Recap: Warriors 103, Cavs 82 (Or, Losing On Their Own Terms)
2015-06-12
The Cavs’ game plan throughout this series has been to shut down the Splash Bros., and let the Warrior’s role players beat them. Well, they got exactly what they asked for tonight. Steve Kerr switched up his starting lineup for this pivotal game four, and it worked out perfectly. He put Andrew Bogut on the bench and started Andre Iguodala at the four. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined to shoot 12-26 for just 31 points. However, Iggy, Harrison Barnes, and Draymond Green combined to go 18-35 for 52 points. They were 10-21 from beyond the arc.
Steve Kerr also started to double-team LeBron James when he was in the post, and trapped him on pick and rolls. LeBron made the correct passes tonight, but it just didn’t matter. The Cavs went 4-27 from 3-point land. Tonight wasn’t one to remember, but let’s remember it anyways.
First Quarter
The Cavs opened the first quarter on a 7-0 run without LeBron scoring a single point. They turned on the offensive rebound vacuuming machine named Tristan Thompson to get two o-boards in the first two minutes. LeBron even grew eyes on the back of his head and hit the Mozerati with a no-look back tap for a dunk on the break. After Iman Shumpert followed that up with a 3-pointer, the Warriors had to call a rage timeout.
Stephen Curry nailed a quick three out of the timeout, and the two teams traded baskets for several minutes. The Cavs focused on moving the ball a little more, and keyed in on player match-ups more than ever. Matthew Dellavedova tried to post up Curry. Mozgov posted up Green. Tristan even posted up a little bit. And, for the most part, the Cavs got quality looks, but their shots stopped dropping. After hitting seven of their first nine shots in the quarter, the Cavs went 4-14. They kept shooting the ball early in the shot clock and running a little bit more than they did in the previous three games.
During the final six minutes of the quarter, the Warriors punished the Cavaliers for trying to make their role players beat them by going on a 19-8 run. The Cavs kept trapping Curry, and played off of Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, and Iggy. Barnes, Green, and Iggy combined for 19 points in the quarter. The Warriors finished up, 31-24.
Second Quarter
The second quarter started with Leandro Barbosa cutting to the hoop for an easy layup from David Lee. Then Klay Thompson broke loose, due to some miscommunication, to drain a 3-pointer. The Cavs continued to push the ball to the post. In fact, the longest Cavalier make of the quarter was from nine feet away. TT and Mozgov kept the Cavs alive by combining for 11 of the Cavs 18 points, seven coming off of offensive boards. The Cavs tried to pass out of the post for three pointers, but they managed to miss all six of their attempts.
Cavs 2nd Quarter Shots
LeBron put up five points, but seemed rattled after Andrew Bogut fouled him hard at the rim with 4:43 left in the quarter. The King slammed headfirst into the camera of one of the camera men on the baseline. He came up bloodied and missed three of his next four free throws. I thought LeBron was going to come out firing after the fall, but he seemed content sitting back and not holding onto the ball.
The Warriors continued to capitalize on open shots and driving lanes. Draymond Green hit a wide open three, drove in and canned a ten-foot floater, and drew two fouls for four free throws off of offensive rebound putbacks. The Cavs stuck to their game plan defensively, and the Warriors made them pay going into halftime up 54-42. Stephen Curry had just eight points on 3-9 shooting though.
Third Quarter
The quarter started out with Draymond Green getting open when Curry was trapped on a pick and roll play. Curry found Green rolling, who then hit up a wide open Iggy. Iggy canned the resulting 3-pointer. However, Delly responded with two threes in a row. He followed that up with a turnover, but Draymond missed the three. This was the one stretch in the game where everything started working for the Cavs. The King missed a three the next possession, but TT put it back to bring the Cavs within nine.
LeBron then capped a 10-2 Cavs run by backing down Iggy and two other Warriors on the left side of the hoop. He pump faked, got two guys off their feet, and stepped through for the easy shot. With 5:11 left, the Cavs were within three points, 65-62. However, the Cavs couldn’t get any closer in the quarter, despite grabbing nine offensive rebounds, which led to six points. They only scored four more points on non-rebounding action for the quarter.
The Warriors role players, on the other hand, continued being professional basketball players. Harrison Barnes and Iggy both had seven points in the action, hitting open 3-pointers and driving to the rim for free throws. Curry then ended the run of poor endings to third quarters when he nailed a three to end the period, and put the Warriors up six, 76-70.
