LeBron: Lue must continue to strike balance between Cavs', Love's needs

LeBron James is a gracious king.

After the Cleveland Cavaliers stole Game 1 from the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, head coach Tyronn Lue made the decision to stick with the same starting lineup for Thursday night's Game 2, with All-Star forward Kevin Love playing the center spot.

Love would prefer to play in his natural position at power forward and not have to bang in the paint with the Raptors' stable of bigs. At shootaround Thursday morning, James was asked his thoughts on the matter, and the star forward stressed the need to keep all parties happy.

"Obviously it's a fine line," James told reporters, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "We’ve been very successful with Kev at the 5, but we have to listen to what Kev needs as well. If there’s times throughout the postseason or a game where he’s feeling a little worn down because he’s battling with a lot of bigs, then we’ve got to make the substitution properly."

James went on to acknowledge Lue has been good with his rotations, mixing in Tristan Thompson when Love needs a break.

"I think Coach Lue has done that, obviously with the start of Game 7, being able to start Double T at the 5 and allow Kev to play his natural position," James said. "We’re going to do what’s best for the team, but also we also want to do what’s best for our All-Star as well. I think the coaching staff has done a great job of that."

Despite the loss, Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas had a dominant 21-point, 21-rebound outing, so Cleveland will count on both Thompson and Love to put up a stronger defensive effort in Game 2.