Adapt or die: Cavaliers again in need of reinvention

The Cleveland Cavaliers are no strangers to reinventing on the fly. They have toed a tight rope to get to the NBA Finals.

To start the season, the Cavaliers were doomed by a lack of depth and an inability to defend. That will happen with a freshly cobbled collection featuring 10 new players. Factor in a two-week hiatus for LeBron James on account of his balky back, and the Cavaliers' record sat at 19-20 through 39 games.

Then, after reloading with key midseason acquisitions and a clean bill of health for James, the Cavaliers righted the ship. Their defense tightened up and their offense morphed into something of a buzzsaw. Cleveland cut through the league with their top-rated offensive (110.4 offensive rating after Jan. 13) en route to a dominant 34-9 finish to the regular season.

But the postseason introduced a new opponent: injuries. And again, the Cavaliers were forced to reinvent themselves.

Early on, it was Kevin Love. The beleaguered power forward had finally settled in as the third option, before Kelly Olynyk ripped Love's shoulder. That put an end to Cleveland's hopes of spacing and playmaking out of the power forward spot. Without their best frontcourt player, the offensive buzzsaw lost its teeth.

So the Cavaliers recast themselves as a gritty defensive club. With James and Kyrie Irving straining enough offense out of sheer individual brilliance, the rest of the Cavaliers - led by Love's replacement Tristan Thompson - clamped down. They transformed into the top defensive club through the postseason as they ground their way through the Eastern Conference.

But injuries struck once again in the Finals. After winning a lengthy battle with knee tendinitis, a fractured kneecap finally sidelined Irving. Now, with two of their stars out, the Cavaliers again face the need for reinvention.

That's easier said than done. The scrappy Cavaliers had enough talent to get by lesser foes in the Eastern Conference, but the Golden State Warriors are historically dominant. Captained by MVP Stephen Curry, the fully healthy Warriors hold an overwhelming edge in both depth and talent.

There's still hope for Cleveland. They have the ultimate wild card in James. Even with Irving going down late, the Cavaliers still nearly pulled off an upset in Game 1. James submitted a superhuman performance by scoring 44 points.

But that played right into the Warriors' gameplan. James got his, but the Warriors took away everyone else. Irving and center Timofey Mozgov were the only two Cavaliers outside of James to score in double-digits.

Matthew Dellavedova replacing Irving should at least improve Cleveland's defense, but it heaps even more responsibility onto James' plate. James is the league's best player, but he's not without limitations.

Whatever the move, the Cavaliers will need to reinvent themselves once more if they are to have any hope of upsetting the Warriors.

Adapt or die.