George Hill is the Cleveland Cavaliers’ real X-factor

Fifteen. That’s how many points George Hill totaled in Cleveland’s losses in Games 1, 2, and 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, combined. In Games 3, 4, and 6, he averaged more than 15 points per game.

If the Cavaliers are going to have even a puncher’s chance at upsetting a Warriors team loaded with four all-stars in this year’s NBA Finals, LeBron James has to be even greater than the player who averaged a triple-double in his five-game elimination last season. But more importantly, he’ll desperately need help from the players he’s shlepped through the playoffs, through seven games against the Pacers, four against the Raptors, and another seven against the Celtics.

No player has to step up more than George Hill.

It’s Game 7 of the Cavaliers’ first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, and LeBron James has started cramping. Cleveland shouldn’t be on the brink of elimination this early into the postseason, but these Pacers proved they aren’t scared. They’re here to upset the defending conference champs, and with James cramping up, they just might have a chance.

Hill has been in the game for a few minutes, but back spasms kept him out of Games 4, 5, and 6. He was just shaking the rust off when James went to the locker room. Somehow, this is when he comes alive.

First, he helps orchestrate a wide open look for Jeff Green by telling Jordan Clarkson where to go. Had Green knocked down the shot, Hill may as well have earned a hockey assist:

A few possessions later, he draws a three-shot foul on Domantas Sabonis after playing some cat-and-mouse with Green:

Pick-and-roll George Hill is often the best George Hill because he’s a smart, risk-averse player who takes advantage of defensive miscommunications. Without James in the game, Hill relies on the pick-and-roll with Kevin Love. It’s how he keeps the Cavaliers’ offense alive without their all-time great facilitator running the show. Even when Love misses the shot, there’s a greater appreciation for a shot being created without it coming from James.

And when Hill is aggressive in finding his own shot, well, good things tend to happen, too:

Those few minutes illustrated Hill’s importance to Cleveland’s success more than any other this season. Hill was the difference in Game 7 against Indiana. James scored 45 points, but the Cavaliers were outscored by two in his minutes on the floor. The only Cavs player with a worse plus/minus was Rodney Hood at minus-7.

Hill, however, scored 11 points off the bench, shooting 9-of-11 from the foul line. The Cavaliers outscored the Pacers by five in his 19 minutes on the floor. They beat the Pacers by four.

Playing with a ball-dominant player isn’t easy. It’s part of the reason why Kevin Durant left Russell Westbrook and OKC. It’s part of the reason why the Pistons haven’t had much success in recent seasons. It’s also why Kyrie Irving wanted out of Cleveland last summer.

James is arguably the greatest to ever play because he is all five positions in one. The buck stops with him. When you’re a floor general in your own right, it’s probably tough to balance playing off James with playmaking for yourself and others like you’ve done your entire career.

But an aggressive Hill makes life easier for everyone involved. With 7:39 remaining in the fourth quarter of that Game 7 against Indiana, the Cavs found themselves up eight. Hill took a James screen, sucked the defense in and found Love wide open on the wing. His shot splashed, and The King extended both arms out and gestured toward the crowd.

That shot extended the Cavaliers’ lead to 12. More importantly, James didn’t have to touch the ball to create that open look.

Brad Stevens said it best: the Celtics’ gameplan against the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals was to make James exert as much energy as humanly possible. The Warriors are going to do the same. They will load up on James on his drives to the rim, and when he passes the ball, they will dare Cleveland’s shooters to make shots. They will run him through screens off the ball, and they will isolate him on Kevin Durant, the best scorer in the world.

For Cleveland to pull the massive upset, James desperately needs help.

It’ll help if Cleveland gets a 20 and 10 series out of Love. It’ll help if J.R. Smith can knock down open threes. It’ll help if Tristan Thompson crashes the offensive glass, and it’ll help if Rodney Hood pulls himself out of Tyronn Lue’s doghouse.

But most importantly, it’ll help if Hill is aggressive, with and without James on the court.

He doesn’t need to be Kyrie Irving. He just needs to be himself.