Cleveland Shows the Value of the Paint--and the True MVP
The Cleveland Cavaliers lead the Golden State Warriors 2-1 in the 2015 NBA Finals but the score could easily be 3-0 either way. Cleveland may be halfway toward completing an improbable upset but Golden State may come back and cap off a 67 win season with a championship. Since the outcome is still in doubt, it would be premature to make definitive conclusions about what we have seen so far.However, there are some trends that seem to be emerging, including the value of having an "inefficient" superstar who attracts a lot of defensive attention and the way that post play, team defense and rebounding can overcome analytics-driven small ball.
At The Roar, I discuss some of the things we have learned from the first three games of the Finals:
Cleveland Shows the Value of the Paint--and the True MVP
Labels: 2015 NBA Finals, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, LeBron James, Matthew Dellavedova, Stephen Curry, Timofey Mozgov
posted by David Friedman @ 11:20 PM
4 Comments:
I said before the series that this reminds me of the 2012 Finals with Golden State's youth and inexperience possibly being exploited by LeBron's greatness. Unlike 2012 though, I don't think that Golden State will go down 3-1. Steph Curry has found his shot and I think this will fuel a game 4 GSW victory that will lead to a game 5 home victory which will ultimately lead to a seventh game which could go either way.
What I do know is that 20 Second Timeout is the only place that is providing rational, intelligent analysis of these Finals that is free of any petty bias or mindlessly over-the-top, self-serving narratives but then again, this is always the case.
Anonymous:
It is hard to predict what will happen next. It is clear how each team wants to play but not clear which team will successfully impose that style.
Thank you for the compliment about 20 Second Timeout.
My 2 cents...
Warriors has consisently fallen behind in the first few minutes of the game. Maybe it is time for a change in the starting lineup. David Lee in lieu of Draymond Green and Andre Igoudala in lieu of Harrison Barnes. Mainly to fix some offense issues. Bogut can serve to negate Lee's defensive deficiencies and Igoudala can guard LBJ right off the bat. Lee as the release valve when Curry is double teamed at the top of the key will not cause the warriors to change their offense philosophies. Igoudala guarding LBJ will hopefully not let LBJ get into a good offensive groove and stifle the cavs' offensive flow. Curry can play into the first few minutes of the second quarter to anchor the warriors' second unit offense. Green coming in for Bogut in the latter part of the 1st quarter should quicken the pace which the warriors sorely need.
Jackson888:
Not a bad call on your part.
Warriors started Iguodala for Bogut in game four and it worked out nicely for them, though I think that Cavaliers should have limited Smith's minutes in favor of Mozgov, as noted in my most recent article.
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