For the Cavs, the play of the quarter came when Delly tapped away a Curry pass, ran down the court and hit LeBron with a lob for an authoritative dunk.
Fourth Quarter
Down just six points, a visibly gassed LeBron started the quarter on the bench. This proved to be fatal. The Warriors took a missed shot the first possession for an easy fast break layup. James Jones followed that up by dropping the ball out of bounds. Delly then dribbled around for a few seconds before launching a leaning layup, which he missed. The Cavs didn’t score for nearly three minutes and by that point the Warriors were back up by ten.
With eight minutes left, Curry ran off a screen and drained a 3-pointer. Iggy added another one a possession later to put the Warriors up 14. The Cavs didn’t stand a chance as their 3-ball was dead for this game. Mozgov continued to get touches down low and made a layup and 5-6 free throws. The Cavs starters exited with three minutes left to go, and the Warriors finished the remaining minutes with ease.
Hypes
1. The Cavs offense wasn’t just LeBron ISOs. There was some more passing, and even some attempts at drives by the guards. Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson even got some post-up chances. It was refreshing to see, although I’m not sure it was the most effective approach.
2. As mentioned in the opening paragraph, the Splash Brothers were limited tonight. The Cavs were still trapping them, or switching on pick and rolls, which ensured they weren’t getting too many easy shots.
3. This is a controversial take, but it needs to be stated. The Cavs defense played well according to their game plan. The Warriors simply nailed the open shots they have been missing this series. The major problems defensively came when the Cavs tried to close out on open shooters. Their close outs were half hearted, and resulted in some Warriors offensive rebounds, since the Cavalier bigs were often away from the rim stopping one of the Splash Brothers from penetrating or shooting.
4. Timofey Mozgov was an absolute animal tonight. Each time he received the ball in the post, he was calculated with his moves. He took his time and managed to go 9-16 for 28 points, which is his career high for points. He even hit a silky 15 footer and made 10-12 free throws. He had six offensive rebounds and four defensive ones.
5. Tristan Thompson also had a nice offensive performance getting 12 points on 6-10 shooting to go with 13 boards (six offensive rebounds).
6. Iman Shumpert did a really great job denying the ball on whomever he covered. His ability to stay inches from his man, while still knowing where the ball is at, is very impressive. A lot of times, guys will guard someone tightly only to let them receive the ball with a high pass because they have no clue where the ball is coming from.
Gripes
1. The Cavs should have made some adjustments when Iggy showed he could hit his 3-pointers. He went 4-9 from deep. LeBron also gave up two Iggy fast breaks off makes because he didn’t get back down the court. In the Finals, that just can’t happen. Those four points could have really meant something if the Cavs had caught up in the third quarter.
2. The Cavs shot 4-27 from 3-point land. That just has to improve. Maybe practice needs to feature more shooting drills.
3. J.R. Smith needed the highlights of his night to not involve a Segway. He shot 0-8 from deep, and on one possession in the fourth quarter he missed three 3s. David Blatt needs to run some set plays to get J.R. layups. At this point, Smith just needs to see the ball drop.
4. The Cavs needed LeBron to play more ISO ball. At times, the Cavs ran a little too much, which was exactly what the Warriors wanted them to do. A few more LeBron post ups might have limited the Warriors’ ability to get out on the break so easily and score before the Wine & Gold defense got set.
5. The Cavs needed to go deeper into their bench. When J.R. and Iman just couldn’t hit shots, Mike Miller or Shawn Marion should have gotten a little bit of run. The Cavs aren’t going to win with the Warriors doubling LeBron if they don’t hit their open 3-pointers.
6. Matthew Dellavedova needs to refocus himself on the offensive end of the floor. He was quick to pull the trigger from deep, shooting nine 3s and making just two. He also seemed rushed on pick and rolls, deciding what he wanted to do before reading the situation. His defense wasn’t as stifling this game (possibly lingering effects from Game 3), but it was still well above average despite him often getting matched up on a bigger shooting guard.
7. Draymond Green got six assists tonight. He’s at his best when he is able to drive and kick. The Cavs will need to send a wing man to him when he’s rolling to the hoop, or have the man by the rim come out farther from the hoop to force him to make a rushed decision. Draymond did hit some floaters over big guys, but I think that’s better than him getting the Warriors even more open shots.
