Finals Live Thread: Game Five, Cavs @ Warriors

Man do I hate the Dubs. I mean nothing gets me as lathered up as a good sports hate, but that team is something else. I spent the last live thread talking about what is so loathsome about Curry, Steph, and KD, and did a liberal amount of quoting from Cullen Galagher’s If You Like the Warriors, You Are a Bad Fan and You Should Feel Bad, Too. I especially appreciated his descriptions of Steph Curry, “whose entire persona can be summed up by the phrase ‘my dad bought this for me,'” mainly because they apply to Klay Thompson too. And we all know that KD is a frontrunning weiner.

But if there’s a proverbial “straw that stirs the drink” for Golden State, it’s Draymond Green. Draymond put on quite a show Friday. From smacking Shump in the head, to picking up two technicals, to getting one rescinded, to clocking Tristan Thompson in the head on a play that wasn’t even reviewed, Dray had quite a night. And remember, Kevin Love got dinged for the weakest flagrant foul call in NBA history after KD whined about getting hit in the noggin.

Draymond also had nothing smart to say after and referred to Clevelanders as “not very sharp,” and then doubling down on that statement again yesterday. It’s safe to say that Dray is a little full of himself. He’s also the key to Cleveland winning this game. Green wants this game desperately, and for all his bravado, you know there’s no way he wants to go back to the North Coast. And Draymond has a history of losing his composure in moments like these. The Cavs need to go at him every second, not necessarily when he’s on defense, but they need to be right next to him goading him at all times. They need pump fakes and prods and pokes in the ribs to try to get himself to do something dumb to get kicked out of the game. And if I’m Richard Jefferson I’m walking near him every time he gets a foul against him and he flails his arm in disgust. Hopefully Dray hits someone and gets himself ejected. I wish they still had Delly.

It’s baffling why Draymond gets the deference he does from NBA officials, because there’s perhaps no one in the NBA who abuses the refs the way ‘Dray does. He intimidates them. The one thing the Cavs need to do is not be intimidated, and they need to be insistent with the refs, without being whiny or lazy on defense. Game four was the first game in which the Warriors didn’t get away with their nonstop defensive fouling. Cleveland must maintain their aggressiveness and put the onus on the officials to make calls or risk this game getting violently out of hand. SI’s Kenny Ducey said it best.

What happened on Friday is best described as shady, just like Dikembe Mutombo prematurely congratulating the 76ers on the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, or the Knicks winning the ’85 lottery. Going back and retroactively removing a foul from Green, keeping him in the game, will live in infamy and fuel even more league conspiracy theories. If anything, it’s making those who truly believe the league influences the outcome of its games and seasons look more rational. Referees need to regain control, and practice transparency and consistency in their calls.

Stopping Green is key because the difference between Green and everyone else at the center spot is stark. Green’s foul trouble has limited Kerr’s ability to play Golden State’s vaunted “Death Lineup.” According to clutchpoints.com, that lineup is killing the Cavs.

The feared lineup has only seen the court for 17 of the total 192 minutes of playing time through four games, netting a 141.7 offensive rating, 69.4 defensive rating.

Meanwhile, Zaza (he who faced no punishment for jabbing at Iman Shumpert’s jewels) was a dumpster fire in game Four, and someone the Cavs will try to consistently exploit in game five. Expect him to play less.

Aside from getting Green to destruct, the key will be maintaining pressure on the Warriors. The longer they aren’t way out in front, the more they’re going to start getting nervous. The question? Will the Dubs’ sense of entitlement, preening, and lack of discipline be their unraveling? God, I hope so.

I would take the same defensive game plan the Cavs had in game one: do not let the shooters get going, even if it means giving up the occasional scrub layup. What needs to change though, is that the Cavs can’t lose KD in transition and just let him go coast to coast (or anyone for that matter).

There are a couple other keys too. First, the Cavs have to start boxing out Steph Curry. He’s averaged over rebounds a game so far in the finals, with double digits in three of the games. It’s also good to do, because leaning on a guy like Steph can sap his legs. Lay some wood on the dude on rebounds. And it’s not just Steph. The Cavs can’t lose the rebounding battle and expect to win. TT, especially, has got to start using positioning, and not just athleticism on rebounds.

Another key is winning the bench minutes. I’m convinced that if Deron Williams plays and doesn’t play well, the Cavs can’t win this game. I’d be much happier seeing Derrick Williams at the two with the Cavs’ jumbo lineup to start the second and fourth quarters, but Lue doesn’t seem included to play that much. Derrick was at his best this year when the Cavs played him as a utility two who could run the floor, dive to the basket, handle a little and hit open threes. He’s a great option against Shawn Livingston, who’s consistently posted up every little guard the Cavs have put on him. I hope Ty has the same thought.

I’m not going to get into the Shump/JR/Kyle debate, but suffice it to say, the Cavs are going to be small a lot. There will be minutes for all three, and they all have to play well.

We know what LeBron and Kyrie can do, and they’ll have to be great. But Kevin Love is my key. He’s been outstanding so far this finals, averaging, 18.5, 11.5 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and a block. His defensive headiness has broken up so many plays. Love’s also shooting 43% from outside, but Kevin has to has to has to start finishing inside. He’s got to go up strong and use one or two pump fakes and a very strong shot to either put the ball in the bucket or go to the line. Kev’s 12-31 inside the arc, and he has to be better and more aggressive. Also, Cleveland has to look for him inside, especially of the Warriors get in foul trouble. If Dray is on Kev or LeBron, and he’s in foul trouble, The Cavs have to go after him on the roll or in the post, and either LeBron or Love have to make him pay.

Golden State feels entitled to this championship, and the Cavs must give no quarter and cause the Warriors to lose their composure. We know they’re capable of doing it to the Dubs and KD. The Cavs played a perfect game from a pace standpoint Friday, running selectively, but conserving energy when they needed to. The pace mastery must continue, and Cleveland must avoid the temptation to get into a fast break contest. They also must take care of the ball. Another 20-4 debacle like game one will give the Dubs the trophy. The long the Cavs’ seem undaunted, the more the Dubs will unravel.

Game five starts in an hour. One game. Just one more game.