Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Keys To Beating Golden State Warriors
3. Limit Warriors’ Perimeter Shooting
The Warriors led the league in three-point shooting with a .416 percentage.
Despite having two players who combined for nearly 700 three-pointers between them, the Warriors found themselves trailing the Oklahoma City Thunder 3-2 after five games in the Western Conference Finals.
With the Thunder seemingly in control of the series, the Warriors regained their shooting touch from the promised land. In Game 6, they shot 21-for-44 from distance while limiting OKC to just 3-for-23.
In Game 7, the Warriors converted 17 of their 37 attempts from beyond the arc. In contrast, the Thunder shot just 7-for-27. That’s an astounding 84-point advantage in favor of the Warriors.
Durant: "They beat us from the 3-point line the last two games. We beat them from everywhere else ... that was the series."
— MarkJonesESPN (@MarkJonesESPN) May 31, 2016
Although the Thunder outplayed the defending champions for a majority of the final two contests, the momentum of the series shifted once the three-point shots started falling, allowing the Warriors to continue their quest to become one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
Unless the Cavaliers can find a way to consistently limit the Warriors’ long-range production, they could be facing a similar fate as the Thunder.
Next: No. 2