2016 NBA Finals Preview: Warriors vs. Cavaliers
Shooting Guard
Klay Thompson (GSW) vs. J.R. Smith (CLE)
Here’s the big problem with that Kyrie Irving vs. Steph Curry matchup: Even if Kyrie starts getting beat and J.R. Smith could be trusted to do a better job on the league MVP, how on earth would Irving hope to guard the Warriors’ second Splash Brother?
luxury Warriors have that Cavs don't is ability to cross-match in starting backcourt. Klay posts, JR does not, so Curry can guard him
— Rick Noland MG/CT (@RickNoland) May 31, 2016
With all the attention that will be paid to Curry, Klay Thompson represents Golden State’s deadliest weapon. Not only will he be playing better defense on J.R. than he’s seen all postseason, but Thompson is more than capable of sticking it to the Cavs on offense as well.
The Thunder learned as much in their backbreaking Game 6 loss at home, when Thompson carried the Dubs to victory with 41 points an an NBA playoff record 11 three-pointers.
To be fair to Smith, he’s been excellent on both ends of the floor so far in these playoffs. He’s only averaging 12.0 points per game, but they’ve come on an outrageous 46.2 percent shooting from downtown, which is even more impressive when you consider he’s taking 7.6 of them per game.
Unfortunately, the Good J.R. Smith-Bad J.R. Smith paradigm is something we’ve seen before, and as history tells us, having to rely on J.R. Smith playing smart/well to win a championship is not a comforting prospect.
Heading into last year’s Finals, Smith was averaging 13.5 points per game on 39.6 percent shooting from three-point range. What happened in the Finals, when LeBron singlehandedly had to carry Cleveland’s offense? Smith was nowhere to be found, with his numbers plummeting to 11.5 points per game on 29.4 percent shooting from deep.
Thompson wasn’t exceptional in last year’s Finals either, averaging just 15.8 points per game on .409/.300/.917 shooting splits, but in the middle of his finest postseason yet, it’s safe to say he’ll be a bit more comfortable in his second Finals appearance.
If J.R. can heat up, trade buckets with Klay and have one great J.R. Smith performance, the Cavs might have a fighting chance. But more than likely, Thompson’s defense will be the difference and his offense will be much better than last time around.
Advantage: Golden State Warriors
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