The third installment of the Warriors–Cavaliers Finals promised plenty of drama and tight finishes. Instead, it’s looking more like a Golden State coronation, as the Western Conference champions dominated the first two games.
Cleveland seems helpless in slowing down the Warriors and their turbo-boost attack, fueled by Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. Curry is averaging 30 PPG, 8 RPG and 10.5 APG, while Durant is posting 35.5 PPG, 11 RPG and 7 APG in the series.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have a multitude of issues, particularly regarding the role players around their Big 3. Two of their starters, shooting guard J.R. Smith and center Tristan Thompson, have provided nothing but angst for Cavaliers supporters. Smith has scored three points in 42 minutes and is still looking for his first assist and steal. Thompson has grabbed a total of eight rebounds in 43 minutes and hasn’t blocked a shot.
Cleveland’s bench, fortified by a variety of front office moves this season, has also not helped the cause. Veteran point guard Deron Williams has not scored in 33 minutes. Long-range specialist Kyle Korver is 1-for-6 on 3-point attempts. None of the other reserves have made a significant impact.
LeBron James has 12 turnovers, a sign that he may be trying to do too much while his teammates are doing too little. However, fans must be reminded that the Warriors only did what they were supposed to do — win at home. With the series shifting to Cleveland, the Cavaliers should put up much more resistance.
In any case, no team with LeBron James should be underestimated. The Cavaliers were counted out by virtually everyone last year after falling behind 3-1 in the series.
There are rumblings that Smith will be replaced in the lineup by Iman Shumpert for Game 3. It could be just one of several tweaks coming for the Cavs.
That brings us to today’s question: What moves should Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue make for Game 3 of the Finals in order to get his club back on track?
Please take to the comments section to voice your opinion. We look forward to what you have to say.
Change defense.
IDK what you do except chuck spot up 3s from the start of the game. JR needs to stop putting the ball on the floor to just take a more difficult fade away 3. LBJ hit you when you were open shoot it. I mean how far away can KK hit a straight on 3? run a play for him from 35 ft or something from straight away.
They should have traded for Carmelo Anthony when that window opened during the trading deadline!
The key for the Cavs is more mental than physical as they simply have to accept the inevitable.
Fight to the very last second! Slow the game down. Cleveland need a Paul George! Warriors went out and got KD, Warriors have 4 allstars and Cleveland have 3. Do the math! They need rim protector! If not pack it end and prepare 2017-18!
They need to slow down the pace of the game. On offense they need to have more ball movement to find a way to get these 3 point shooters open.
Prayer is never a bad idea
Goon it up with Dhantay Jones. only reason he’s on the team.
With the Cavs defense being as bad as it is, I didn’t understand why they got rid of DeAndre Liggins at the end of the season. He could have given them much needed length and athleticism and versatility on the wing defensively in this series. Not that I’m saying he’d be the difference maker for them, but he could have helped LeBron on that side of the ball….
Cavs need to stop trying to play that gambling style defense b/c they don’t have the athleticism to cover enough ground and rotate back, which has led to a bunch of open lanes to the rim, and later, open 3s. They need to try to stop letting everything be at GS pace. If they can keep guys in front of them on defense, and only rotate off certain players, that at least gives them a shot, unless GS just makes shots, in which case it doesn’t matter. On offense then, they need to go to LeBron and Love in the post, and slow the game down. Try to make it a half court game and get some easier looks. That doesn’t guarantee anything though b/c GS can play that style too, but it’s probably their best shot…
There are a few different lineups they can try. I’d consider Kyrie, Shumpert, Richard Jefferson, LeBron, and Kevin Love to start the game. Love isn’t a good defender at the 5, but they don’t really have rim protection on this roster, and he doesn’t have to set the world on fire with his foot speed to outplay ZaZa…JR, Deron Williams, and Tristan Thompson off the bench, with interchangeable time of Korver and Frye on the floor. That might balance the floor a little better for them. To be honest though, this is one of those things it’s hard to see them climbing past. I never really gave them a shot. Only gave them a game b/c of LeBron
Also everyone always talks about coming back from 3-1, and LeBron was amazing to do that, but there were several extenuating factors involved. Andre Iguodala played hurt and missed time, Draymond got suspended for Game 5, GS was still winning that one until Bogut also went down with an injury, Ezili played hurt for some time, Harrison Barnes was terrible, Klay Thompson was terrible, GS stopped posting those guys, and Shaun Livingston, in half court situations and played way more iso than they have in 3 years….all of that had to happen for them to win.
This isn’t last year. This series is over. Steph Curry isn’t limited by injuries. Draymond isn’t kicking guys in the junk. And KD isn’t max contract player Harrison Barnes