Hoops Habit
Fansided

Golden State Warriors: 10 Keys To Beating The Cleveland Cavaliers

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) moves past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) moves past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 11
Next
Golden State Warriors
Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) misses a dunk against Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) during the third quarter in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tony Dejak-Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports /

6. Keeping Cavs Off The Boards

Though they were pitted against the NBA’s best rebounding team in the last round, there are no excuses for the Warriors: They’ve got to be better at keeping their opponents off the glass.

In the conference finals, the Dubs were slaughtered on the boards in their losses, but proved themselves more than capable of handling their business in the victories.

In their three losses, the Dubs gave up 37 offensive rebounds, were outscored 57-31 in second chance points and were out-rebounded by 38 as a whole. In their four wins, they were actually a +3 on the boards, and only a -1 in offensive rebounds and a -5 in second chance points.

Against the Cavaliers, who were the league’s ninth best offensive rebounding team in the league, the Dubs are actually getting a bit of a reprieve in this category after facing three opponents in the top six en route to the Finals.

But with offensive rebounding threats like Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love and LeBron James — especially in a series that may be dominated by small-ball — the Warriors will need to continue their strong effort on the glass and prevent second chance opportunities.

Next: No. 5

Home/Golden State Warriors