Live Thread: Cavs @ Warriors, NBA Finals Game 2

Live Thread: Cavs @ Warriors, NBA Finals Game 2

2016-06-05 Off By Nate Smith

That’s right, True Believers. The biggest Cavs game of the season is here, and it’s even bigger than the last biggest game. Many consider tonight’s win a “must” if the Cavs have a shot at winning the whole shebang. According to Oddshark, NBA teams are 16-257 all-time after trailing 0-2 in a best-of-seven series. Only two of 56 squads have prevailed since 2009. So unless the Cavs want to climb out of a really big hole , they need to play much better tonight (though I’m wearing my “Rise Up!” 2007 Playoffs T-Shirt to prove it is possible). There has been a mountain of content dedicated to what the Cavs did wrong, and what Warriors did right in Game 1, but to me, Game 1 was all about the Cavs’ playing poorly, more than it was about the Warriors playing fantastically.

Here are things Cleveland must do better.

  1.     The Cavs need to roll! Someone must consistently put LeBron as the roll man, and he must roll, and not just pivot into a high post. Below, LeBron ignores the wide open space by the basket in order to settle for a mismatch. He must slip the pick! He or TT has a layup or JR has a three if he does. This is a part of an overall trend of moving on offense. Or as Ben Werth said to me in an email, “Why can’t LeBron just roll? For the love of my departing sanity. What a frickin waste of talent.  Always settling for some dumb mismatch. This team has the talent but is stupid. Someone has to go to the rim on every play.  Please..”

slipthepick

2.  Channing Frye must play and the Cavs must shoot open shots. Here, Delly passes up a wide open triple to repost LeBron. If Delly doesn’t have confidence in his shot, I don’t know if I want to see him playing. The Cavs best playoff lineup has been:LeBron, Frye, JR, Shump, and Delly. That lineup barely played Thursday. It must play tonight, and the boys must let fly. LeBron gets doubled, pitches to Delly, who instead of being a ready shooter, reposts to LeBron despite there being at least 10 feet between he and Iguodala. Result? 14-foot clanker.

dellyj

3. Consider staying big (and I don’t mean LeBron at the four).

https://twitter.com/Jon_Roser/status/738855153260847104

4. Play Channing Frye!

5.  Everone must close out shooters, and must get to Livingston’s body more quickly.

If they do these they’ll be just fine.

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