The Cavs are in a good position to succeed in game five. The Warriors just had a game where their three main role players started hitting shots. What are the chances that happens again? The Cavs just had a game where their shooters made nothing, and the King scored just twenty points and missed five free throws. LeBron will most likely have a bounce back game, and the Cavs 3-point shooting can’t possibly stay this poor. If the Warriors have another performance like this in game five, David Blatt will have to reconsider how he is playing defense.
HOPEFULLY JR CAN ” SEGWAY ” INTO SOME 3 PT MAKES TONIGHT—WE ALL NEED TO GET RE-ENERGIZED FOR TONIGHT’S GAME —-
WILL THE REAL JR “SWISH ” PLEASE STAND UP—ENOUGH SAID GO CAVS !!
On to the next one
KJG on Delly down south:
http://kingjamesgospel.com/2015/06/13/matthew-dellavedova-dellymania-down-under/
Lebron hasn’t had his usual efficient game of this series yet let’s hope it happens tomorrow because the Cavs will definitely need it.
I believe that Blatt will begin with his usual starting 5 but if things don’t go well he will insert JJ in and go small.
I think a few post touches for TT would help the Cavs offense. I expect the Cavs defense to be great again like in games 1-3.
Ayesha Curry disses Cavs Fan after Game 4:
Nothing like #roaracle arena!!! Riley slept through the entire first half both nights here in Cleveland! Can’t wait to get back home to the bay!!! #2moretogo We bring the noise in the bay.
Cavs fan ga come correct in Game 6 then
If everyone pumped as much artificial noise into the arena as Golden State does, players would exit the league with hearing problems.
I will never understand why people put foolish stuff on twitter. If she wants to say “looking for to the great crowd at the Oracle for game 5!”, say it. But her tweet makes her sound like an unlikable clown.
Should be “looking forward to”…serves me right for typing on my phone.
So what did it mean when Riley was yawning like crazy on her Daddy’s lap in interviews at the Oracle? Steph is boring? She’s a toddler. Who cares? Steph’s and Clay’s helicopter parents are getting annoying in these series. What will their Mommy and Daddy say next? 8-) The world is waiting!!
Twitter has to be the worst invention in the history of man that isn’t a weapon of mass destruction . . . it’s just people you don’t know, whose opinions don’t matter to anyone, broadcasting to the world what you would have been perfectly happy not to know, which is that they’re idiots. The perpetual irritation machine.
She should feel free to fire out some more witty bon mots like “Riley is witnessing history, a reigning MVP hasn’t been humiliated in the playoffs by the real best player like this in 20 years #MALONE #ROBINSON #BARKLEY”
I’d start Delly, JR, LBJ, JJ, and Mozgov game 5. Here’s why: 1. Playing a 4 out/1 in style should open up the middle of the floor for LBJ to get going early. We should especially be able to expose GSW’s lack of size and rim protection with the floor spread. 2. JR has had a ton of success this year when he’s surrounded by other scoring threats. He’s struggled when he’s forced to be one of the main scoring threats; Having LBJ, JJ, and Mozgov on the floor at the same time hopefully will get him some open looks… Read more »
I would love to see this lineup get more time but I doubt that Blatt changes the starting rotation. Just doesn’t strike me as something he is really willing to do. We will see tho.
It is unfortunate that I don’t think he will either. I think the main reason that LBJ has had trouble with his shooting percentage this series is that he’s always faced with help in 1 way or another because of the personnel on the floor. A) We’re playing both Mozgov and Tristan which clogs the paint. Or B) We’re playing both Shumpert and Delly which enables GSW to sag on both guards and double/help on LeBron. When you think the Delly, JR, LBJ, JJ, Mozgov lineup has gotten less than 3 minutes the entire series, it means there’s been almost… Read more »
I tend to agree with both of you JMay & Dan re: Blatt’s reluctance to change the starting 5 at this point. However, He did replace JR with Shumpert and Miller with TT in these playoffs… maybe that indicates he’s more willing to change than we may think?
I think you may have a point here, Dan… it’s not a bad idea at all. I think the only difference would be that Mozerati would take Iggy, rather than the Champ, just based on what we’ve seen in the finals so far.
