Golden State Warriors: 5 keys to beating Cavaliers in 2018 NBA Finals

3. Don’t give LeBron what you gave Harden

Curry let the Rockets hunt him in isolation. Sure, he fought to prolong the switch, but neither he nor the Warriors went out of their way to avoid it.

The No. 1 reason for this is that Curry can guard Harden. Not in such a way that the matchup was an advantage for Golden State, but he was able to take away Harden’s preferred shots — pull-up 3s and free throws — and force him to use time and energy.

There needs to be much more effort in keeping Curry off of James.

While Harden tired out attacking Curry in isolation, James will tire out Curry. He’s bigger, more physical and more explosive. We’ve seen him wear down Curry before. We’ve also seen James fatigue Curry mentally, picking spots to focus more on showing his rival up than making the optimal play in the moment.

That’s all secondary to this: Bron can thrive against Curry in a way Harden did not. Cleveland will not be playing into Golden State’s hands by hunting this mismatch, nor will it be doing so by targeting any Warriors’ big not named Green.

The six points Festus Ezeli gave LeBron on back-to-back possessions with about five minutes left in the 2016 NBA Finals were arguably more crucial than The Block and The Shot. Looney and Bell are far better in space than Ezeli, but still horrendous options. James can outsmart Bell — a jumpy, overeager help defender — and outskill the slow, ground-bound Looney.

To avoid Curry guarding James, Kerr can take two approaches. He can put Curry on Cleveland’s worst screeners (Smith or Jeff Green) and trap the pick-and-roll, forcing one of these guys to make a play. Alternatively, he can get more intricate with off-ball switching, having Curry and a teammate swap duties as Curry’s man is called over to set the pick.

This latter strategy can lead to breakdowns, and only works when the Warriors go small. This, of course, is also the quickest path to keeping traditional 5s off of James — just don’t play them. I called for Green to play more center than ever against Houston, but Iguodala’s injury made that impossible.

If his absence continues, trapping the pick-and-roll will be the preferred way to save Looney and Bell. James can hit Thompson on the roll if he wants, so long as Golden State’s help guys are locked in from start to finish.