

These veteran big men are both in their twelfth seasons with their respective teams, an eternity in the world of professional sports. Varejao and Collison have had great careers as energy players of the bench whose teams have typically played much better when they are on the floor. Both men have been good defenders and smart, skilled offensive players throughout their careers, and both have seen their roles diminish in recent seasons. Peak Varejao was a better player the Peak Collison, but Collison has been the healthier player by far. Edge: Collison. If the Cavaliers win the title, there’s no player I’ll be happier for than Anderson Varejao, but you’ve got to be on the floor to make an impact, and Andy hasn’t been out there much the last five-plus seasons.

James Jones vs. Steve Novak

A pair of veteran forwards who offer great outside shooting a little else, Jones and Novak are practically mirror images of one another. Novak actually has a higher career mark from beyond the arc, but may be even more one dimensional than Jones. Both players are also nearing the end of the line. Edge: Jones. If nothing else, his reputation as a leader is well-documented.

Tristan Thompson vs. Enes Kanter

Kanter and Thompson were the third and fourth picks, respectively, in the 2011 NBA Draft, and were also the recipients of two of the most talked about contracts of the offseason. Despite their large paychecks, both players continue to come off the bench, but that’s where the similarities end. Kanter is a skilled scorer and solid rebounder who is one of the worst defensive big men in the league. As a result, he tends to be a net negative on the floor. Thompson is an elite rebounder and improving defender who can both bang with big men and switch onto perimeter players, but isn’t a scoring threat outside of finishing on the pick-and-roll and putbacks. Edge: Thompson. Give me the player who actually has a positive impact on the court.

Matthew Dellavedova vs. Steven Adams

If you thought Adams would match up with Timofey Mozgov as foreign-born centers who don’t play heavy minutes, think again. Adams is obviously the counterpart of Dellavedova, and not just because they come from the same area of the world. Dellavedova and Adams both have reputations as effective, physical players who straddle the line between competitive and dirty, at least in the eyes of some of their opponents. It’s not uncommon for either player to irritate the opposition to the point that they lose their cool and are ready to fight, and their teammates wouldn’t have it any other way. Edge: Adams. Delly has been great this year, but 22 year old centers who have a real impact on the game are pretty special.

Mo Williams vs. D.J. Augustin

A pair of scoring point guards who give back most of their offensive impact on the defensive end, Williams and Augustin could both eventually wind up on the outside of their team’s rotations. With Kyrie Irving returning soon, Williams will be battling for minutes with Dellavedova, Shumpert, Smith and Richard Jefferson, while Augustin is competing for time with Waiters, Roberson, and Anthony Morrow. Regardless, both players are still viable veterans and provide solid depth for their teams. Edge: Draw. Augustin would likely be the more effective player in heavy minutes at this point, but Williams fits better with the Cavaliers’ second unit than Augustin does with the Thunder.

Timofey Mozgov vs. Kyle Singler

Unfortunately, Mozgov and Singler are connected by the disappointing seasons each player has had thus far. Coming of offseason knee surgery, Mozgov had been a shell of himself this season before finally beginning to turn things around with last Friday’s game against the Orlando Magic. Singler signed a 5-year $25 million contract with the Thunder in the offseason, and figured to be a key rotation player. He is currently averaging 2.1 points per game while shooting 24.1% from the floor and 19.4% from three. Edge: Mozgov. He’s been a bit disappointing, but Singler’s been horrific.

Richard Jefferson vs. Anthony Morrow

Veteran sharpshooters on the wing, both Jefferson and Morrow also have defensive concerns. Morrow has never been a great defender, and Jefferson has slipped with age. While Jefferson has certainly had the better career overall, he is five years older than Morrow, and near the end of his career. Edge: Morrow. Given the age difference, there’s a far greater chance Morrow continues his current level of play, which is very important to his team.

Jared Cunningham, Sasha Kaun, and Joe Harris vs. Cameron Payne, Mitch McGary, and Josh Huestis

These players will likely comprise the end of their respective team’s benches when each squad is fully healthy, and to be honest, I haven’t seen enough of any of them this year outside of Cunningham to make specific comparisons. Both groups are made up of two perimeter players and one big man, with the OKC trio seemingly having more upside. Edge: Thunder. Mitch McGary seems like he could be good rotation big. I’m not sure any of the other guys will ever be real rotation players on a good playoff team.

Obviously these comparisons aren’t perfect, but the similarities between these two teams are arguably more noticeable than any other two teams in the NBA. Of course, the biggest similarity between both squads is their mutual goal of bringing their respective cities and organizations their first NBA Championship. As long as each team has its Big Three available come playoff time, then they will have a real chance to do so.