I also love the idea of getting the Champ in there with Mozerati more often. As you said, it would spread the defense out a bit and leave the paint more open. The more I’ve thought about your idea, the more I like it…. great post!
Also, I forgot to add, given that GSW has gone smaller with their starting lineup, the lineup Dan proposes actually makes even more sense… switching out the Champ and TT. You can still go inside to Moz on the post, and they would be reluctant to send help… Dan, again, good work!
Really good post on game 4
http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2015/06/12/narratives-depth-and-shots-that-go-in/
Terrific article that really debunks the popular narratives being espoused elsewhere on the major media sites…
Yes, MikeO. I consider that the most definitive article regarding game 4. It’s a make or miss league.
The pace numbers are what I find most surprising. So I guess it was just more Golden State shots going in that made it SEEM like the pace was faster than in the prior games.
Does any of you guys know where I can find more detailed NBA stats other than NBA.com or espn.com.
lhttp://www.basketball-reference.com/ It’s easier to navigate on this site
http://www.basketball-reference.com/
Thanks!!…………….
Great recap, David… written very well. My game 4 prediction was about as bad as my game 3 prediction was good… hopefully game 5 & 6 can put me above .500! Obviously most everyone here saw the same thing… Cavs were just dead tired. Game 3 was a tremendous effort, and LBJ has correctly pointed out that the NBA did the Cavs NO favors by giving GSW extra rest at home, while giving the Cavs only one day off every home game. Just more adversity to overcome. Also, many here have pointed out the same thing as far as adjustments… Read more »
Also David, and others, great point about going inside with TT/Moz…. Green was in foul trouble the 2nd half. I think they found something new to exploit going forward.
Good points. We have to get some fresh legs out there. Maybe Harris and Miller. When the dubs put in Bogus for his five minutes, I would put in KP to cover him; scare the crap out of Bogus, and maybe anyone attacking the rim. We have KP, we need to use him.
Thanks, Raoul. I don’t think we’ll see much of Bogut anymore, but I thought the same thing as you if in fact we do see him on the court. If Kerr decides to use Bogut for 5 minutes, why not put Perk in there to rough things up for 5 minutes, and spell TT/Moz?
I REALLY want to see what Harris can give us. He should be able to run circles around anyone else on the Warriors given his lack of playing time all playoffs long (Similar to what we saw immediately following the David Lee insertion during game 3. And, like it was described by JR earlier, each guy only has to do his part. We wouldn’t be asking Harris to run the offense or rebound heavily, just stick with your man on D and hit shots on O. I think he’s up for the challenge.
Man, I feel the same way as you do JMay! I think Tom made the point in a different post that playing Harris a lot during the earlier part of the year helped him see what the NBA game is like, even if the playoffs are a different animal. I thought that point by JR you brought up was on the money… all Harris would have to do is exactly what you said, “stick with your man on D and hit shots on O.”
I’m enjoying you regardless of what happens. You have changed these last month for all of us in such a beautiful that everyone looks forward to watching the game including the haters. With that been said I do believe you will rise to the occasion. Thank you in advance.
One stat I just checked: the Warriors have never lost 3 straight this year. They are a great team. We need to take them out on their home court one more time. That is how it is.
You know whats crazy and annoying when the announcers talk about how deep GSW are. We have a deeper roster. We go 10 deep with people you can put on the floor for extended minutes in the NBA finals and feel good. The problem is 3 are injured. I realize that health has some non luck factors and that all three of our players that are hurt seem to be injury prone. But that all three of them are hurt at the same time is a huge fluke. And that GS doesn’t have a single injury on a team with… Read more »
Don’t get me started on this. The fact that the media talks about GSW’s depth advantage with no mention of our injury situation is so infuriating.
I’m not surprised in the least bit. The nat’l media loves the “no excuses” narrative, especially in regards to Cleveland. It’s just typical national media bias. They always cater toward larger markets, anyways. Plus its REALLY easy to jump on the “hate Cleveland” train. I think one of the differences between sports teams/cities that deal with regular failure is that it seems like the general population actively roots for us to fail rather than just us failing on our own. Maybe thats just me being a homer but I am attempting to be as objective as possible.
I agree with most of you guys and I think is key that the Cavs hit first or at least don’t let the Warriors build a lead early like they did yesterday.
