Golden State Warriors: 5 Adjustments For NBA Finals Game 3
5. Start Strong
Before Game 2 last night, Jerry West said on the pregame show that the Warriors really hadn’t gotten off to a good start at home in the postseason, and he’s not entirely wrong. After the news about Kyrie Irving’s devastating injury surfaced, the Cavaliers were a vulnerable team. The Dubs needed to have that killer disposition last night, and they didn’t have it.
In both games of this series so far, the Dubs have trailed at home. Both halftime deficits were manageable, but Golden State might have been able to built honest-to-God leads had they not fallen behind by double digits early in Game 1 and by seven in Game 2.
Cavs lead 47-46 at halftime. Warriors are 11-0 this postseason when tied or leading at the half, but just 2-3 when trailing at the break.
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) June 8, 2015
On the road this postseason, the Warriors have a 5-2 record and have outscored their opponents by 8.1 points per game, which is actually better than their home point differential in the playoffs (+7.0). In the first quarter, they have a +1.9 point differential on the road compared to an eye-popping -0.8 at home.
In Game 3, the Warriors need to re-establish that they are in the driver’s seat of this series, even if it hasn’t felt that way. A Cavs team without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving — even one led by LeBron James — cannot compete with the Warriors on their best day. Since we’re still waiting for that day to come, Golden State could help its cause by actually getting off to a good start for once.
Next: No. 4