Golden State Warriors: 5 Keys To Closing Out The Finals

2. Match Their Desperation

Other than the first half of Game 5, J.R. Smith has been a disaster, shooting 30.6 percent from the field and 26.2 percent from three-point range. Iman Shumpert is shooting a catastrophic 27 percent from the floor and Matthew Dellavedova has gone 5-for-23 from the floor (and 3-for-14 from downtown) in the last two games — ever since everyone was ready to anoint him as the Curry Stopper.

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For the series, Delly is now shooting 30 percent from the floor, Tristan Thompson is at 47.4 percent and no one outside of LeBron James can score now that small-ball lineups have relegated Timofey Mozgov to the bench. But in a Game 6 at home, in an elimination game, the Cavaliers no longer have anything to lose. They’re a group of wild animals backed into a corner.

When the Warriors had their backs against the wall, they rattled off two straight wins. In Game 4, the Dubs played desperate to avoid falling into a 3-1 hole and because they needed to take back home-court advantage. In Game 5, they played desperate because they needed to take control of the series and avoid facing an elimination Game 6 on the road.

Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes came back to life, Stephen Curry started shooting the lights out and Kerr made bold personnel decisions that have altered the course of the series. Shorthanded as they are, the Cavaliers have the best player in this series and he is going to have his team motivated for Game 6. Cleveland’s role players will be similarly ready.

That being said, there aren’t two days of rest this time around. The Cavs are exhausted and the Warriors want to close as soon as possible, so Game 6 provides a golden opportunity. For the Dubs to close out this series on the road, they’ll need to match Cleveland’s desperation and play with their own sense of urgency from the opening tip.

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