And I know that the Cavs can’t take away everything from the Warriors offense but leave totally wide open is not going to cut it either.
Let’s hope they can adjust and get the W. Either way they have done great. Go Cavs!!!
Could we just get TWO more Finals games that don’t involve either Joey Crawford or Tony Brothers?? Is that really too much to ask?
http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2015/story/_/id/13065011/some-cleveland-cavaliers-feel-team-benefit-giving-more-players-minutes
It will be very interesting to see if we go to a deeper rotation or not. Even with an extra day of rest before Game 5, I think the biggest challenge to us winning the series is that about half of our 7 man rotation are VERY worn down. That’s my biggest concern – it was going into Game 4 and even more so afterwards when it seemed like we were running on fumes.
Windy story so of course he gives it a confrontational flavor…”players have begun to privately grumble that Blatt needs to use his whole roster”
Windhorst was the guy who said that Varejao was possibly ready for the finals. He’s basically a fiction writer who gets published by ESPN.
Any story that combines the words “Windhorst” and “internal” make me roll my eyes.
He does an okay job, but he adds a gossipy angle to seemingly every story. He sometimes sounds like a 13 year old girl tittering at a slumber party.
I’m relatively certain he writes his articles based on an extrapolation off of one word that he overhears out of context. As Wray92 writes, Windhorst is basically just a fiction writer at this point. He lost his inside scoop long ago. Guy is just looking for clicks.
Agree that Windy is a dork. But, only using seven players in a finals game on only two days rest is somewhat crazy. I understand why coaches get conservative about everything they do, but you must acknowledge fatigue. Especially since Delly hardly made it through game three. Miller looked pretty good when he has been in so far. Finally, why in the world didn’t Haywood and Marion get in at the end? Give these guys a minute of worldwide TV time. I realize it is always easy to see what to do after the action is over. I am still… Read more »
Don’t know if this was linked yet, but Zach Lowe, as always, offers excellent analysis: https://grantland.com/the-triangle/nba-finals-game-4-attack-of-the-small-ball-warriors/ I was worried we’d get blown out of Game 4 because the Warriors finally became the Warriors again, but that isn’t what seemed to happen. We got blown out because we were gassed, we didn’t accept that and try marion and miller for a while, and because their secondary players hit open shots and ours didn’t. I can totally live with that. Recap is exactly right, we lost on our own terms, and that means we’re still playing on our terms. I can’t believe… Read more »
Great post, Joey B… Amen!
Finally! A writer that has some advice for Cavs. So irritated on the obnoxious over the top advice ESPN was giving Warriors while ignoring Cavs, They really believe 99% of country is rooting Warriors.
Great to see predominantly positive responses this morning. An extra day off between Games 3 and 4 probably would have helped the short-handed and clearly gassed Cavs. They’re never going to use that as an excuse, but clearly Delly and LeBron didn’t have their usual legs. With the extra day off before Game 5, hopefully they can recover better (maybe they should try and get Bron’s cryo-chamber on the team plane). On some level, I felt this kind of game was coming. This was a must win for the Warriors. Now it’s the best of three. The one thing I… Read more »
I agree. I found myself really surprised how not worried I am. I have been expecting Golden State to just explode over the hump at some point once they realized they were in the Finals, and that didnt’ happen. Even exhausted, we played decent defense. A few tweaks, some regression to the mean 3pt shooting, an extra day of rest, and I fully expect the same type of game as the first three. All out hard core fight. GS is finally awake and feeling confident again, but the Cavs don’t feel defeated. This is, to the surprise of everyone, I… Read more »
I completely agree Cavs were gassed and played poorly. But I also feel that the refs were calling fouls on Mozgov that were clearly not fouls, as well as not calling fouls that were just good defense. Not only on the Cavs but on the Warriors.
Yeah I try not to complain about refs because usually bad calls go both ways, but you could see our energy drop somewhat when we weren’t getting the Mozgov offensive foul calls that we got last game, and the fact that the whistles were swallowed when anyone was scoring in the paint. Especially when Crawford was straight up screaming at Moz to shut up, anyone else catch that? Was a rough night from the refs, especially at home.
The league needs to tighten the verticality rule up amongst the referees. You can’t call the exact same plays “no-call verticality” in game 3 and then call them blocking fouls in game 4. And yes I saw Crawford yelling at Moz to “shutup” – what an A-hole. Moz had a legit beef given the discrepancy on the calls between games 3 and 4.
