BuckeyeMafia
A Leaf on the Wind
Sadly, I think the only thing that can stop this Golden State team is the salary cap. They have arguably four of the best 20 players in the league. Beating them last year was one thing, beating them this year is something else entirely. Ultimately, I think Golden State wins in five or six, but here's what the Cavs need to do to upset the Warriors:
1. Beat Steph Curry up. Run him off of every screen, foul him hard, hip check him whenever possible.
2. Force Curry to defend every play. I don't just want Curry engaged on every defensive possession, I want the Cavs to switch screens until he's the primary defender on every play. Wear him out on the defensive end and exploit him as a below-average defender.
3. Get in Durant's head. The Warriors aren't exactly the picture of mental health. They blew a 3-1 lead last year, and Durant's Thunder blew that same lead in the Western Conference Finals.
4. Get in Draymond Green's head. That shouldn't be too hard.
5. Get "good Kyrie." Irving is streaky in the same ways that Kobe was. Kyrie must play like he did in games 5, 6, and 7 last year. Kyrie has to make shots and defend. He's capable of defending but he's rarely willing. Curry brings out the best in Irving for whatever reason though, so this could happen.
6. Win game 1/2 and game 3. This Warriors team is more desperate than last year's iteration. They need to doubt themselves early. They won't take their foot off the gas this year. If they go up 3-1, it's over.
7. Destroy them on the glass. Durant is a good rebounder, so this will be harder than it was last year despite the loss of Bogut.
8. Leave Green and the fifth player on the court (Iguodala or whomever) wide open. Durant, Thompson, and Curry are all among the best three-point shooters in NBA history. Clog the paint, defend those players at the three-point line, and let someone else beat you.
9. Get help from the bench. I hate Cleveland's bench this year, but they need someone to score. Deron Williams, Kyle Korver, or *shudder* Iman Shumpert are going to have to hit shots for the Cavs to have a chance. Korver and Williams are all net-minus defenders at this point in their career, so if they aren't hitting shots, they're useless. I'd like to get Derrick Williams some early minutes to see if he can play in the series. He's athletic and a decent scorer. This is where cutting DeAndre Liggins is going to hurt.
10. Slow it down and defend. You are not going to win any 110+ point games in this series. To beat Golden State, Cleveland will need more games like game 7. I'd like to replicate the gameplan from the 2015 Finals, except this time LeBron won't have to carry the entire offensive load. They shouldn't leave the shot clock above 5 seconds on any possession unless someone has a wide open shot.
1. Beat Steph Curry up. Run him off of every screen, foul him hard, hip check him whenever possible.
2. Force Curry to defend every play. I don't just want Curry engaged on every defensive possession, I want the Cavs to switch screens until he's the primary defender on every play. Wear him out on the defensive end and exploit him as a below-average defender.
3. Get in Durant's head. The Warriors aren't exactly the picture of mental health. They blew a 3-1 lead last year, and Durant's Thunder blew that same lead in the Western Conference Finals.
4. Get in Draymond Green's head. That shouldn't be too hard.
5. Get "good Kyrie." Irving is streaky in the same ways that Kobe was. Kyrie must play like he did in games 5, 6, and 7 last year. Kyrie has to make shots and defend. He's capable of defending but he's rarely willing. Curry brings out the best in Irving for whatever reason though, so this could happen.
6. Win game 1/2 and game 3. This Warriors team is more desperate than last year's iteration. They need to doubt themselves early. They won't take their foot off the gas this year. If they go up 3-1, it's over.
7. Destroy them on the glass. Durant is a good rebounder, so this will be harder than it was last year despite the loss of Bogut.
8. Leave Green and the fifth player on the court (Iguodala or whomever) wide open. Durant, Thompson, and Curry are all among the best three-point shooters in NBA history. Clog the paint, defend those players at the three-point line, and let someone else beat you.
9. Get help from the bench. I hate Cleveland's bench this year, but they need someone to score. Deron Williams, Kyle Korver, or *shudder* Iman Shumpert are going to have to hit shots for the Cavs to have a chance. Korver and Williams are all net-minus defenders at this point in their career, so if they aren't hitting shots, they're useless. I'd like to get Derrick Williams some early minutes to see if he can play in the series. He's athletic and a decent scorer. This is where cutting DeAndre Liggins is going to hurt.
10. Slow it down and defend. You are not going to win any 110+ point games in this series. To beat Golden State, Cleveland will need more games like game 7. I'd like to replicate the gameplan from the 2015 Finals, except this time LeBron won't have to carry the entire offensive load. They shouldn't leave the shot clock above 5 seconds on any possession unless someone has a wide open shot.
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