The Cleveland Cavaliers, while down 2-0 in the series, have done one thing right. They have stopped Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry from draining endless amount of threes in their face. Through two games, the two Warriors stars have only scored a combined 47 points so there defense pertaining to those two players has actually been very successful.
They forgot one thing though…the Warriors dominating offense just does not stop there.
They Need To Stop Draymond Green
In Game 2, the Cavaliers focused too much on the Warriors guards and forgot about Draymond Green as he lit them up for five three pointers on his way to 28 points. Green was way more aggressive in Game 2 versus Game 1 and it was mostly because he did not take the advantage of the opportunity that was given to him in Game 1. In Game 2, he saw that the Cavaliers were going to let him beat them in order to win, and he took over at just the right time.
It is tough for the Cavaliers in Game 3 because they know what they need to do to stop Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, but if they try to slow down Draymond too, they know what the Warriors role players are capable of. Refer to the Game 1 box score where Shaun Livingston dropped 20 points.
The Cavaliers need to be near perfect defensively because it seems like that with the attention going towards Thompson and Curry, they are tiring themselves out, leaving such great opportunity for guys like Draymond Green and company.
More Urgent Play
Cleveland could definitely benefit from playing an up-tempo style offense in this game. The Warriors are winning the rebounding battles way too easily causing them way too many second chance opportunities. If Cleveland wants to win Game 3 they need more energy, urgency, and find ways to push the ball up the floor.
Threes Have To Start Falling
Cleveland’s three point shooting has seemed to drop off the face of the earth. They shot 51% against Atlanta, and were better than 40% as a team heading into the finals. If Cleveland was hitting their threes, they would be in this series, no doubt in my mind. But they are 27% through two games. How can you expect to beat the Warriors with those type of numbers? When the Warriors switch defensively, which they do so well, it causes problems for Cleveland because they stop moving the ball. They need to keep ball movement very high in Game 3 to find the open shot. Cleveland tends to shoot the ball better while at home too so that should definitely be a factor in their favor.