NBA Refs are just horrible. All season long. Bad, bad, bad. I usually like Crawford, especially when compared to Tony Brothers (Blekh) but I do NOT like Crawford yelling at Moz. There needs to be a mutual respect between players and refs and if a ref is running around screaming at players to shut up on national television, it doesn’t do much for that relationship. Not to mention the Cavs have consistently gotten hammered all playoffs. Its hard and frustrating to put your body on the line every night when you aren’t being rewarded for the hard work or aren’t… Read more »
Moz to reporter: Get that weak stuff outta here:
https://twitter.com/AminESPN/status/609225070507069440
Game 4 thoughts: To have a shot heading into the 4th with LeBron playing through a serious laceration and potentially mild concussion and with Delly having to ask out due to cramping, following the night in the hospital… once we’ve gone from underdogs to perhaps favorites and certainly media darlings and when the Warriors have way more urgency to win Game 4 than us… and under the spectre of one Mr. Joey Crawford… to have a shot heading into the 4th is pretty remarkable considering the guys we have out, let’s note. But that kind of three-point shooting night ain’t… Read more »
Anyone else see the Bogut quote where he says LeBron actually jumped into the cameraman? What a joke.
I don’t think Lebron jumped into the cameraman but he definitely was trying to sell the foul aka flopping and unfortunately he ended up hitting his head in the process.
Are you touched?
Wtf? He didn’t need to sell a foul. The whistle blew before his feet hit the floor
With an extra day off before game 5, I expect the Cavs to be sharper and make it a grindfest, a lot like games 1 and 2. Hopefully the good guys win and come home with a chance to close out. A few points of emphasis: –Control the pace better. Even if Moz is in the post with a big size advantage, don’t feed him the ball with 15 or 18 left on the shot clock. –Free LeBron! Screen Iggy and make the Warriors switch. –Have JR or JFJ feed LeBron in the post instead of Delly, so it’s a… Read more »
These are all great suggestions.
Agree, great suggestions, Phil! I really noticed that it seemed like the Cavs were not setting many picks, not only for LeBron, but also for their outside shooters…
Zach Lowe mentioned the need for more picks for the shooters also. Through the season I guess they got shooters open mainly by letting LeBron and Kyrie break down the D to force help.
A lot of what was critiqued in the recap here as needing to be “fixed”- 4-27 from deep (need shooting practice?); Lebron not driving as much; not getting back on fast breaks (can’t happen?) slow close outs on rotations….can all be traced back to one thing: tired legs. These are the types of things that would kill a 7 man rotation playing their third game in five nights. Also, a lot of what was applauded in the recap- ball movement, interior presence from Mozzy/TT- were a direct result of the game situation. The ball movement was happening because for the… Read more »
Well said, and I couldn’t agree more. Though I also think that a mental aspect is affecting JR’s shot, which contributes to the 4-27 from deep showing and his offensive absence in the series. But yes, the fatigue was glaring in the 4th quarter but I think it was there after the 1st. Really hoping an extra day of rest helps our guys, and JR can get back to hitting those contested shots he supposedly likes to make so much. Warriors are guarding well, but he’s had open looks that haven’t gone in. I know this is what you get… Read more »
Great Recap. Absolutely agree with every point. I was not a fan of that fast pace to start the game even with our guys doing well. It’s GSWs game, they are going to win every game the Cavs play like that. They needed more Le-ISO but so hard to demand so much of that of him for every single game. For the rest of the gripes, I think you can pin them all on exhaustion. JR hasn’t been that bad in awhile. Whenever you constantly defer to Delly and Shump creating shots in the closing seconds of the clock you… Read more »
I really need to see 2 things: 1) Some hard fouls on Curry and Thompson and Green. I mean some real eastern conference fouls. 2) Marion on Livingston for some minutes. At worst thats a draw for the Cavs. With the guys being gassed like they are, it seems a no brainer.
On another note, I personally don’t think you can be a legit MVP and REFUSE to go in the lane like Curry. Its pretty incredible.
I really like the Marion on Livingston idea. Livingston, though not a good shooter, has been productive against smaller defenders. Marion would give him trouble . . . and give the other guys a rest.
