Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Keys To Forcing A Game 7

3. Expand bench rotation

Please allow me to be Captain Obvious for just a moment by stating that the Warriors have the deeper team of these two ball clubs. And with multiple players out with injuries, combined with an uncertainty about what the bench may give him, coach Blatt has gone with a seven-player rotation in this series, with Mike Miller playing sparingly in Games 2 and 3.

And while this strategy has been effective for most of Cleveland’s postseason run, it is also flawed at the same time. For example, have you seen how tired the Cavaliers players look down the stretch of the last two games?

These guys are basically running on fumes as the saying goes and that has to do with consistently logging heavy minutes. But rather than taking my word as gospel, here is what James had to say about possibly expanding the rotation after Game 4, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst:

"That’s the coach’s decision if he decides he wants to go deeper in the bench. We haven’t played many guys throughout this playoff run. I think it would help some of the guys that are playing some high minutes, for sure. Just give guys a couple minutes here, a couple minutes there. But I think the coaching staff will try to do what’s best to help us be physically and mentally prepared for Sunday."

So if you’re listening coach Blatt, please utilize your bench to a greater extent. While Miller, James Jones and Shawn Marion are not going to give you 30-40 points per game, they are capable of providing rest for your starting lineup. And if you want your best players to be able to produce in the fourth quarter, they need to be well-rested in order to do so.

Next: No. 2