Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Keys To Forcing A Game 7
4. Limit transition game
It is no secret that the Warriors are at their best when the game is played at faster pace. Case in point, during the first few games of this series, most of the Cleveland’s offensive sets were isolation plays for James.
And during those sequences, he would back his opponents down, which resulted in him getting a good look at the rim, or kicking it out to an open teammate upon being double-teamed. What was the result of this tactic?
#GSW pushed the tempo and attacked the rim, outscoring #CLE 18-3 in fastbreak points in their 104-91 Game 5 victory.
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) June 15, 2015
Well, not only did this strategy slow the pace of the game down, it also resulted in less scoring opportunities for the Warriors. In fact, in Games 2 and 3, the Warriors scored just 93 and 91 points respectively—their two lowest scoring totals of the series.
It is also worth noting that the Warriors converted just 40 percent of their shot attempts in those contests. And if the Cavs have any hopes of extending their season, they will need to improve on the 18-3 disparity in transition points that we saw in Game 5.
Next: No. 3