2016 NBA Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers Look Overmatched vs. Warriors

The Cleveland Cavaliers have dropped the first two games to the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. After being dominated in both contests, is it fair to say they are overmatched?

The Cleveland Cavaliers transformed into instant title contenders the moment LeBron James decided to return to the team that drafted him 13 years ago.

Last season, the Cavaliers advanced to the Finals for the first time since 2007.

Unfortunately, their two All-Stars, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, succumbed to injuries during their postseason run. Without their services, the short-handed Cavs fell to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

Following that series, Irving stated that the Cavs would have won if he and Love would have been healthy.

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So on the heels of that disappointing loss, the Cavaliers were on a mission this season to prove that their run to last year’s Finals was not a fluke, and that they can be a dangerous team when everyone is healthy.

As many expected, the Cavaliers claimed the top spot in the Eastern Conference, securing home-court advantage through the conference finals.

The Cavaliers proceeded to sweep the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks in the first two rounds and followed that up with a 4-2 series win over the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals.

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Not only did the Cavaliers lose just twice through their first 14 postseason contests, they were knocking down the long ball at pretty efficient rate.

• First-round series against Detroit: 57-for-138, 41.3 percent.
• Second-round series against Atlanta: 77-for-152, 50.7 percent.
• Eastern Conference finals against Toronto: 68-for-175, 38.9 percent.

In a rematch of last year’s Finals, however, the Cavaliers appear to be somewhat overmatched when it comes to facing the Warriors.

The Number Seven

After dropping the series opener in the 2015 Finals, the Cavaliers bounced back to take a 2-1 series lead. Since that time, the Cavs have dropped seven straight games against the Warriors, and those losses haven’t been pretty by any means.

In Games 4-6 of the 2015 Finals, the Cavaliers shot 93-for-252, which equates to a 37.1 shooting percentage.

In the two regular-season meetings between these two teams, it was more of the same, as the Warriors beat the Cavs by an average of 20 points per game while limiting them to 39 percent shooting.

With regards to the anticipated rematch of the two teams that battled for the Larry O’Brien Trophy a season ago, it has been downright ugly to say the least.

In the first two games of this Finals series, the Cavs are shooting a putrid 36.8 percent from the floor and they have been defeated by an average margin of 24 points per game, which represents the largest margin of victory through the first two games of a Finals series.

Cavs MIA From Three-Point Range

Earlier I mentioned how well the Cavaliers were shooting from three-point range through the first three rounds of the postseason. Against these Warriors, however, it has been a different story to put it nicely.

In the series opener, the Cavaliers connected on seven of their 21 attempts from the land of 3. In Game 2, they converted five of their 23 attempts from beyond the arc. For those of you who care to do the math, that is a 27.2 conversion rate from three-point range.

Along with that, two of Cleveland’s best shooters coming into this series — J.R. Smith and Channing Frye — have been non-factors up to this point. Smith has played 69 minutes, but has attempted just nine shots, something that ESPN’s Steven A. Smith so readily pointed out.

Meanwhile, Frye, who is shooting 57 percent from the field during the postseason, has played just 11 minutes and has missed on both of his attempts. This is certainly not the same Cavaliers team that looked so dominant through the first 14 games of their postseason run.

King James’ Struggles Continue Against Defending Champs

Throughout much of his career, James, much like Michael Jordan, was an obstacle that several teams were unable to overcome during the postseason. James’ teams defeated the Washington Wizards three straight seasons.

In addition to that, James-led teams also eliminated the Chicago Bulls from the postseason four times in the span of six years; his teams are a perfect 12-0 against the Atlanta Hawks in postseason competition and he defeated the Indiana Pacers three times en route to two title runs with the Miami Heat.

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In other words, James became a thorn in the side of his opponents. These days, though, it is the Warriors who have become a stumbling block for King James.

Not only have they defeated James’ teams seven straight times — something no other team has ever accomplished — they have made one of the greatest players the game has ever seen look mortal.

In the last 10 games between the Warriors and Cavs, James is shooting 32-for-91 (35 percent) when Andre Iguodala is the primary defender. Furthermore, James has played 57 minutes this series with Iguodala on the court.

In those instances, James has scored 34 points on 40 percent shooting from the field.

While some of James’ struggles can be attributed to the fact that the Warriors have the ability to switch and give him multiple looks within a single possession, James hasn’t looked like the four-time MVP that is capable of taking over a game at any moment.

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That being said, James and the Cavaliers do appear to be overmatched at this point in time. And unless they can bounce back with a pair of wins in the next two games, they will be forced to watch the Warriors celebrate winning the title on their home floor for the second straight year.