Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 adjustments for Game 2 of 2017 NBA Finals

2. Pick a different poison/Slow it down

Let’s be honest: The Cleveland Cavaliers could get productive minutes out of Channing Frye, take better care of the ball, enjoy improved minutes from the role players…and still easily lose to this Warriors team. Something has to drastically change in terms of playing style.

In a game where the Dubs shot just 3-for-13 from three-point range in the first half, the Cavs still trailed by eight points. Why? Because they were absolutely WAXED in points in the paint, 42-16.

THAT’S IN THE FIRST HALF, GUYS.

On multiple possessions, Cleveland’s concern with taking away the three-ball opened up wide open lanes to the rim.

Kevin Durant had six dunks in the first half alone, and in at least four of those instances, it was because the primary defender — even in transition — was more worried about defending the three-point line.

This is obviously easier said than done for a below-average defense, but the Cavs have to reverse that trend in Game 2 — protect the paint, prevent easy drives to the rack and force the Warriors to beat them from the outside.

Yes, it sounds crazy. After all, the Dubs are extremely capable of beating teams from the outside if that’s what the defense is giving them.

But in Game 1, all those easy buckets at the rim helped Golden State build confidence and sustain a lead despite a bad start from the outside. Once the Cavs started cutting off those drives to the rim, the long range gunners were completely comfortable with the flow of the game and Stephen Curry blew the game open from downtown in the third quarter.

Giving up 11 offensive rebounds in the first half is not a recipe for success, but the Cavs also have to do a better job picking their poison against such a versatile, dangerous team.

Not letting Kevin Durant prance his merry way down the lane would be a great start, but it goes deeper than that. It’s a dangerous strategy, but the Cavs may need to try and fit a Klay Thompson-shaped peg in a Harrison Barnes-shaped hole.

Thompson has struggled in these playoffs and in his three NBA Finals in general. Through the first three rounds, Klay averaged 14.4 points per game on 38.3 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point range. Those were drastic drop-offs from the 22.3 points per game on 46.8 percent shooting (41.4 percent three-point shooting) he posted during the regular season.

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In his first Finals, Klay averaged 15.8 points per game on .409/.300/.917 shooting splits. Last year, he averaged 19.6 points per game on .427/.350/.786 shooting splits. In Game 1 Thursday night, he played superb defense, but only had six points on 3-of-16 shooting.

With he and Draymond Green combining for just 15 points on 6-of-28 shooting, it might be time to cast them in the Harrison Barnes role and dare them to beat the Cavaliers from three-point range.

Yes, it’s a dangerous method that could easily doom the Cavs if Klay and/or Dray find the stroke. But letting KD waltz down the lane for 38 points and getting lit up by Curry for another 28 isn’t the most advisable strategy either.

For Cleveland, controlling the tempo needs to be a key point of emphasis as well.

The Dubs are unstoppable when they get into a frenetic pace, and Cleveland — for all their three-point prowess — needs to turn this into a half-court game to make it a series.

It sounds barbaric, but the Cavs’ best hope might just be spreading the floor and resorting back to iso-ball. Not only does this allow them to spread the floor and capitalize on the scoring abilities of LeBron, Kyrie and Love, but it also slows the game down, balances the court by putting offensive rebounders in good position and prevent fast breaks for the Warriors.

Game 1 gave Tyronn Lue plenty to chew on. There are no clear-cut answers, but slowing the tempo down, daring a slumping Klay Thompson to beat them and trying to protect the interior first and foremost are all avenues worth exploring.