When the Cleveland Cavaliers went to their second NBA Finals appearance in a row following the return of LeBron James to the team, the starting lineup didn't look very different than it does now. LeBron was joined by point guard Kyrie Irving, power forward Kevin Love, shooting guard J.R. Smith and center Tristan Thompson. With the exception of Irving, the team's second-leading scorer that year, their lineup in the Eastern Conference Finals Game 2 loss to the Boston Celtics is the same.

However, look at the rest of the team from that NBA Championship season.

Power forward Channing Frye is now with the Los Angeles Lakers. Small forward Richard Jefferson is with the Denver Nuggets. Shooting guard Iman Shumpert is with the Sacramento Kings. This year, they are placed with names like Kyle Korver, George Hill, Jeff Green, Jordan Clarkson and Rodney Hood.

Former Cavs star speaks out

When a fan on Twitter remarked that the team misses Iman Shumpert, the former Cleveland Cavaliers guard responded with the comment that the fan shouldn't worry. He said that the Cavs will be "fine." He said that the two losses were both on the road to a "hungry" Boston Celtics team. The next two games are in Cleveland and if the Cavs turn things around there, the series is new once again.

Iman Shumpert played for the Cleveland Cavaliers when they went to all three NBA Finals. While starting throughout the postseason in their first trip to the NBA Finals, he averaged 9.1 points a game. He was a bench player in the NBA Championship season and last year, hitting 41.7-percent of his shots.

This year's Cavaliers team

While the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Iman Shumpert, among others, in order to bring in younger talent, it hasn't worked out as well as they hoped. Shooting guard J.R. Smith took over Shumpert's starting job in Cleveland but has played terrible this season. He is only hitting 37-percent of his shots while his backup Rodney Hood has soured teammates and fans with his insolent attitude to a lack of minutes.

George Hill is starting at point guard and is averaging 17 points fewer a game than last year's starter Kyrie Irving. Tristan Thompson is nowhere near the player he was when the Cleveland Cavaliers won their NBA Championship and when they choose to move Kevin Love into his place, he is not as good as normal either.

With that said, Iman Shumpert is right. The Cleveland Cavaliers play the Boston Celtics at home on Saturday, May 19 and then again at home on the following Monday night. If Cleveland can turn things around at home, this series is even again. As the Cavs proved when fans counted them out against the Indiana Pacers, it isn't over until a team loses four games.
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