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Golden State Warriors: 5 keys to beating the Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals

By Gerald Bourguet

January 16, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates in front of Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 16, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates in front of Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Golden State Warriors
January 16, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) and forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrate during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 126-91. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Make the defense pay

The Warriors are the No. 2 offense of the playoffs, boasting 115.8 points per 100 possessions. The Cavaliers are the No. 1 offense of the playoffs, boasting 120.7 points per 100 possessions.

However, there’s a drastic difference on the defensive end. The Warriors were the NBA’s second-best defense in the regular season (101.1) and its best defense in the playoffs (99.1). The Cavs, meanwhile, ranked 22nd in defensive rating during the regular season (108.0) and are third in the postseason (104.6).

Cleveland has actually been the better three-point shooting team during the regular season and the playoffs, but the Warriors have the firepower to make the Cavs pay on the defensive end. They should absolutely do so by sticking with the ball movement that got them here.

Draymond Green has to attack Kevin Love and make plays when he blows by him. Stephen Curry can’t be bottled up by Kyrie Irving’s defense, which only slightly upgrades from “lackluster” to “decent” when he’s locked in.

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    • Kevin Durant has to make LeBron James work if the Cavs stick the King on him, especially since it could make him a little more fatigued on the offensive end. If Cleveland decides to save LeBron’s energy for the offense, KD has to make whoever they stick on him absolutely miserable since no one else on that roster can defend him. If LeBron doesn’t have the stamina to both guard KD and carry the offensive burden, this is one area Golden State could have a huge advantage.

    Meanwhile, Klay Thompson has to win his shooting guard matchup with J.R. Smith, which might not sound like much, but was an uphill battle in last year’s Finals. The Warriors have sneaky good bench depth, and some of those more inexperienced youngsters and aging veterans have to rise to the occasion in limited minutes.

    The Dubs have been a well-oiled machine in the playoffs. Their offense cannot dissolve into too much isolation basketball, especially since they averaged a league-leading 30.4 assists per game during the regular season and a league-leading 27.8 assists per game in the playoffs.

    This is also where defensive rebounding comes back in, because the Warriors need to push the tempo. They’re averaging a league-leading 20.7 fast break points per game in the postseason, compared to just 11.2 per game for the Cavs. That has to stay the same, unlike last year when Cleveland’s 16.4 fast break points per game in the Finals trumped Golden State’s 9.4 per game.

    If the Dubs can continue to play at a the second-fasted pace in the playoffs (102.6) and thrive off transition opportunities, Cleveland’s seventh-fastest pace (97.7) and defense will wilt under the pressure. This team is too smart with its passing and off-ball movement to slip back into bad habits.

    Against such an underwhelming defense, the Warriors have to push the tempo, move the ball and fully exploit Cleveland’s greatest weakness.

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