The only problem with playing Marion is he kills any advantage on offense. He can’t shoot and he isn’t an elite rebounder. So are you playing him for TT or Shump? Maybe Marion, Shump, Lebron TT and Moz. Go super big when one of the Splash brothers is out But they play a lot so thats a only 3 minutes a half. James Jones can cover Livingston and Iguadala and he offers Shooting on offense. Marion is a slightly better shooting version of TT thats no where near the defender or rebounder at this point in his career.
Hey guys, if there’s a list of fans that have declared to be “All In” until the end of the series . . . put my name on that list.
JR and Shump need to get out of their funk and find a way to get a little more open or be in rhythm to make their shots.
Key for game 5 is to win if it is close. We can’t afford to go into game 6 behind AND exhausted.
As Shump’s rap song says, They need to play their funky azz down, So do it!
i agree with other posters here. This loss is really not as devastating, Cavs were tired played like they didnt care etc. Warriors needed the win and got it done. I think 2 days rest will be huge for our squad. We take game 5 then home court is with us again.
I think the Warrior’s offensive lineup changes are getting over-hyped. Even with those changes, we played really good half-court D, bottled up Curry and Thompson again, etc. The difference was their D and our O. By doubling LBJ and forcing him to pass more, they forced us to take quick shots. This sped up the game a bit AND led to more transition offense for Warriors. It also caused us to have to expend more energy. When the game slowed to half-court pace, we were just as effective as Gs 1-3. In general, the most impressive thing about the Ws… Read more »
I agree on the lineup change hype. It’s bothering me that David Blatt has coached circles around him in this series, but there are lots of headlines this morning about his genius decision to insert GS’s best player this series into the starting lineup.
The “he” here is Kerr, just to clarify.
Yeah, this idea of GS running some sort of idyllic, glorious offense is mostly manufactured. They blew out so many teams all year by transition buckets.
One thing that Lebron said at the podium that have me confident was that when he was asked going to GS for Game 5 would that be one of the hardest games/arenas to play or something to that extent ? He answered like like if you told me in the beginning of the year we would be 2-2 in the finals I would take that. He also said like going to the TD Garden being down 2-3 and having never beaten that franchise is more than going to Oracle for Game 5. I like that mentality like I’ve been there… Read more »
I really don’t think this loss is as bad as we’re going to make it out to be. This game was still played on our terms. We got gassed there at the end, but other than that the difference is that they made more shots than they should and we made less. We were 4-27 from 3… Make that an expected 9 or 10-27 and all of the sudden it’s within 6. I might just be grasping for straws but I really feel like this was fools gold for GSW. I like our chances game 5
Exactly we couldnt buy a bucket from 3 and that really killed us, they outscored us by 24 at the 3 which was basically the game. They shot 47% which we cant allow again especially with them being home. Role players need to step up big time on the road especially our NYK guys
I agree with this. We played as bad as we possibly could, but were down only 3 at the end of the 3rd. In the 4th we were just gassed and collapsed. If 2 days is enough for us to get our legs back, Game 5 will be another coin toss game. And we just gotta hope LBJ gets a little more help.
We hit a couple 3’s and I think that would have got Lebron going. Not just because the defense might have played differently but it mentally exhausting when no one can score. Also we didn’t have the juice that we did in the first three games. They had 3 offensive rebounds in the first quarter and 2 were really bad. We need to win 80% of the 50/50 balls. The game was pretty even except for 6 minutes in the first quarter and we didn’t hit a shot nor play our best defense. The extra days rest is a bigger… Read more »
Could someone get the stick out of Joey Crawford’s a**? Cavs couldn’t make an outside shot to save their lives, hopefully some of those go down next time. I think it is a matter of adjusting to shooting while tired.
The Cavs played like they changed their game plan from the opening tip. I’m not sure the reasoning — guys are not as healthy as the team is stating, they saw the Warriors lineup change and reacted, whatever — but they can’t play like that again. JR, please become the flamethrower we all know you to be. Or go down in infamy.
This is what this version of the Cavs look like when Lebron is human. Even with all that, and the fact that GS played well, the second half could have been a different story if some high variance shots went in. As it happened, I think most of those looks weren’t great (they were either by not great shooters or were decently defended), but if they had shot even, say, 34% on threes, that may have been a different game.
I’m pretty much fine with Delly never taking 9 threes ever again.