LeBron James got most of the credit after the Cleveland Cavaliers manhandled the Atlanta Hawks on their home floor Friday in a 94-82 Game 2 victory in the Eastern Conference Finals.
And why wouldn't he? His 30-point outing was the 74th of his career, tying Jerry West for fourth-most in NBA history. The King barely missed out on a triple-double, chipping in 11 dimes and nine boards in 39 minutes of action.
Not to be outdone was the performance of teammate Iman Shumpert, who contributed 16 points of his own - more than any player on the Hawks.
It was Shumpert's stifling defense, though, that made the biggest impact. Atlanta's backcourt of Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver - who left the game early with a sprained ankle - was never able to get into the swing of things offensively, combining to shoot 9-of-27 from the field for 24 points.
Shumpert's efforts on both ends of the court were all the more important with Kyrie Irving missing Game 2 with a sore left knee.
While Shumpert was not recognized as one of the 10 players selected to an All-Defensive Team this season, James expects him to secure a spot in the not-too-distant future.
LeBron says Iman Shumpert will be on all-Defensive team "very soon"
— Ethan J. Skolnick (@EthanJSkolnick) May 23, 2015
Shumpert's versatility makes him so valuable to what Cleveland does on the defensive end. He's holding the man he guards to 39 percent shooting and just 26.5 percent from behind the arc during the playoffs, per NBA.com.
The 24-year-old's 99.2 defensive rating was tops on the Cavaliers during the regular season. He can defend multiple positions, disrupting the ball-handler with his quick hands or maneuvering into spots that will prevent perimeter threats from getting easy looks.
"I try to approach each game the same way," said Shumpert following Game 2. "Easy way to get myself going is take the best player, the most aggressive player, on the other team out of the game. When we get steals and long rebounds and get out in transition, it makes it easy and I get my offensive game going. Keep defensive pressure up and I have to pick my spots."
The Cavaliers - who own the best defensive rating of any postseason squad, at 98.1 - can advance to their second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history with wins at Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday and Tuesday night.
